How I went from looking average despite doing everything "right"... to people asking if I'm on gear. While eating more food than ever. Low-carb. Intermittent fasting. Carnivore. I did it all. Worked for a bit. Then I crashed. Hard.
Face looked rough. Energy was gone. Skin wasn't great. And despite all the restriction, all the discipline, all the saying no to things... I looked average. Not fat. But not impressive either.
Now I jump out of bed at 5am ready to go full send every day. Fuller muscles. More vascular. Eating more food than I ever thought possible. And staying leaner than I ever was when I was starving myself.
What changed?
I stopped fighting my metabolism and started feeding it. I stopped listening to the restriction cult and started paying attention to what actually works.
This is everything I've learned in 16 years of natural bodybuilding. My own trial and error. Working with hundreds of clients. And finally figuring out the game nobody talks about.
If you're tired of spinning your wheels, tired of looking the same year after year, tired of feeling like something's broken... this is for you.
I - The trap everyone falls into
There's two traps I see lads fall into. Both look like progress. Both feel like effort. Neither actually works long-term.
Trap 1: The Looksmaxxing Delusion
Lads are out here researching canthal tilts and mewing techniques while sitting at 25% body fat.
They're asking about SARMs before they can deadlift their bodyweight.
Enquiring about peptides when they've never eaten 1g protein per lb for 90 days straight.
The supplement cupboard is overflowing. Turkesterone. Ashwagandha. Tongkat ali. Fadogia. Whatever the latest influencer is pushing.
But they've never trained with real intensity for a year. Never tracked their food properly for more than a few weeks. Never actually committed to the basics.
Here's what's really happening:
This is avoidance dressed up as optimisation.
It's easier to research the perfect stack than it is to show up at 6am when it's dark and cold.
It's easier to debate mewing techniques than it is to get lean enough for your jaw to actually show.
It's easier to buy another supplement than it is to eat beef and rice for the 400th time.
The obsession with shortcuts is what's keeping you average.
Trap 2: The Restriction Cult
Then there's the other lot. The chronic dieters.
Keto for 18 months. Carnivore for a year. Intermittent fasting until their hormones are in the gutter and their hair is falling out.
They lose weight initially. The scale goes down. They feel great for 3-6 months.
Then they hit a wall.
Plateau. Can't lose any more. Energy tanks. Sleep goes to shit. Libido disappears. But they keep pushing because they think the answer is more restriction.
Eventually they can't sustain it. They "fall off." Gain it all back... plus interest. And they're worse off than when they started because now their metabolism is genuinely damaged.
Why does this happen?
Because restriction doesn't fix a broken metabolism. It breaks it further.
Every time you aggressively diet, you're telling your body that food is scarce. And your body, which evolved over millions of years to survive famines, responds by slowing everything down.
Thyroid output drops. Cortisol rises. Muscle gets broken down for energy. And your body becomes incredibly efficient at storing fat from whatever food you do eat.
This is why people end up eating 1,400 calories and not losing weight. Their metabolism has adapted to scarcity. They've trained their body to survive on nothing.
Dorian Yates, 6x Mr. Olympia, the most muscular man on the planet in his era, said it perfectly:
"Your body doesn't want to change. You have to give it a bloody good reason."
But here's what he also understood. You can't force adaptation from a depleted state. You need resources. Energy. Raw materials.
The restriction cult has it backwards. They're trying to build a house while starving the builders.
II - The deeper issue
I know these problems because I had all three.
After I dropped out of uni, I was directionless. Partying too much. Still training but going through the motions. No real intent behind it.
The internal narrative was brutal. I'd look at guys with physiques I wanted and tell myself it wasn't possible naturally. That they were on gear, or had genetics I didn't. That being properly jacked just wasn't in the cards for someone like me.
So I half-arsed it. For years.
I'd start a new programme, go hard for a few weeks, then drift. Wait until I "felt motivated" again. Spin up something new. Repeat.
The cycle broke after a toxic relationship ended. One of those breakups that strips everything back. Forces you to look at yourself properly.
I remember thinking: I've been waiting for something external to change how I feel. A girl. A job. The right moment. But nothing was coming to save me.
That's when I took my reps into my own hands. Stopped waiting. Stopped negotiating. Just started.
The transformation didn't come from a new programme or a secret supplement. It came from deciding I was done being the guy who "couldn't."
