Does having Abs change your life?

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I train a lot of young adults (17 – 24 years old), and many believe that by improving their physique, life instantly changes for the better.

The most sought after attribute: a chiseled set of head-turning abs; perhaps the only reason i’m still in business.

(The female equivalent for Abs would be the Glutes)

The title was “inspired” by them…

and this request that came through e-mail:

Social media, peer pressure, a trend towards healthier living in developed countries… We can argue till the cows come home as to how self-love has manifested into such a specific anatomical form. But that’s not the point of this post.

Before we go on, I must say this: It is an absolute privilege to work with many of them.

They are hard working, disciplined, respectful and motivated youngsters. They go into the weight room with a hungry desire to improve.

While the scope of my responsibility as a personal trainer ends with delivering an effective workout, I rarely mind my own business:

“Even with 6 pack abs, 16-inch biceps, huge chest muscles; the perfect body…

You won’t instantly get the girl,

You won’t magically be more confident,

Your friends won’t just respect you more,

You won’t automatically be the cool kid,

Your life will not immediately be better.”

On the other side of the generation spectrum…

Though many of my corporate adult clients don’t give two hoots about abs, looking better is still top priority:

The promise of an instant job promotion, employer recognition, self-confidence, sales conversion is tied to how one looks.

Yeah. That’s not happening.

But in my humble opinion…

Having “Abs” does change your life

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Constructing the “perfect body”:

A dissatisfaction with your image. Get gym membership. Do solely treadmill work because the weight section is intimidating. Realize that the treadmill is leading you nowhere (pun intended). Research. Train a body part a week. See some results. Keep going. Realize that results are slow. Research and tweak. Train a body part 2-3 times per week. Progress further. 

Want to get lean. Cut out usual foods. Extreme cravings. Binge eat. Cycle repeats. Lasts 2 years. Realize how destructive this is. Research. Try calorie counting. Life-changing. Went full retard. Constantly stressed by going 50 calories over limit. Research. Realize it really doesn’t matter. Found zen. 

Life happens.

Long work hours. Gym closes in 30 minutes after arriving. Can only work out twice a week.

Make it count.

That’s about 9 years of training career condensed into 2 paragraphs.

It takes constant, consistent, small steps to find what works for you and GET ABS®.

Get Abs… & everything else

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Confidence around people, being a better communicator, having the ability to deliver flawless sales pitches.

All of this takes work. Not barbell curls, crunches and bench presses.

Real work.

But similar principles apply: you have to go through rep after rep, failure after failure, never ending troubleshooting, having these steps compounded over years.

Skill: Level Up

You know the bullshit they say: It’s what’s inside that counts? Well, the principles of building what’s outside is pretty much the same in developing what’s inside.

Well, beyond the importance of patience and consistency, an important lesson that 10 years of bodybuilding/ Abs sculpting taught me:

“Hey, perhaps this funny experience, this thing called LIFE isn’t impossible to navigate at all”

The notion that you are in control of your body- the very vessel that navigates you through life, is a stressful yet comforting thought.

Finding your Real Work: What one thing that if I improve on, will produce the biggest step towards my desired life?

Rarely, it’s how you look in the mirror.

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For me, it’s growing The Malaysian Body & reaching out to people who need the information I put out: People holding desk jobs, whose desire to change are held back by the almost impossible standards set by the fitness industry.

Real Work Step 1: Put out more quality content, consistently.

 

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