Crystal Clear: Interview with AT11 Winner William Heinrichs

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Even if the path is a little blurry, keep walking.

You’ll focus in when you know what you want.

The picture of your life will become crystal clear.

Just don’t ever give up!

-Unknown

Today we get to learn from William Heinrichs,  who placed  6th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

William’s journey into the Adonis Lifestyle began in his late-thirties when he tipped the scale at 205lbs.  He felt that was a wake-up call as he didn’t have that much muscle to “show” for that amount of weight.  Sadly, his first approach was the traditional “bulk and cut” strategy.  Unfortunately for many, including William himself, his progress was showing little return on investment.  Nevertheless, William was persistent; he continued to search for a program that would help him achieve his goals.  When he finally found the AGR program, suddenly his goals became “crystal clear.”

Scroll down to read more of William’s transformation journey in his own words.

But first, check out William’s  AT11 Pictures:

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place - Before Photos

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place – Before Photos

 

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place - Transformation Image

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place – Transformation Image

 

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place - After Photos

William Heinrichs- AT11 6th Place – After Photos

 

 

William’s Transformation Essay:

It wasn’t until my my late thirties when I finally decided to do something about my increasing waistline and lack of energy.  My first attempt left me entangled in the dreaded “bulk and cut” strategy. For someone who was skinny most of his life, weighing as much as 205 lbs without much muscle was just too shocking for me.

I tried for several more years bouncing from program to program with limited success. When I finally found AGR, I was down to almost 190 lbs. The material [AGR System] made sense to me. The podcasts inspired me. Suddenly, my goals  became crystalized! I made the investment in a small home gym, some dumbbells and I was well on my way by the time AT11 began.

For the first 6 weeks of AT11 I kept a detailed record of everything I ate and drank. I had sets/reps/weight records of every single workout. About half-way through the contest it seemed like everything was falling into place. However, I knew that I had a work rotation coming up which would take me out of the country for many weeks.

I was also worried to about losing control of the momentum I had gained. Luckily the place I was going to work at had a decent gym. Unluckily, I would face a huge, all-you-can eat, free buffet at every meal. For the next 5 weeks, I ate by “feel”, kept up with my training and nervously measured my waist every day.

It turns out I’m pretty good at losing weight because I somehow managed to come home 7 pounds lighter than when I left. At 46 years of age, I don’t think I have ever looked better in my life. But this is just a point in time and not the end. Fifty-two inch shoulders are a long way off, so I’ve got some work to do.

EDITOR’S NOTE

William,

That’s very commendable on your part by continuing to pursue you goals despite some setbacks and hardships.  What’s even more impressive, is that you “Held the Line” for over 5 weeks being out of your normal training and nutrition environment.

Temptation seemed to be in your face with every meal but you had momentum, discipline and tenacity  to carry you successfully across the finish line of AT11.  Were happy that your fitness goals were able to finally crystallize with the proper application of the AGR system.

Congrats again on your transformation and  wish you all the best in your pursuit of becoming “Golden.”

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

From “Skinny-Fat” to “Shredded-Ripped”: Interview with AT11 Winner Timothy Olson

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today we get to learn from Timothy Olson,  who placed 4th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Timothy states in his essay that growing up, he always considered himself to be “skinny-fat.”  He had never seriously weight trained or followed any nutritional regimen.  However, it wasn’t until he ballooned up to 210 pounds, the heaviest he had ever been that he decided to make some serious lifestyle changes.  Scroll down to read more of Timothy’s transformation journey in his own words.

But first, check out his  AT11 Pictures:

Timothy Olson- AT11 4th Place - Before Photos

Timothy Olson- AT11 4th Place – Before Photos

Timothy Olson -  AT11 4th Place - Transformation Image

Timothy Olson – AT11 4th Place – Transformation Image

Timothy Olson- AT11 4th Place - After Photos

Timothy Olson- AT11 4th Place – After Photos

 

Timothy’s Transformation Essay:

For the majority of my life, I was what some would consider skinny-fat; about 3 years ago I hit my heaviest weight at about 210 pounds. I had never worked out previously, with the exception of weight training in high school gym class.  Although I have always been fairly active by means of biking, hiking, skiing etc. It wasn’t until February 2013 when I found the Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) and began my first true resistance training protocol.  I began working out 4 – 5 days a week, starting with Category 3-AGR and the Adonis Index Specializations.

