AT18 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

Another Transformation contest has concluded, closing out calendar year 2015.

Unfortunately, we did not have enough contestants finish contest AT-18 to assign Top 10 Rankings for our traditional contest evaluation.

In an effort to encourage more contestants to finish the contest we are going to be revamping our judging criteria, to allow for more prizes in different categories without penalizing someone who may have further to go in their transformation.

In this new judging format, you will be competing against yourself and the incentive will be to “Finish What You Start.”

Nevertheless, we would like to honor those  who kept their commitment to finishing the contest.

Here are the winners:

Christopher Dugas [porsche52]

Christopher Dugas: Front Before and After Photos

Christopher Dugas: Front Before and After Photos

John Macris [aJon]

John Macris: Front Before and After Photos

John Macris: Front Before and After Photos

Kenneth Storck [Ksjr1973]

Kenneth Storck: Front Before and After Photos

Kenneth Storck: Front Before and After Photos

Michael Hepner [enigmatic756]

Michael Hepner: Front Before and After Photos

Michael Hepner: Front Before and After Photos

James Hubbard [jthubb117]

James Hubbard: Front Before and After Photos

James Hubbard: Front Before and After Photos

Congratulations to everyone who entered and completed their transformation goals!

This next contest is the perfect opportunity for those people who didn’t make it through the previous contest to take another swing at it and follow through to the end.

There is always another contest and always another opportunity to make a real change.

Stay tuned for the announcement of AT-19 set to begin in January 11th, 2016!!

If you are wondering about what program(s) they used then check out the Adonis Golden Ratio Systems that all of them followed. You can also look forward to their interviews coming up later this month. Again congratulations to everyone, outstanding job.

AT17 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

As many already know, we did not have enough contestants finish contest AT17 to assign Top 10 Rankings for a proper contest evaluation.

The summer is usually the toughest time of year to follow through with a transformation and it can derail even the best of us.

Many people try and fail multiple times until they finally get it right, and it appears that the summer of 2015 beat us as a group. But that doesn’t mean we can try again.

However, we would like to honor those  who kept their commitment to finishing the contest.

Here are the winners:

Louis Martinez [biglou111]

Louis Martinez - Front Before/After Photos

Louis Martinez – Front Before/After Photos

Jacques Grobler [jacquesgrobler]

Jacques Grobler  - Front Before/After Photos

Jacques Grobler – Front Before/After Photos

Darren Edman [Dazpowder]

Darren Edman  - Front Before/After Photos

Darren Edman – Front Before/After Photos

Congratulations to everyone who entered and completed their transformation goals!

This next contest is a perfect opportunity for those people who didn’t make it through the previous contest to take another swing at it and follow through to the end.

There is always another contest and always another opportunity to make a real change.

For anyone who is ready to make a change, lets make AT18 a great one.

If you are wondering about what program(s) they used then check out the Adonis Golden Ratio Systems that all of them followed. You can also look forward to their interviews coming up later this month. Again congratulations to everyone, outstanding job.

AT16 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

The AT16 results are in and the transformations our guys made are simply amazing! The competition was fierce and the contestants were judged in a total of five equally weighted categories:

1- Weight Loss (LBS) – 20%

2-  Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR)  Transformation Change -20%

3-  Final AGR Score- 20%

4- Muscularity- 20%

5- Aesthetics/Photogenic Quality – 20%

Congratulations to everyone who entered and completed their transformation goals!

Here are the winners:

 

Eric Weinbrenner [Eric Weinbrenner]- 1st Place

Eric Weinbrenner - Front Before/After Photos

Eric Weinbrenner – Front Before/After Photos

 

 

Renne Ramirez [_Ren_]- 2nd Place

Renne Ramirez - Front Before/After Photos

Renne Ramirez – Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick [tristan]- 3rd Place

Tristan Creswick - Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick – Front Before/After Photos

Torrey Hambrick [torreyhambrick]- 4th Place

Torrey Hambrick - Front Before/After Photos

Torrey Hambrick – Front Before/After Photos

 

