EPISODE 2: Just Another Tuesday

Last week, I shared how I left a stable career at Samsung Electronics to become a coach and pursue bodybuilding professionally. This week, I thought I'd share something much more ordinary. A Tuesday. People often imagine that preparing for Olympia means spending the entire day in the gym. The reality is a little different. I'm a freelance personal trainer, and coaching is my full-time job. Training for Olympia happens alongside it, not instead of it. Most weeks, I work six days and take one day off. Three days start at 7:00 a.m. and finish around 5:00 p.m. The other three start later, around 10:00 a.m., but don't end until 10:00 p.m. Every week looks a little different. Tuesday is one of my early mornings. My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. By 6:00 a.m., I'm already in the car heading to the gym. Breakfast is simple. Usually a bagel and half an apple that I eat on the way to work. It's not a special pre-workout meal. It's just practical, and it works. By the time most people are starting their morning, my day is already moving. My first client arrives at 7:00 a.m. One of the things I love most about coaching is that no two people walk into the gym with the same goal. Some want to lose weight. Some want to get stronger. Some are preparing for their first bodybuilding competition. Some simply want to feel healthier than they did yesterday. Watching people put in the effort every day never gets old. Seeing someone become stronger, more confident, or achieve something they once thought was impossible is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I spend a lot of time teaching, but coaching has taught me just as much. It reminds me that progress doesn't come from motivation. It comes from showing up, even on the days when you don't feel like it. Especially during uncertain economic times, I never take my work for granted. Every client who chooses to spend their time training with me is someone who has placed their trust in me. That's something I genuinely appreciate every single day. Between coaching sessions, I eat, recover, and train. Most of my meals are prepared in advance. Nothing complicated. Usually rice, tilapia, and roasted vegetables. As I've been preparing for the Fit Model division, my nutrition has changed a little too. I used to rely heavily on chicken breast, but these days I include more fish, lean meat, and tofu. Tilapia has become one of my favorite choices because it's a lean source of high-quality protein, easy to digest, and fits well into my contest prep. More importantly, eating a wider variety of foods makes my nutrition easier to maintain over the long term. Contest prep isn't about finding one perfect food. It's about building habits you can repeat consistently. Training has changed as well. Over the years, I've experimented with four-day and five-day splits, but recently I've simplified everything. Right now, I'm following an upper body and lower body split. On busier days, I train one session. If time allows, I'll train lower body earlier in the day and upper body later. The split itself isn't the important part. The important part is knowing what my body needs. Every training block starts with the same question. "What do I need to improve right now?" Instead of spending more time on the things I'm already good at, I try to focus on the areas that still need work. Preparing for Fit Model has taught me that progress often comes from paying attention to small details. Cardio is another part of my routine. Most days, I run outdoors for 8 to 10 kilometers. I enjoy running outside because it gives me a chance to slow my mind down. Looking at the trees, the streets, and the changing weather helps me reset after a busy day of coaching. Sometimes I don't think about training at all. I simply enjoy running. When the weather isn't ideal, I'll use the treadmill or the StairMaster for about an hour. And yes... Netflix usually keeps me company. It makes long indoor cardio sessions go by much faster. By the time everything is finished, it's usually around 10:00 p.m. When I get home, the first thing I see is my dog waiting at the door. No matter how long my day has been, spending a little time playing or going for a walk together is probably the most relaxing part of my evening. After that, I tidy up the house, prepare for the next day, and finally slow things down. Most nights, I go to bed sometime between midnight and 1:00 a.m. A few hours later, the alarm rings again. People sometimes ask me how I stay motivated. The honest answer is that I don't. Not every day. Some mornings I'm tired. Some workouts feel great. Others don't. I've learned that motivation comes and goes. Habits are what stay. I don't think Olympia is built on one incredible workout or one perfect day. It's built on ordinary days that are repeated over and over again. Days like this Tuesday. Nothing dramatic. Nothing extraordinary. Just doing the work. And then doing it again tomorrow. Thanks for spending a Tuesday with me. See you next week. — Seojin Cheong Behind the Stage One thing I've learned from coaching is that everyone has days when they don't feel like training. My clients do. I do too. The difference is rarely talent. It's simply deciding to show up anyway. This Week's Lesson Consistency isn't exciting. Most of the time, it looks ordinary. But ordinary days, repeated often enough, create extraordinary results. Olympia Countdown Current Focus Building a balanced Fit Model physique while continuing to improve my presentation on stage. Current Challenge Finding the right balance between coaching, training, recovery, and everyday life. Current Reminder Small improvements matter more than perfect days. Next Episode I've competed in nearly 40 bodybuilding competitions. Next week, I'll share why I decided to leave the Bikini division, what Fit Model has taught me, and why becoming a beginner again was one of the best decisions I've ever made.