Will you wake the F up?!

I've cracked today.

This is it, my one rant that goes a step too far and gets me in trouble.

I am fucking sick, and tired, of people complaining about their LIVES.

Not their fitness or health.

I'm talking people who hate their jobs.

People who hate their partners yet stay together.

People who keep hanging around with shitty friends who always moan and make fun

I mean, why the fuck would you want to do anything in life that makes you miserable?!

There has to be something invisible that holds us to these things, oh yeah there is - it's called FEAR.

You're scared to quit your job - maybe missing a mortgage payment scares you, or your kids need new shoes - I empathise with that, believe me I've been through some shit times as a businessman, but it is still YOUR fear that's stopping you live a better life.

Would you quit your job if I guaranteed you could have more time with your kids and enjoy your life, but you'd have a little less money for a while?

You'd figure out a way to survive on less money wouldn't you!

I doubt you'd turn a life-changing offer down.

But you are. Every damn day there are opportunities to live a happier life and you're sleep walking past them.

If you are miserable in your job that's 5 days a week that you're unhappy.

Oh, and also most of Sunday you'll feel the dread of the Monday morning shit-fest.

Hold on, also every evening as you try to stay awake as long as possible watching netflix or youtube, trying to make your miniscule free time last a little while longer before the momentary lapse of wakefulness you call sleep (but hey, 4-5 hours does not cut it as far as your body is concerned, but back to the rant!).

So, you're unhappy, you're miserable, you're scared.

And this is taking over MOST of your life?

Gee, I wonder why you're struggling to stick to your diet?

Maybe, due to your life being shit, it's hard to resist the sugary coffee in the morning, the pastry, the chocolate bar, the pizza in the evening and the bottle of wine all take away the constant, dull ache of existence.

I get this because I do it too!!!

If you are unhappy, do something about the SOURCE of the problem.

Don't go to a gym and abdicate all responsibility for your diet onto a coach or PT.

Sort your life out, you're an adult, and it'll make being healthy 100000000 times easier!

And if your pain is another human being, cut them out of your life. If they don't love you or respect you, they don't deserve to be around you!

The reason you don't is you are scared of something worse happening.

SO face your fears, talk to yourself, figure out how you could make it work.

Because when you do, hitting the gym 3-6 times per week, and eating clean, and sleeping soundly, and feeling HAPPY will become a reality for you!

Before you think I'm up here on my high horse just preaching, I've lived this.

To those of you who think, 'hey it's easy for him he just sits in a gym all day'

To those of you who think, 'hey he doesn't have kids, he's not married, he doesn't know. He doesn't knooowwwww!!'

Fuck you.

I have been through so much pain for my business to grow that I can say whatever the hell I want, and look, I'm not afraid to do so. I'm backing the talk with the walk.

Here's my story...I hope just one of you steps up and does something about your life today.

I failed to become a pro rugby player (my life's dream)

I went to Uni (pretty fun)

I couldn't get a job after uni (pain)

My parents told me to get a 'real job', AKA not become a coach (painful)

I got a coaching 'job' that was unpaid, so i got another job stacking shoe boxes (pain - and very long days. Goodbye sleep)

I ended up quitting my coaching dream because I couldn't face the hours and the fact that it was unpaid (my plan B dream GONE. Pain)

Can you imagine how I felt?

I left South Wales at 19 years old hoping to become a pro rugby player, and if not a rugby player at least a coach??

Then BOTH plans fell through.

I found myself working in a shoe shop, stacking shelves. Calling my dad for money at the end of every month because I was broke. Living in a flat hundreds of miles from home and not being able to do anything.

I decided to make a change

I sold my horse (who was still at my parents house in Wales) for about a grand to raise some cash (very painful, would you sell your dog?)

Before someone says, 'oh what a rich kid with a horse, how hard can it be?' - just know I bought that horse from the side of the road in Ebbw Vale for 300 quid from a gypsy. I ain't a rich kid.

I put all of that cash into new equipment, and this was 8 years ago when you couldn't get cool strength equipment as easily as today.

