There are two types people in the gym. People who go to "work out", and then you have the competitors. The people who go to the gym to workout are doing the same exercise month after month, they go to reps of 10, stop, and their bodies never change.
Then there are the competitors. All their hard work, planning and dieting comes up to that one moment on the stage where they stand nearly naked-and it becomes obvious of their work ethic-or lack of. The competitor pushes that pain threshold, that we call the burn, farther and farther and embraces it like the love of a beautiful woman.
We wake up hoping for that burn, yearning for that burn, and pursuing that burn. The mind fully focused on the muscle group that he/she is training. We glance in the mirror more than most, not because they're narcissistic-but like a sculptor who looks at a piece of stone- focused on removing what does not belong, until his piece of art is perfected. We stare at our physique, seeking out the flaws that require improvement. We walk through the gym with a sense of purpose, knowing exactly what we're going to do next.
The closer it gets to contest day, the less social we become. Most of us have sacrificed dearly to be competitors-financially, socially, and physically. Our lives are consumed with preparation. We time our meals, we weigh our food, and every aspect of this is methodically and meticulously done. For us, the time the gym is not a game, it's serious business.
There are some who compete just to have the experience of competing, but as for myself, I don't show up for anything less in first place. For me it would be a waste of time. That my friends is the mindset of the competitor.