Today’s post is going to be short and sweet because I just got home from the expo, and I have a million things I need to do today, and I feel as if they are all calling my name.
I felt compelled to write though.
In a way this post actually relates back to my last entry.
Surround yourself by the best - the best being what you need at the time.
I have had the privilege of working with several different training professionals since I started my journey back to being fit. I mentioned I started with my friend LuAnn (who was a complete stranger at the time), but over the course of 3 1/2 years, I’ve worked with no fewer than 5 different trainers. Why? For many reasons, but most importantly every trainer I’ve worked with specialized in different areas. They each brought something unique and different that I needed to the table at that specific time in my life.
- LuAnn helped me take the initial step. She helped me get back on track. She helped me as I lost my weight.
- Sandy helped me with posing and my initial diet as I turned towards competing in figure. She helped me gain confidence for my dreaded day on stage.
- Landon monitored my progress during the last month as I prepped for a couple of my shows. He “brought me in” as they say in the industry. He weighed me, measured my body-fat, and gave me recommendations and tweaked my diet in person based on my “look”.
- Samantha (and other figure judges) gave me feedback after my shows and via email to help me know what areas to improve, focus on, and develop more. After every show I always talk to the judges to pick their brains,understand my weaknesses AND my strengths. Their feedback is critical. In some cases it reinforces what I already knew. Other times it’s new. One judge told me this season after a show that next time if I look as lean as I do two weeks out from a show to “go have a big cheeseburger”. I was too lean.
- Scott is helping me with retraining my muscle imbalances. He is taking me back to square one - light lifting. It’s with him I am hoping to train my weak muscles to engage and develop. My goal is to have those weakened areas as strong as the rest of my body my next year at this same time so I can stand a better chance on stage.
- And then there’s Mike. He is one of the absolute best in the industry. He has worked with hundreds of girls and taken many of them pro. He has taken many to the Olympia and crowned an elite few Olympians. He has years and years of experience, knows how to transform women from every day athletes to Figure professionals and it’s through him this past year I’ve gotten some of my best training and my favorite diet plans.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in different areas. Determine what it is you are hoping to achieve and find a mentor who can help you in that specific area. Is it just getting to the gym? Having someone to hold you accountable? Someone who can motivate and inspire you? Having someone to show you how to use the weights? Someone to help you train for a show? Whatever the reason, determine what it is you are really trying to accomplish.
Why do I share this with you? Because when I was growing up I remember my teachers telling me to surround myself by the best. If you want to learn Spanish, it’s best to take classes from someone who IS or is at least fluent in Spanish - and definitely someone who has the passion and the knack for teaching it. Surround yourself by excellence. Surround yourself by the best. That goes for training. Solicit feedback from the best. If you know of people at your gym you’ve heard “are the best”, then talk to them. Pick their brains. Befriend them. If you’ve heard of people through your friends, ask for their information. If there’s a particular fitness role-model or trainer you’ve read about, follow them. I’ve learned countless ideas from my favorite figure athletes online or through magazines.
I surround myself by information and on occasion some of it actually sinks in. **smile**
jen.fit.training@gmail.com
