What to carefully consider, analyse and evaluate ahead of committing to an extreme goal, and your coaches roll, once it’s achieved.
1. Why? What’s your driving force, motivation, reasoning to take on such an extreme challenge? Who are you doing this for? What do you hope to achieve by completing this type of process, and after completion? Would a less intense approach suffice and suit you better? Keep questioning yourself, until you have no more answer’s.
2. Mentality & head space. Many markers contribute, and heavily impact, your headspace and mindset. Sleep, stress & energy should all be at a suitable and satisfactory level before commencing an extreme phase of dieting & training.
3. Your current relationship with food and training. If you’re not content and enjoying these two now, you will definitely struggle going forward.
4. Is your body physically ready and developed enough to pursue a far more extreme condition, for aesthetic or performance based purposes? Like any process of progression, you need to spend time at foundation level and intermediate level before progressing – have you served your time and mastered these two?
5. Have you factored in the cost? Coaching, weekly/monthly food, gym membership, supplementation… For photoshoots, add location, photographer, tan, waxing, make-up, clothing etc etc. These all add up. Quickly.
6. Have you factored in the required time scale and the (possible) degree of restriction to socialising associated with your desired goal?
7. A POA once you achieve your goal. Unfortunately more times than not, the aftermath of “end line” goals, is not good. In my humble opinion, the onus and responsibility lies with the coach. End-result-goals carry a lot of emotion. These emotions, unless catered for, and reacted to, appropriately can have detrimental impacts. Binge eating in direct reaction to completion can lead to self esteem and body composition/conditioning issues. The after affects can also include psychological issues: a feeling of being lost, a lack of direction and purpose, a negative relationship with food & calorie consumption. A superior coach will have discussed a post-goal plan with you.
Your coach has a pivotal role to play from the outset and throughout your entire journey. They need to also give serious consideration to all the factors discussed above, with particular attention to the final point. No person should reach the end line of any goal and then feel lost, as though they’re left in the dark, with no direction where to go or what to do next. Your coach should acknowledge this from the beginning by enforcing a minimum of 2-4 weeks further coaching to ensure you safely and successfully return to a suitable, healthy and happy state of mind and body.
Stay safe! 
Regardless if your pulling, pushing, lifting, squatting, thrusting, etc, you need to ensure you’re feeling the exercise physically and mentally. A suitable warm-up circuit will contribute greatly to a successful mind-muscle connection later in your workout also and so its vitally important to pre-activate your muscles correctly before you workout (another day’s article!)
