Vital Stats
Name: August Kinney
Email: akinney@sbproformtraining.com
Bodyspace: tankyota
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Why I Got Started
After college I got really into powerlifting and training heavy. I put in a ton of time at the gym, but my workouts were slow, heavy, and cardio was not a part of them. I had two goals: get my body weight to 240, and bench press 400.
I topped out at 232, but I did get that 400 pound bench press. What I hadn't noticed was just how bad I looked.
I knew it was time for a change!
Click To Enlarge. I knew it was time for a change.
How I Did It
The first thing I did was change my diet. The most important thing I have ever learned when it comes to nutrition is "It is much easier to not eat a bad meal than to work it off." I slowly began removing processed foods, simple carbs, and foods high in saturated fats from my diet.
It was a learning process, and definitely not a change someone makes over night, but like most things in the fitness world, it is a snowball effect, and the more you do it, the better you want to do. I learned a ton about food along the way, and am now in the process of writing my own cookbook!
The next step was to start doing cardio. This is easy for some, and what seems like pure torture to others. Let me make this clear to everyone who won't do cardio, I hate it.
As much as I love to lift weights, I hate cardio. I found ways to make it tolerable, like running by the beach, walking my dogs with a 40-pound weight vest on, and jogging with my wife.
Click To Enlarge. I slowly began removing processed foods, simple carbs, and foods high in saturated fats from my diet.
Again, like eating clean, it feeds into itself, and I got to the point where I can bang out a 30-minute session with no problem. I almost always do my cardio first thing in the morning or post weight training so that I go into a fat-burning state quicker. This may cost me a little muscle mass, but getting lean has been the goal.
Lastly I went through phases of logging my food. I don't do this all the time, because that would be a hard thing to do for a long period of time, but I will do it in 2-week spurts to make sure my macronutrients are right where I want them.
I suggest everyone do this at least a few times per year, and you should know your BMR at all times. How else do you know how many calories you should be taking in? Most people guess, and well, that does not usually work out.
Suggestions for Others
First of all: You can do it! You can make your body into anything you want! I have very normal genetic makeup, have benched 400 pounds in my life, and gotten down to 5.4 percent body fat.
If you want it bad enough, it can be achieved. Search out the necessary advice, and be consistent!
Acknowledgment:
I would just like to thank all my clients who trust me with their fitness needs, all the members of my gym who help create a great area to train in, and most of all my wife, Joy, who puts up with my dedication to eating clean and lets me try new recipes out on her!
You're the best, I love you!