ALL of that equipment was made for me by a guy in Manchester who (I later realised) didn't know what he was doing.

It all broke, I lost all my money (pain).

I opened my gym in 2010 in Droyslden, Manchester.

Some horrible gangster man told me to leave, because he was 'the gym guy' in that town.....or alternatively....I could work out of his steroid-riddled-face-tattooed-blood & vomit gym.

Well, what could I say? I left that town and had no gym (pain)

I had a flat full of gym equipment (pain)

All my friends made fun of me (pain)

I couldn't even afford to eat. So I ate every other day for a week before a girl I'd just started seeing bought me a weeks' food shopping.

Can you imagine how low it feels to have only been on two dates with someone and you're such a bum that THEY offer to buy you a food shop?!!

I accepted the food (pain).

I moved my gym/flat to a storage unit in Warrington in March 2010 and opened to the public as a business.

I made £3 total sales in month one

I lost £500 a month for 4 months before nearly quitting (pain)

Oh, and I didn't have any money so I was being hounded by debt collectors every day, I was still working in the shoe shop, I was fucking miserable.

I moved to an EVEN SMALLER, and EVEN CHEAPER place to run the gym in September 2010 - which we affectionately now call 'The Shed Gym' when looking back.

But it was embarrassing to be honest, to have failed two life plans, and clearly failing at the third.

So I kind of gave up.

I kept the shed gym going, but got a job at a bank.

The bank was good money.

But it was working 4 days per week 8:30-5pm

Then dashing to the gym to open up for my 5-10 clients every evening.

I worked every Saturday.

I couldn't even play rugby as a hobby anymore.

PAIN PAIN PAIN

I carried on like this for 2.5 more years.

No money, minimal holidays, no prospects.

But here's the kicker:

I fucking knew I'd be successful

I knew as long as I didn't quit, it would pay off

I knew giving up was not in my nature

And the alternative was what? To work in a bank for the rest of my life?

Fuck that!

I kept pushing and pushing

2 years of pain went by

I grew the gym to a slightly bigger location:

then 3 years went by, then 4, then I ASKED for help from a business coach

He helped me quit my job, learn about sales and marketing, actually get more clients in and help more people.

Suddenly, you must be thinking, I made it, right?

An 'overnight success' ??

Nope. More pain.

I hate sales calls, I was literally terrified of the phone.

But I forced myself, hands trembling, to phone person after person until I'd made 500+ calls and changed my life.

I eventually got a nice car and got paid decent money (still less than £20k per year, but when you used to eat every other day, this is good money!)

Then in 2014 I moved the gym to where it is now.

Then I had to pay more rent, and more business rates, and more insurance, and hire staff, and learn how to manage staff and on and on and on.

Pain, pain, fucking pain.

Have I made it?

Personally no. I feel really grateful for my life but I know I can achieve more.

The gym, however, is utterly amazing. I feel privileged every time I step into that place.

The clients, the staff, the equipment (which has actually been made by someone who knows what they're doing) are world class.

But every day I wake up and I grind out another day, because I've got huge goals. I want to change the fitness industry.

As a team, we want to provide world class strength and conditioning facilities across the UK.

I want to help young athletes get the support they need, because I never had that, and I know the pain that goes along with failing to achieve dreams.

I want to teach adults how elite athletes train, think and eat - because a healthier, stronger body gives you a better life.

But you know what?

I'm happy!

I constantly ask myself, is there anything else in the world I'd rather be doing?

And the honest answer is no, I might want a few more holidays, I want to own my own house one day, I really want to adopt a greyhound (currently I rent and I'm not allowed a dog) - but I'm doing what I want to be doing 24/7...

....and here's the thing....it is painful. My life sucks a lot of the time.

I have to do shit I don't like doing in order to get what I want out of life, and a lot of my goals are about helping others, so my personal time gets pushed back to second priority most of the time.

It ain't fun - but it is necessary.

Do you think I could have done any of this if I listened to fear?

Nope.

