8 months down and 4 to go… how has your physique improved in 2013? What have you learned during your body sculpting journey so far this year? These two simple, yet powerful questions should light a fire under your butt to finish the year strong.
If you’ve made improvements to your physique you should be hungry for more.
If you haven’t made improvements it’s time to say, “Enough is enough!” You can’t put your goals off any longer. The time to take action is NOW!
…and whether you improved your physique or not, there is something to be learned from the process.
Each quarter, I have a ritual of asking myself these two important questions. It’s a fantastic opportunity to reflect on your experiences and use the knowledge you’ve gained to move you forward.
I like the quarterly review because 16 weeks allows for enough time where you should see noticeable improvements to your physique if you’ve been training hard and eating well.
If you don’t see the desired results, you need to ask yourself, “Why haven’t I achieved my desired physique improvements?”… and you need to ask yourself, “What can I do to see a more visible improvement during the next quarter?”
Here’s what my recent quarterly review looks like…
Q: How has my physique improved during the past 16 weeks?
A: My back is visibly thicker and wider. I’ve gained another inch on my thighs and 1/4 inch on my calves. My arms are now 17″ and my chest is looking a bit fuller.
Q: What have I learned during this 16 week process?
A: There are 7 powerful lessons I’ve learned this quarter…
1) A new level of mind-muscle connection:
Ever since studying Sport Psychology back in my University days, I have prided myself on having a strong mind-muscle connection… but thanks to IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski and his mass intentions technique, I have taken this mind-muscle connection to an entirely new level I never imagined possible.
Here’s one of the mass intentions tricks I’ve learned from B-Pak…
2) Screw genetics!
This year I’ve added 3 inches to my calves… thanks to the mass intention techniques I’ve learned from Ben.
If a guy like me… with the crappiest genetics for stubborn calves… can gain that kind of size in a relatively short period of time… what’s your excuse?
What I’ve learned is that genetics only limit you so much. Sure genetics dealt me the cards where my journey began with small calves… but… if I bust my butt, train them hard, and train them with intention, they will grow. Maybe not as fast as some guys, but they will grow.
Side note: I still despise guys with monster calves who have never had to train them a day in their life 😛
I’m ecstatic with the visual improvement to my calves. The photo to the left was taken a couple years ago. Even while training my calves fairly hard, they still had no shape. The two photos to the right are recent pics that reveal shape to my calves… something I never thought I would see.
3) I’ll never ‘dirty bulk’ again!
After getting crazy ripped for my first Natural Bodybuilding Competition a few colleagues of mine convinced me to, “Not be afraid of letting the six pack abs go”, while I focused on building muscle.
…so I gained 20 pounds and went from an insanely shredded 6-pack to a soft 4-pack.
Most people would be happy with that, but it didn’t sit too well with me. Although I gained some nice muscle, my confidence really takes a hit when I don’t have six pack abs.
Plus, dieting freak’n sucks!
It’s difficult to tell if gaining the excess fat helped me gain a bit of extra muscle as compared to a lean gain approach.
…But even if it did help, it just wasn’t worth it to me because I then had to diet down again.
Dieting down is hard freak’n work. It’s deprivation no matter how you look at it. Even if you include your favorite foods in your diet plan, you are still operating in a deficit… and that’s no fun.
4) Create a sense of urgency
The biggest lesson I’ve learned this quarter is that if I don’t have a solid concrete deadline tied into an event, it’s way too easy to put off achieving my goal.
For the past couple years I’ve applied my Elite Physique system to help me get ripped fast for photo shoots and bodybuilding contests.
Every six months I had a goal/event to aim for. But this past quarter I didn’t have an event, so I took a half-assed approach to my nutrition.
Sure I got to ‘live a little‘ and enjoy some beers and barbeques this Summer, but I didn’t get to experience the Summer in a completely shredded physique as I had desired.
I have a faint six pack right now… but if I had created a sense of urgency I would have enjoyed the Summer even more with ripped abs.
So now… I’ve learned my lesson. My birthday is exactly one month away and I plan on sporting some sexy shredded abs on that day. I have a goal date… an event… and now I’ve made it public for accountability purposes.
5) Surrounding myself with like-minded people
This isn’t something new to me… but it was strongly reinforced when I met up with Vince DelMonte, Nick Nilsson, Shaun Hadsall, and Mike Chang recently…
It was refreshing to train with a group of guys who take pride in their physiques… but also take a great deal of pride in helping others improve their body and life.
6) Recovery weeks move you forward
My workout partner and I have been guilty of going extended periods of time without taking a break from the gym.
This past quarter was the first time I had taken an entire week off from the gym… and it was exactly what I needed. I came back refreshed, energized, and ready to dominate!
For more details on this experience visit, Recovery Week: Return With Renewed Strength, Passion, and Drive
7) The many benefits of Self Myofascial Release
This is another area that isn’t new to me… but I’ve been more diligent in practicing it on a daily basis. As a result I perform better in the gym, recover faster from my workouts, and just feel all around freak’n awesome!
I highly recommend you make the time for self massage on a daily basis. You can see some of the techniques I use by visiting, 9 Self Myofascial Release Techniques To Make You Feel Like a Million Bucks!
So there you have it… 7 powerful lessons I’ve learned from this quarter as I’ve improved my physique.
I attribute this quarterly ritual to the long-term success of continuously improving my physique and life. It’s something so simple, yet so incredibly rewarding.
Now it’s your turn. Review this past quarter and prepare to finish the year strong!
It’s time to dominate the final quarter of 2013!
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant
PS Feel free to share your physique improvements and lessons learned in the comment box below.
About The Author
Scott Tousignant is a Certified Fitness Consultant and Elite Natural Bodybuilder with the UFE.
Scott specializes in helping regular guys get ripped abs insanely fast. With his careful attention to the finer details, you'll carve out a rock hard and jacked physique in no time flat!
When Scott needs to urgently strip away stubborn sacks of fat for a photo shoot or bodybuilding contest, he turns to his time-tested proven system… Elite Physique.
Now you too, can follow his easy-to-follow system to finally uncover your ripped abs and chiseled body! Get the full details by visiting Elite Physique today!