The intimidation factor

This is a topic I really wanted to cover because it appears relevant to virtually everyone I speak to including men!  I have also committed every single faux pas there is: dropping weight plates on my feet (twice), tripping, falling off a treadmill, trapping myself under a barbell, breaking machines, forgetting to shave my armpits and even training in a pyjama top (best not to ask!). The number of these undignified moments is usually inversely correlated to calories consumed so I'm anticipating a whole lot more for the coming weeks.

I don't think anybody is immune to the intimidation factor no matter how experienced, but it is related to how much you care about what other people think and also how competent and confident you feel in an environment. Ultimately, the way to off set this best is to be prepared and there are a number of ways to go about this so you put yourself in a situation for success rather than setting yourself up for something unnecessarily difficult and ultimately failing.

1. Choose your gym wisely

Choosing a suitable gym is actually really important. The people, staff, equipment, the space, they all contribute to helping you stay on track with goals. These can range dramatically from female only to hard core bodybuilding gyms. I choose to train in a bodybuilding gym for two reasons; I work better in a no frills gym and I can always get access to the equipment, two things which matter a lot to me. The downside of this is I am the ONLY female in the gym which is unfortunately accompanied by the most derogatory, sexist, degrading comments. I am pleased to note that this dissipates pretty quickly or perhaps I've just stopped caring or listening! Some gyms are worse than others and I have in fact left a gym for this very reason. No woman should ever have to put up with these kinds of remarks. You can lead by example but unfortunately you can't win every battle.

2. Expect people to look

People will look at you, they'll look at what weight you're lifting but they'll also be looking at everybody else including the other men, so don't take this personally. Never assume you know what somebody is thinking as most likely you'll be wrong and therefore it's not even relevant or important. The question to ask is how are you going to deal with how it makes you feel? The best advice here is to be prepared and to know what you're going to be doing for that session, so you can get on with it without distraction. Being honest with where you're at is important to address as you can take action as to whether you need to top up on a few 1-1 sessions to master some basic movements. This can help drastically with feeling competent. 

3. Know how to use the equipment

In any new gym, there is always a bit of dilly dallying around to get familiar with different equipment. EVERYBODY feels this, no matter how experienced you are. If you don't know how to use something just ask. That is what the fitness staff are there for and they will be pleased to help you.

4. Really take some time to address realistic goals and objectives

There is no better way to fail at a task than setting unrealistic goals. It is a real confidence eroding process, can often induce overtraining and injury and is unnecessary. I believe daily short term goals should almost always be achievable. It's the culmination of achieving these daily targets and doing something well that builds confidence and I can't stress how important this attribute is for everything. It needs to be nurtured very carefully. It's also really important to be clear about why you're in the gym that day. When things get a bit tough - you need to be able to answer the question why are you there? and feel like the answer matters.

5. There is NO magic fitness program formula

Once the basic weight lifting moves have been learnt, the fitness program is next. This is something I am constantly experimenting with, because I love experimenting, but what becomes very apparent is ...there is NO magic formula. For any one goal, there are infinite possibilities in how you get there. Some are significantly harder than others! and I opt for the path of least resistance these days and the minimum effective dose! In fact, it's my standard question for any problem or dilemma at the start of the day - what is the path of least resistance for this task or situation?

It is however important to have a plan and one that fits with both your physiology and psychology. There are a number of generic plans floating around the internet which can be used as a good template but this leads onto the next point. If you are using a generic plan or even if you're using an individualised one, it's still really important to know when and how to modify it - the art of ebbing and flowing. 

6. Be flexible and open to possibility

This is slightly harder, because you have to be attuned to your body and trust it but it is so important to be able to modify or tweak a plan. This can make all the difference to progress. There are so many variables that contribute to progress; nutrition, recovery, training program, intensity, consistency, menstrual cycle...the list is endless. Knowing when to push and when to back off are two great examples; putting in an extra rest day or forgoing a rest day. Of course, you have to give a program time to work (usually about 4-8 weeks depending on fitness level) but within that, listening to your body is essential. During competition prep, the week before my period, I don't diet and I throw in a planned cheat meal.  This is very unconventional bodybuilding wisdom but I have found dieting during this time has the reverse effect, so I'd rather maintain my weight through eating a good amount of healthy clean food than struggle through calorie restriction and still end up putting on weight. 

