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| AGE 18 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 148 lbs BODY FAT 8% |
AGE 22 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 175 lbs BODY FAT 10% |
Why I Decided To Transform
I always looked up to Sylvester Stallone and admired his physique in all the Rambo and Rocky movies. I remember one time watching Rambo First Blood and got so pumped up during the movie I got off the couch and started to do a little push up routine. Haha!
Even in Rocky 4, I was impressed with his conditioning as well as Dolph Lundgren's conditioning and overall physique. Watching movies with muscular characters really inspired me to look like them.
I got into the weight room to train for the sports in high school. After receiving several injuries playing ice hockey, I started to see how valuable a strong and athletic body is in physical sports. After playing competitive sports, I still wanted to be active and look good, so I started a bodybuilding routine and diet. I really wanted to see how well I could excel at putting on muscle.
Before, I would train solely for athletic purposes, which entailed more cardiovascular (aerobic) type workouts. I wanted to see how good I could get at building muscle with workouts geared more towards anaerobic strength.
Once I saw my body change a little, I was amazed in myself. If you try something and stay consistent with it, you really can accomplish anything. This ultimately transferred to other aspects of my life.
I had no motivation to get good grades in my college courses, but saw that if I just apply myself and stay consistent with it I could improve my grades as well. Now my grades are a lot better and I have a newfound motivation to excel in school.
Nowadays, friends, family, and co-workers come to me for health and fitness advice. I love helping them because I was in their shoes not too long ago and had the same questions.
How I Accomplished My Goals
I accomplished putting on muscle by simply sticking with it. Whenever my friends or buddies bailed on me and said they weren't going to the gym for whatever reason, I still went, by myself. I envisioned something.
I wanted to transform myself into that Rambo character that I looked up to and inspired to be. I wasn't going to achieve anything by sitting at home watching TV. I had to make it happen myself.
I will say this: I never missed a workout, but there were times in the gym where I would just go through the motions and didn't really want to be there. The thing that got me back on track and motivated again was reading/watching popular fitness models and men's physique competitors online at their personal websites/fan pages/YouTube channels.
Reading and watching videos about Steve Cook, Sadik Hadzovic, Tyler McPeak, and Greg Plitt motivated in some way. Seeing how successful they are on stage really motivates me to do the same.
What Aspect Challenged Me The Most
The most challenging aspect for me was the diet. Having to constantly be eating and preparing food was a difficult change in my lifestyle at first.
Once I started to see change and others around me noticed as well, I couldn't get enough of how great it felt. Over the years, I have learned that buying in bulk and preparing more than one meal at a time is the way to do it.
My Future Fitness Plans
My short term goal at the moment is to put on some more size. Long term goal is to compete in a men's physique contest.
Suggestions For Aspiring Transformers
If you're just starting out:
- Lift heavy, but with good form. Never compromise form over weight; it will lead to injury and put stress on other muscles instead of the muscle you're trying to hit.
- Eat healthy (whole foods); processed/fast food have a lot of sugar and sodium, which will make you look soft and cover up all that hard work you put in at the gym.
- Make sure you have some type of goal, short term/long term, so you have some type of direction and every action has a purpose.
If you're already transforming:
- Make sure to have positive people around you. If you have negative people around you, they are going to slow you down from reaching your goals.
How Bodybuilding.com Helped Me Reach My Goals
I didn't have anyone around me that knew much about working out and nutrition. So I went online and did some research, came across Bodybuilding.com, and learned pretty much everything I know today from their articles.
A couple articles that I read when I first started out and I suggest you read are: What Is The Best Compound Workout? and Building Huge Arms.
Along with Bodybuilding.com's articles, I suggest you check out their forums and BodySpace members. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on there and they're willing to help you out with any questions you may have.