Motivation

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Shaun Clarida has no plan B. He is winning his title back PERIOD.

Shaun has added at least 10 lbs of muscle pushing him over the 180lb mark before eating up and filling out. Everything is improved and ready to do the thing!

Here he is joined by Matt Jansen and Charles Griffen as they hit their last training session before the Olympia.

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Shaun Clarida - Winning The Title Back

We are back at Hunter's office aka Labrada Nutrition HQ with training partner Jordan Vanderflier and Ben Chow. Ben is in town to keep a closer eye on Hunter's progress as we creep in on the 6 weeks out mark and the time to really dig in to condition and "strip all the fat away."

Here Hunter explains how he is still pushes each exercise with his usual top sets and a forced rep but now is incorporating "pause drop sets" as a way to develop the mind muscle connection and get some more metabolic work in.

At this point in prep Hunter is around 280lbs. We will link back up with Hunter in 2 weeks to see a drastic change in condition.

Hunter Labrada: Push Session | 6.5 Weeks Out Mr. Olympia

You either make opportunities and chase them or you remain idle and stagnant.

Divine here is 10 days out from the Arnold Classic where he will get the opportunity to stand next to some of the competitors he has been wanting to get compared to and is anxiously awaiting this moment.

At the same time that the energy and excitement is high, Divine is calm and collected while executing the necessary to bring his best in terms of physique, presentation and confidence showing that, "he belongs there."

With this being the biggest competition outside of the Olympia, it is a great opportunity to disrupt and fight for comparisons with the best in the world.

Best of luck to Divine as he travels to Columbus today where we will link up with him, Brett and Darwin along with the rest of the crew on Thursday.

Arnold Classic - 10 Days Out | Divine Master

"Sometimes what you are going through sucks, but you are going through it with your lifting partners and just embrace it!"

The inner TEAM here at Destination linked up for a leg training session. They discuss how they cultivate the drive to put out 100% effort during LEG DAY.

"I like lifting with stronger dudes because it gives me something to chase."

"At the end of the day, when the lights fade out, you have to look in the mirror and be happy with what you're putting out." - Josh Smith

James Mottu is often the first face you see as you visit destination and has a background in powerlifting and bodybuilding. He and Josh Smith, a powerlifter and trainer at destination, have been training to prepare James to compete at the Phil Heath coming up in 5 weeks. Here, they link up with videographer Nick Del Toro because he wanted to learn the proper mechanics and cues for a quad focused leg day with the pendulum squat and hip press along with building some mental fortitude with a f.ck ton of reps on the leg extension.

Moral of the story with showing this session is to, "find what you like (in the gym) stick with it and dig in with like minded gym buds."

Embrace The Suck - Leg Training Camaraderie

"My goal is to put out useful training information for those who are looking to get comfortable in the gym, build a base and go from there."

Ben Pruitt is a Destination member and as evidenced by his physique, a very avid lifter. He had a massively successful 2021 competitive season in the men's physique category and is in full offseason mode progressing where he left off last year.

Ben is an advocate for logging workouts and tracking lifts to be able to have predictable progress.

"If you have sporadic training and focus you will have sporadic progress."

Here Ben is doing a back and biceps training session with special focus on his upper back while doing reverse pyramid, starting with heavy weight and following with a lighter load and more reps.

Ben has a bit of a unique way of playing mind games with himself to "stay tight," and keep the competitive aspect to his workouts AND at the same time, he makes tutorials on the fundamentals of weight training and how to make progress so that as many people could start feeling more comfortable in the gym and can start taking advantage of what the lifestyle offers.

Make An Impact - Ben Pruitt

How do you consistently train? You make it a habit.

How do you finish what you started? You make it a habit.

How do you think good thoughts? You make it a habit.

Samantha Jerring is conditioned with hijacking her thoughts and emotions to get exactly what she wants every day. She has continued this habit before leaving Sweden, after turning pro and continually these days to keep going strong on her goals and aspirations.

"Does it get easier to stay on your shit? Yes and no. It takes persistence. Constant persistence."

Samantha proves that you can dig yourself out of ruts and create and maintain good patterns and habits. First, however, you might have to break old destructive cycles and thought patterns that produce negativity.

