You are within the first 3 to 6 years of your training career
You are likely setting some significant and respectable performance bests
Most strange training things have simply become a way of life Like drinking out of funky smelling shaker cups and carrying Tupperware food with you everywhere
You could be what one would consider “obsessed”
Cuz Your feed is only training videos and icons
You’re likely the fittest person at your job
You’re likely the fittest person in the gym, half of the time (excluding peak time)
Body dysmorphia has begun It’s sinister twist and while your physique has never been better, you begin to feel like it is never been worse
Because the reality of the sacrifices that it requires for small incremental improvements, you begin to fear you will never be to where you think “artists” or “adepts” are But you can’t admit it yet because there is still too high a level of delusion that “you're special”
You have seen one medium level injury to both your body and your mind
Something always feels funny or is a little sore
You unconsciously have begun to modify many different movements because of a twinge or a tweak here and there
You’re not able to keep up with all your personal bests because you’re setting them in so many weird & small departments
You look down on most commercial gym trainers for the amateurs that they are
You spend most of your time digging into more and more niche training related topics
You’re beginning to see the science repeat itself, but you haven’t quite gotten to hip to the big secret yet
You no longer care about your original friends who didn’t lift and have become friends with some sketchy individuals who do
At this point, you have either joined some kind of specialty gym or have built your own
Your favorite thing to do is find ways to “humble brag” about your lifts or moves
You Truly believe deep down, you might be the greatest of all time you just don’t know in what area yet
You have your favorite supplements and you enjoy making fun of amateurs who are riding trends
You’re probably on your third different fitness wardrobe
You’re ripping jeans at a concerning pace
You begin to resent the sedentary
And enjoy judging people as a weak
This is where you find most jocks The good and bad ones
The top performers in this category are generally the actual athletes even in most professional sports
If you’re gonna go pro, you are likely getting close to it by now Or at least your performance qualifications are objectively close
You’ve begun to realize the field of professional athletes is not all the same And you could have an alcoholic golfer qualified as a pro Just like a teenage tae-kwon-do sparring champion
From a performance perspective, your max numbers may not ever go higher than what they set during this phase
(Many lifetime, personal strength and conditioning bests are set during this phase)
Unfortunately, serious injury is the most common reason for falling off Whether it be physical or mental