Why does comparing yourself to others hold you back? Forget about those quick transformations you see on Instagram!

Do you know that feeling when you open Instagram and all you see are perfect bodies with chiseled six-packs, successful people, and unbelievable transformations? It often demotivates you rather than motivating you. You feel like the goal is so far away that there’s no point in even starting. Stop right there. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a recipe for success for you, one he brought with him from his early days in America. Stop comparing yourself to others and start building!

When Arnold first arrived in the U.S., the title of Mr. Olympia didn’t pay the bills. So, together with his best friend and training partner, Franco Colombo, they made a living as bricklayers. This hard manual labor taught the Terminator a lesson that he still benefits from today.

The work of a bricklayer is routine. You mix the mortar, lay a brick, level it, and start all over again.

“No one applauds you, there’s no music playing, and no trophy awaits you. There’s just another brick waiting for you to lay it,” Arnoldrecalls .

One brick doesn’t seem like much. Ten bricks don’t seem like much. But if you keep at it, you’ll eventually build an entire wall.

The Problem Today

Social media doesn’t show us the hard work, the process of building the wall. It shows us the finished, furnished house right away. And then we’re standing on an empty lot with a single brick in our hand, asking ourselves how the heck we’re ever going to get there. The result? Most people give up before they even start.

Adopt the mindset of a bricklayer

Arnold has just one piece of advice: stop looking at other people’s finished houses and start laying your own bricks. Every day, focus only on that one small step right in front of you:

• One solid workout.
• One meal rich in protein and fiber.
• One chapter of a book read.

Don’t think about having to lose 20 kilos. Focus on today’s task. At the end of the day, you’ll be so exhausted from the work you’ve done that you’ll stop worrying about how far away the goal is. Once a week, count the bricks you’ve laid to see your real progress in black and white.

But there’s one catch. Having a strong mind is one thing, but physical fatigue will catch up with you sooner or later. You’ll come home exhausted from work, and the thought of “laying another brick”—in the form of a tough leg workout—will seem unrealistic. What’s more, even if you push through and tear up your muscles at the gym, you simply won’t build them without the right building materials. You’ll stay stuck in the same place, tired and without results.

The solution, however, is quite simple and comes down to proper nutrient timing. To get you fired up for your workout even on days when you absolutely don’t feel like it, kick things off before your first set with a brutal pre-workout like PROM-IN Serious Pre, which will snap you out of your lethargy and guarantee maximum focus. During intense sets, when your muscles enter a catabolic state, you’ll protect them with a shield of high-quality amino acids from Extrifit BCAA 2:1:1. And when you’re done? Your muscles are desperately craving repair. That’s exactly when GymSupps 100% Whey Protein comes into play, acting as the highest-quality mortar and bricks for your torn muscle fibers.

Take inspiration from Arnold. Get your mindset right, boost your performance with uncompromising supplementation, and build a wall that everyone will envy!