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EPIC 30 days of Fitness

  • Cory Gregory
  • Oct 7, 2015
  • 4 min read

Everything about my routine seemed normal that day. My alarm went off at 4 a.m., I was up early to train and I was set to get after it in the gym as usual. But something didn't feel quite right. My immediate goal—my assignment that day, per se —was to have a great workout in the gym but beyond that, it got a little fuzzy, which really didn’t sit well with me.

Since doing a photo shoot for a magazine at the Arnold Classic earlier that year, I had not put together any assigned goals, which was unusual for me. But with my day-to-day work, among various other things, it wasn’t until that morning that I noticed I had fallen into a rut.

Luckily, I was about to find some motivation. An editor from a large online publication sent me a video feature they were preparing to release regarding my own fitness journey. So, right before I left for the gym, I sat down to watch the video, which delved into my fitness journey, family and background, as well as my overall mindset in general. It turned out to be a great piece and even though it was still 4:10 a.m., a light bulb instantly clicked on in my head.

While watching, I realized that I spoke so confidently in the video because my discipline was at an all-time high the filming process took place. I sat there for a second and wondered why that was the case. The reason, though, was easy. We shot the video during the Arnold Classic, when I was representing the company I co-founded, MusclePharm, and it was just three days out from what was the biggest photo shoot of my life. Clearly, I had set goals, I was focused and I was locked in to doing whatever it took to reach them.

Suddenly, I wanted that Cory back and I realized that I had strayed from an ultra-focused, goal-oriented mindset. I wanted my confidence at that level every day and I was starting that morning. From then on I decided I was going to treat every day like it was the day before a competition or photo shoot. I decided I was going to be fit for anything and be ready for any challenge. This approach paid off took a lot of hard and discipline, but just a few months later it paid off in major way as I experienced the craziest three weeks of my fitness life.

I put together a list of new goals, which included a cover shoot in Canada and another one in Las Vegas just two weeks later. But my goals weren’t just physique goals and also included some major business ones that would change the entire shape of our company and the industry. We had just recently signed Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I was determined and eager to launch our Arnold Series Line with all the fanfare it deserved.

During all of this I was also set to turn 35, which brought up an old goal I have had for a while. Being ripped for my 35th birthday was a goal I always wanted, and I wasn't going to backslide this close to it. To get there, I knew I needed the perfect training split and nutrition plan to make this work. Luckily, the ultimate test of all of these goals came together in a rapid fashion, which really put me to the test. It was the ultimate challenge to accomplish all of these and see how locked in I was but I was determined to make it happen.

The first shoot in Canada happened on Sept. 16 and went well. My birthday was the next day and, with the photo shoot the previous day, I was in great shape. I celebrated by eating one sliver of pumpkin pie – my favorite – but it was right back to work. My next photo shoot was two days later in California and we had the Arnold Series to launch.

On September 18, we launched the Arnold Series Line with a massive party in Venice Beach – something I’m still amazed how well it went off – and I jumped right in to my next photo shoot. But I wasn’t done yet. I went straight to Vegas for the Mr. Olympia Expo, and because I was still in great shape – a result of being locked in and attacking my goals for months – I ended up shooting three more covers.

That made all the difference and allowed me to be calm throughout all the craziness. My goals were clear and focused and my diet and training reflected that, but my three weeks of craziness had one final dose. My longtime friend, Nick Showman, called me and said, "Hey Cory, you know the Natural Ohio Bodybuilding Association show is on Oct 12. What are you looking like?"

I hung up and immediately started to wonder. I had not been on a bodybuilding stage in five years, but maybe this was the final challenge for this span that I needed. I was still motivated and I had just witnessed all of the excitement around bodybuilding from hanging with Arnold and being at the Olympia Weekend. The show was just two miles from my house and my family could attend, which meant only one thing - I was all in!

I weighed 173 pounds a little less than a month out, and I wondered what I would look like at 165 pounds. I wouldn’t be massive, but I doubted anyone could be as lean. So I had one last goal: Get crazy-peeled like I had never been before.

I was in a great position to get there. This was the first time all three of my children could experience me being on stage, so I wanted to make sure to make them proud. In the end, I finished second overall at the bodybuilding show, capping off an incredible three-week run, and easily the most productive three weeks of my life as an athlete.

I ended up with four covers, another huge spread in a magazine, launching the Arnold Series and competing in a bodybuilding show, all because I set some goals and got to work. Amazing things can happen you work your ass off with a true, defined, driving purpose, and it only took three weeks of craziness for me to realize that once again.


 
 
 

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