WEEK 6 - KEEPING FOCUSED

Day 36 - 42

We’re halfway through the program and I’m starting to feel great. I don’t feel uncomfortable in my clothes any more, I’ve stopped averting my gaze from the mirror when I walk past and admittedly have even gone so far as flexing my new muscles a few times. Why not, I deserve the self appreciation, no one else is plodding around JVT at 5am on my behalf. And before you all start taking the piss, you know you’ve done it too.

In fact it leads me onto one of my most embarrassing childhood moments. Imagine a thirteen year old boy who had just returned from playing football in the playing field with his friends (boys and girls), he’d now showered and was preparing for bed, when he catches his reflection in the window sparking some kind of weird reaction. Outside was so dark and the uncovered 100 watt light bulb inside was so bright that it cast flattering shadows over this slightly chubby 13 year olds torso...he begins to flex. Imagine a Jack Black, Nacho Libre look alike, flexing his little boy boobs off for at least 10 minutes. Now imagine his 20 friends outside rolling around laughing because this idiots bedroom overlooked the playing field directly and the synergy of light and dark inside and out had given them the perfect view of this dancing monkey for the full cringeworthy 10 minutes. Thank god they didn’t have camera phones in the early nineties, that’s all I can say. I'm not sure why I revealed this information but you guys deserve a laugh so knock yourselves out.

Moving swiftly on, I again wanted to touch upon the importance of the next 6 weeks. This is the crucial point that a majority of my clients get to before they start to fail.

After 4-6 weeks of training your body is changing, people might have started to tell you that you’re looking good. This is great but is so damn dangerous too. It lulls you into a false sense of security, leaving you thinking “well I do look much better, I could probably get away with a couple of drinks and a bite to eat at barasti”. Hell no, don’t do it. Yes have a cheat meal that’s fine, but don’t let that devil on your shoulder convince you that what you have achieved is enough, it's not, it’s the old comfortable bastard of a mindset that got you in the brown stuff to begin with. Remember the definition of insanity? Well you’re two pints away from ending up back in the nut house and 2 more Barasti sessions away from a straight jacket, that probably won’t fit you anymore because you’ve yo yo’d even further backwards.

Furthermore, you are only 3-4 weeks away from dramatic, game changing transformations that will motivate you even more, and make you feel that anything is possible. It’s then that the shackles of doubt and negativity dissipate. This will leave you feeling relief, elation, drive and many other positive emotions that will help you get to where you want to go. You begin to believe. Believe in yourself, your resolve and even in some cases that guy that you’ve been paying to train you, even better than that you start to feel like you again.

I believe in all of the above but doubt occasionally does creep in. Until Sunday of week 9 (measurement day), there’s doubt that I'm continuing to progress, there’s doubt that I’ll make it to week 12 without injury or something else to interrupt and there’s frustration that it’s not happening quick enough. I’ve decided to just flex and keep moving forward. If doubt is disrupting your training focus, then stay strong and trust the process. Banish worry & negativity and if they do turn up send them off to play hopscotch on Al Khail Road at about 6 O’Clock on a Thursday.

​As for me I'm off to the fish market by Shindagah tunnel tom at 5:30, which is another ball ache by the way. On one hand I can get 18 200g fillet steaks for AED100 but on the other I'm up at 5 again at the weekend to drive a million miles to the market. It's either that or get my wallet raped by Spinneys so off you go to Al Khail negativity. It's worth it when all of the steaks are sat in the freezer ready for a week of smash in the gym and I'm finishing off the final tweaks to my weights program. 'Sad bastard', oh well I'll be a ripped sad bastard with a bit more money in my pocket and a bounce in my step.

See you all next week.