Contest Prep, Under-Eating, Reverse Dieting & Bodybuilding Myths with Rhys McCartney

Mindset & Why You Need to Update Your Program

Have you ever felt like what used to work just... doesn't anymore? Maybe your weight has plateaued, your motivation has disappeared, or you're showing up to the gym but not seeing the same results. The truth is, it's not always your effort that's the problem—sometimes you've simply outgrown your current program, your habits, or even the mindset that's been driving them. In this episode of Real Talk Fitness with ANPT, I dive into why growth requires change. We explore why your body adapts to training, why your nutrition and workouts need to evolve with your goals, and how the stories you tell yourself can either keep you stuck or help you move forward. We'll cover: 💚 Why progress eventually stalls. 💚 How your body adapts to training. 💚 Why changing your program isn't "starting over." 💚 The power of progressive overload beyond lifting heavier. 💚 How your identity shapes your results. 💚 Practical ways to recognise when it's time to level up. If you've been feeling frustrated, stuck, or wondering why you're no longer getting the results you used to, this episode is for you. This conversation is also the perfect lead-in to our Mindset Workshop on, 4th September, where we'll go even deeper into breaking limiting beliefs, overcoming self-sabotage, building confidence, and creating a mindset that supports lasting success. BOOK HERE MINDSET WORKSHOP ; https://square.link/u/7LYnNKux Remember: the goal isn't to stay the same person who started the journey. The goal is to keep evolving.

The Battle No One Sees: Body Dysmorphia, Burnout & Your Nervous System

I'm sharing one of the most personal conversations I've ever had. As a coach, people often assume I've got it all together. The truth is, behind the training, the competitions, and the business, I've spent years battling body dysmorphia, chasing perfection, and ignoring what my body was trying to tell me. In this episode, I open up about my own journey, how comparison and the pressure to always "look the part" affected my mindset, and what happened when my nervous system finally said, "enough." We dive into the connection between stress, burnout, body image, inflammation, fluid retention, recovery, and why sometimes your body isn't working against you—it's trying to protect you. This isn't an episode about losing weight or getting leaner. It's about healing your relationship with your body, learning to listen instead of punish, and understanding that your worth has never been measured by the number on the scales. If you've ever: * Felt like you were never good enough. * Compared yourself to everyone else. * Obsessively checked the mirror or the scales. * Felt guilty for resting. * Wondered why your body wasn't responding despite "doing everything right." * Struggled to love the person looking back at you... ...this episode is for you. I hope my story reminds you that you're not alone, and that sometimes the strongest thing we can do isn't push harder—it's give ourselves permission to slow down, recover, and heal. If this episode resonates with you, I'd love it if you shared it with someone who needs to hear this conversation. Remember: Your body is listening to everything your mind says. Speak to it with kindness.

Contest Prep, Under-Eating, Reverse Dieting & Bodybuilding Myths with Rhys McCartney

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to improve their physique is thinking they need to eat less. The reality? Many people are already under-eating, under-recovering, and wondering why they aren't seeing the results they want. In this episode, Rhys and I dive deep into: 🔥 Why contest prep is much more than a diet 🔥 The importance of building muscle before getting lean 🔥 Why many women are afraid to increase calories 🔥 How eating MORE can actually improve your physique 🔥 Reverse dieting and post-show recovery 🔥 Hormones, hunger, food noise and energy levels 🔥 The biggest bodybuilding myths still being spread today 🔥 What everyday gym-goers can learn from bodybuilding One of my favourite takeaways from this conversation was that contest prep isn't about who can suffer the most. It's about creating the best physique possible while managing health, recovery and performance along the way. Whether you're a competitor, thinking about competing, or simply someone trying to lose body fat and build muscle, there is so much value in this episode.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE, HORMONES, RECOVERY, BODY WEIGHT & PERFORMANCE

Have you ever felt like one week you're strong, confident, motivated and hitting PBs… then the next week you're exhausted, craving everything in sight, feeling bloated and questioning your entire progress? You're not crazy. You're not failing. You're not lacking discipline. You're experiencing something every woman experiences — hormonal fluctuations throughout your menstrual cycle. In this episode of Real Talk Fitness, we dive deep into the science of the menstrual cycle and how your hormones influence your recovery, performance, hunger, cravings, sleep, body image, Garmin metrics, body weight and overall wellbeing. We break down: ✔️ The Menstrual Phase (Day 1-5) ✔️ The Follicular Phase (Day 6-13) ✔️ Ovulation and the role of LH and Testosterone ✔️ The Luteal Phase (Day 15-28) ✔️ Why hunger, cravings and food noise increase ✔️ Why your scale weight can suddenly jump 1-3kg ✔️ Why your Garmin recovery, HRV and Body Battery change ✔️ The role of Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone and Cortisol ✔️ Why recovery feels different throughout the month ✔️ How to stop panicking when your body feels different ✔️ Why understanding your cycle can completely change your relationship with training and nutrition Most importantly, we discuss how to stop fighting your body and start working with it. Because you are not the same woman hormonally on Day 7 as you are on Day 21. Understanding your cycle gives you the ability to remove fear, build confidence, improve self-awareness and make better decisions around training, recovery and nutrition. Whether you're trying to lose body fat, build strength, improve performance, understand your Garmin data or simply feel more in control of your body, this episode is packed with practical information every woman should know.

The Leanest You Isn’t Always The Healthiest You

So many women have been taught that being smaller automatically means being healthier. Eat less. Train more. Shrink yourself. Take up less space. But what if the reason you feel exhausted, obsessed with food, stuck in your physique goals, constantly thinking about calories, struggling with your hormones, recovery, sleep, and energy… is because you’re actually under-eating? In this episode, I sit down with nutritionist and powerlifter Ella to unpack the mental and physical side of finally learning to fuel your body properly. We dive deep into: ✨ calorie surpluses ✨ under-eating in women ✨ body image ✨ social media pressure ✨ food noise ✨ hormones & recovery ✨ why so many women fear gaining weight ✨ and how eating MORE actually helped Ella become healthier, stronger, happier, and in the best shape of her life. This conversation goes far beyond aesthetics. We talk about the pressure women feel to constantly stay lean, the fear of judgment, the mental battle of seeing the scale go up, and why so many women are living in survival mode thinking it’s “healthy.” If you’ve ever: — feared eating more food — tied your worth to your weight — struggled with body image — constantly dieted — obsessed over calories — or felt trapped in the cycle of under-eating and over-training… This episode is for you. Because health isn’t about becoming the smallest version of yourself. It’s about becoming the strongest, happiest, healthiest, and most free version of yourself.