Almost immediately, I started seeing changes that I had never experienced before, I was absolutely amazed! By the time I finished Category-3 AGR, the Adonis calculator told me that I had reached the dimensions to use Category-1 AGR; so after a one week rest period (which happened to coincide with the start of contest  AT11), I dove head-first into Category-1 AGR. After following Category-1 AGR for a month, I decided to try “LEGO-blocking” Category-1 AGR, Category-2 AGR, and Category-3 AGR in weekly intervals. This was the best decision I had made since starting resistance training. It was exciting and kept things new and different, my results began accelerating even more.

Regarding food and diet, since the beginning of my Adonis Lifestyle adventure, I starting eating healthier… considering macro & micro nutrients but never actually counting calories. I feel that it was an equal combination of eating right and progressive resistance training that resulted in having  visible abs for the first time ever! I have been an avid outdoors man since I was quite young, and this has seriously increased my abilities in those areas. Finding the  Adonis Golden Ratio has changed my life in an amazing way; I can now say with no hesitation that I will workout and eat proper for the remainder of my life!

 

 

EDITOR’S NOTE

Timothy,

It’s good to know that you decided to “go against the grain” and make some positive lifestyle changes.  It appears that reaching your heaviest weight  was your, “call to action.”  It’s also very exciting to learn that your Adonis Lifestyle journey was able you to give the give of “Visible Abs!”  Now that you’ve made a successful transformation it’s off to the lands of “Lean Gains” & “Maintenance.”

Your approach of “LEGO-blocking” the three different Categories of  AGR is very interesting; it’s almost like you did a “Giant Cycle.” We’ll take that concept into consideration for future workout routines.

Congrats again on making the transformation from “Skinny-Fat” to “Shredded-Ripped!”

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

Skateboarder Carves Out A Brand New Physique: Interview with AT11 Winner Lance Quenneville

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today we get to learn from Lance Quenneville,  who placed 3rd in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

For all the  “Cardio Buffs” out there, Lance has officially  raised the bar for you.  Being an avid Skateboarder, Lance shared with us how he  would skate more than two miles to and from the gym, during his 12 Week Transformation Journey.  Talk about a pre/post workout routine!

Nevertheless, Lance was determined to relentlessly pursue his physique goals.  It looks like Lance kick-flipped  and successfully landed at the end of the 12-week contest period.

Check out his AT11 Pictures:

 

Lance Quenneville - AT11 3rd Place - Before Photos

Lance Quenneville – AT11 3rd Place – Before Photos

Lance Quenneville- AT11 3rd Place - Transformation Image

Lance Quenneville – AT11 3rd Place – Transformation Image

 

Lance Quenneville- AT11 3rd Place - After Photos

Lance Quenneville- AT11 3rd Place – After Photos

 

 

Lance’s Transformation Essay:

Before I discovered the Adonis Golden Ratio System, I had always wanted to build an amazing physique that would turn the heads of women and amaze people. I always had a fairly muscular body my whole life and stayed very active doing sports like Skateboarding & Snowboarding.  However, I had a very difficult time making any any dramatic physical changes from my strength training over the past few years.

In times past, I had no prior knowledge of sound nutrition principles or proper workout structure. My eating habits were also very bad to the point that sometimes I would “blackout” and simply collapse in the gym on a few occasions.  I assume this was attributed to poor nutrition.

At that point in my life I knew that if I wanted to achieve my goal of having an amazing body I needed to educate myself and make changes. It wasn’t long after that I discovered the Adonis Golden Ratio System. When I saw the video it all made clear sense to me that this was what I had been searching for!  A well-structured workout plan tailored to my body that was easy to follow and not just some average  “one size fits all” workout plan that would only get you average results with no real measurable goal in mind.
I spent about a week or 2 trying out some of the exercises on the plan to get a feel for it before committing to the 12 weeks.

I then jumped on the 12 week Adonis workout plan with full force and started training like an animal in the gym week after week. I was also skateboarding 2.3 miles to the gym and 2.3 miles back home nearly every day that I was training to show myself self-discipline and stay totally determined to finish, and not quit no matter what.

Week after week I was seeing big changes in my body dropping lbs. of fat and gaining lbs. of lean muscle fast and my confidence level was rising.

After 9 weeks I was completely shocked. I had lost 13lbs and I hit my true Adonis golden ratio. After that I started seeing big changes in my life and my confidence was at an all-time high.

As a well-respected muralist/artist in the community I got an interview with the local news and made it on TV for my artwork.

