It’s All DeGood! Interview with AT10 Winner Mike Degood

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 10th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Mike Degood who placed 6th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.  Mike has a story similar to most, he grew up working out  but never really attained the ideal physique of working out.  Granted even as an adult  he continued to follow his passion for fitness by becoming a personal trainer and his wife  a sports nutritionist.  Nevertheless, it wasn’t until he  began following the diet /workout principles of “Eat Stop Eat” &  AGR that his goal of gaining lean muscle mass was realized and John Barban claimed Mike’s Physique as being “Competition Ready!”.

Scroll down to listen to his podcast interview and find out when it comes to lean muscle mass, why Mike is, ” All “DeGood!”

But  first, check-out  Mike’s AT10 Pictures:

 

Michael DeGood - AT10  6th Place - Before Photos

Michael DeGood – AT10 6th Place – Before Photos

 

 Mike Degood- AT10-Transformation Image

Mike Degood- AT10-Transformation Image

 

Michael DeGood - AT10  6th Place - After Photos

Michael DeGood – AT10 6th Place – After Photos

 

Mike’s Transformation Essay:

I’ve been working out ever since high school with minimal results. There is a myriad of reasons why I didn’t get the results I was after, which was tremendous gains in  lean muscle mass. If it wasn’t my nutrition being completely off, it was my workout regimen being unspecific, my intensity levels to low, improper rest, you name it I screwed it up.
Now, over twenty years later I have finally started to get the results I’ve been working out practically my whole life for. I was introduced to The Adonis Index through Kyle Leon’s Somanabolic Weight Training (another fine workout regimen). He had an interview with John Barban and they talked about the idea of ideal proportions, it totally made sense to me in fact if gave words to the REASON I worked out. Never before had someone made a workout geared specifically toward an ideal proportion. Most workouts are either to lean you out or bulk you up.
So, in the beginning I only bought the 3.0 module, because I was skeptical. I should also add that I’m a certified personal trainer and a strength and conditioning coach and my girlfriend is a sports nutritionist, so we are not new to physical fitness. After doing the strength and endurance cycle and reading ‘Eat Stop Eat’ I started to notice small changes happening. The first thing was my waist began to shrink and my arms and shoulders grew half an inch, and from there I was hooked.
Entering the contest was more of a way to keep me in the gym than it was anything else, I didn’t think I stood a chance of placing. I took the Immersion Prize for placing and I’m doing the Category three workout now. I will always strive to find new and exciting ways of shredding muscle to grow new and improved muscle, but up to this point I’ll have to say the Adonis Golden Ratio has been my absolute favorite workout and my” go-to regimen” for guys who train with me and want to put on lean muscle mass.

 

Mike’s Transformation Interview:

See below to listen to Mike’s transformation podcast interview:

His Photos Cost Him 100 Pounds: Interview with AT10 Winner Kris Wragg

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 10th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Kris Wragg who placed 5th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Truth be told, Kris is no stranger to the principles of AGR. He had been following the principles of Eat Stop Eat  for quite sometime before he made the decision to begin AGR workouts.  Kris had seen great results from intermittent fasting but realized in order to take his physique from what he called “skinny-fat” to “amazingly defined” a transformation contest would prove most helpful.

Kris also shares insights on he developed his homemade,  yet “Professional-Level” images for under 100 pounds.

Check out  Kris’s AT10 Pictures:

Kris Wragg - 5th Place - Before Photos

Kris Wragg – AT10 5th Place – Before Photos

Kris Wragg- AT10-Transformation Image

Kris Wragg- AT10-Transformation Image

 

Kris Wragg - AT10 5th Place - After Photos

Kris Wragg – AT10 5th Place – After Photos

 

Kris’s Transformation Essay:

When I started AT10 I was just finishing off MBF and then I moved on to the category 3 workouts. Throughout the competition I followed the calories suggested by the AGR calculator and shed quite a lot of fat in the first 6 weeks, after that it slowed down a bit and towards the end I added in a bit of cardio in the last few weeks to try and maintain steady weight loss.

I found the fat loss fairly easy, some weeks were harder than others trying to maintain the calorie allowances, especially with social events, but generally I compensated with a fast day and my weekly average balanced out. Between me and my girlfriend we managed to create lots of tasty low calorie meals and even tasty high protein desserts for treats, I’ve especially been enjoying some homemade protein flapjacks with chocolate on.

