Don't Be a Poser Bro: Part 2 – D Grades & Real Progress


Well, I’m three weeks into this process of training for a physique competition. Last week, I talked about Men’s Mental Health and shared my “why”—my desire to challenge myself and build mental toughness. Doing hard things matters. It’s where growth happens.

But let me be honest:
I definitely underestimated how hard this would be.
Mad respect to anyone who has done or is doing any type of fitness competition.

My “why” hasn’t changed. But I haven’t always been focused on it either. If I reflect on this last week, I’d probably grade myself with a solid D. And that’s okay. It’s okay to be honest with yourself about your performance. Although, fun fact—research shows most people are easier on themselves when self-grading. I’m the opposite. I tend to be way too hard on myself. So maybe I wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I always want to focus on where I can get better.


What’s Working

Workouts.
This is the one area I’ve been consistently strong. I genuinely enjoy the gym, and I love the physical part of this challenge. My coach, @titan.athletics.coaching, built a program focused on upper body—back, shoulders, and chest—as that’s where men's physique competition is most judged. And let me tell you, @dustin.j.blair (the man behind my 1:1 workouts) has introduced me to a new level of discomfort I didn’t know I could reach. I legit spent one entire day dreading our shoulder session because of how wrecked I knew I’d be.


What’s Not

Food prep.
This continues to be the hardest part for me. I’ve tried two methods so far:

  1. Full week prep: Just too much at once. The time and energy it takes up makes it feel more overwhelming than helpful.

  2. Partial prep + daily prep: This method works better. I prep some basics at the start of the week, then make the full meals the night before. The downside? I’m usually doing something in the evening—like climbing—so I don’t leave myself enough time. Then the mornings get chaotic, rushing to prep before hitting the gym.

But I’ve also discovered something that’s helped me enjoy the process more:
My new favorite pre-workout meal is chicken, rice, and honey—yes, at 4am.
It’s simple, fuel-packed, and surprisingly enjoyable. A little win in the middle of the madness.


Hard Truths

This process is forcing me to really evaluate how I spend my time. Am I prioritizing the right things? If I’m out rock climbing late, is that helping or hurting my ability to follow through on this goal? I’m realizing that if I want to succeed, I can’t just float—I have to intentionally commit.

There were moments this week where I told myself,

“It would be easier to just not do this.”

And that’s exactly the point.
I committed to this because it’s hard. If I quit now, I’d be a poser. And I didn’t come this far to fake it. I started this blog to inspire people to do hard things—not just with their bodies but with their minds.

Social media is full of fitness transformation photos. But what you don’t see are the moments like this: the mental battles, the second-guessing, the skipped meals, the late nights, the internal arguments. No one posts about struggling—so I will. Because this process isn’t just about posing. It’s about not being a poser.


This Week’s Focus

My mindset is shifting. Instead of saying:

“I’ve always struggled with food prep,”

I’m reframing it:

“Food prep is hard, and I’m going to make it my favorite part of the process.”

I’m in this for growth—physical and mental. That means choosing discomfort on purpose. That means learning from failure instead of quitting because of it.

I hope sharing this part of my journey helps someone else push through their own challenge. So here’s to another week of not being a poser, even when it’s hard.


Coach: @titan.athletics.coaching

1:1 Coach: @dustin.j.blair

#MensHealth #DoHardThings #PosingNotPosing #TitanTrained #MealPrepJourney #ChickenRiceHoney #Week3CheckIn #MentalToughness #RealNotPerfect