Valuable Lessons ( we can ALL use) from Figure Athletes About Learning, Living and Training

As I’m sure you know by now, I have been lucky enough to work with an amazing group of  both Pro and Amateur Figure Competitors. You also know that I’m also lucky enough to have an amazing girlfriend who is also a Figure Competitor. On top of that, my mother, who now runs Flow Yoga studio in Port Richey Florida, was a competitive Bodybuilder in the early 80′s. So, to say that I have both a heavy professional and emotional attachment to the world of women’s Figure training is an understatement! . That said, as my athletes learn smarter strength and conditioning methods and concepts from me, I also learn from my athletes. The lessons I have learned from my figure girls have positively effected how I live, learn and train. And, I’m sure these lessons will do the same for you. So, in this post, I’m going to provide you some amazing insights on what we ALL can learn from these amazing athletes! . But first, I would like you to join me in congratulating  Alli on her 2nd Place Finish this past weekend at the Yorton Cup. .

CONGRATS ALLI !!!!!!

. Not bad for only her second show and for someone who had the flu the week before the competition. .

Alli just did a fantastic Blog post recapping her experience at the show which I highly recommend reading here.  Also, be sure to post a comment congratulating her on all her hard work and accomplishments.

. I know many of you have been following Alli’s training on her Blog. Check these pics and see the finished product of what all those workouts and consistent diet she wrote about can do! . Now, onto the valuable lessons in learning, living and training everyone can use from Figure athletes. .

Lesson In Learning

. Any athlete will tell you that regardless of how much you attend seminars, read in books, articles or watch on videos – you still need to get in the gym and experiment and find what works for you. . This is especially true with Figure training! Each show has different standards of what body type they are looking for. Some like a softer body, some like a muscular body and others look for ultra leanness. With each show, these  girls often have to take a leap of faith and train in a way thats unfamiliar to them in the hopes that the outcome will be the look the judges are after. In many cases, half way through training, they realize things arent moving in the direction they were after and they adjust accordingly. Now, imagine if they just sat around reading every article and watching every video? They would end up confused because everyone is saying different stuff. Plus, they would never know what really worked best for them because all the time they spent “learning” what the supposed experts are preaching, they could have been learning about their own body and becoming an expert on training themselves. . So, the big lesson here is this – Take action! Reading is great. But, nothing replaces the value of what you learn when actually go to the gym and train. . The second lesson here is – listen to your body! Just because the “experts” say it’s good, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Don’t be afraid to use your common sense regardless of what the “experts” say. Even me ! . The third lesson here is one that I find particularly valuable. Figure athletes understand this whole heartedly – You only learn how to succeed by failing first. . We always think that practice makes perfect. But, we forget how we found what perfect was to begin with. When learning to ride a bike, you have to eliminate all the wrong ways to ride it before you find the right way. This is why you fall a bunch of times before you are able to ride. . So, if you want to succeed in Strength training or athletics or in life, be ready to fall. And, be happy that you fell because It will only bring you a step closer to success! .

Lessons in Living!

. At first, the whole reason Alli began training for a figure show was to have a training goal that she was guaranteed to stick with and see through till the end. And, nothing is more motivating that setting a goal in which the end result is to get on stage, with little clothing, in front of both an audience and judging panel of strangers who are going to be critical of every aspect of your body. . Since, making this goal, Alli has turned a training goal into a full time lifestyle in which she will continue to cultivate and grow. . Now, don’t misunderstand, Alli has always been a motivated and skilled athlete who trained hard. But, training for fun and training for a specific goal and deadline to achieve that goal is a whole different story. . As you can see, Alli not only achieved her goal but surpassed it by a long shot. Not only did she do that but, in the process, she gained a ton a practical training experience, learned that her will to succeed far surpassed her obstacles and she learned how to separate what was urgent from what was important. These are all invaluable lessons! . These lessons not only made Alli a better person, but made her a better, more knowledgeable trainer. . So, take a lesson from Alli – Don’t just do stuff, whatever you are doing,  set a goal and get after it with purpose, persistence, passion and pride! . You would never get on a plane if you didn’t know where it was going, would you? Of course not! So, why are you living you life like that. Again, take a lesson from Alli and set goals for yourself and take steps each day toward achieving it! Even if you only dedicate a few minutes toward your goal, each day is still a achievement and a success. .

Lessons in Training

. I’ve always said that, folks train like they live their lives. Every person that I’ve trained who has worked hard for every thing they currently have, never needed me to motivate them. Why? – because they brought that same dedication, drive and intensity they posses in their professional world, to their training world. On the other hand, the folks that always seem to be struggling with life, seem to be the same ones who quit early, do the most whingeing and seem to need the most motivation from me. . I thnk this goes to show that there is another side to training & conditioning that is more mental and spiritual.  It’s about what my good friend, Coach JC Santana calls – “training the human will”. . As Alli quickly realized, once you discover that you do have the ability to push yourself in the gym each day and follow a strict diet, even on the days you don necessarily want to, you realize that if you can do this, you can do just about anything. . In other words, once you find out that you can get over a specific obstacle, all other obstacles don’t look as challenging. . So, get to the gym and push yourself hard. If you can do this, and still leave with a smile on your face, other stresses and issues in life won’t seem all that bad. . You also may find that you morph from the person who complains and limits themselves to only what they know, to the person who is ready for anything because you already know, regardless of what is, you can beat it! .

A  Big Thanks!

. I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you too, have learned some valuable lessons in life, living and training from Alli and these amazing athletes known as figure girls. . Keep these lessons in mind the next time you see one of these girls in a picture or at the gym. Because, my friends, there is so much more to them then just the make up, spray tanned body and muscles. . With that said, I’d like to wrap up by saying thank you to Alli for making us all proud and to all my dedicated figure athletes for teaching us these amazing lessons! .

If you’d like to congratulate Alli yourself, comment on her blog post here…

. .