For those of us actively involved in competitive sport, the importance of proper diet, effective training, supplementation, rest and recuperation cannot be over emphasised.

Winners

• Winners set their goals, commit themselves and DO IT
• Winners make commitments
• Winners act
• Winners control circumstances
• Winners are motivated by successful end results
• Winners do what they fear
• Winners look at why something can and will work

Losers

• Losers set their goals and talk about it
• Losers make excuses
• Losers react
• Losers are controlled by circumstances
• Losers are motivated by comfortable methods
• Losers fear what they do
• Losers look at why something can't work and won't work

Fundamentally speaking, it is only when you have created a harmonious balance between the aforementioned basics that real and sustained progress (all other things being equal) can be attained. So here it is not a question of apportioning, say 90% to training technique and infinitesimal amounts to diet and recuperation but attaining a reasonable degree of equanimity based on personal circumstances. Through experience you will find out what works best for you and be flexible enough to alter things and experiment if, over a set period of time, you continue to stagnate.

This brings us to the question of the all important Mindset. If you lose the initial positive mindset then your battle to succeed is all but lost.

The Mindset - Getting down to basics

Three inter-related factors have been identified:

• Physical preparation (Overall diet & supplementation)
• Mental readiness (Rest, recuperation and motivation)
• Skill level (Training execution and methodology)

Ask yourself whether your training accurately reflects what you perceive to be the performance demand of your sport. Does the amount of mental skill training you do match the importance you attach to psychological readiness? If this is not the case the negative implications on performance will be obvious.

Coming from a weight training background, skill level understandably scores high on the hypothetical pie chart constructed. In constructing your pie chart, what percentage would you apportion to each segment?

This guide is not mutually exclusive but can also be useful to the majority of individuals engaged in various forms of leisurely sporting activities but who are however keen to make gains and improvements in their performance. The only difference between the latter group and the elite competitive sportsman is one of degree as well as perspective: put in simple layman's terms, the degree of preparation, commitment and tenacity of a would-be Olympic hopeful would be markedly different from that of any individual keen only to his or herself fit and active. That notwithstanding, this should not preclude any attempt to get the best out of yourself through a methodical and systematic approach.

Circumstances differ, so also do levels of ability, fitness as well as other day to day commitments which impinge upon the time we can apportion to leisurely pursuits. The understanding of one's own body and its limitations is the key and this can only be attained through the experience gained by trial and error.

So next time before you go to the gym, aerobic dance class, squash court, football or rugby pitch (to mention a few examples) it might help to try your hands at constructing a pie chart of your own and set an overall plan for yourself, unless of course you are one of these people (and there are many of them) who act solely on impulse and do things just for the sake of doing them.

You have really nothing to lose and probably everything to gain from getting organised. Best of luck.

Dayo Audi
Mr Britain, Mr Europe, Mr World and Mr Universe
IFBB Professional

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