Most blokes who can't build the physique they want have three hidden problems. And none of them are physical.
Problem 1: They don't believe they deserve the transformation
Deep down, they've decided it's for "other people." Genetic freaks. Influencers. Guys who got lucky. Not them.
So they self-sabotage. They start programmes and quit after two weeks. They diet for a month then binge. They tell themselves they'll "start properly on Monday" for years.
This isn't a discipline problem. It's a worthiness problem.
If you don't believe you can have the thing, you'll unconsciously make sure you never get it.
Problem 2: They're waiting for motivation
Motivation is a visitor. It shows up occasionally, stays for a bit, then disappears.
Discipline is a resident. It's there every day whether you feel like it or not.
The lads who transform their physiques don't rely on motivation. They've built systems. Habits. Non-negotiables.
They don't decide whether to train. They just train. The decision was made months ago.
Fit blokes don't force themselves to go to the gym. They force themselves NOT to train on rest days. That's the difference.
Problem 3: They identify as "the guy with bad genetics"
The label becomes the cage.
"I'm a hardgainer." "I store fat easily." "I've got bad genetics for building muscle." "My family is just big-boned."
Every time you say this, you reinforce it. You make it part of your identity. And you can't outperform an identity you're committed to.
Zane called it "the curse of potential":
"There are people in the bodybuilding world who have never made it to the top because everything comes too easy for them. Things never came that easy for me. I had to work real hard. But I think that if things come too easy you tend to relax a bit too much."
The guy with "bad genetics" who shows up every day for five years will absolutely destroy the genetic freak who coasts.
Here's the reframe:
You're not the guy with bad genetics. You're the guy who hasn't been consistent long enough yet.
You must mentally inhabit the state first. Your mind reflects what you think back to you in the circumstances of life. The lean, jacked version of you exists... you just have to stop telling yourself he doesn't.
III - What nobody talks about
90% of how good you look is body composition.
Not supplements. Not genetics. Not bone structure. Not mewing.
Body composition. Lean mass vs fat mass. That's it.
Get lean enough and your jaw shows up. Your cheekbones pop. Your eyes look more defined. You look healthier, more vital, more attractive.
Build enough muscle in the right places and you create the illusion of the perfect physique even if your genetics aren't ideal.
Frank Zane won Mr. Olympia three times at only 185 pounds. He beat guys who had 30-40 pounds on him. How?
Proportions.
"The perfect physique is one that has really great proportions where everything matches, no one thing stands out, it all blends together."
Zane had narrow hips and relatively wide shoulders. So he maximised that. He focused on the V-taper. He built his back and shoulders while keeping his waist tight.
He didn't try to be the biggest. He tried to be the most aesthetic.
And here's what's powerful about that:
You don't need elite genetics to build a physique that turns heads. You need to understand your frame, play to your strengths, and get lean enough for the structure to show.
The lad obsessing over his canthal tilt while sitting at 22% body fat is completely missing the point. Get to 12% and your whole face changes. Get to 10% and you look like a different person.
The hierarchy is simple:
Get lean (this is where 80% of the transformation happens visually)
Build muscle in the right places (shoulders, back, arms... the V-taper)
Then, and only then, worry about optimisation
Most people invert this completely. They're trying to optimise step 47 when they haven't done step 1.
IV - The science nobody explains properly
Right, let's get into why the restriction approach fails.
Ray Peat spent 40+ years researching how nutrition impacts cellular energy, hormones, and metabolism. The core insight is simple:
Your cells need glucose to function optimally.
When you restrict carbs, you're starving your mitochondria. Your body has two options: break down muscle tissue to make glucose, or pump out stress hormones to maintain blood sugar.
Both options are disasters for anyone trying to build muscle while staying lean.
This is why chronic low-carb dieters lose muscle, feel exhausted, and eventually plateau hard. They're not under-eating. They're under-fuelling.
The thyroid connection
Your liver needs adequate glucose to convert inactive T4 thyroid hormone into active T3.
When T3 is low:
You burn fewer calories at rest. Fat loss becomes almost impossible. Muscle building slows. Your mood drops. Energy crashes.
Better thyroid function = higher metabolic rate = easier fat loss = better mood = more energy = better training = more muscle.
It all connects.
The PUFA problem
One more piece.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids - the fats in vegetable oils, seed oils, most processed foods - suppress thyroid function and damage mitochondria.