We follow her to Metroflex Fort Worth for her leg training session. See what you can take away from what she says about the actually hijacking your own emotions and not living in a perpetual destructive cycle.

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Hijack Your Brain - Samantha Jerring

The more successful you get, the more criticism you will get. If you want to avoid criticism, DO NOTHING and BE NOTHING.

Divine understands at this level he has to fight, claw and scratch his way to the top while navigating the international "feedback" that competing at this level generates.

"You have no idea the fuel that I get from everyone (who doubts me). I think about that and work harder."

Constant progress has to be made in between competitions, juggling diet and prioritizing areas where he feels need more size. We follow Divine and the crew to Fort Worth where he trains shoulders with Kevin Ofurum. Here, Kevin and Divine explain the allure of the Arnold Classic and how much weight it carries due to the caliber of the line up and being able to potentially leap from in front of Olympia competitors that are competing here.

"In the Olympia, it is very easy to get over looked. Here it is tough to get over looked with only 9 competitors."

We link back up with Divine a week later to check Divine's condition during a back + shoulder workout back at destination.

We will be covering Divine, Darwin and Brett Wilkin at the Arnold and will see you all there if you can make it!

Divine Master - Fuel to the Fire | Arnold Classic Prep

In a sit down interview with the 2012 Miss Olympia, Nathalia Melo, discusses her journey from the stage to motherhood and family life.

"I wanted a goal. I actually didn't really like the look of competitors -- the physical look of competitors. I liked the drive. I liked the discipline. I liked seeing something come to fruition and I enjoyed having fun with what I was doing, and I always told myself the moment that I stopped enjoying it and the moment that I stopped seeing growth and no longer had anything else to achieve, I was going to step away."

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The Fit Life with Nathalia Melo  - Training + Motherhood

You cant have "gains" without the growth phase and off season where your body is not in a caloric deficit and your abs are shredded to the bone. Improvements to your physique come with higher calories, heavier and more volume to your training and of course adequate recovery without hours of cardiovascular training.

Ivana Ivusic had an amazing competitive season this year and is currently in her own "improvement phase" preparing well in advance of the 2022 season. As a pro figure competitor, her shoulder development is one of the most crucial areas to have complete development. Here she takes us through her shoulder training and talks about how important the offseason is to the physique that is 6months to a year in the making.

Watch Me Get Jacked - Ivana Ivusic Wilkin

"Do what you can, where you are, with what you have NOW."

The sense of "having time" to start will kill any initiative you have of actually starting. Procrastination is the root of stagnation and ultimately failed dreams.

These ladies know the future is not promised and the time to act is and always will begin the present aka NOW.

Find out what you want. Find out why. Write it all down. Then get started! NO EXCUSES

Not Tomorrow... NOW | NO EXCUSES

Quitting is easy. I don't want to be the one to take the easy route.

Renee Jewett grew up in Ocean View, Hawaii. She and her siblings had 3 channels one of which showed X-MEN and since then she envisioned resembling those powerful physiques.

Renee's whole story was anything but easy.

"The physical aspect was always the easy part. The mental part was tough. I always felt like I wasn't good enough."

Renee admits she had to overcome a lot of mental hurdles to accept that she was and IS "good enough" and in the process of learning all this, she turned pro, won a professional competition and graced the Olympia stage this past October.

"Id be doing myself a huge disservice to quit. If I felt uncomfortable, I knew that meant growth... so I kept going."

Quitting Is Easy - Renee Jewett

What does it take to be YOUR best? An unshakeable foundation starting with your "why" and a level of resiliency that is equal or greater to the work you put in.

Samantha Jerring, like many others out there, have had and continue to have trying and challenging times. Obstacles will never stop coming as long as you aspire to be better, grow and set higher and higher goals. Samantha explains how she shifted her energy from thinking of all the negatives in her life to channeling a positive outlook when she trains.

"I didn't want to give more energy to negativity and instead want to only have good vibes in whatever I do."

Samantha is preparing for her first pro figure competition this year since turning pro and qualifying for the Olympia in 2020. Stay tuned as she is not slowing down.