Do you think I like getting up at 4:30am and going to work.....often not being home until 9-10pm??

Nope.

And look, I can't achieve some of my goals: rugby, for example, is over for me. I'm too beat up and injured, it's just over.

Another goal I can't achieve is this - I always wanted to retire on a farm and buy my old horse back and get back that time I lost when I was forced to sell him - but sadly he passed away last year at a really young age - and that crushed me.

I realise more and more now how time does not stop, if you blink you've missed a whole year.

Hands up who feels like it can't possibly be August?

Hands up if you had bigger goals for this year? Fitter, leaner, wealthier? More time with your kids or partner?

If you feel shit about not achieving your goals so far this year, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to....

REGRET.

I hate feeling regret. How about you?

When I want to do something but the time has gone, I've missed out, forever, it kills me.

Don't let that happen to your life.

Don't be on your deathbed wishing you did more, laughed more, took more holidays..

....wishing you told your boss to fuck off

...wishing you started that little business you always wanted to do

...wishing you did one thing every week that made you really happy

....wishing you had lost the weight and eaten a little healthier.

The list goes on and on.

Look, this has been a rant, a personal story and honestly I feel that living a good life FAR outweighs going to the gym.

In fact, I think it's important for you to understand that I don't run a gym to get people leaner, stronger and fitter.

I run a gym because I know you can do more with your life.

And training and dieting is simply a vehicle to teach yourself discipline, gain self respect, increase your confidence and give yourself the powerful ability to withstand copious amounts of pain.

SUMMARY

1) If you are unhappy figure out why

2) If you are unhappy, make one BIG change right now. Literally right now

3) If you are scared to make a change, run through some problem-solving conversations and figure out how you could make it work

4) Understand that I am not a hypocrite, I've lived what you are going through - and I still do, because I'm a human too and this is just life. Deal with it.

5) Look at your health as the energy that drives a better life. If you get stronger, you can live better - it's just a fact.

6) DO not underestimate the importance of mental health. If you struggle to diet it may not be your habits that need looking at, it could be your long ass days at a shit job, or your unsupportive friends - get some perspective and look after yourself first.

7) Stop blaming others - it's your life. You put the food in your mouth, you wipe your own arse - it has only ever, and will only ever, be up to you to look after you. So.....are you looking after yourself?

If you've read this far, I know you're either strongly agreeing or strongly disagreeing - but please open up and tell me what you think/feel about this topic.

You can achieve more

You can become better than you ever thought possible

And the best way I know to teach being 'better' is to train groups of people who end up being best mates, in a private gym (that I've bled for), with good nutrition plans (to give you energy) and above all....

.....my team and I will deliver brutal honesty if you need to hear it.

Now, this is just my opinion, so I don't want to receive a thousand emails from people who've quit their jobs.

I get that there are financial and emotional implications, so don't make changes on a whim.

Just know that if you need to make changes, there isn't a good time to do so - you just gotta jump in at the deep end and figure it out as you go along!

Hit me up if you have any questions

Have a great Friday, and hey, take the weekend to do some serious introspection and you'll change your life.

Ant

PS - if you want to get involved in our latest programs we only have 5 places left on a 12 week body transformation.

It's £597 or £199 per month, whatever works best for you.

We do strength training 3 times per week, fat loss workouts once per week and you'll get a complete education on nutrition habits, we expect homework to be handed in!

Your coach will be by your side in every workout, and our gym is filled with awesome people who have similar goals.

The whole program results in 1-2 stone of body fat lost in 12 weeks, with typically a 10-20kg increase in strength on your main lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift)

Anyway, to apply fill out this form:

Men apply here https://rawstrengthgym.wufoo.eu/forms/built-the-90-day-body-transformation-pkzlgi91k3q2rh/

Women apply here: https://rawstrengthgym.wufoo.eu/forms/lean-girls-the-90-day-body-transformation-pm2ni1m0mvjzvg/

Sara will then give you a call to discuss your personal goals and to see if this program will work for you.

Ant