These oils get stored in your tissues for years. Ray Peat's research suggests it takes about four years to fully detox from them.
You don't have to wait four years to see benefits. Cutting them now starts the process immediately.
Translation: Cut the seed oils. Prioritise saturated fats - butter, tallow, coconut oil. Give your metabolism time to heal.
The timing piece nobody talks about
There's something else I stumbled onto by accident.
I used to eat eggs and sourdough first thing. Heavy fats. Felt fine for an hour then crashed by 10am. Thought I needed more coffee.
Then I learned about the Randle cycle.
Your cells can burn glucose or fat for fuel - not both efficiently at the same time. They compete for the same metabolic pathway.
Started eating fruit until noon. Light. Easy glucose when cortisol's naturally high and your body wants quick fuel.
The crashes stopped. Energy stayed stable. Training felt sharper.
Heavy fats came later - dinner, when I'm winding down anyway.
One caveat. This is mainly a summer thing for me. When the sun's up early and I'm active from 5am, my body wants that quick glucose. Fruit until noon works perfectly.
Winter's different. Less light, slower mornings, body naturally wants heavier fuel earlier. I don't force the fruit thing when it doesn't feel right.
The principle stays the same - work with your biology, not against it. But what that looks like shifts with the seasons.
Most people fight their own biology every morning. Smashing fats when their body's screaming for glucose. Then wondering why they need three coffees to function.
V - What actually works
Alright, enough theory. Here's the practical system.
The 60-Day Hierarchy
This is the order of priority. Don't skip ahead. Don't invert it. Do it in sequence.
Level 1: Get lean first (LEAN IS LAW)
If you're above 15% body fat, this is priority number one.
Getting lean is the single fastest way to transform how you look. Your face changes. Your jawline appears. Your muscle definition shows. You look healthier, more vital, more impressive.
A 300-500 calorie deficit. Nothing extreme. No crash dieting.
But, and this is crucial, you're not starving yourself.
You're eating adequate protein (1g per lb bodyweight minimum). You're eating adequate carbs to support thyroid function (100-150g minimum for most people). And you're keeping fats moderate, prioritising saturated fats, with zero seed oils.
This is restriction with intelligence. Not the mindless "eat as little as possible" approach that destroys your metabolism.
Level 2: Fix the metabolism
While getting lean, you're simultaneously healing the engine.
Here's the protocol:
Cut PUFAs completely. No vegetable oils, no seed oils, nothing fried in restaurants.
Prioritise saturated fats. Butter, beef tallow, coconut oil, ghee.
Eat fruit and honey. Yes, really. Supports thyroid function, signals abundance to your body.
Morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking. Sets circadian rhythm, boosts metabolic rate.
Raw carrot daily. Sounds weird, works brilliantly. Reduces endotoxin in the gut, supports liver detoxification.
The fruit thing trips people up.
"But sugar is bad!"
No. Refined sugar in processed foods combined with seed oils is bad. Fruit is not the same thing.
When your metabolism is healthy, fruit becomes rocket fuel. Easily digestible energy that supports thyroid function without the stress response.
The problem isn't fruit. It's a broken engine that can't use the fuel properly. Fix the engine first.
Level 3: Train with real intensity (3x per week)
Dorian Yates built the most muscular physique in bodybuilding history training 45 minutes, 4 times per week.
"8-10 exercises covering your whole body, twice a week, 45 minutes. That's all you need. I've done it with people. Time excuse is not relevant. I'm not listening. You don't need a lot of time."
He wasn't doing two hours of volume junk. He was doing short, brutally intense sessions with adequate recovery.
My preference: 3 full-body sessions per week. Compound movements. Progressive overload. Real intensity... not pump chasing fluff. Well, for the most part, who doesn't love ze feeling of the pump?
Here's what Dorian said about the pump:
"The pump is temporary blood flow. It feels good, it's part of the process, but you could get a great pump with light weight... and it won't stimulate growth. Don't be fooled by the pump. You must overload the muscle."
The pump feels good but it's not the goal. Progressive overload is the goal. Lifting heavier weights or doing more reps over time. That's what forces adaptation.
Train hard. Recover harder. Repeat.
Level 4: Build the ratio
Once you're lean and your metabolism is functioning, focus on proportions.
Frank Zane won Mr. Olympia at 185lbs by understanding that proportions beat pure size.