The workouts were fairly hard going and I added in a chest booster in the middle as this seems to be a lagging part for me. I really enjoyed the Fibonacci pyramids although they were extremely tough and took a long time setting up adjustable dumbbells. I thought the workouts were pretty well rounded and hit the whole body hard but evenly.

Overall I am extremely pleased with my transformation over the last 12 weeks, my girlfriend has been doing the Venus competition and we have both made great changes to our bodies in the short period of time. We are off on holiday in a few weeks and we will both be looking fantastic in our swimwear thanks to our hard work.

 

Kris’s Transformation Interview:

See below to listen to Kris’s transformation podcast interview:

 

The Battle of Perception: Interview with AT10 Winner Paul Tomlinson

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 10th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Paul Tomlinson who placed 4th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Paul, a military fitness instructor was first introduced to  AGR when we met at at fitness workshop.  Recovering from an injury suffered during CrossFit, he was looking for a way to satisfy his “competitive edge” without the “wear & tear” of previous programs he had followed.

When I first  introduced  the  philosophy and workout concepts of  AGR with Paul he was skeptical, yet OPEN-MINDED.  As you’ll hear in his interview, he literally did a full-scale investigation of the AGR program including, measurements, training logs, body-fat analysis, etc.

However, when he finally conquered “The Battle of Perception”  he mentally embraced the transformation process.  Building positive habits, and following the workouts as instructed set the stage for some amazing results.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to listen to Paul’s interview.

But first, check out  Paul’s AT10 Pictures:

Paul Tomlinson - AT10 4th Place - Before Photos

Paul Tomlinson – AT10 4th Place – Before Photos

 

Paul Tomlinson Transformation Image

Paul Tomlinson – AT10 Transformation Image

Paul Tomlinson - AT10 4th Place - After Photos

Paul Tomlinson – AT10 4th Place – After Photos

 

Paul’s Transformation Essay:

Coming into this challenge I have to say I was quite skeptical. First, because I have been in the gym for 20 years and the only time I have seen any significant changes in my physique has been when I amped up my training to 2+ hrs/day, 5+ days/week. Second, I am a single father, of a 5 yr old, teaching for the Air Force, taking online classes for my degree, and still trying to be a Scouting leader and an active participant in a men’s small group.

Where was I going to fit in the extra time for the gym? Furthermore, I wasn’t willing or in a position to follow a body builder diet plan. What I have learned has really opened my eyes to my own personal fitness and self outlook. I work out less than I did last year (3-4 days/week, using lighter weights), have made small, simple changes to my diet (definitely not what I thought it would be) and find myself in better health today than I have been in over 20 years.

Before this transformation I was seeing a chiropractor once a week to manage pain and numbness from two bulging discs, pressuring the sciatic nerve. Today, I have no pain and only see the chiropractor once every 3-4 weeks. I feel so much more energized than I have in a long time, not to mention, much more confident. Thanks to AGR, at 44 I feel, and look, more like a 24 yr old.

 

Paul’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to Paul’s transformation podcast interview:

 

Patience, Persistence, & Perspiration: Interview with AT10 Winner Hans Gutmann

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 10th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Hans Gutmann who placed 3rd in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Hans’s Transformation is the epitome of a quote by author, Napoleon Hill.  The quote reads: “Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”

During Hans’s 12-week journey he lost nearly 20lbs!  He stayed the course and was able to reward himself with a brand-new physique.  However, Hans’s isn’t stopping here…read onto find out his next goal.

But first, check out his AT10 Pictures:

Hans Gutmann- 3rd Place- Before Photos

Hans Gutmann- 3rd Place- Before Photos

 

Hans Gutmann- 3rd Place- AT10 Transformation Image

Hans Gutmann- AT10 3rd Place- Transformation Image

 

Hans Gutmann - 3rd Place - After Photos

Hans Gutmann – AT10 3rd Place – After Photos

 

Hans’s Transformation Essay:

I decided to enter AT10 to make myself accountable. I knew if I just shadowed the contest my self-discipline would be more apt to falter at some point. I also decided that I would jump in with both feet on the Adonis Lifestyle. I would follow the exercise and nutrition regimen as outlined, stick with it, and not question the process.

