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| AGE 16 HEIGHT 5'5" WEIGHT 156 lbs BODY FAT 14% |
AGE 19 HEIGHT 5'7" WEIGHT 156 lbs BODY FAT 7% |
I stepped into the gym for the first time in May 2009. My sister departed for basic training in the Air Force and left me a gym pass with a few months remaining on it. I thanked her and said I would have a six pack the next time I saw her.
The following day, I went to the gym without any training knowledge. I started with cardio, bench press, biceps curls, and abs, and hit them every day for 6-8 months. I went from 156 to 123 pounds, became skinny, and proceeded to make gains.
In November 2009, I saw New Moon with Taylor Lautner. Seeing his body sparked my motivation even further. I started studying, reading countless articles, and finding YouTube channels (Scott Herman Fitness, Greg Plitt, and Matt Ogus) for help.
I'm in love with the fitness lifestyle now. My day doesn't feel complete without the gym. I enjoy the whole process and love helping beginners get through the sticky point in the beginning when many give up before they see results. It made people around me respect what I was doing.
My life is different now because I live a healthy fitness lifestyle. People want my help now, which is awesome. You get more from the gym than just a better body. One hour of work per day creates a healthier body with confidence and self-respect. You learn about yourself in the process and develop a great work ethic that transfers into other facets of life. I weigh the same now as when I first began, but my body is completely different and I'm an entirely different person mentally.
At first, I had no idea what I was doing. For a solid 6-8 months, I followed the same routine every day. I hardly ate and went along blindly. I ate six-plus meals per day with lots of fruits, veggies, and protein shakes. Staying consistent with that diet helped me lose 30 pounds. Consistency is the biggest factor to achieve a successful transformation.
Eventually, I ran into a few fitness channels online and read countless articles about the ins and outs of fitness. Scott Herman Fitness, Greg Plitt, and Matt Ogus have bodies that I looked up to and provided motivation to help me. Motivation was never a problem for me; the fire always burned. But those videos, and the movie New Moon, spread my fire. I can't think of a day when I skipped the gym. I don't get sick often, but when I do, unless I cannot function properly, I'll probably finish my daily workout.
The most difficult part is knowing I wasted lots of time when I first started. But if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't have learned as much about myself.
Nowadays, the biggest challenge is eating enough of the right food. Because I'm a sophomore in college, I have to resort to cafeteria food twice per day, but I have to deal with it.
I hope to expand my YouTube channel in the coming years. I will compete in my first men's physique competition in summer 2013. I hope to be in fitness magazines or on fitness workout videos one day. I want to become a personal trainer and help people. I aim to get my degree.
Don't give up so quickly. People expect to see results within weeks. It doesn't work like that. A few weeks in the gym can't change years of bad eating habits and laziness. Go into it knowing it will require a great deal of effort and time.
In the end, if you give it 100 percent there's no doubt you will see results. If you believe mentally that you can change, it will happen.
BodySpace is a great way for me to see what others do and motivates me to achieve my goals. The site is the best for supplements. It's a one-stop shop, which helped me out tremendously. The forum threads helped me receive different opinions on topics that I accumulated over time.