The V-taper is king: wide shoulders, wide back, narrow waist.
Focus your training on:
Shoulders (especially lateral and rear delts)
Back (lats for width, traps for presence)
Arms (fill out the sleeves)
Neck (often forgotten, makes a huge difference)
Keep the waist tight. Don't neglect core work. The vacuum pose Zane was famous for wasn't just aesthetic... it demonstrated core control and proportion.
You're not trying to be the biggest guy in the room. You're trying to be the most aesthetic. The one who looks like he was carved from stone.
Level 5: The non-negotiables
These aren't optional. They're the foundation everything else sits on.
Sleep 7-8 hours. 9pm bedtime, dark room, phone off 2 hours before bed. Non-negotiable. You grow when you sleep. Your hormones reset when you sleep. Skip this and nothing else works properly.
10,000+ steps daily. Walking, not exhaustive cardio. Supports fat loss without the cortisol spike. Improves lymphatic flow. Clears your head.
Morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking. Even if it's cloudy. Get outside, look toward where the sun is (not directly at it). Sets your circadian rhythm, improves sleep, boosts metabolism, improves mood.
Sauna and contrast therapy. 20-30 minutes in the sauna, 3-4x per week. Heat stress triggers heat shock proteins - same adaptive response as training. Improves cardiovascular function, increases growth hormone, helps clear metabolic waste.
The real magic is the contrast. Sauna to cold plunge. Back and forth. 3-4 rounds. Drives blood from your core to your extremities and back again. Flushes the lymphatic system. Accelerates recovery between sessions.
This isn't spa day. It's active recovery that actually does something.
If you have access to a facility that does this properly - full-body red light, sauna, cold plunge, filtered water - it's worth using. The details matter. No blue light in the space, clean water in the plunge, an environment designed around recovery not just aesthetics. Not essential. You can build a great physique without any of this. But if you want to recover faster and push harder, it helps.
Zone 2 cardio. Low intensity. Heart rate around 120-140bpm. Walking uphill, easy cycling, light rowing. 2-3 sessions per week, 30-45 minutes.
This is the stuff that builds your aerobic base without spiking cortisol or eating into recovery. Most lads either do nothing or go too hard. Zone 2 sits in the middle - easy enough to recover from, effective enough to improve mitochondrial function and fat oxidation.
You should be able to hold a conversation the whole time. If you're breathing heavy, you've gone too hard.
VI - What's complete bollocks
Let me save you years of wasted effort.
Mewing at 25% body fat
Jaw structure matters. Your maxilla position matters. But nobody can see any of that when it's buried under fat.
Get lean first. Then worry about mewing.
Long-term intermittent fasting
Works for 3-6 months. Gives you that honeymoon period of feeling sharp and losing weight.
Then your thyroid tanks. Cortisol rises. You hit a wall. Energy disappears. Sleep goes wrong. Hair starts thinning.
Ask anyone who's done strict IF for 2+ years how they feel. Really ask them. The honest ones will tell you.
Keto/carnivore as a permanent lifestyle
Same story. Different wrapper.
Initial results because you've cut out processed crap. You feel better because you're not eating seed oils and refined garbage anymore.
Then diminishing returns. Then metabolic adaptation. Then problems.
Your brain needs glucose. Your thyroid needs glucose. Chronic restriction is chronic stress.
Use these tools strategically if you want. But they're not a lifestyle. They're a phase.
Seed oils are "heart healthy"
The biggest nutritional lie of the last 50 years.
These oils suppress thyroid function, damage mitochondria, promote inflammation, and get stored in your tissues for years.
The studies that "proved" they were healthy were funded by the companies that make them. Shocking, I know.
Butter, tallow, and coconut oil are what humans ate for thousands of years. Seed oils have been around for about 100 years. Your body knows what to do with saturated fat. It doesn't know what to do with industrial lubricants.
"Eat less, move more"
The laziest advice in fitness.
It doesn't address WHY you're overeating. It doesn't fix WHY your metabolism is broken. It doesn't solve WHY your hormones are wrecked.
It just makes you feel like a failure when you can't sustain it.
Eating less and moving more while your thyroid is suppressed and your cortisol is elevated just makes everything worse.
Exhaustive cardio
An hour on the treadmill every day.
Destroys muscle. Spikes cortisol. Increases appetite. Makes you skinny-fat.