Jose Villa [jvill025]- 5th Place

Jose Villa - Front Before/After Photos

Jose Villa – Front Before/After Photos

Lee Franzen [workerbee]- 6th Place

Ronald Franzen - Front Before/After Photos

Lee Franzen – Front Before/After Photos

Christopher Dugas [porsche52]- 7th Place

Chris Dugas - Front Before/After Photos

Chris Dugas – Front Before/After Photos

Rob Dansak [Rob2015]- 8th Place

rob dansak- 8th place

Rob Dansak – Front Before/After Photos

 

Francis Mwangi [francisnjuki]- 9th Place

Francis M. - Front Before/After Photos

Francis M. – Front Before/After Photos

Rommell Ugang [RJUEMPIRE]- 10th Place

Rommell U. - Front Before/After Photos

Rommell U. – Front Before/After Photos

If you are wondering about what program(s) they used then check out the Adonis Golden Ratio Systems that all of them followed. You can also look forward to their interviews coming up later this month. Again congratulations to everyone, outstanding job.

AT15 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

The AT15 results are in and the transformations our guys made are simply amazing! This was the largest contest we’ve had yet… The competition was fierce and the contestants were judged in a total of five equally weighted categories:

1- Weight Loss (LBS) – 20%

2-  Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR)  Transformation Change -20%

3-  Final AGR Score- 20%

4- Muscularity- 20%

5- Aesthetics/Photogenic Quality – 20%

Congratulations to everyone who entered and completed their transformation goals!

Here are the winners:

 

Mike R. [_MIKE_] – 1st Place

 

Mike-BnA-2-300x223

Mike R. – Front Before/After Photos

Lawrence Lampkin [llampkin1992] – 2nd Place

 

Lawrence Lampkin - Front Before/After Photos

Lawrence Lampkin – Front Before/After Photos

 

Noy Pizarro [gothealthy] – 3rd Place

 

Noy Pizzaro - Front Before/After Photos

Noy Pizzaro – Front Before/After Photos

 

Rodger Carter [Carterro] – 4th Place

 

Rodger Carter - Front Before/After Photos

Rodger Carter – Front Before/After Photos

 

Steve McDaniel  [BigDaddyMack] – 5th Place

 

Steve McDaniel - Front Before/After Photos

Steve McDaniel – Front Before/After Photos

 

Ronald Wagner [kwera2] – 6th Place

 

Ronald Wagner - Front Before/After Photos

Ronald Wagner – Front Before/After Photos

 

Elijah Smith [ezs777] – 7th Place

 

Elijah Smith - Front Before/After Photos

Elijah Smith – Front Before/After Photos

 

Leon Perales [capr1231] – 8th Place

 

Leon Perales - Front Before/After Photos

Leon Perales – Front Before/After Photos

 

Oliver Reyes [olimitch] – 9th Place

 

Oliver Reyes - Front Before/After Photos

Oliver Reyes – Front Before/After Photos

 

Keith Barrows [kbarrows] – 10th Place

 

Keith Barrows - Front Before/After Photos

Keith Barrows – Front Before/After Photos

 

If you are wondering about what program(s) they used then check out the Adonis Golden Ratio Systems that all of them followed. You can also look forward to their interviews coming up later this month. Again congratulations to everyone, outstanding job.

A Second Chance at 70 Years Young: Interview w/ AT-13 Winner Daniel McCarthy [pseudonym44]

Here’s your latest essay interview with 7th place winner Daniel McCarthy from the 13th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Daniel McCarthy - AT 13 7th Place - Front Before/After Photos

Daniel McCarthy – AT 13 7th Place – Front Before/After Photos

Daniel McCarthy - AT 13 7th Place - Back Before/After Photos

Daniel McCarthy – AT 13 7th Place – Back Before/After Photos

Daniel McCarthy - AT 13 7th Place - Side Before/After Photos

Daniel McCarthy – AT 13 7th Place – Side Before/After Photos

 

Daniel’s Transformation Interview:

