8 min read
What would make your first (or next) bodybuilding prep a success?
Is it to simply step on stage? To be competitive? Or to get a top placing?
I want to propose moving away from a definition of success that relies on the end outcome going one specific way. Be that a certain placing, bringing a competitive physique, or even making it to show day.
You might be saying, “But Sam, that doesn’t make sense. Stepping on stage IS the goal?”
If your goal is to step on stage, be competitive or even to win… that is totally fine. But whether that happens or not shouldn’t be the only thing that decides whether or not prep was a success.
You can’t control who wins. You can’t 100% control if something happens that prevents you from making it to show day. So while you can have a goal outcome… it doesn’t necessarily mean it looks the same as success.
So if those outcomes aren’t the only way to decide whether prep was successful… what else could success mean?
Did you show up for the commitment you made?
One great way to measure success is through effort. Through execution. By doing what you said you’d do even when it feels hard.
Starting prep is a commitment to yourself. And all the challenges that come with it. The good days. The hard days. And everything in between.
When you define success by effort, rather than just the final outcome, the focus shifts.
The focus moves away from the unpredictable and the uncontrollable, like a specific placement. And shifts to the controllable.
Your actions.
But success doesn’t mean blindly following a plan and executing 100% perfectly.
It’s something you must define for yourself.
What does success look like and mean for you and your prep? Because it isn’t going to be the same as the next athlete.
What are you willing to work through? (unmotivated days, hunger, fatigue?)
What are you NOT willing to push through? (illness, injury, feeling utterly miserable?)
When success values the process over just the outcome… the journey holds more meaning. It becomes more than just a means to an end. The journey becomes as meaningful as the end goal.
So what would success look like TO YOU if you looked at it through the lens of effort and execution?
Did Prep Take Over?
Another way to measure success is looking at how you integrated prep into your life.
Did it add or detract from your life?
Did it take over completely?
Or did it become part… but not all…of your life?
My philosophy is… prep should be part of your life, but not your whole life.
Prep is something challenging to pursue, a way to push ourselves, something we care about, and something we take seriously. However, for most of us, competing is a hobby.
That doesn’t mean prep will always be comfortable or convenient. It requires effort, planning, and sacrifices. Making room for something important usually means giving something else less attention for a while.
➡️ Maybe you leave a night out earlier so you can get some sleep. You can still enjoy time with your friends, even if you aren’t staying until 2 a.m.
That is different from saying no to every invite because being away from your routine feels too overwhelming… or because you don’t trust yourself around food.
➡️ Maybe you spend more time planning and preparing meals. You bring food along, or look at a restaurant menu ahead of time.
That is different from feeling panicked when you can’t weigh something exactly, or feeling like you’ve failed because a meal didn’t go perfectly to plan.
➡️ And some boundaries are about your values. If staying natural matters to you, taking PEDs would cross that boundary. Even if it feels like it’s what everyone is doing to be competitive. Other athletes making that choice doesn’t mean it needs to become yours.
Hard doesn’t automatically mean prep is detracting from your life. You can make sacrifices, work through challenges, and still feel that the experience adds something meaningful.
But it is worth asking: Is prep costing more than I wanted to give? Is it pushing me to cross boundaries I wanted to protect? Is it becoming harmful, even if I’m willing to keep going?
Being willing to tolerate something doesn’t mean you have to accept it as the price of competing.
So what would a successful prep look like through this lens? What would you want it to add to your life…and what are you unwilling to lose along the way?
What did you learn?
Prep can be an opportunity to learn.
To learn about yourself. To learn about prep. Bodybuilding. And competing.
What did you learn?
What parts of prep did you enjoy?
What was harder than expected?
What support helped you?
What did you learn about your needs and priorities?
What would you repeat? Change?
What did you learn about yourself?
Maybe you discovered you loved it. From the hard cardio days through show day. Maybe you discovered prep maybe isn’t your cup of tea. Or something in between.
And whatever the answer… it’s great.
Why?
Because you have experience to help you decide what you want next.
Define Success For Yourself
Taking the time to decide what success means to you BEFORE you start prep is an important step.
It helps build clarity.
It gives you direction.
It acts as a guiding north star.
You can use your definition of success to help make daily choices. Choices that align with what genuinely matters to you. Making the journey, the daily work, more meaningful rather than just a means to an end.
And you can revisit what success means to you as you learn more about prep, the process, and yourself.
So before you start prep, take a moment to figure out what would make it a success. Not the goal per se, but a success nonetheless.
Write it down. What would make prep worthwhile even if the outcome looks different than you hope.