Walk 10,000 steps instead. Do some sprints if you want. But chronic cardio is not the answer.
Fear of fruit and sugar
When your metabolism is healthy, fruit becomes your best friend. Quick energy that supports thyroid function without stressing the system.
The problem isn't fruit. The problem is eating fruit when your metabolism is already broken from years of restriction and seed oil consumption.
Fix the foundation first. Then fruit becomes fuel.
Supplement and peptide chasing
If you can't:
Eat 1g protein per lb bodyweight
Sleep 8 hours consistently
Train 3-4x per week for 6 months straight
Walk 10,000 steps daily
Then no supplement is going to save you.
The basics are boring because they work. The advanced stuff is exciting because it doesn't work and people keep searching.
Master the basics for years. Then maybe, just maybe, consider optimisation.
VII - The exceptions: supplements that actually work
Right, I've just spent 500 words telling you supplements are mostly a waste of money.
That's still true.
But after years of trial and error, there's a handful I've kept in rotation consistently. Not because they're magic. Because they're reliable, low risk, and actually do something noticeable.
Taurine - Helps shuttle glucose into muscles, improves glycogen storage, supports recovery between sessions. Also essential for cell hydration and bile acid production, which means better digestion of fats. Cheap. Works. Take it pre-workout with food.
Magnesium - Another one almost everyone is low in. Modern soil is depleted, so even good food doesn't have what it used to. Supports hundreds of enzymatic reactions. Better sleep, better recovery, less cramping, calmer nervous system. Glycinate or threonate forms. Not oxide - that's basically a laxative.
Lion's Mane - This one has a story. When I was travelling Australia, I wandered into Noosa markets one Sunday morning. Met this bloke selling pure lion's mane extract he'd grown himself. Gave me a sample. Within 30 minutes the mental clarity was noticeable not jittery like caffeine, just... sharper. Placebo? Maybe. But I bought a bottle and never looked back. Supports nerve growth factor, which helps repair neural pathways. I notice the difference on days I skip it. Liquid extract absorbs better than capsules. One of the few nootropics that actually does what it claims.
Glycine - Most people are deficient without knowing it. Supports collagen synthesis, improves sleep quality, helps with detoxification. I take it before bed. Noticeably deeper sleep. Also balances out the methionine from all the meat we're eating - important if you're hitting 200g+ protein daily.
Mineral salts - Most people are walking around chronically dehydrated without knowing it. Not because they don't drink water - because they're missing electrolytes. Sodium, potassium, magnesium. Your cells need these to actually absorb and use the water you're drinking. I add these to my morning water. Better hydration, no cramps, supports metabolic function. No sugar, no artificial crap. Just minerals your body actually recognises.
Colostrum - Underrated. Gut health, immune function, growth factors. Your gut is where nutrient absorption happens - if that's compromised, nothing else works properly. Colostrum helps repair and maintain the lining.
That's it. 6 things. All with solid research, all low risk, all stuff I've used for years and keep coming back to.
VIII - The daily protocol
Let me give you exactly what a day looks like when you're doing this properly.
Morning (5-6am)
Wake up. No phone. Not yet.
First thing: glass of water with a pinch of salt. Rehydrates you after 7-8 hours without fluids.
Get outside within 30 minutes. Even if it's just your garden or balcony. Even if it's cloudy. Look toward where the sun is rising. 5-10 minutes minimum. This sets your circadian rhythm for the day and tells your body it's time to be alert.
Cold shower if you're doing it. Doesn't have to be long... 30-60 seconds at the end of your normal shower. Builds resilience. Wakes you up properly.
Then breakfast. This isn't the time for restriction. You need fuel. Eggs. Fruit. Maybe some raw milk with honey. Quality protein with easily digestible carbs.
Training days (3x per week)
I prefer full body sessions. Compound movements. Nothing fancy.
Session structure:
Warm up: 5 minutes
Main lifts: squat variation, hinge variation, push, pull
Accessory work: shoulders, arms, whatever needs extra attention
Done in 45-60 minutes
The key is intensity. Not volume. Not spending two hours doing every machine in the gym.
Dorian trained with one working set to absolute failure per exercise. You don't need to be that extreme. But 3-4 hard sets per movement, actually pushing close to failure, is worth more than 10 half-arsed sets.
Track your weights. Track your reps. Progressive overload is the game. If you're not lifting more weight or doing more reps than last month, you're not progressing.