I started radiating confidence around others everywhere I went, and began receiving many compliments being paid to me with people asking me for advice on getting into shape.

As for the “Adonis Effect” on attracting women I’d have to say that I’m a true believer of it as the last time I went out to a bar I grabbed a beer, sat down in a seat outside, and a cute girl came up to me a few minutes later and started kissing me after about a minute or two.

Thank you to John Barban, Brad Pilon, Brad Howard, Vaclav Gregor, Allen Elliott, Kyle Leon, and everyone else in the  Adonis Lifestyle Community. Also, thanks to all my family, friends, Blue Star Nutraceuticals and my gym Planet Fitness for all your support with my life changing transformation.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE

Lance,

We hope you will take the lessons learned from your transformation and stay on the grind; both in the Gym and on your Skateboard. Congratulations again on a job well done!

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

Harnessing the Habit: Interview with AT11 Winner Mark Kiser

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Mark Kiser,  who placed 5th in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Mark’s Transformation  Journey can best be summarized in the  phrase, “Harnessing the Habit.”   However, before Mark could begin his journey, he had  to let go of some of his “bad habits”.  Choosing to forgo early morning coffee & donuts or late night stops at Fast Food places; this mental task proved difficult to him at first. Nevertheless, when he was faced with some serious health challenges, Mark overcame adversity and began the pursuit towards his goal of optimal health.

Mark tells us  that he experienced some weight-loss success before AGR, however, it was quite temporary as all the pieces of the “fitness puzzle” hadn’t quite come together for him yet.  It wasn’t until  he associated “skipping breakfast” with the concept of intermittent fasting that the “good habits” begin to outweigh the “bad habits.”  Shortly after, Mark was introduced to the AGR community and the timing to enter the contest just seemed to line up for him.

For the first time Mark was finally able to apply the concepts of  intermittent fasting with sound nutrition & training principles from the AGR system to develop an amazing transformational physique!

Check out his AT11 Pictures:

Mark Kiser- AT11 5th Place - Before Photos

Mark Kiser- AT11 5th Place – Before Photos

 

Mark Kiser - AT11 5th Place - Transformation Image

Mark Kiser – AT11 5th Place – Transformation Image

 

Mark Kiser- AT11 5th Place - After Photos

Mark Kiser- AT11 5th Place – After Photos

 

 

Mark’s Transformation Essay:

This transformation contest has been a fun and yet challenging experience. It came at a time in my life that I really needed something worthwhile to focus on, and something I could do for myself every day and feel good about what I was doing. I wasn’t very disciplined about the tracker and keeping up with measurements, and the diet of course was the hardest part, becoming harder the closer I got to the end of the twelve weeks. I definitely had some “cheat” days. But going to the gym five or six days a week was very therapeutic for me. That being said, I feel like at 48 years old I’m in the best shape of my life. It felt really good when I was able to get down to single digit body fat levels. Now I have no excuses for ever being out of shape again! I was working with a few injuries the last several weeks of the contest, so the hard part now will be forcing myself to take a few weeks off to give my body a chance to rest and hopefully heal. I have a bad habit of not seeing things through, or not finishing what I start. It felt really good to see this through and I’m looking forward to seeing everybody’s results and maybe even doing another contest in the near future. Thank you for your program and your continual inspiration to all of us in the Adonis community!

 

Mark’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to Mark’s transformation podcast interview click below:

Trainer Turned Competitor: Interview with AT11 Winner James Tonda

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to James Tonda, who placed 2nd in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

James is no stranger to the gym, having a background in Safety/Fitness/Wellness, he has seen a myriad of fitness products come and go over the years. However, James explains in his essay, what makes the Adonis Golden Ratio system different.

His path to AT11 was unexpected, yet most rewarding. Prior to AT11 James was following another workout plan and had received an email from Adonis.  However, he simply dismissed the email hoping to return to it later.

It wasn’t until another friend had received the same email and asked for his opinion.  Curious about what the content of the email might offer, James opened the email and never looked back!

After taking the the plunge and beginning the AGR program,  he was truly impressed by the  overwhelming amount of information offered to him at such great value.

The AGR system, backed by undisputed scientific facts was his first positive experience with sound training concepts and a nutrition approach that was realistic and one could actually follow!

Although he has trained several competitors, James himself has never competed.  Nevertheless, when AT11 came around he had a running start as he’d been following AGR about two months prior to the contest.  He was so pleased with his results he decided to enter the contest.

