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| AGE 17 HEIGHT 5'8" WEIGHT 134 lbs BODY FAT 10% |
AGE 19 HEIGHT 5'9" WEIGHT 168 lbs BODY FAT 9% |
Why I Decided To Transform
I started lifting weights after cross country season ended. It was getting close to spring and I was tired of being so skinny. I had always eaten well, but never had a good lifting routine.
Within months after lifting weights, utilizing Bodybuilding.com, and gaining my first eight pounds of muscle, I decided that I wanted to LIVE in the gym and become a personal trainer.
I sat down and got serious. I not only wanted to look good in college, but I didn't want to be a skinny personal trainer that no one wants to hire.
In other words, I wanted to look the part. I wrote up meals and counted protein and carb macros for months.
I made exercise sheets for every day in the gym to track my progress and stay structured. I have recorded every rep of every set for almost a year.
Before long, all my friends were lifting with me and doing ab workouts! I've even gotten my parents and sister to start lifting and cleaning up their diets.
Now I have more confidence and have found something that I'm passionate about and will want to do the rest of my life.
How I Accomplished My Goals
I was in the gym every day at Baylor University after my classes, tweaking and shifting around my workouts to find what worked best for me. I missed hanging out with friends, and even walked through thunderstorms to go hit the gym. There were always the tough days where you think "why am I doing this?" and "why can't I lift this?" but after you see where you came from, it's always worth it.
I would never think about quitting. I was and still am addicted to lifting. People think of it as work, but I would rather do this than anything else.
Some of my inspirations were my fellow Baylor Bears. Everyone in the gym is busting their butt. I would see how hard they pushed themselves, and try to beat them in effort, weight, and reps.
My favorite bodybuilder by far is Branch Warren. Just watching him lift and hearing the advice he gives makes me want to pick up something heavy.
Channeling his inner Branch Warren.
What Aspect Challenged Me The Most
My biggest challenge was putting on weight in the first place. I had to learn to eat, and eat a lot. Even if I went a few days without eating enough, I would drop the weight fast.
Now, eating a lot of good carbs and protein is just routine. I'm consistently putting on mass and adding weight to all my lifts.
My Future Fitness Plans
I want to become a world class bodybuilder. I don't just want to compete. I want to win. I'm on my way to becoming a personal trainer, and I want to eventually open up my own gym and dojo. (I have a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do)
His winning mentality won't let him slow down!
Suggestions For Aspiring Transformers
My advice to others would be to write EVERYTHING down. By writing all my reps and sets, I see that I'm not just going in circles, but that I'm constantly improving. This is very motivating and makes you want to do more reps and more weight than you did last week.
How Bodybuilding.com Helped Me Reach My Goals
By receiving advice and encouragement from others, lifting the weight didn't just become about me, but I wanted to keep impressing and making my fellow lifters proud.
Seeing the charts with my lifts motivated me to want to keep lifting and getting stronger to keep that line moving up.