Discipline is something every single athlete needs to possess to go from good to great in their sport of choice.
Professional basketballers may need to make 50 shots in a row to be satisfied, while competitive swimmers are required to be in a cold pool at 5am each morning to swim 100 laps.
When it comes to the bodybuilding world, it appears these athletes have to be the most disciplined of them all.
Take Westmead father Hasnain Moiz Vali Karimi as an example.
To prepare for a major bodybuilding competition like Mr Australia or Mr Universe, he can’t be tempted by anything that’s going to impact his body in a negative way.
“It all depends on what you want in life. The harder the process, the bigger the reward,” Karimi told Parra News.
“When I compete, I know there will be no sugar. There will be no spices. There will be no sodas. No family gatherings. No BBQs. No birthdays. This is the choice and that’s sacrificing.
“You do the work at the gym, you follow a disciplined routine, and you achieve greatness.”
The 37-year-old’s incredible willpower paid off recently when he competed at the prestigious Mr Universe competition in Perth.
Through relentless hard work and determination, Karimi won gold in the Under 70kg category, gold in the Classic Physique category, and bronze in the Men’s Physique category.
His title of Mr Universe Australia was a proud moment for the Pakistani immigrant and his family, who said he’s been chasing this dream for more than a decade.
“I moved to Australia in 2009 at 21 and had no time for myself for the first two years,” Karimi said.
“In 2011, I joined the gym again and have never looked back. I have never skipped exercise for more than three days in a row in the last 14 years.
“Over the years, I have invested thousands of dollars in learning from the best coaches in the industry about health, nutrition, supplements, mindset and lifestyle coaching.”
Karimi qualified for his first Mr Universe event after picking up two silver medals at the Mr New South Wales contest and two silver medals at the Mr Australia competition back in October. He said finishing second at those two events were all part of his master plan.
“You don’t want to be 100 per cent in qualifying because you need to save your energy for the final one (Mr Universe),” he explained.
“Bodybuilding is like peak performance. You never put 100 per cent into the qualifier otherwise you’d drain out in two weeks.
“My plan was to come 90 per cent ready, see the market, see who is competitive and go from there.”
Bodybuilding is judged on muscularity of individual muscle groups with proportion of their body, mass and definition.
“Everything should look symmetrical,” Karimi said.
As for what’s next? Karimi is currently in off-season mode, which still means daily gym sessions but with a side of San Churro or Bay Vista.
Nathan Taylor is Parra News' sports journalist. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in western Sydney media for more than a decade.