I worked from the Progressive Supersets and Final Phase modules and lifted nearly every day. I also followed the Reverse Taper Diet and closely monitored my caloric intake. I included the suggested 15% for labeling errors and saw my stalled fat loss pick up again.
I’d read many times in the AI Forums that Patience is the key. It sounds too simple to work but I guess I needed to learn it first-hand. Put in the hard work, follow the system, and it WILL work. When you see the same person in the mirror each day or even each week, you don’t see the changes – but they’re happening. As I progressed through the contest, I saw many of the topics discussed in the AI Community applying to me. For example, Permission to be Light. Initially, I thought I only needed to lose 10 lbs. to see myself in lean shape, but I ended up dropping nearly 20 lbs. with no loss in strength or size.
I am pleased with the outcome of my AT10 experience. Many of the RTD rules have become habits now and it gets easier as I approach golden proportions. A goal of mine has been to build a lean, strong body that I could be proud of on my 44th birthday next month and AT10 has helped me achieve that goal. Next stop: Golden Ratio!

Hans’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to Hans’s transformation podcast interview:

Less Is More: Interview with AT10 Winner Cody Johnson

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 10th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Cody Johnson who placed 1st in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Cody was no stranger to the AGR principles of intermittent fasting. However, it was the fresh & simplistic approach of AGR’s  strength training that was the biggest revelation to him.

Read on to find out why Cody believes, “Less is More” and learn about his contest experience throughout AT10.

But first, check out his transformation pictures:

Cody Johnson- AT10 1st Place - Before Photos

Cody Johnson- AT10 1st Place – Before Photos

 

Cody Johnson - AT10 1st Place - Transformation Image

Cody Johnson – AT10 1st Place – Transformation Image

 

Cody - AT10 1st Place - After Photos

Cody – AT10 1st Place – After Photos

 

Cody’s Transformation Essay:

The Adonis Contest is the first contest I have ever actually completed, due to its shear simplicity. There were no complicated plans to put together from day to day, no whole food groups forbidden, no magic ratios to hit to ensure I wasn’t wasting away or forfeiting any progress….Just simply eat less than I currently was.

There was no time in which I felt I needed to give up, because the guidelines were easy enough that it was already in line with what I was doing, yet less overall of it (overall food), which made it seem not like a plan but simply living.

I appreciated the straight talk in the podcast, to undercut all the fluff that so many of your users come out of; it was truly liberating to know I didn’t have to eat on schedule, that I wouldn’t up and die if I didn’t have 200 grams of protein a day, that I didn’t have to spend a wad on supplements to finally get to where I wanted to be. The common sense approach reigns supreme.

Cody’s Transformation Interview:

If you want to get in touch with Cody, talk to him about his approach and get more tips, here’s his profile in our community.

Here’s the program Cody followed that helped him win this transformation contest: Adonis Golden Ratio

To listen to Cody’s transformation podcast interview:

Pain & Gain: Ex-Rugby Player Tackles the AGR Systems

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 9th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to James Sanders who placed 4th  in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

James comes to AGR from a very physically demanding sports background including Rugby and Mountain Climbing.  However, he was still looking for other ways to  challenge himself and got some awesome results after tackling our AGR Systems.

Read on to find out how “Pain & Gain” has shaped his amazing physique.

Check out James’s transformation pictures:

James Sanders AT9 4th Place Before Photos

James Sanders – AT9 – 4th Place – Before Photos

James Sanders - AT9 - 4th Place - Transformation Image

James Sanders – AT9 – 4th Place – Transformation Image

James Sanders - 4th Place - After Photos

James Sanders – 4th Place – After Photos

 

James’s Interview:

How old are you?  26 (25 when I took part in the contest.)

When did you first start working out? If it was before finding Adonis Golden Ratio Systems (AGR) can you briefly explain the types of programs/workouts you did before finding AGR?

I’ve been training in one form or another since I started playing rugby when I was 13. Initially this involved training once a week (2-3 hours) and playing a game once a week. When I was 15 I started playing at a higher level and trained twice a week at the training ground, 2 sessions a week in the gym (pretty unstructured with no real goal or way of tracking progress).

After breaking my leg at 17, I stopped playing rugby and worked out sporadically at the gym. At 18 I went to University and started going to the gym 3-4 times a week. This was more structured although I tended to do whole body workouts.

