10 years of success overnight: The power of consistency

I have been doing what I do for a very long time. I have many achievements
under my belt and have won many competitions. I have appeared in the
national newspapers, appeared on national TV and even had many an
interview on the radio. People know who I am. They know what accolades I
have accrued, and I don’t mind admitting that it took a hell of a lot of work to
get to where I am today. Blood, sweat and tears literally and figuratively!
It all began 15 years ago. I was the stereotypical young Irish lad, out and about,
drinking pints with my friends, and smoking cigarettes on the weekends,
sometimes during the week as well. I was in a relationship which was going
well. Some time into the relationship, my girlfriend became pregnant with our
first child. It was this life event that caused me to pause for thought. What kind
of life I wanted for my child, what kind of example I wanted to be for my child.
So, I decided to join the gym. I decided that I was going to cut back on the drink
and give up the cigarettes and eat healthily. I wasn’t putting too much pressure
on my myself I thought and would see how it went. I knew nothing about the
gym or lifting weights, so I went into this new scenario with an open mind. All I
could do was ask for help and rely on the expertise of the people I met in the
gym. The simple starter pack if you will, at the beginning, is drink lots of water
and lift weights in the correct manner while progressing to heavier weights
over time. I was visiting the gym about three times a week, tried to eat
healthy, drink the water, and following these simple steps when I began to see
results.
In the first few weeks and months I realised I had an aptitude for weightlifting.
I was naturally able to lift heavier weights that the average newbie. I also built
muscle incredibly quickly. Apparently, I was built for this lifestyle. This fact
coupled with the positive effect of a new healthier outlook on my life and my
relationship, and its implications propelled me into what would become my
entire life.
About a year and a half into my journey I began competing and doing really
well. Along with this I started researching the nutrition side of things. Looking
into macro counting and taking multivitamins. It is true that these two sides of
this lifestyle are absolutely in tandem with each other, as the saying goes, ‘you

can’t outrun a bad diet’. The same goes for weightlifting. The nutrition needs
to be right in order for you to progress and compete at competition level.
My competitions started at gym level, then regional, then national, until I
reached international level. It took many setbacks such injuries over the years
to reach this point. I am so proud of myself that I have been so successful in my
endeavours. It has taken so much work, research, training, eating strict meal
plans to get where I am today. I have also made a lot of sacrifices along the
way. I have missed family occasions, nights out, days out in order to get to
where I am. I realise this has all been possible because besides all of the work I
have put in, I have a very supportive family behind me too.
One of the most important things for me is that I lead by example. I want to
show people that with consistency and hard work that the results will follow.
But where the gym and fitness are concerned it is never an overnight success.
It takes time to build muscle and it takes time to get to competition level if the
person wishes. It takes direction of a person who knows what they are talking
about to help you on your way as well as the perseverance to achieve success.
All of my competitors have spent years refining and honing their skill. People
sometimes only see the competition on their TVs or maybe they attend the
competitions in person, and they witness the show with all the bells and
whistles but what they don’t see is the 15 eggs I have to eat a day or training
two to three times in a day leading up to that competition. Day after day
showing up doing the workouts, lifting heavy, trying to beat previous records,
injuries, etc. it is all part of the behind the scenes that bring you the
showmanship you enjoy at the end of the day. And I wouldn’t swap any of the
hard slog for anything as it has brought me the personal success, I am proud of
today.