On May 28, 2015

Coaches Corner: The power of the before picture

By Kyle Finneron

Many people have approached me and are frustrated that they have just started a new program and they are not seeing the results on the scale they want, or they feel like they are not getting any stronger. The first thing I usually ask them is “Have you taken a before picture?” or “Are you writing down your workouts?” Most people stare at me blankly and admit that they haven’t done either of these things. Trust me, you should do both.

The before picture is such a powerful, and free, tool. Chances are that you are looking at your self at least once a day in the mirror. Since you are looking at your self on such a consistent basis you will most likely not see the small changes that are starting to take place in your face and around your body. Take a before picture and don’t look at it for a month. Once that month has passed take a new photo, try to be as consistent as possible with where you take it an when, then take a look at what you have accomplished in the last month, I bet you will surprise yourself.

Apples to Oranges

It is human nature for you to compare yourself to others. You see someone who is where you want to be and you cant figure out why they look the way they do and you don’t. I’ll let you in on a little secret; they have probably worked at it a lot longer than you have. I saw and interview with Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine Nine and from the Old Spice commercials) and he was asked how he was able to be so, for lack of a better word huge. His response was simple, consistency. “I started working out when I was 14 and now I’m 44, I have been working out for 30 years,” said Crews.

I do not know many people that have done anything consistently for 30 years.

The other important aspect is to start where you are. There is no reason to try and jumpstart the process. When people get ahead of themselves that is what can lead to injury, which can put them even further behind than they are now. Leave your ego in the car when you are trying to make yourself better. Whether you are just starting out or have been training / exercising for months, don’t try to rush the results.

Ounces equal pounds

People need to remember that every little bit counts. In previous challenges people have come up to me after a few weeks of being in the program and they are upset because they have only lost one or two pounds that week. What I try and remind everyone is that every pound counts. Yes, you may have seen a more dramatic drop in the scale in the first week or two but if you could consistently drop a pound a week you would reach your ideal weight a lot faster than you expected.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Pies, parades, and porch chats

July 2, 2025
“America is a tune. It must be sung together.”—Gerald Stanley lee The month of July is the height of summer, bringing a spirit of celebration to all of us. Our town of Killington may be small, but we know how to celebrate the 4th of July. We start early with the annual book sale at…

Inventing a better ski day: the innovations that drew crowds to Killington

July 2, 2025
By Karen D. Lorentz Editors’ Note: This is part of a series on the factors that enabled Killington to become the Beast of the East. Quotations are from author interviews in the 1980s for the book Killington, A Story of Mountains and Men. “We’ve got a million dollars that says you’ll learn to ski at…

‘Almost Heaven’

July 2, 2025
The stage was simple, designed to resemble a wooden board that resembled the siding of any barn, anywhere across America. It could have been the barn behind my house, or the one that my cousins have down in Georgia. It could have been a barn in Colorado or even West Virginia.  Nothing remarkable at all,…

Getting away from it all

July 2, 2025
My family and I went to the beach this past week. The temperatures were hot, and the weather was sunny, making for a classic seaside vacation. The house we rented was in the harbor of the town where we were visiting, so while we didn’t stare out at the ocean, we were able to sit…