“Seconds before I bite down on a big juicy…”
“Will I eat that…”
“Ah yeah should be grand?”
“Shouldn’t it?”
…
This is what my internal dialogue looks like seconds before I bite down on a big juicy jam-filled doughnut…

Guilt and shame ensue.
Then about a minute later…I totally regret it.
We make mistakes but I feel it’s really important to not beat yourself up every time you indulge in a dessert or treat.
Which leads me to my first mistake:
Mistake #1 — Beating myself up internally
In my opinion I think that people give up because they don’t think long term. What I find works is to have a balance. Have the long term goal in the back of your head. Patient with the long term vision but impatient on the daily micro-tasks.
Takeaway: I use to eat awful for a couple of days and miss training for a week. I thought this was the end of the world. IT’S NOT. What I found works really well is to think in terms of 1 or 2 years down the line instead of a couple of weeks. One bad week in an 8 week program is a lot (1/8= 12.5% missed). However, one bad week in a year long mindset is nothing (1/52=2% missed)! This diffuses the guilt DRAMATICALLY. Give it a go next time, it helps me get back on the horse instead of giving myself shit for missing a week.
Mistake #2 — Eating anything that comes my way because “I’m bulking bro”
This is a big mistake. If you eat shit you might get “big” but it will mainly comprise of fat. You’ve got to get in your daily protein, carbohydrate and fat intake regardless and you can get the rest how you please depending on your goals.
Takeaway: I find it ridiculously difficult to put on size which is down to not eating enough. I still do not eat enough. Here’s a guide I try to stick to.
Mistake #3 — Not matching the type of training to my goals
So then, what are my goals? Answer this first before you step foot in the gym. If your are aimless in your pursuit it will show in your results. At the moment I’m training for hypertrophy (muscle size). So my training reflects that (little rest time between sets…things like super-sets and tri-sets). If I was training for strength, I would focus on resting for up to 3–5 minutes between sets and working within 80% of my 1RM. If i was looking to lose fat, I would focus on high intensity training and being in a calorie deficit.
Takeaway: Stop and ask yourself, why am I training? Once you’re clear, start searching for training programs that match those goals and get to work. Easier said than done but being successful is getting the little shit right. This is one of a hundred things you need to get right.
Thanks for reading,
-Ad
#TrainWithAdam
