Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

Man With a Plan
37
How quickly your abdominal circumference will decrease depends on how
much you have to lose. A guy with significant abdominal fat will lose inches
faster than a guy who’s trying to bring out his lower abdominal definition for the
beach, as any competitive bodybuilder preparing for a contest can attest to. Or
a guy who is new to resistance training will boost his Romanian deadlift much
faster than if he had been intensely devoted to that exercise for many years. In
any case, here are two realistic goals for anyone:
• See visual improvement in the mirror every four weeks.
• Significantly improve your performance in the gym every six weeks.
Step 4: Use visualization to help achieve your goal.
Your likelihood of success is positively correlated with your motivation. Once
you determine why you want a ripped midsection or bigger arms or twice the
strength you have now, stay focused on it until that goal is achieved. Two helpful
strategies to stay motivated are outcome visualization and process visualization
(see figure 2.1).
Outcome visualization is imagining yourself the moment you achieve your
goal. This process has been used by many of my clients, including the guy who
wanted to fit back into his expensive wardrobe. For him, outcome visualization
consisted of imagining himself and his wife dining out at their favorite Italian
restaurant while wearing the Armani suit that hangs in his closet. He would
imagine this scenario numerous times throughout the day; and when he was
feeling less than motivated, it would provide a psychological boost. Or maybe
your goal is to jump six inches (15 cm) higher or squat 100 more pounds (45 kg)
than your current personal record (PR). In any case, imagine what it will feel like
when you achieve the goal, and hold that image as long as possible.
Process visualization is imagining yourself performing the necessary steps
to achieve your goal. With regard to the squat, here are some examples to make
process visualization as realistic as you can:
• Imagine the smell of your gym or garage when you’re in the squat rack.
• Imagine loading the plates onto the barbell that correspond to your target
PR.
• Imagine how your feet, legs, and core feel when the heavy load is across
your upper back.
• Finally, imagine yourself straining a bit to achieve that new PR instead of
lifting it with pure ease.
Visualization
Outcome visualization
Process visualization
Visualize yourself achieving the goal
Visualize the steps to achieve the goal
FIGURE 2.1 Outcome versus process visualization.
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