After 2 years of inconsistent training I started rock climbing. At about 21 I had the bug for climbing and started training/climbing heavily (5-6 times a week). After 4 years of beating up my body I had to stop as I was in a significant amount of pain and I’d come to have a very odd looking physique. It was at this point, being totally unhappy with the way I looked, that I decided I wanted to make a change.

Did you follow any sort of diet programs before finding Adonis Golden Ratio Systems? If so what were they and how did they work for you?

Other than having a healthy outlook towards my diet I had never really followed any specific protocol.

How did you find Adonis Golden Ratio Systems?

I had known about AGR for some time after Andrew Peters (another AI user and former contest winner) had been following the program and made an awesome transformation. This was when I first heard of AGR, however, the concept of ideal proportions are something of which I have come across during my education.

What made you decide to enter the contest?

Andy had mentioned that there was a contest just about to start and it might be a good idea to enter, as it would be great motivation and get things off to a running start. After considering it I thought ‘why not?’ I wanted to see just what was possible in 12 weeks and if could make an as impressive transformation as previous winners. I also knew that it would keep me accountable to myself. Having to put in the work in order to know I’d given it my best was certainly a big driving force for me!

What did you expect from yourself during this contest?

Initially, I tried not to put any expectation on what I wanted from myself. I find that placing expectations can be a route to self-sabotage. It can give you the opportunity to think of reasons why you can’t achieve that expectation, e.g. I’m a hard gainer, I don’t have what it takes to train that hard, I’ve never achieved what I truly felt capable of etc. The list of reasons why you can’t do something are usually easier to come by (for me at least) than reasons you can do something. All I knew was that I was going to give it my all and do whatever it required to have a look that was what I wanted.

How did you fit the workouts into your daily routine?

As I was used to training on a regular basis, usually for longer than the AI workouts take, it wasn’t difficult to train, although it certainly wasn’t the type of training I was used to. I had initially planned to integrate both AI and rock climbing but I decided this wasn’t a good idea. The AI workouts are intense and I thought it would have a negative effect on my training, both rock climbing and AI, so just stuck to AI. It’s probably only now that I can start to think about cross training. This also meant I was less likely to have any excuses for not going and achieving what I wanted. I then trained 4 days a week and did something else, which wasn’t AI, over the weekends. I stuck to 2 days on/1 off/2 days on/2 days off split. I found this worked well both physically and mentally.

What did you do from a diet standpoint?

I followed an intermittent fasting (IF) protocol of 16 hour fast and 8 hour eating window 5 days a week and relaxed this over the weekend, having no set fasting/eating times. Again this worked well as I tended to do more social things over the weekend. Towards the end of the contest I kept my calories at the same level as I had throughout the contest but cut carbs down and increased the fasting window to 18hrs a day.

What did you find most challenging along the way and did you have any setbacks?

There were a number of areas which I found challenging. Firstly when I first started the program I was skinny fat! Although lots of people said I was in great shape, I just wasn’t happy, I knew I didn’t look the way I wanted. I remember my first session in the gym, I looked in the mirror and man did I think I looked bad! I’d even being kidding myself saying that I had a good physique but it was in the harsh light of the gym mirror that I truly realized what I looked like.

I thought about giving up there and then; there was no way I was going to be able to make any serious gains in 12 weeks, let alone place in the contest. But I continued on and allowed myself the chance to succeed; if we don’t start from somewhere then we never start at all! Second, the whole lifting light issue. You have all these ‘shirt on’ big guys who are lifting super heavy dumbbells and I’m there with my tinny 12lbs, getting all kinds of looks – he won’t gain nothing lift those pathetic weights; “go heavy or go home” right?

Again I gave myself the permission to lift light and focused on the contraction; the mind muscle connection plays a big part in my training and I think it can make a huge difference to your results. I think the last thing I really found difficult was actually realizing that at the end of the contest I looked dramatically different during my photo-shoot. Although my body had responded to the training my mind was still in the same place it was 12 weeks prior, thinking I was skinny fat and that I looked terrible. It’s perhaps only now I’m starting to realize that I look OK and have a body that I can be happy with, for me!

How did people in your life react as your body started to change?

Most people had little idea that I was trying to transform the way I look. I kept it under wraps really. I’d rationalized this in two ways; (1) I didn’t want people to know what I was doing in case I didn’t make a transformation (2) It reduced the stress and general requirement to try and convince people that what I was doing is a good thing. It’s all to easy to be feeling like things aren’t going great and if someone then adds that what you’re doing isn’t working you can use this as an excuse to stop.

