4 Secrets To An Amazing Physique Transformation

If you’re dreaming of transforming your physique, then you’ve come to the right place!

Because today I want to share with you 4 secrets to help you achieve your ultimate physique transformation. If you nail these key things, then your chances of success will skyrocket.

So, what are the 4 secrets I want to focus on today? They are:

1/ Identifying your priority.

2/ Superior progress assessment.

3/ Embracing maintenance periods.

4/ The importance of grit and mental resiliency.

Now, let’s dive into each factor individually, to showcase why they all matter.

1 – IDENTIFY YOUR PRIORITY

In the gym, you can do anything, but you can’t do everything!

Whilst it’s normal to have multiple goals and interests, the reality is we can’t optimally do everything all at once. 

This is due to many factors with some being quite simple, such as time restraints, while others like human physiology being more complex. Of course, there are scenarios when we need to pursue different priorities simultaneously, but we want to avoid competing pursuits.

A classic example of this is the common statement of “I want to build muscle and lose body fat”. These are two very different bodily processes, and they are both best supported by certain unique strategies. Crucially, these respective processes can inhibit the likelihood or magnitude of positive change occurring in the other area.

Whilst you can build muscle and lose body fat at the same time, the reality is it’s more likely to occur in a few unique scenarios. Common examples include when you’re a beginner, you’re returning to the gym after time off, or you’re now taking drugs.

Additionally, the degree to which you can optimally build muscle and lose body fat concurrently is going to be lower than a more focused and singular approach. For instance:

- To drop body fat, we need a calorie deficit.

- But a calorie deficit makes muscle building potential harder!

- So the magnitude of muscle gain when dieting will be lower, relative to non-dieting scenarios.

This is because growing muscle gain is best supported by consuming sufficient dietary raw materials (protein / amino acids) plus adequate energy (calories). Whilst we can consume sufficient protein when dieting, dieting naturally requires us to create a calorie deficit and reduce our energy intake. Less calories in makes training progression tougher and recovery harder, which is why muscle gain is harder too.

So, while many people may be seeking a “body recomposition”, if you always aim for this an unintended outcome often can occur. You can get stuck in no man’s land…

This doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a body recomposition, but rather the time frame and process to achieve it is off. For instance, you are more likely to achieve on amazing body recomposition over 12-months rather than 12-weeks. Why?

Because the longer 12-month time frame allows you to go through multiple different phases with varied priorities. This allows you to achieve the targeted priority more optimally, then you can shift to your next priority and nail that. This multi-phase process allows you to accumulate multiple “net wins” by consolidating your gains, whilst transitioning to new pursuits too.

This is exactly what occurred with my client Lisa, over a 12-month span with me. She came to me stuck consuming 1550 calories per day and was not losing weight. Yet by prioritising strategic periods of regeneration and a personalised strategy, she was able to firstly become unstuck and keep losing. Then she was able to build an even greater physique in the subsequent months as shown below.

Ultimately the more precise the goal and the more advanced the individual is, the higher the potential need for prioritisation and specificity. Yet if we try to always do a bit of everything, there’s a strong chance you’ll achieve a lot of nothing.

So, if you want to avoid the trap of no man’s land, pick a goal and prioritise it!

2 – ASSESS DON’T GUESS

If you’re not assessing you’re guessing!

A lot of people want to lose weight, get fitter, or become stronger. Yet how we measure our progress is crucial as it can dictate both our motivation and strategy.

So, if we either don’t assess or do so poorly, our true progress and needs may be blurred, which can potentially impact the result. This is why at ATLAS we continually assess our clients deeply and do so multiple different ways.

For instance, if you’re dieting the weight scale is a powerful tool to measure progress and provide us with objective data. Yet, it’s important to remember that the number recorded can also be distorted and variable too.

This is why we want to use multiple assessment tools to provide a more complete picture of one’s progress. However, if we only rely on the scale and do so at inconsistent times, our actual status recorded may not always be 100% accurate. Plus, it could even act as a demotivating tool as well sometimes.

Yet if you use a combination of assessment forms which are both objective and subjective, whilst factoring in trends and averages over time, the accuracy of our progress assessment will be more precise. Plus, your progress can be assessed beyond just weight loss too! 

To illustrate this, here is my client Jane and her epic body recomposition with me. Yet, if we only analysed her progress based off her bodyweight, you would assume she hasn’t progressed at all. Thankfully though, her picture contrast tells a vastly different story, as does her maintenance calorie intake in both positions too.

Examples of additional assessments to consider are: 

- Objective: circumference measurements, skinfolds, training performance (loads, reps), blood pressure, resting heart rate.

- Subjective: pictures, hunger, energy, mood, motivation.

So, for a deeper and more accurate analysis of your progress, my advice is to use multiple assessment tools. Plus, to not freak out if one metric shows a funky reading too.

3 – EMBRACE MAINTENANCE

The pursuit of weight maintenance as a priority goal is one that everyone should embrace multiple times per year!

This is because sitting at maintenance calories is a wonderful place to reside. This is especially if you have already built the foundations you want to enjoy your life, while maintaining a desirable body composition too. 

Yet if you’re potentially unhappy with your present status, then naturally other pursuits like a dieting phase may be perceived as the solution. Crucially though, whilst fat loss can be part of the solution to superior health and a greater physique, it isn’t the only piece of the puzzle.

This is because often our reason for pursuing dieting is due to a failure of weight maintenance…

By this I mean, body fat has been gained unintentionally at some point which results in a shift away from your desired body composition. So, while the creation of a calorie deficit can reduce our body fat levels, it’s crucial we don’t overlook why body fat was gained in the first place too. 

This is why practicing weight maintenance should be regularly embraced and prioritised. Simply because the better you are at maintaining your weight, the less frequently you’ll want to diet too! Plus the better chance you’ll have at sustaining your dieting result too.

So don’t overlook the power of maintenance calories and spending more time at this point.

4 – BE STRATEGICALLY GRITTY

When it comes to the physique transformation, there’s one simple thing you need to know - the process is hard!

Whilst fat loss is simple in theory, the execution of the process is challenging, and it becomes increasingly tougher the longer you go. This is why to achieve success, you’re going to have be mentally resilient and gritty at times. Yet with consistent effort, we can all achieve success!

But the physique transformation process becomes even harder if we’re not prepared to navigate and embrace some temporary challenges and discomfort. Thankfully though, savvy coaching strategies can better position you for success, make dietary adherence easier and the process smoother too.

This is why I don’t love the “no pain, no gain” slogan as it’s not accurate. Whilst we do need to push hard at times in the gym or grind through some dieting periods, you don’t have to constantly suffer to progress or drop body fat. This is why we instead need to be strategically gritty when it comes to the physique transformation.

When I say strategically gritty, I refer to the scenario whereby a person can be tough as nails, but that effort and resilience is channelled down the wrong path. This is why the job of a coach is to position a client for their ultimate success, with this something we at ATLAS pride ourselves on. 

This is also why our new client auditing and assessment process is so crucial, as it allows us to deeply assess a client’s needs, ability, goal and preferences. Doing this also allows us to assess your potential readiness and true desire to pursue your stated goal at the time.

For instance, the pursuit of fat loss may sound good but are you optimally positioned to chase it now? Are you willing to do what is needed, to achieve what you want?

So, whilst grit is an essential factor, we want it to be strategically channelled too. This is why having the right coaching strategy tailored to you is essential for success.

Thanks for reading,

Glen Carroll