Here’s a throwback image of James pre-contest AT11.

Adonis Lifestyle Origins: James with his dog Talyn (2 Months before AT11)

Adonis Lifestyle Origins: James with his dog Talyn (2 Months before AT11)

With two months under his belt, James stayed the course and triumphed in his 12 week transformation! Check out his AT11 Pictures:

James Tonda - AT11 2nd Place - Before Photos

James Tonda – AT11 2nd Place – Before Photos

James Tonda - AT11 2nd Place - Transformation Image

James Tonda – AT11 2nd Place – Transformation Image

James Tonda - AT11 2nd Place- After Photos

James Tonda – AT11 2nd Place- After Photos

 

James’s Transformation Essay:

Originally, I began using the Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) workouts as an experiment. Having been involved in Safety/Fitness/Wellness in both my personal and professional life for well over 30 years ( I will be 49 in October), I have probably tried out almost every workout/nutrition program that has been created and/or promoted via the internet, either for myself or while conducting research for friends, family or clients.

In addition to my day job as Safety Manager for a government agency, I also conduct personal training. As such, I attempt to keep up with research and technology to acquire as much knowledge as possible, to not only meet my individual needs, but also those of my trainees or people in my immediate circle that I help. My personal fitness goals have always been sport specific or as needed for the multiple extreme sports I have participated in.

When I first received the email about the Adonis lifestyle, I was experimenting with MI40, so I dismissed the Adonis email (huge mistake). Fortunately, I had a friend who received the same email (Adonis Index) and as is often the case, asked me if I knew anything about it. Not being one to offer an opinion without actually knowing what I was talking about, I discontinued MI40, ponied up what now seems like a ridiculously low $47 and have been overwhelmingly pleased with the Adonis Index program ever since.

As John has mentioned, one of the greatest benefits of trying out others workout/nutrition programs, is not expending valuable time creating and writing out my personal workout. The downside is a lot of the programs offered online are usually incomplete, encompassing either the workout or nutrition, very seldom both. The ones that do incorporate both workout & nutrition plans, in my experience have been ineffective, actually taking people further away from their desired goals. Based on my results (below), I will not waste another cent on any others products moving forward.

The amount of research that has been conducted and presented to back up the philosophy of the Adonis Lifestyle is unmatched in the fitness industry. Through using the Adonis Index lifestyle, I learned the so called “facts” that are presented by the majority of supplement companies, fitness gurus, Personal Training certifications, etc. that I had followed religiously and instructed others on for years, are bogus “Bro-Science” and the research referenced to support their claims is commonly biased and often unrelated to the actual results they are proclaiming.
In conducting my personal experiment of AGR, I attempted to follow the workout and nutrition recommendations to the letter. The only facets of the AGR program I varied were the rest periods between sets and amount of days per week that I trained.

For example: if a rest period called for 120 seconds rest but I felt “ready” sooner, I didn’t wait. However, I never allowed myself to rest longer than the prescribed rest period. Additionally, I often completed two workouts in one session, for 6 days/week. As a result of doubling up, I was able to complete the 12 week Category 3 workouts, plus occasional boosters within my first two months.
For nutritional direction: I utilized the Anything Goes Diet by John Barban and fasting via “Eat Stop Eat”  by Brad Pilon.
For example:
1. Monday 7:00 AM thru Thursday 7:00 PM, I followed the Reverse Taper Diet “RTD”calculator caloric recommendation.
2. From Thursday at 7:00 PM to Friday at 7:00 PM I fasted for 24 hrs, eating dinner after working out Friday evening.
3. Saturday was Cheat Day, normally averaging 6000 calories, but a few of those days exceeded 7000 calories.
4. Sunday morning after breakfast at 7:00 AM, I fasted again for 24 hrs, starting the process over Monday morning.

Supplementation wise: I use Muscle Milk natural protein powder, Blue Star Nutraceuticals pre-workout Extreme Rush, BioTRUST LeptiBurn & Pro-X10 and a generic Creatine – 5 grams three times/day. I personally endorse all of these supplements as they 100% make a difference in my body, training and health. Also, the companies I named use only high grade quality, FDA GMP certified products.
After having unbelievable success using the Adonis Index for only 2 months, I decided to boost my focus and personal commitment to my AI experiment and entered the 11th Adonis Transformation contest aka AT11. As you can see from my stats (directly below), within the first two months, (prior to my AT11 entry) I made significant positive changes to my body:
6? 0.5? Tall
Start of Adonis Index – 3/15/13 – 211 lbs., Shoulder = 51, Waist = 34, Chest = 41.5, AI Ratio = 1.500
Start of Adonis AT11 – 5/10/13 – 197 lbs., Shoulder = 52, Waist = 32, Chest = 42.5, AI Ratio = 1.625

