By PT (Controlled Labs Consultant, CPT)

Being an industry consultant and personal trainer is a constant learning experience.  Every client is an individual with a different background and long-term goal but ALL want the best or fastest results.  It is this desire that unites the fitness and bodybuilding community and this desire is just the beginning.  If there is one thing I've learned on my fitness/bodybuilding journey that applies to everyone, it is the following secret:

The key to unlocking the potential for "optimal" gains is a BALANCED FOCUS on EVERY ASPECT of the bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle and adopting a "big picture" mentality, while attacking individual weaknesses with a "wartime" mentality.

The 6 keys:

Nutrition
Training
Hydration
Recovery
Hormones
Supplements

Balanced focus:

So what do I mean by a balanced focus?  Well, I often talk to clients who are so bogged down in ONE single area of the bodybuilding lifestyle that they lose sight of the "big picture".  Overanalyzing training, or jumping on the next training protocol bandwagon because "everyone's doing it" is a perfect example.  Another example is thinking that a perfect diet will make up for a lack of intensity at the gym, or that training "harder" will make up for a hormonal or dietary imbalance.  I've made the mistake myself of trying to compensate for a lack of sleep and recovery with additional supplementation or training... it simply doesn't work that way IF you want "optimal" gains.

Find your weakness and ATTACK it:

Chances are, that IF you are honest with yourself, you can easily identify which of the 6 keys is your weakness... stay tuned for part II