Kyle Parker

A video from 43 days out from my first competition…and looking back, I think I looked better here than I ultimately did on stage…

That’s bodybuilding.

Sometimes getting a little bit leaner doesn’t actually make you more competitive. More conditioned doesn’t automatically mean a better overall package.

Looking at what I believe might have been my best look more than 5 weeks out creates a ton of noise between the ears. There are a million little decisions you can replay and question after the fact.

But ultimately, I know I can look much, much better than this in a few years.

The catch is that getting there requires spending a significant amount of time looking worse than this.

I have to be willing to get softer, STAY softer, eat enough, recover enough, perform at my best week after week and actually give my body enough time and resources to build something NEW.

Where you LOOK your best is nowhere near where you will GROW at your best.

And I think this is where a lot of people get stuck. They just lose and gain the same 15LB over and over…stuck in a loop.

In my coaching experience, plenty of people are willing to be physically uncomfortable for a few hours in the gym - some even everyday. Far fewer are willing to be psychologically uncomfortable for long periods of time.

There’s real discomfort in being heavier and softer than you’d ideally like to look…especially for fitness professionals.

But there’s also discomfort in staying so lean that your performance suffers, recovery deteriorates, food occupies way too much mental real estate and you simply can’t train hard enough for long enough to meaningfully change your physique.

You don’t get to eliminate discomfort. You get to choose which discomfort actually moves you toward the person you want to become.

For me, right now, that means accepting that the mirror probably shouldn’t be giving me exactly what I want.

This might sound like advice for bodybuilders, but I think it matters even more for everyone else.

Sometimes accepting a body you like slightly less is exactly what allows you to build something you’ve never had.

#Bodybuilding
#Abs
#PersonalTrainer
#NYC
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