West Coast Muscle

First, Let Me Take a Selfie

The industry is much different than back in 1996, when I was prepping for my first bodybuilding show.

Competitions these days seem more like popularity contests. Facebook and Instagram feeds are loaded with pictures of amateur and professional fitness athletes. There are more people sitting back and liking photos than there are people under the bar pushing weight! #DoYouEvenLift is a favourite hashtag for these armchair critics.

When I began competing, all we really knew would be the hearsay or rumours that would float from person to person about our competitors being shredded or puffy and holding water, on track, or struggling to get lean. We always wanted to know how the competition might be doing, but not knowing allowed us to focus on our own prep and bettering ourselves, rather than being concerned with things that are out of our control.

As a online contest prep coach and trainer, I constantly have to remind my clients that they are on track and look great, due to their having concerns after they see their competition’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds! They look at themselves and compare their current physiques to the edited, sharpened, filtered, lighted photo on Instagram and immediately become overcritical and self-conscious when in reality they have nothing to worry about!

First thing first: The only pictures that get posted on these outlets are the best pictures or their best body parts. The competition isn’t going to show the pictures that they look puffy in! They’re going to post the picture online that they look absolutely shredded in because of the angle of the photo, the way they’re posing, and the lighting, the filter, and the space they took the photo. Manufactured aesthetics!

Comparing your current physique in the mirror, where you can see all your faults and flaws, to a picture on Instagram that’s been edited isn’t fair to you, but it happens all the time! The added stress that comes with this comparison causes you to lose focus.

Everyone has a different approach to competing. There are various ways to diet and train. You must trust your plan. You have to choose a method and see it through until the end. When you look at someone’s selfies, diet, and training routine, this can cause you to second-guess yourself. The last thing you need is to be wallowing in indecision! Stick to your diet and stick to your program. Consult your coach if you are actually concerned with your progress.

Usually the people who have the best photos don’t win the show. The person that wins on show day is the person that shows up on show day. The only way to find out who’s got the best physique is to show up on show day.

It’s already hard enough finding the motivation to do what you need to do for your own physique. Now you’re stressing about how other people are doing? Worrying about things that are outside of your control? Redirect your focus to yourself and your actions, and constructively move forward into beast mode instead of being in bitch mode.

The only thing that matters is the state of your current physique. Are you where you are supposed to be? Proper execution of an educated plan will lead to your desired end result. You must have faith that you are on track, and you must move forward and focus on your own goals and aspirations.

The positive side of social media is that it can be used as a motivation station when you find yourself in a rut.

Let’s say that your competitor is more shredded than you right now. Yeah, that bro has a filter, but the filter doesn’t change the fact that he has an eight-pack of shredded abs. There are two perspectives you can decide to take. The first is realizing you’re not where you need to be and clearly he is, so you beat yourself up. The second is that you’re not where you need to be, so you decide to step it the fuck up and take your training to another level!

The only thing you know for sure is that you’re going to step onstage with these people in “X” weeks, no matter what. Do you want to bring your best self to the stage because you saw their pictures and used it as fuel for your fire? Or do you want to step onstage and be less shredded than them because you beat yourself up like a pussy and didn’t step up?

In the end, the decision is up to you. Being aware of the competition is the greatest thing that you could ask for. This is a tool you can utilize to motivate yourself to move forward on the hard days. Remember that everyone that enters competitions is fit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be competing!

Focus on yourself, and do what you can to bring your best physique to the stage. Make efforts to improve every single day. Each day that leads up to the competition has an impact on the way that you look onstage.

Make sure that you motivate yourself to take constructive action towards your contest body, no matter what the competition looks like! Spend time on these social media outlets to learn how they look, but don’t spend too much time when you could be focusing on yourself and your own progress.

Oh—and take your own selfies and make them second-guess themselves!

Dean Brandt
Owner of BodyByBrandt Training
Elite Trainer and Online Contest Prep Coach
National Level Physique Competitor
Aka “Mr. West Coast”

Youtube: TheXtremePromotions
Twitter: DeanBrandt365