From The Ground Up: Building Big Results On A Small Frame

Vital Stats

Name: Mike Conol

Bodyspace: mconol

Additional Info: modelmayhem.com/mc1071


Before: Age: 15 Height: 5'2" Weight: 133 lbs	After: Age: 23 Height: 5'5" Weight: 159 lbs

Why I Got Started

I was born in a small province in the Philippines and life as I knew it was just fun and games. I hated taking naps, but I sure loved to run around.

I was the kid who couldn't stay put in one place, always on the go, ceaselessly finding new activities to do or friendly trouble to get into. I was a regular kid enjoying my youth and exploring the vast world around me.

Everything changed in the year 1992. My mom had left my sisters and me to go to the States in an effort to give us a better life, and although she called and sent us boxed goods every month … life was still hard. I started working at 7-years old on the weekends with my uncle.

I provided a helping hand in doing construction work where I assisted him with building homes or with various smaller projects in the field. Job duties consisted of fetching him his tools and/or following other simple directions and tasks.

As a young boy it took a while for me to adjust, but I accomplished my duties and he never complained.

Before I knew it, it was September of 1998. I was at school when I heard my mom was back, and as soon as class was dismissed I ran home as fast as I could. I arrived behind my house, hot, sweaty and smelling like I'd been under the sun the entire day.

A whole new chapter started. My mom flew me and my sisters back with her and we arrived at SFO at 9 p.m. September 23, 1998.

It took me a while to adjust to the time difference, but eventually I was sleeping normally by the second month.

My English wasn't too good, but boy was I excited to go to school. I pictured so many possible scenarios and outcomes …lots of friends, after-school adventures and maybe even a girlfriend.

Unfortunately, my imagination came to a screeching halt … because reality settled in.

During my first week I got teased and made fun of, from the clothes I wore to how I mispronounced my words, and it seemed as though the teasing would never stop. Sadly enough, I couldn't wait for school to end.

By junior high the teasing got worse, and not only that, but I now had a bully who would take my lunch money. My self-esteem was at an all-time low.

It didn't take long until I began to shy away from groups and begin to head straight home to play video games and eat. I had a small frame, but with barely any physical activity, video games and an endless supply of food I started gaining a lot of weight.

I wouldn't necessarily call myself fat, but I was pretty pudgy for my age. By 7th grade my classmates added a new insult to their list … my weight. Kids at that age were cruel and insensitive, every little thing down to the mundane turned into ridicule.

The following year something inside me snapped and I decided enough was enough. I joined the track team and minded my own business and by the time I graduated I had lost a lot of weight.

Freshman year in high school I played basketball and football, and was a member of both the track team and wrestling team.

Toward the end of the school year, I got introduced to breakdancing. I thought what better way to break out of my shell than to dance in front of an audience, and possibly get fit while doing it.

Click To Enlarge.
I thought what better way to break out of my shell than to dance in front of an audience, and possibly get fit while doing it.

Before I knew it, I was dancing in school shows and it even made me push my body to a whole new level of fitness. I wanted to better myself even more and I became extremely motivated to do so.

Later that year my mom started to get sick. Cancer runs on my mom's side of the family and diabetes runs on my dad's side. The potential threat my genetics imposed gave me a whole new purpose to why I need to stick on the right path.

Four years after graduating high school I flourished into a whole new person physically and mentally. I've inspired friends and family members to choose a healthier lifestyle and I couldn't wish for a better outcome.

I currently dance for a nonprofit dance team doing benefit shows and workshops.

Here are some of our videos: www.youtube.com/thel0stkids

I've also started modeling. I went from being a person who hated pictures to being a person featured on print ads.

As of now I'm training to do my first show on May 7th, 2011. Wish me luck!

How I Did It

When I started I wasn't equipped with any knowledge on the do's and don'ts. So I worked out harder rather than smarter, and did a lot of cardio based workouts.

I continued to stay motivated. I made short-term goals that helped me accomplish my bigger goals.

Click To Enlarge.
I worked out harder rather than smarter, and did
a lot of cardio based workouts.

Supplements

I didn't start taking supplements until after I graduated high school in 2006. My buddy gave me half of his N.O. pills, but after that I didn't really experiment any further. Instead I drank pre-workout drinks such as Redline and Endorush.

Last year I got hooked on Animal Pak. I started taking their vitamins and soon after I tried sticking with Animal Cuts. Presently I'm on Animal M-Stak and Jack3d.

As for a protein drink I'm using ON Gold Standard Whey Protein.

With First and Last Meal:

Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey: 2 scoops / 3 scoops
Casein: 1 scoop

Morning:

Universal Animal Pak: 1 pak

With Meal 2:

Universal Animal Omega: 1 pak

With Meal 3:

Universal Animal Flex: 1 pak

Pre Workout:

Universal Animal Stak: 1 pak
Universal Animal Pump: 1 pak

With Last Meal:

Glutamine: 2 scoops

Before Bed:

Universal Animal PM: 1 pak

Diet

I don't have the money to fund my diet so I do my best to make a good 5 meal/day plan.

Meal 1:

1 packet Oatmeal

8 Egg Whites

Meal 2:

4 oz Chicken

6 oz Sweet Potato

Meal 3:

6 oz Chicken

4 oz Brown Rice

Meal 4:

5 oz Chicken

2 cups Green Veggies

Meal 5:

4 oz Chicken

2 cups Green Veggies

Meal 6:

1 scoop Casein

1 scoop ON Gold Standard Whey Protein

Training

TERMS YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW

Superset - Two exercises are performed consecutively without any rest.
Drop Set - Also known as strip sets, drop sets involve the immediate reduction of weight between sets with no rest. This will thoroughly burn out a muscle.
Negative Reps - One or two partners help you lift a weight up to 10-50% heavier than you would normally lift to finish point of movement. Then you slowly lower weight on your own.
Failure - That point in an exercise at which you have so fully fatigued your working muscles that they can no longer complete an additional repetition of a movement with strict biomechanics. You should always take your post-warm-up sets at least to the point of momentary muscular failure, and frequently past that point.

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