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When it comes to building an Aesthetic Body, what do bodybuilders know that we don't?

I battled with this for so long especially when i first started but until I -

• Filtered through all the BS

• Test, fail and learn

I then realised it's a lot simpler than I once thought.

And over the past 10 years of building a lean aesthetic body, I've learnt many valuable lessons I wish I knew sooner.

So to help you out -

In today’s newsletter, I’ll be sharing 7 simple and actionable secrets to building an aesthetic body fast and in just a fraction of the time most guys spend in the gym.

7 Hacks VS 7 Secrets: The Most Guaranteed Path to an Aesthetic Body

Path A (“7 Hacks”) -

You try out all the latest “hacks” like cardio, shakes, ab workouts, and trendy diets.

It’s exciting!

At first, you see results fast, like brushing your teeth.

But after 6-12 months, it gets tough.

It's like staring up at Mt Everest.

Progress goes up and down.

You feel like you wanna quit and most people do.

Path B (“7 Secrets”) -

It starts off a bit tougher.

Some days are hard and some are easier.

But it starts becoming part of your daily routine.

After 6-12 months, it feels like climbing a staircase.

You can see the top, and it feels doable.

You feel pumped to keep going and that nothing can stop you.

This is the exact path you go down when you apply these 7 secrets -

Secret #1: Do Less, Not More

Most guys get sucked into working out for hours a day 4-6 times a week, and that’s great if it suits your lifestyle.

But unless you're a full time bodybuilder, then your odds of running into a wall and quitting are high especially when you start dating, work or study full time and have kids.

Plus if you’re like me, there's more to life than just working out and looking good.

So rather than trying to do more in a shorter period of time, and hope to “transform overnight”, understand the key is not about just getting to the goal

But it's being able to continue working out for as long as you can and being physically able to live out your best life.

So it pays to adopt a more minimalistic approach to achieving an aesthetic body

As soon as you can, I highly encourage you to start adopting more advanced techniques to build more muscle in less time

Things like Drop sets and Myo reps

I talk about some of these in more depth in one of my last videos.

Secret #2: Be Imperfectly Consistent

A lot of people struggle to be consistent in the gym simply because they think they need to workout, say, 5 days a week, every week.

In other words, they think they need to be perfect in order to be consistent.

And I was the same.

This led to a lot of pressure for me to play catch up every time I skipped a workout due to staying up late on the weekend, drinking and having fun.

And eventually I'd burn out. This happened hundreds if not thousands of times over a decade in my fitness journey

And I hated that.

And like most guys, when I started working full time and dating, it became even harder to stick to my gym routine.

But unlike most guys, I managed to stay consistent and to understand how, you need to understand that consistency and perfection are two completely different things.

You can be consistent without being perfect. and vice versa.

the good news is, studies show that you could go 8 months doing just 1/9th of what you normally do and still maintain your gains.

And so the secret to building an aesthetic body fast is to start thinking like what I call a “Part-Time Bodybuilder”.

Start embracing the idea of being “imperfectly consistent” where if you can’t go today, then go tomorrow, if not tomorrow then the next day.

Secret #3: Simplify to Amplify 

We often feel overwhelmed and our minds get cluttered with thoughts

And this makes even the most basic decisions seem difficult and frustrating.

• Where to go for date night or

• What to eat?

It's no different to building an aesthetic body.

But even to this day, I often feel overwhelmed with what to cook for meal prep or how often I should work the same muscle.

And so what I’ve come to realise is that the surest way to do what you need to do to guarantee those gains fast is to “keep it simple”.

Start with 1. Whether it’s 1 exercise or 1 rep or 1 set or 1 day.

And if that works, then repeat. If not, try 2 and so forth.

Secret #4: Eat More, Not Less

When it comes to building an aesthetic body, people often make the mistake of eating less and restricting their diet.

And logically this makes sense but in reality, it just doesn't work.

I made this exact mistake myself.

It’s like being in a toxic relationship where you pretend everything’s okay.

Then one day, the pressure overwhelms, and everything bursts.

It's the same with super restrictive diets like low carb or even intermittent fasting which require strong mental will-power…

These things are anti-productive because they often lead to over-eating.

But thankfully, there’s a way to eat more without really worrying about weight gain and the benefits are amazing.

Not only will you feel on top of the world due to having steady energy levels throughout the day and not feel like absolute dog shit

But also, over time you’ll naturally move towards your goal of achieving an aesthetic body.

And so the secret is to eat foods that are naturally lower in calories and higher in nutrition.

Aka. A mostly wholefoods based diet.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, grains. Things that grow in the ground.

Secret #5: Move Into Fear, Not Away

Here’s why.

Life is a series of experiments

Trying to build an aesthetic body is one of them.

But oftentimes, the fear of failure often prevents many individuals from pursuing their biggest goals and dreams.

Like what if -

• I cheat on my diet or

• I can’t stick to my workout routine or

• People judge me for wanting to build muscle and get a 6 pack

I was the same.

But what I've realised and learned from highly successful people is that, the more you do, the faster you fail, which means you learn and progress faster.

In other words, the more you do, the sooner you reach your goal and the less you'll fear failing.

Keep in mind, you’re going to fail thousands of times. And I get it, failing is scary. But it’s the only way you’ll learn and know whether you’re on the right track.

So I highly encourage you to just take the next step no matter how small it might be and do it fast. And then the next step after that.

It might be planning your next workout or knowing exactly when you’re going to workout next.

Secret #6: Ask The Right Questions, Not The Wrong Ones

While “there’s no such thing as a dumb question”, but when it comes to our personal life and goals, this then becomes a matter of right versus wrong question.

And I often make this mistake in my relationship -

A wrong question would be: "Why didn’t you do the dishes?"

Oftentimes the answer or reaction we get is the complete opposite to what we expected.

Instead the right or better question would be: "I noticed you seem tired lately. Is there anything I can do to help or support you?"

Notice that by simply changing the question, we get a different outcome.

It's the same with your workout routine.

Far too often guys will ask me - “how long should I workout for?”

One, this tells me that you’re willing to try and adapt your life to the gym.

Two, this often leads to constant burnout and potentially quitting because most guys can't sustain their workout routines.

Instead, after almost a decade of working out consistently, I’ve discovered the right question we should all ask ourselves.

And this is what I believe to be THE secret to building an aesthetic body.

One that changes the entire framing from trying to build your life around the gym to now how can I fit the gym into MY life.

• How long do I wanna workout for? and

• How often?

By answering these 2 simple questions you can then start to find ways to create a fitness routine you can sustain and one that fits your lifestyle.

So before moving on, do yourself a favour and answer them now. Keep in mind they can change over time.

Last but not least...

Secret #7: Unlock Your Mental Doors

As kids we were extremely open-minded

But as we've gotten older, we’ve seem to become more and more close-minded

And this is usually to our detriment

Like how most guys think you need to workout for hours a day, and then quit when life gets “busy”.

My point is, science and technology are rapidly evolving and progressing as we speak.

If we never open our minds to new information then our lives would never change, let alone improve.

But hopefully your curiosity has allowed you to gain a new and different perspective. 

And hopefully these 7 secrets can help you enhance not only your body but also your life.

Start with one or all and slowly add another tool to your toolbox and watch your body health and mind transform.

“Tiny actions lead to insane results over time.”

I hope you enjoyed this one, if you did and you want to keep in touch make sure to subscribe to both the channel and the newsletter.

Speak soon,

Anthony Minimal