Post-workout:
This is when your body is primed to absorb nutrients. Don't waste it.
Raw eggs if you need convenience. Steak. Rice. Fruit. Milk with honey and maple syrup.
Throughout the day:
10,000 steps. Doesn't matter how you get them. Walking meetings. Walking phone calls. Walking to lunch. Just move.
If you sit at a desk all day, set a timer. Every 45 minutes, get up and walk for 10 minutes. It adds up.
Eat every 3-4 hours. You're not doing IF anymore. You're fuelling the machine.
Protein at every meal. Carbs around training and in the morning. Fats moderate throughout. No seed oils.
Evening:
Dinner finished by 7pm ideally. Gives you time to digest before bed. Some people sleep better with a small hit of sugar and salt before bed. Honey with a pinch of sea salt. Sounds counterintuitive but it stabilises blood sugar overnight, stops the cortisol spike that wakes you at 3am. Try it if you're waking up in the middle of the night.
No screens after 8pm if possible. Blue light blocking glasses if you must use screens.
Bedroom cold. Bedroom dark. Phone in another room.
9pm bedtime. Yes, really. This is when growth hormone peaks. This is when recovery happens. This is when your thyroid resets.
You're not missing anything by going to bed early. You're investing in tomorrow.
IX - The proof
This isn't theory. This is what actually happens when you apply these principles.
Waseem's story
March 2023, Waseem came to me at 230lbs. His goal was 10% body fat.
"That's 20 more pounds to go," he said.
By August 2025, he was 179lbs. Shredded. Training every day. Seeing abs for the first time in over a decade.
But here's what the numbers don't show.
He said it himself: "Full lifestyle change. I am now a fundamentally different person."
Not just lighter. Not just leaner. A completely different man.
The confidence. The discipline. The way he carries himself now. He went from someone stuck, making excuses, coasting through life... to someone who backs himself fully.
51lbs gone. But that's just the surface.
What he really built was the habits, the mindset, the framework to run his own life. He doesn't need a coach anymore. He's become the kind of man who handles his own shit.
He did the work. I just helped him see what was already there.
That's what real transformation looks like.
X - The alchemy
Dorian Yates talked about what he called "f**k you motivation."
He used anger. The teachers who told him he'd amount to nothing. The people who doubted him. Losing his father at 13.
"Without that, Dorian Yates the bodybuilder wouldn't exist. If life is comfortable, you won't put yourself through this."
He transmuted pain into fuel. Turned everything that happened to him into energy for the work.
I didn't fully understand this until last year.
My dad got diagnosed with cancer. Started chemo.
There were mornings I'd wake up and the first thought wasn't training or content or clients. It was just fear. That low-level dread that sits in your chest and doesn't shift.
Some days I didn't want to train. Didn't want to do any of it. The stress felt like it was swallowing everything.
But I trained anyway.
Not because I'm more disciplined than anyone else. Because the gym was the only thing I could control when everything else felt like chaos.
The weights don't care what's happening in your life. They just ask: can you lift this or not? There's something clarifying about that. Something that cuts through the noise.
I'd walk in feeling broken. I'd walk out feeling like I could handle another day.
The fear didn't disappear. But it got transmuted. Turned into reps. Sets. Progress. Something that built rather than destroyed.
Dorian was right. You can use pain as fuel. But you have to choose to. Every single day.
"Use negative emotions as fuel... that's alchemy. Transform it into something positive."
Most people let hard seasons break them. They stop training. Stop eating right. Stop showing up. Use the chaos as an excuse to drift.
The ones who transform do the opposite. They use it.
XI - The rituals
Dorian did something interesting before every session. He ironed his gym clothes.
Not because wrinkled clothes affected his training. But because the ritual mattered. It signalled to himself that this was important. It was part of the mental preparation.
"Ironing your clothes before training... I didn't know it at the time but it lowers cortisol 40%. I just knew it made me feel prepared."
Frank Zane had a different approach but the same commitment to awareness.
"I took a lot of photos and looked at them. Looked at what wasn't progressing and what was. By the time competitions came around I knew exactly what I looked like. Nobody else was doing that."
The mirror lies. Photos don't.
Track your progress visually. Be honest about where you are. Awareness comes before improvement.
XII - Belief
Everything in this article - the nutrition, the training, the science - means nothing if you don't believe you can change.
You must mentally inhabit the state first.
