I Thought I Was Training for Abs. I Was Training for Life.
What chasing a six-pack taught me about resilience, recovery, and the real meaning of self-respect.
The walk toward change is quiet, early, and unseen — but everything begins here.
When I first signed up for the Emerald Cup Physique Competition in Bellevue, Washington, I thought I was chasing a six-pack.
Instead, I accidentally stumbled into something bigger: a full-scale life renovation.
I didn’t expect sculpting my body would sculpt my mind.
Or that striving for a perfect rear lat spread would fix my sleep, sharpen my habits, and teach me more about wellness than a decade of doctoring ever had.
But here we are.
Ten thousand dumbbell curls later, I’m a different person — inside and out.
And spoiler: it wasn’t about the abs.
My Goals for This Essay – I Thought I Was Training for Abs. I Was Training for Life
In this essay, I’ll cover:
🔹 What nobody tells you about bodybuilding prep
🔹 The real power of boring habits
🔹 Why sleep beats supplements
🔹 How food became self-respect
🔹 The quiet wins that matter most
The Lessons Nobody Told Me About Physique Prep
Nobody warns you what you’re really signing up for when you chase a stage-ready physique.
Yes, you’ll count your macros.
Yes, you’ll stretch until your hamstrings sob for mercy.
Yes, you’ll practice posing in your garage while neighbors walk by and pretend not to stare.
But the real lessons?
They’re quieter.
They sneak up on you between sets and protein shakes.
Lesson 1: Discipline Is Boring — and That’s the Point
Building a stage-ready physique isn’t a Rocky montage — it’s Groundhog Day with extra Tupperware.
It’s not one heroic deadlift followed by triumphant trumpets.
It’s this:
- Waking up at 5:00 a.m. for fasted cardio. Stacking chicken breast into Tupperware like a sleep-deprived lunch lady with a spreadsheet.
- Stretching your hip flexors while contemplating the absurdity of it all.
Day after day.
Rep after rep.
Meal after meal.
Until one day you wake up and realize:
You didn’t just build muscle.
You built a mind that doesn’t flinch when things get hard.
Discipline doesn’t shout. It stacks up — one container, meal, and quiet choice at a time.
And here’s the kicker: the muscle you build isn’t just for show.
Higher muscle mass in older adults is strongly linked to lower risk of death — even when adjusting for weight or BMI.
Lesson 2: Sleep Is the Real Secret Supplement
Forget creatine. Forget BCAAs. Forget the neon pre-workout powders that taste like alien tears.
If you want to transform your body or life, learn to sleep like it’s your job.
During Emerald Cup prep, I treated bedtime like a sacred ritual:
- Blue light glasses on at sunset.
- Blackout curtains are tighter than a drum.
- No revenge-scrolling through existential memes at midnight.
My sleep became anabolic.
And in turn, my energy, recovery, and sanity skyrocketed.
(It’s funny how eight hours of sleep can make you feel more invincible than any pre-workout powder.)
Turns out, there’s science behind that.
Even a single night of sleep deprivation can reduce muscle protein synthesis by up to 18%, and chronic poor sleep disrupts recovery hormones like testosterone and growth hormone.
Lesson 3: Food Isn’t the Enemy or the Reward — It’s the Strategy
Before prep, food was my reward, comfort, and late-night “I deserve this” celebration.
A treat.
A guilty pleasure.
Now?
Food is a strategy.
Food is information.
Food is the raw material that becomes me.
Every bite is a vote:
- For inflammation or healing.
- For sluggishness or strength.
- For regret or resilience.
Somewhere between the grilled salmon and roasted broccoli, I realized: Eating well isn’t a punishment.
It’s self-respect made edible.
And yes, science backs it.
Whole-food diets rich in fiber, omega-3s, and antioxidants are linked to lower inflammation and better mental health outcomes, including reduced risk of depression and anxiety.
Food doesn’t just fuel performance. It shapes how we think, feel, and live.
Nourishing the mind: how the EAT-Lancet reference diet (ELD) and MIND diet impact stress, anxiety…
bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com
Food doesn’t just shape your body. It rewires your mind.
It’s self-respect made edible.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not this strict when I’m not in prep mode.
Life’s too short not to occasionally demolish a stack of pancakes or celebrate with a burger the size of my head.
But prep taught me something I carry even off-season:
Food is still fuel for the life I want to live — and self-respect doesn’t go on vacation.
Lesson 4: Real Wellness Happens When Nobody’s Watching
Wellness isn’t a $60 candle or a bubble bath you post on Instagram — it’s what you do when no one’s clapping.
You don’t “indulge” in wellness once burned out.
Real wellness is boring.
It’s the hundreds of tiny decisions that no one sees:
- Putting your phone down an hour earlier.
- Stretching after every lift instead of collapsing dramatically on the floor.
- Meditating for five minutes, even when your brain insists it would rather doomscroll.
As the poet Mary Oliver said,
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
In prepping for Emerald Cup, I learned to pay attention to my body, mind, and moments.
And that attention changed everything.
The Real Trophy Was Never the Stage
Will I win the Emerald Cup? Maybe. But honestly, that’s not the victory I’m chasing anymore.
Probably not.
(Though, not to brag, my front pose is starting to look like a Renaissance statue after a few protein shakes.)
But honestly?
The stage isn’t the real prize.
The real prize is what I’ve already built:
- A mind that does hard things without flinching.
- A body that serves me, not punishes me.
- A life stitched together by small acts of devotion.
And here’s the plot twist:
You don’t have to compete in a physique show to win that trophy.
You just have to choose yourself — deliberately, daily — before the world distracts you into something smaller.
Final Flex: Chase the Growth, Not Just the Goals
Ultimately, the real gains weren’t on the scale — they were stitched into every hard, invisible choice.
They’re measured in resilience.
In clarity.
In the quiet, stubborn decision, show up for yourself even when nobody claps.
If you’re waiting for a sign to start your transformation—to sleep better, eat better, move better, and live better—this is it.
And if you see me at the Emerald Cup in Bellevue, flexing under blinding lights and praying my tan doesn’t melt — know that the real muscle I’m showing off isn’t just physical.
It’s every invisible, unglamorous, life-changing choice that got me there.
In chasing the body I wanted, I found the life I needed.
What’s one quiet decision that changed your health or mindset?
I’d love to hear it — drop a comment below.
Images created by ChatGPT 4o.
Thank you for reading “I Thought I Was Training for Abs. I Was Training for Life.” If this resonated with you, hit that 💚 and follow for more science-backed wellness, aging strong, and life beyond the gym. I’m Dr. Michael Hunter — a radiation oncologist, over-60 physique competitor, and lifelong student of transformation.
