Clients often come to me and say ‘I want to get in stage shape but I don’t want to compete.’ No problem with anyone having aesthetic goals (moving from self compassion) but I have to make sure they know exactly what stage lean means.

First, if you’re naturally thin this means eating in a calorie surplus for a long period of time, and building muscle until you have enough to cut. Looking at around 2 years work minimum.

If you’re not naturally thin and don’t have muscle you’re looking at 2/3 years of work. First cutting and then building muscle and then cutting again until we get the desired results.

If you have muscle but you have excess fat then to get to stage lean you will have to weigh and track every morsel of food you put in your mouth, there will be very little /to no eating out in the final stages, no alcohol or sugar, you’ll be exhausted and need to get to bed early, the gym will be your first, your last, your everything. Your life revolves around diet and training. You will feel shit, your hormones will be destabilised and you’ll have to push your body to an extreme which isn’t healthy.

There is a difference between health and fitness: athletes are often pushing themselves to extremes and while being very fit they’re not necessarily healthy. When drawing up your goals get a realistic perspective of what you’re willing to sacrifice to get there. Choose accordingly and wisely.