 There I was the day after Christmas, 2011, at Gold’s gym doing my third set of front squats at a fast pace. It was part of a HITT protocol that used weight training and body-weight movements to get your heart rate up and keep it up. My cardiologist was all in favor since I had done a Bruce-protocol treadmill stress test for him the previous month and lasted fourteen minutes. The received wisdom is that if you can last longer than ten minutes, you are basically immune from heart attacks for the next five years. So it must have been my inner snowflake that got busy that day. When I came to and started talking to the nice young paramedic, he told me that I had blacked out and they had had to use paddles to get my heart restarted. The next week, after I got my very own implanted defibrillator, I started thinking about what I could do to avoid any repetition of training to near-death. I decided I would stop doing any routine that demanded HITT-type heart rates, and I thought that getting my BMI down from about 26 would help stave off future problems. When I was looking for a weight-loss program coupled with exercise, I ran across Eat Stop Eat and eventually the whole Adonis Golden Ratio program. I was attracted by the podcasts and the careful, explicit, science-based approach to weight loss and exercise that AGR uses. I was also impressed by the before and after photos that came with the podcasts.

I bought AGR 3.0 in June, 2012. I figured that since I was 68 years old at the time, a transformation would probably take more than twelve weeks; but to give myself a running start, I joined the transformation contest (AT 9) that started in August. I started the contest with a 34” waist and 46” shoulders at a height of 6’0” and an AI of 1.31. I ended it with golden waist, (32.1” but far from golden shoulders (~46” instead of the 52” I needed). My AI was at 1.43. I kept on working out and keeping track of things through AT 10 and 11. About one month into AT 11, I had my first-ever DEXA scan, and found out I carried 13.9% body fat. 14% fat!! 24 pounds of fat on my (I thought) skinny 174-pound frame!!  I had my second DEXA scan about six months later at the end of AT 12, confident in the fact that my AI was up somewhat (about 1.46), and I thought I looked better. Maybe I did, but my body fat was almost 1% higher, at 14.7%. I know that these are just numbers, but they clearly are not contest-winning numbers.

I consulted my inner snowflake and decided that if I couldn’t get an additional 5 inches of shoulder breadth, I would make my 47” shoulders golden with respect to a far slimmer waist – about 29” per my calculations. Although this was not my true golden waist with respect to my height, I thought I would see how I liked the look and made it my goal for AT 13.

 

AGR Origins:  On the Left Daniel McCarthy AT10 (2012) & On the Right AT3 (2014)

AGR Origins: On the Left Daniel McCarthy AT10 (2012) & On the Right AT3 (2014)

I had also read that a reputable journal reported that muscle growth in men ~70 years old was significantly greater when they followed a regimen of six sets of a given exercise instead of the three sets that are usually sufficient for younger men. I do not think there is anything magic about six sets vice five, or seven, or eight; it is, however, the number of sets used in the study, so I evolved the following plan.

  • In order to lose more fat, I would use the AGR Nutrition calculator, and fudge the entry by making my waist measurement larger by the amount that my actual waist exceeded 29”. All other entries would be accurate
  • I would use AGR 3.0 and add a basic shoulder or chest booster every workout.
  • One extra set would be added to the exercises in AGR 3.0 that specified five sets.
  • If the shoulder or chest booster appeared to work one body part for six or more sets (e.g. dumbbell flyes for three sets and cable crossovers for four sets), the booster would be performed as written.
  • If no exercise in the boosters met this criterion, one of the supersets would be increased to six sets of the two exercises, with the other exercise being performed as indicated.

Basically this amounted to adding a maximum of one set to one exercise in the main workout and three sets to two exercises in the boosters per day. I found over the weeks that this was sustainable, and that I could do it without injury or excessive fatigue.

My DEXA scan on 4/13/2014 proved that my plan is working. My total body mass is down by 2.5 kilos since my last scan at the end of AT12. My total body fat is down to 12.5% from 14.7%. I have lost 2.4 kilos of fat and gained 1.6 kilos of muscle mass in my trunk alone, while adding ½” to my shoulders. (One downside: My legs have less muscle mass and a little more fat mass than before because I lowered the resistance on all of my lower body exercises to avoid joint pain.) My AI ratio has increased from 1.46 to 1.58 currently. I missed my 29” waist goal by about ½”, but that’s OK. The changes I see clearly are not happening at the same rate that younger men experience them, and more work remains to be done; but I have learned some patience over the years.

