Vital Stats
Name: Dean Macriyiannis
Email: [email protected]
Before: |
After: |
Why I Got Started
I was never happy with the way I looked, skinny arms, skinny legs and a fat chest and gut, constantly being laughed at and told I was "Skinny Fat." Being Greek, I was exposed to all the lovely oily fatty food that taste good but aren't too good for you.
One day I walked past a 24-hour gym near my house and saw a guy through the window flexing in front of a camera man for a magazine, I was amazed at his physique. I went home and started watching some bodybuilding videos and transformations and came across bodybuilding.com.
After reading a few articles I made a BodySpace account and researched dieting and training for hours that same night, I was hooked!
How I Did It
My 17th birthday came and I told my parents to sign me up at the 24-hour gym for an 18-month contract. I looked up to the "Golden Age Old School Bodybuilders" such as Arnie and Serge Nubret and had posters of them all over my wall.
I started training 5 times per week and I set realistic goals, such as achieving the body I want to be able to take my top off at the beach; I had never done it before (yes, I swam with a shirt on).
Dieting was a big factor in my transformation, eating the right foods for the first time in my life helped me gain fast results and after seeing them I wanted more so I trained harder and spent all my money on the right nutrition and supplements I needed. Having a gym partner as motivated as I was (my friend Harry Free) helped greatly, and pushing each other to our limits was the best thing that could happen.
After hitting a plateau I used to complain about my genetics and say they are bad and all this rubbish and after hearing the quote, "Just play the cards you are dealt, and sometime the worst cards can make you the best player." I was highly motivated and I lived by that quote.
Suggestions for Others
- Set realistic goals to achieve.
- Food over supplements any day, although supplements are a great addition to your diet.
- Believe in yourself and you will accomplish what you want.
- Get heaps of sleep and rest to recover and GROW.
- Make sure to change your training program every 4 weeks or so to overcome plateaus.