MARTIN BENINSKY – Warrior’s Corner

I’ve been lifting and dieting my entire life, but more for football and in pursuit of playing at the collegiate level. After a career-ending back surgery, I had to find something to redirect my energy into and I fell in love with the thought of stepping on stage. Once I saw results, I fell in love with the process of prepping!

I worked with Derek Natcher for my prep. I couldn’t have done this without Derek! He made this experience as simple as possible and that allowed me to enjoy the whole process. He kept me 100% on-point throughout the entire prep. He is truly amazing at what he does, and if you just trust him and follow his plan, success is inevitable. He also understands the personal hardships outside of the gym that prep can bring, and he is there when you need him to help you through those as well. Derek goes above and beyond what is expected for his clients, and it shows in the results he produces.

There were two things about this prep that were hard for me. One was the isolation that prep can bring because you are so focused on your diet and everything else that comes with it. On top of that, I had a hard time sleeping towards the end of my prep, and that made things even more difficult.

I’m naturally a pretty self-motivated person, so I didn’t need to do much for extra motivation. I know what I want and I do what it takes to get it! My family is a huge motivational factor for me as well. They are who stand behind me and support me through everything. I also realize that life is too short for regrets, so I don’t waste time, I go all in!

My advice to those looking to get started with contest prep is to just try to focus on the results and the end game of it all. If you get caught up in how hungry you are, or how tired you are, you lose focus on what you are really doing it for. Just keep a level head, and reap the rewards after all the hard work is done. I would also suggest hiring a proven coach to help make sure you aren’t spinning your tires.

During this prep, I learned a lot about my discipline and what I’m willing to do to reach my goals. I also learned who was truly there to support through all of this.

I would like to thank my trainer Derek for all he has done to keep me on track, focused, and bringing me in on-point, as well as keeping me on track after the show. My parents deserve a huge thank you, as they put up with a lot throughout all of this and their support is never a question, they are all in all the time for me! And my college roommates, who had to deal with me everyday—that in itself makes them deserving of a thank you!

As of right now, my plans moving forward are to have a super productive off-season and get ready to bring the best possible package I can to Nationals in October 2016!