Also people can become very negative about what your doing as it makes them realize that they aren’t happy with their appearance and rather than congratulating you for your efforts, they want you to feel bad, by saying things like, “What your doing is crazy, not eating at all and doing all this exercise” or “you look ill, I think what you’re doing is not having a positive effect on you”, etc.

For these reasons I didn’t tell too many people and even those I did I underplayed what I was doing. The real reactions came after the photo shoot once people saw the transformation I had made.

When did you realize things were really starting to change?

I think I felt like I had made a change in the last 2 weeks as I started to cut down, do more walking and saw those last few pounds start to drop off. Even then though I really didn’t think I’d make the cut! The night before my shoot I was certain that I still didn’t look great and that things had gone wrong somewhere; that I hadn’t pushed hard enough! Even though a few people had said they couldn’t believe how lean and ripped I looked I was sure that it hadn’t been enough, it’s only now I understand what I’d done, so I’d say it’s now that I’ve realized I’ve changed and that I have a body to be happy with.

How did you feel when you looked at your before and after pictures side by side?

I couldn’t believe the difference, I looked so pathetic in my before photos. But that was exactly how I felt. I was really unhappy with the way I was. I could see the difference in my physique and it was great to see I’d achieved something. I always want more though and I was looking at my after shots and picking fault with my physique, what I needed to work on, what I could have done in the 12 weeks to make it more impressive. But after it had finally set in, I was very pleased with what I achieved. I set out to make a transformation and that’s what I did, I achieved a goal that I’d set for myself. Sometimes you have to congratulate yourself before moving onto the next thing, otherwise you forget that you’ve actually achieved something.

What advice would you give to other guys who are sitting on the fence not sure about entering a contest?

Get yourself entered, it provides great motivation. It makes you commit to the program fully, you have a clear deadline and you know how much time you have. It really does provide you with that driving force that you perhaps don’t get when you’re not in a contest. They are certainly intense and require complete commitment but you won’t regret it, it’s the reason I’m still lean and in great shape. It’s given that start and stepping stone to keep progressing and getting better with each day that passes. The contest allows you the opportunity to prove to yourself what you are capable of and if you have what it takes to be one of those guys with a great body and his life in order.

What’s next for you?

For now I’m finishing off the AI 3.1, I’ve got a few areas that I need to focus on with respect to having a fully proportioned physique so I keep chipping away with that. I stopped climbing while doing the contest but I’m slowly integrating climbing with AGR protocols as they fit really well together. It not only provides me with a great look, but it’s very functional. One problem I had from training purely from climbing were muscle imbalances. AGR has gone along way to even my body out and I feel a lot stronger now. Once I’m finished with a full 3.1 cycle then I’ll think about training using one of the other protocols.

I’d finally like to give a big thanks to all the guys out there for their support and advice along the way; it was instrumental in my transformation. For those guys who aren’t sure about the forums, it’s time for you to log-on. They provide you with all the tools to make your own transformation. A big thanks for all the congratulations and respect I received from the AI forum as well, I hope I’ve provided you guys with information and motivation to start your AI journey! Anyone that wants to know anything please don’t hesitate to contact me. Finally big props to the Adonis Lifestyle Staff for designing a great program which has allowed me to get to where I am today – which is a lot happier! Cheers Guys!!

You can catch up with James in our community. Here’s his profile: http://community.adonisindex.com/members/9140-Jay_S

Summary of James’s Best Tips:

  • Get yourself entered in a transformation contest, it provides great motivation. It makes you commit to the program fully, you have a clear deadline and you know how much time you have.
  • Most people had little idea that I was trying to transform the way I look. I kept it under wraps really. I’d rationalized this in two ways; (1) I didn’t want people to know what I was doing in case I didn’t make a transformation (2) It reduced the stress and general requirement to try and convince people that what I was doing is a good thing.
  • I followed an intermittent fasting (IF) protocol of 16 hour fast and 8 hour eating window 5 days a week and relaxed this over the weekend, having no set fasting/eating times. Again this worked well as I tended to do more social things over the weekend.
  •  I gave myself the permission to lift light and focused on the contraction; the mind muscle connection plays a big part in my training and I think it can make a huge difference to your results.

You can get the Adonis Golden Ratio Systems James used to get in shape HERE

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