7. When all else fails - Fake it

There is a real argument for "faking it until you make it".  Just as mind affects body, so does body affect mind. So even forcing a smile or displaying "dominant" poses affect the neuroendocrine system. The following paper is an interesting take on how adopting "power poses" for 2 mins can increase testosterone, decrease cortisol and lead to subsequent behavioural changes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20855902 -Amy Cuddy talks really well on this and there are a number of her talks on YouTube. 

Tweaking body language to appear more confident is a good start: standing taller, basically any body position that makes you appear bigger (a dominance strategy adopted by primates and other animals).

So acting confident even though you don't feel it can still get you half way there if not the whole way. 

Wonder woman power pose: hands on hip, legs shoulder width apart

And lastly.....

8. Just do it!

Emotional Fitness

With the introduction of new sciences that bridge the gap between the traditional hard sciences, we see the emergence of things like "happiness" and "mindfulness" research and with these come a whole new glossary of terminology; which I then have to furiously google to understand. 

"Emotional fitness" and "anti-fragility" are two rather fanciful examples but not a bad attempt at summing up what essentially means the strength of one's character. I'd like to go one step further and suggest that being mentally robust is about having a flexible personality, as it is this which allows someone to navigate relatively seamlessly through life's little ups and downs, which in turn just makes life more enjoyable. No personality trait is a virtue (or hindrance) at all times; there is a time and a place where it works best and understanding this can prevent a significant amount of head banging - something I know lots about and it gets you nowhere except exhausted. Similarly, and most demonstrable in females, we are different women at different times of the month and understanding this, contrary to popular belief can be used to our advantage. 
Learning to be flexible is possible and actually it's easier than one may think; it just takes a bit of awareness of habitual behaviour. It could be trying a new response to a situation, argument or just doing something/anything a different way. The book "Flex" (see below) does quite a good job of the "how to" of this. 

Having competed and worked in sport and fitness practically my whole life, you get to see a lot. I've experienced a lot of success and failure, disappointment, illness, injury and the whole spectrum of emotion that goes along with that. I've also seen many other people go through it as well. Nowadays I tend to coach myself in anything I do and at the moment my chosen sport is bodybuilding. Being self-aware is a necessity of any self-coaching venture but it also allows me to better understand how to help other people. 

My thoughts as a coach and an athlete

I work as a strength and conditioning coach but I also work in sports science research. One of my interest areas is the science of motivation and I'm fast realising how building a strong flexible character is easier to create than you might think and just as necessary as physical skills in getting and staying on top of any goal. Emotional fitness is also the skill set that seems the least visible in the athletes I train. They can squat 2-3 times their body weight but have absolutely no concept of how to respond constructively to an unexpected situation or difficult decision about how best to attain their goals. This is a problem, as being able to make the right decisions and change or not change strategy in a sporting context can make or break a person (literally!). 

To be able to self motivate, make good decisions, stay positive...these are all absolutely crucial skills to creating momentum, staying injury free and navigating through a training phase. These skills are usually acquired the hard way as a consequence to life but they can also be consciously learned. The last point is a jewel of information because it means you can learn the lessons much faster and easier without having to journey to the far end of the "mood" spectrum i.e to "bottom out", whisky in hand. This therefore creates a choice with how you choose to experience life and I wish I had known that ten years ago because it just makes everything easier, more fun and angst free. 

To be able to select the aspects of your personality you choose to demonstrate at any given time is hugely empowering because it strengthens our ability for self reliance. Sometimes as coaches or friends, we get it wrong, give bad advice, don't know the best thing to say at the right time or just can't be there; it's human nature. Unfortunately I've been in the situation and I've seen people literally fall apart because they can't deal with a situation on their own when they've had to and it's completely preventable. 