The lean, jacked version of you isn't a fantasy. He's not for "other people." He's a possibility you're either moving toward or away from with every decision.
Your beliefs determine your actions. Your actions determine your results.
Believe you can't? You won't try. Won't try? Won't succeed. Then you'll use that failure as proof you were right all along.
Break the cycle by deciding to believe something different. Act on it. Let the results reinforce the new belief.
Guard your mind like a fortress. You are the gatekeeper.
No complaining. No excuses. No identifying with limitation.
Just work. Consistency. The patience to let it compound.
XIII - Common questions
"How fast will I see results?"
2-4 weeks for the feeling to change. Energy improves. Sleep improves. You'll feel different before you look different.
4-8 weeks for visible changes. Clothes fit differently. Face starts leaning out. You'll notice in photos.
12+ weeks for others to notice. This is when people start commenting. "Have you been working out?" "You look different."
The mistake is expecting week 1 results to match week 12 results. Be patient. Trust the process.
"What if I can't afford organic food?"
Do what you can with what you have.
Priorities in order:
Avoid seed oils (costs nothing... just don't buy them)
Hit protein targets (chicken thighs, eggs, mince... all cheap)
Eat fruit (often cheaper than processed food)
Prioritise sleep (free)
Walk more (free)
Then worry about organic if budget allows.
You don't need a £500/month food budget. You need consistency with the basics.
"What about alcohol?"
It's not helping you.
Alcohol tanks testosterone. Disrupts sleep. Adds empty calories. Increases appetite for junk food. Makes you skip training.
If you must drink, keep it to once a week maximum. Red wine or clear spirits. Not beer. Not cocktails full of sugar.
But honestly? The lads who transform fastest are the ones who cut it out completely for 90 days.
"Do I need to track everything?"
Initially, yes.
You don't know what you don't measure. Most people have no idea how much protein they're eating. They think they're eating "a lot" when they're getting 80g on a good day.
Track for 4-6 weeks. Learn what portions look like. Learn what 200g of protein actually requires. Then you can eyeball it.
But in the beginning, track. Use MyFitnessPal or Cronometer. Weigh your food. Know your numbers.
"What if I travel a lot?"
Training:
Hotel gym is enough. Push-ups, pull-ups, dumbbell work.
No gym? Bodyweight circuits. Better than nothing.
Resistance bands weigh nothing and fit in any bag.
Nutrition:
Prioritise protein at every meal
Avoid fried food (seed oils)
Most airports have options... grilled meat, salads, fruit
Raw eggs for emergencies
Sleep:
Eye mask
Earplugs
Try to maintain bedtime even across time zones
It's not perfect. It's not meant to be. The goal is damage limitation, not optimisation.
"I've tried everything and nothing works"
No you haven't. You've tried a lot of things inconsistently for short periods.
Have you:
Eaten 1g protein per lb bodyweight every day for 6 months?
Trained 3-4x per week without missing sessions for 6 months?
Slept 7-8 hours every night for 6 months?
Cut seed oils completely for 6 months?
Walked 10k+ steps every day for 6 months?
If not, you haven't tried "everything." You've tried starting things.
Consistency is the thing you haven't tried.
XIV - The choice
Every morning you wake up, you're choosing.
Build or drift. Create or consume. Become or stay the same.
There's no hack. No shortcut. No peptide that bypasses the work.
There's just you. Deciding who you're going to be. Then backing it with action.
I spent years fighting my own body. Restricting. Starving. Thinking the answer was always less.
It wasn't.
The answer was more. More food. More trust in the process. More patience. More showing up when it felt pointless.
The lads who transform aren't special. They didn't find a secret you missed.
They just stopped negotiating with themselves.
They stopped waiting for the perfect moment and started with the imperfect one they had.
They stopped identifying as the guy who "can't" and started becoming the guy who does.
60 days won't make you a fitness model. But it'll prove something more important.
That you can change.
And once you prove that to yourself, everything else becomes possible.
The version of you that you want to be - the lean, strong, energised version who jumps out of bed at 5am ready to attack the day - he's not a fantasy.
He's not for "other people."
He's been waiting for you to stop making excuses and start building.
He's been waiting for years.
Stop making him wait.
If this helped, share it with someone who needs to hear it.
And if you're ready to stop reading and start doing - DM me "ACHILLES" and let's talk.
— Achilles
