Transformation Of The Month

Name: Chris Dalton
Age: 17
Weight (before): 130 lbs
Weight (after): 150 lbs

Before
Weight: 130

After
Weight: 150

(Click To Enlarge)

Why I Got Started

When I was younger, I used to dream about getting big and buff. I was doing pushups, sit-ups, and pull-ups when I was 10-years old.

When I was 15, I started lifting weights on the machines at a local gym. I lifted casually and paid little attention to my diet for about a year. In that year, my weight went from 130-to-140, and my waist stayed around 29 inches. After that year, I decided it was time to step it up.

How I Did It

For the past year I have been lifting very heavy to failure in the 4-to-6 rep range. My program is centered around basic compound movements. I lift Monday through Friday, and have my weight program split up so that I work each muscle once per week.

After I decided to step it up, I completely quit doing cardio, and just ate whatever junk I felt like, figuring it was what I had to do to gain weight. I got fat. In 11 weeks I went from 140-to-160, but my waist went from 29-to-33!

After those 11 weeks, I looked bloated and my face was as round as a ball. After taking a week off from lifting, I decided I had better lose the fat I had accumulated, so for the next 8 weeks, I took up cardio again and went on a diet. I started at 2600 calories and gradually lowered it to 1600 over 8 weeks. I lost a lot of fat and my waist went down to 28, but I lost too much muscle.

My weight had gone down to a little more than 140. I took another week off and began again with a more clean approach to gaining muscle. I continued to do cardio 3 times per week, 10 hours before lifting weights after school, and went on a 2600 diet. I gradually worked my diet up to 3200 calories over an 8 week period.

My weight went up to a little below 160, but my waist only went up to 30. After taking a week off, I was 8 weeks away from a trip to Hawaii, and wanted to be as lean as possible for my vacation (for obvious reasons). For the next 8 weeks, I dieted and worked out like a machine. I was very busy with school activities, but would not miss one workout or one meal, even if I had to show up very late to my school activities.

I started on a 2900 calorie diet, and gradually worked it down to 2000 calories. For the final week I was eating 290 grams of protein, 175 grams of carbohydrates, and 21 grams of fat daily. For cardio, I rode a recumbent bike for 16 minutes, doing 1 minute intervals of moderate intensity and extremely high intensity.

I did cardio every morning Monday through Saturday, 10 hours before lifting weights in the afternoon. After those 8 weeks, I went to Hawaii and carb loaded on my vacation. In the end, I weighed about 150 and my waist was 27.5.

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