As a coach, I see my role as making a person more self sufficient whatever that may entail. If I have done my job right, over time I expect to disappear more and more into the background only emerging at times of desperate need! This goes against the grain of conventional wisdom about coaching but it works and it works well. It also works in alignment with my values about sporting success and that is to encourage an athlete to become a better, happier person along the way. 

Right now I'm in the middle of bodybuilding prep and so I can experience the athlete side of the athlete-coach dynamic. It is hard; I'm very tired and my usual support system is on holiday! so it's a true test to my resilience; practice what you preach and all that! Thank goodness for the small things.. music, rest and watching Gladiator on repeat seems to work a treat! 

Motivation Book Club!

Flex - Ben Fletcher and Karen Pine and The power of Habit - Charles Duhigg

Running and Bodybuilding? - To be or not to be

The contentious issue of running and bodybuilding!

My answer to this is - if you can justify why you want to do something and the answer is good! then anything and everything has a place.

My relationship with running started about 15 years ago when I first trained at a Muay Thai gym in rural Bangkok. I was the only female and one of two foreigners. Our morning run was a 14km loop paced by a Thai on a moped, smoking and drinking Red Bull, although it could have been Sang Som whisky, hard to tell. I was always last, which I guess gets me the Thai equivalent of the laterne rouge but I'm not sure that is bragging rights.

Was it the best possible way of training?

Probably not. The runs were fast and they absolutely knackered me, all before the actual training started! They did however build a mental resilience that has really stood me well for training and for life. I'm grateful for that Thai trainer; everytime I would stop and throw up in the bushes or stop because of cramp, he would pull over and wait for me. There were no words of encouragement; in fact there were no words at all, but we always made it back to camp. Over time, I never got faster but I did get tougher. The ability to turn on "grit" when you need to is a very useful skill and I expect it has roots on those 5am Bangkok mornings.

Cultivating a positive mindset

So,  I stuck with running over the years. It is great for general fitness but I have a mental association with it, where it always gets me through the rough patches of life and it is therefore invaluable for cultivating a positive mindset. To me, running means more than fitness, it represents gratitude and courage, and these emotions are extremely important to nurture.

"Striving to be 1% better everyday" - Generation Iron

That was a very long winded way of saying, if an activity generates a positive, peaceful mindset, that is an excellent reason to do it and it is worth prioritising. If it aligns with physical goals, then even better. For my category "figure", running seems to work well for my body type and metabolism - it creates better proportions, downsizing quads and improving conditioning. For this reason I have teamed 60 minute "fasted state" running with a route that suits my temperament. It takes the form of a very beautiful 12km there and back route to a Buddhist temple which sits at the top of a very steep winding road. The first time I did this, I started off walking! and even then I had to lie down in the bushes at one point. 
But...with all things there is progression; sometimes backwards! but mostly lateral and forwards! There is a great quote (Phil Heath I think) in "Generation Iron" the modern bodybuilding documentary, that says "I strive to be 1% better everyday". Of course, this is a metaphor but it resonated with me because it is a great way to set small, realistic, daily, achievable goals and it is the little things done well everyday that contribute to the grand goals. It can also apply to anything; character, mental or physical goals. So, everyday I try and run a bit more of this route. I am always met by the most beautiful and compassionate of smiles (possibly sympathy!) from the pick up truck full of monks returning from their morning alms (this is their morning walk where they collect food) - it really keeps me going.

Ultimately, I wanted to see if I could train for bodybuilding in a way that aligned with my values about training and living life; I wanted a way that builds strength of character and physicality. There are infinite possibilities for this and running is part of that for me. I think the trick to consistency, progress, enjoyment and happiness is just to find your own way! It is also amazing what you can see when you choose to actually open your eyes to the world outside (see below!) and note to self..I must apply this to pounding the streets of South East London, rather than switching off into the land of iTunes. 

Beats running on a treadmill

A beaker of black coffee - an absolute requirement for morning runs!

Hill training!!