Daniel McCarthy AT13 7th Place Transformation Image

Daniel McCarthy AT13 7th Place Transformation Image

I’ve also learned the difference good photographs make. I have been working with a professional photographer friend of mine for the past three contests. He had never done physique photos before, but he paid attention and improved his technique with each contest. It helped, too, that as I leaned out, he could better see what I was looking for in the results. (PM me if you live in the Los Angeles area and would like to contact him.) I would also like to mention that the cost of becoming an immersion client was some of the best money I have ever spent.

Daniel McCarthy AT13 7th Place Transformation Image

Daniel McCarthy AT13 7th Place Transformation Image

In the coming weeks I plan to gradually increase my calories from slightly below maintenance to the point where my waist stays approximately golden while my shoulders and chest fill out. I will use the Muscle Building Foundation and increase the five-set elements to six sets. I’ll have another DEXA scan in about three months to see if I’m on track.

In the meantime, I have been getting some positive feedback from family and friends, and I like how I look at a 1.5+ AGR. Some of the guys at the gym (same gym for 5 years, same guys) have also commented on my new look and seem to be friendlier than before. My doctor says my blood work is remarkable for a man of my age; and I aced a recent treadmill test – not that that’s a huge comfort given my past experience. It’s been two and a half years since my episode, I’m fifteen pounds lighter, my BMI is at 23.6, and my defibrillator (which reports every night to my electrocardiologist – don’t ask, she’s a nice lady) has not had to kick in even once. I’m looking forward to having more time above ground to get to a true golden AI. In the meantime, I put every workout I finish in the win column; after all, I could have been done with any and all workouts on December 26, 2011.

Editor’s Note:

Hey Daniel,

Wow! Your story is most humbling.  It goes without saying that at 70 years young you have really raised the bar for us younger guys by achieving a Adonis Index Scores of 1.58!  I can think of a few  people including myself who want to be like you when we grow up! LOL

Patience is definitely a virtue and you have clearly demonstrated the AGR principles are timeless and you can strive for “Golden” even in your Golden years.  We look forward to hearing more updates from you in the future!

your brother in Iron,

 

Training or Simply Moving?: Coaches’ Corner w/ Jason Haynes

Today’s post is our latest installment of a new series called the “Coaches Corner.”  Our Adonis Transformation Coaches will share their knowledge, experience, and best practices to help ensure your successful transformation.  To continue the series, our topic  comes from none other than AGR Pioneer,  Jason Haynes.

When it comes to working out, how do you check the block? Are you training or simply moving?

When it comes to working out, how do you check the block? Are you training or simply moving?

 

                                      Training or Simply Moving?

I know an extremely popular topic for trainers, coaches and just fitness blogs in general goes along the lines of “Are you training or just working out?”  In some ways this is, admittedly, a similar one..to be fair, there is only so much you can say about the topic.

I suppose the motivation for this post is seeing something on a corner of a community where I currently work my day job.  See, I currently work labor/construction (have to provide for my family as soon as we arrived in the US, after all) and the communities I am stationed at are quite rich.  As such, it is not uncommon to see groups of neighbors gathered together for early morning….uh…”exercise time.”

Granted, I don’t stand around and watch these gaggles of what are normally housewives for too long as I have work to do, but it’s not uncommon for me to pass by their general vicinity several times over the course of several hours.  What strikes me as funny is that they are so absorbed in their topics of conversation that they seem oblivious to the fact that they are not only in the same places as they have been for the prior hour or two, but many of them are doing the exact same thing as well.  Things like:  the woman who is stretching her calves on a curb is still standing there “stretching” her calves…same position, same curb, same place in the circle, and SAME CALF!!

They are usually decked out in all their apparrelled glory:  matching jogging clothes with matching shoes and whatever gadgets and gizmos that they want strapped to them.  Now, I have no problem with getting training gear…even to the point of <gasp> matching…but when the gear is only worn and not actually used for the purpose it was intended for…well, then I have to pull a “ridiculous” card on this training foul.

I mean, come on.

TRAIN OR REMAIN THE SAME!

TRAIN OR REMAIN THE SAME!

 

Hey, I am totally for people exercising just to get moving and get outside.  If someone actually does it for health purposes, I am all for it.  Good for you.  If you choose to train with running or whatever and don’t even touch a weight because your are not interested in building muscle, then I will actually support you in your endeavor.

At least you are DOING something. Movement is good.  Weights are better, but still…good for you.

