Paul wanted to shape up and be in the best shape of his life so he could compete again. See how he transformed his diet and exercise routines and took control of his fitness!
Vital Stats
Name: Paul Erlandson
Email: pcerlandson@yahoo.com
Bodyspace: abeachparty
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Before:
Age: 49
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 194 lbs
Body Fat: 20%
Waist: 38"
Hips: 41"
Thighs: 26"
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After:
Age: 51
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 163 lbs
Body Fat: 8%
Waist: 30.5"
Hips: 37"
Thighs: 25"
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Why I Got Started
I have been a fan of bodybuilding since 1984. I trained for many years, but never ate correctly. I entered one
natural bodybuilding competition (NGA) in 1993. However, I did my own contest prep, and did it poorly.
After that contest, I allowed myself to slowly go downhill physically. I gained about 5 pounds during every
Michigan winter, and never really took it back off in the spring. During this time (1994 - 2007), I trained half-heartedly,
ran a bit, and settled into raising our two children. I still attended a few local bodybuilding contests every year.
By November of 2007, I definitely disliked my image reflected in the mirror. It was near the end of that month that
I came up with the brainstorm of entering a bodybuilding contest just after my 50th birthday. I figured it would be
a good way to motivate myself. By picking a specific contest and paying the entry fee as soon as possible, I
reduced the chances that I would back out of the contest. My wife agreed to cook any special food during my
entire pre-contest phase. My hope was to look better at 50 than I had in my first contest at 35.
I competed in July, 2008 at a weight of 152 pounds. I competed again in July, 2009 at 150 pounds. My most
recent contest was in March, 2010, and I weighed 163 pounds for that contest.
 Click To Enlarge.
My Hope Was To Look Better At 50 Than I Had In My First Contest At 35.
How I Did It
Because my contest prep had been so weak and clueless, I wanted to hire an expert this time. I ended up hiring
Cameron and Tracy Bodner of Total Package who work out of Colorado. They came up with my
pre-contest diet, as well as my workout and cardio schedule.
Approximately once per week I sent my coaches a set of 12 photos, consisting of four quarter-turns, and the eight
compulsory poses. They assessed my progress, and made any necessary adjustments to my diet and cardio.
As the contest approached, they had me doing more cardio (up to a total of about 7 hours per week), and eating
less. I must say that I didn't ever feel super hungry on their diet. I think this is because they had me eating a small
meal approximately every three hours.
One thing that amazed me was that I thought they would have me on all kinds of thermogenic supplements, but
I didn't take anything like that at all. The results were achieved strictly through diet and cardio. Cardio consisted,
usually, of fast uphill walking on a treadmill.
Click To Enlarge.
My Results Were Achieved Strictly Through Diet And Cardio.
Supplements
5:30 am:
8:30 am:
11:30 am:
2:30 pm:
5:30 pm:
8:30 pm:
Diet
Meal 1:
Meal 2:
Meal 3:
Meal 4:
Meal 5:
Meal 6:
I also drink 1.25 to 1.5 gallons of water throughout the day, not counting morning coffee.
Training
Day 1: Legs
- Barbell Squats: 1 warm up set of 10 reps, followed by sets of 10,8,4-6, each with progressively heavier weight
- Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 15 steps, per leg
- Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Seated, Lying, or Standing Leg Curls: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Seated, Donkey, or Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets of 30,25,20 reps
- 45 minutes on Treadmill (PM)
Day 2: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 3: Cardio
Day 4: 45 minutes on Treadmill
Day 5: Back/Abs/Biceps
Day 6: Cardio
Day 7: Repeat Leg Workout from Day 1
Note: The next week would start with Chest, Shoulders and Triceps on Monday.
Suggestions for Others
At the beginning, almost any routine will seem to give you progress. I tried to stick with one lifting routine for at least
eight weeks before tweaking it.
As for cardio and diet, my advice is to give yourself at least 50% more time than you think you will need, especially if
you are starting out from a high percent bodyfat situation. I think I prepped 20 weeks for my first contest, and still
barely got there. To me, slow and steady is less painful than trying for quick fat loss over a shorter prep period.
I also joined several different gyms (including a free one where I work), so that no matter where I got stuck during the
day, I was always close to a gym and therefore had no excuse to skip a cardio session!
over40transformations@bodybuilding.com
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