Granted, this is just exercising…not training.  Again, if you want to exercise for the reason of simply moving and getting the “ol” heartrate up, then go for it.  I’ll even encourage you.

Don’t expect me to go on a run with you, though.  I am not interested.

See, my time to train is limited and I need to spend it wisely, focused, and staying on target with my goals, which are not the same as yours (in the context of the people who exercise for health/movement purposes only).

This situation, sadly, is not limited to only the housewives running club…which never seems to actually get running….it also happens in the gym, unfortunately.

Warning:  I’m about to go “inhuman mode” on ya.

Someone once called me “inhuman” for my dedication to my training and caloric discipline.  But you know what?  That is what is NEEDED to succeed with transforming your body.

Look,I have under 40 minutes to devote to training each day.  Yes, I could get up earlier, but at this point if the number “4” is in the hours spot of the clock, it just isn’t happening at this point. For some reason, 5AM sounds better to me than ANYTHING beginning with a “4” and then “AM”after it.

Usually I have under 30 minutes to train…sometimes 40, but not often.  I don’t have time to play around and linger.  I need to get to work with the weights.  I am not there to “exercise” or to “move” or whatever…I am there to keep the muscle mass I have and to gain as much more as possible while I still can.  My age is not working in my favor in this equation, so it’s even more imperative to get busy and stay focused.

Put on the game face…get busy.  Time’s ticking.

I see people lollygagging and simply wasting time.  You may think “maybe they are talking between sets,” but I have yet to see a good training program (with the exception of some powerlifting templates) that has 5-10 minute resting periods and, quite frankly, the poundage of the weights they use does not put them in that category…far from it.

Which leads me to conclude that they are simply moving weight to “get moving” and to use their muscles.  You know what?  Good for you, dude!  Good for you, dudette!  At least you are doing something other than nothing.

But as for me:  I need to know that I would be sweating if the air conditioning in the gym wasn’t set at freezing, I need to feel my muscles burn, full well feeling each intended muscle targeted.

I am not there for “health” reasons.  Health improves naturally with a fit body.  Train properly, as with the AGR Systems, and your heart gets a good training session in as well…no need to do cardio if you don’t have the time or desire.

Yes, it’s not easy to make friends at the gym with my training mentality…I simply cannot let myself slide into their ways.  Nothing personal against them…but I have two places of work:  the gym and my job.  I am at neither one with the goal of socializing and making friends…I have a job to do and I will get it done.

Yes, there are are some tips and tricks and mindset things involved in this process as well…and your AGR Premiere Coaches are ready and willing to share those with you to help you get to your goals.  With another AGR Transformation competition coming up within a few weeks, now might be a good time to get started with your transformation.

Many guys don’t get started with their competition until it is officially announced…only to have to deal with traps, pits, problems and other issues that come up naturally during life and training.  By getting started early, you can encounter and adjust to these issues in order to ultimately conquer them.  AGR Premiere Coaching can certainly help you with these things as well as many others, including the accountability that so many of us are needing.

If you have not purchased the AGR systems, why not?  Get it here.

Even top athletes…the best of the best…have coaches to get them to the top of their game.  If even the most elite athletes know the value of a coach, there is certainly something to being coached.   Check out our AGR Coaching program.

Look…guys…ladies…there is a time and place for things.  If achieving your ideal body is something important to you…if reaping the benefits of a healthy and strong body appeals to you, don’t waste your time.  Get the program, get help, get focused, and get busy.

Train Hard, Train Smart.

Jason

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

ADONIS ORIGINS: Jason Haynes | Circa 2009-2010

ADONIS ORIGINS: Jason Haynes | Circa 2009-2010

Jason Haynes is one of the oldest members of the AGR community and has been around since he participated in the first and second AGR Transformation Competitions, of which he placed second and first, respectively.  Having found a system that he is confident in and that works, he has faithfully stuck by it ever since.  Now in his 40’s, Jason enjoys living the life of maintaining his physique easily and with little effort, thanks to the AGR system and tools provided.  He is also a coach in the Adonis Premiere Coaching program and desires to help anyone to achieve their fitness goals.

 

ADONIS LEGEND: Jason Haynes | June 2014

ADONIS LEGEND: Jason Haynes | June 2014

 

 

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