During my transformation, there were several internal battles I had to continually fight and eventually overcame. The biggest challenge was giving myself the “permission to be light”, as the thought of being less than 200 lbs. was unfathomable. Also, having to deal with the naysayers telling me I was getting too skinny was constantly feeding my doubting ego, but the positive reinforcement of the online Adonis Forum and friends at the gym telling me I was looking “jacked” kept me on target to obtain the perfect Adonis ratio.

The second biggest challenge was Fasting. At first, I thought I could see muscle disappearing and felt like my strength was declining during workouts. Well, the mind is a powerful thing, after focusing and getting out of my own way, I accepted that the science provided by Brad Pilon disputed my personally assigned misbeliefs, giving me the confidence to continue on with fasting. Now, I couldn’t imagine not including fasting in my wellness regimen.

The final challenge for me was leaving “GREAT” enough alone. By that, I mean not changing the Adonis programs because I thought I knew better. These programs are specifically designed to be the most direct route to your fitness goals. My suggestion to anyone already using the Adonis programs or contemplating using them is to set your ego aside and follow the workouts and RTD nutrition calculator to the letter!

My final AT11 measurements, (#3 below) in my opinion, are the “proof in the pudding” that a well-designed, scientifically backed program, such as the Adonis Index are an invaluable tool in regards to obtaining your fitness goals, no matter what they may be. In only 5 months, I increased lean muscle mass, decreased body fat, increased strength and improved my cardiovascular conditioning. With my results from using the Adonis Index being irrefutable, I highly recommend the Adonis Index lifestyle to everyone!

I have also confidently referred women to the Venus Index (VI) knowing it is as scientifically sound as AI. More specifically, I introduced my girlfriend (Lourdes Cota) to the Venus lifestyle, who entered the 8th Venus Transformation Contest aka VT8 for women and she made amazing changes to her physique as well (she included a pic of both of us together in her submission).

Below are the results of my total body measurements from 3 milestones:

Results of my total body measurements from 3 milestones:
The start of my AI experiment- 3/15/13
The start of AT11 – 5/10/13
The end of AT11 – 8/2/13
(I always measured on Fridays while in a fasted state)

Start of AI Experiment  weight = 211
3/15/2013 CURRENT GOAL RATIO GOAL
WAIST 34 32.4 0.4690 0.447
SHOULDER 51 52.42 1.5000 1.618
NECK 15.5 16.52 0.4559 0.51
CHEST 41.5 45.81 1.2206 1.414
THIGH 23.5 24.14 0.3241 0.333
HIPS 39 40.24 1.6596 1.667
CALF 15 16.39 0.2069 0.2262
BICEP 15.5 16.52 0.4559 0.51
FOREARM 12.25 13 1.7500 1.83

Start of AT11 – weight = 197
5/10/2013 CURRENT GOAL RATIO GOAL
WAIST 32 32.4 0.441379 0.447
SHOULDER 52 52.42 1.625 1.618
NECK 16.5 16.52 0.515625 0.51
CHEST 42.5 45.81 1.328125 1.414
THIGH 24 24.14 0.331034 0.333
HIPS 39.5 40.24 1.645833 1.667
CALF 15 16.39 0.206897 0.2262
BICEP 16 16.52 0.5 0.51
FOREARM 13 13 1.857143 1.83

End of AT11 – weight = 182
8/2/2013 CURRENT GOAL RATIO GOAL
WAIST 31.75 32.4 0.437931 0.447
SHOULDER 52 52.42 1.637795 1.618
NECK 17 16.52 0.535433 0.51
CHEST 45.25 45.81 1.425197 1.414
THIGH 24 24.14 0.331034 0.333
HIPS 39 40.24 1.625 1.667
CALF 15 16.39 0.206897 0.2262
BICEP 16.25 16.52 0.511811 0.51
FOREARM 12.75 13 1.821429 1.83

It is with sincere appreciation and gratitude, I say thank you to everyone involved in the creation of the Adonis & Venus Index Lifestyles. I don’t know how many Adonis/Venus couples you have, but from my perspective it is a great relationship enhancer, mentally, physically and emotionally.

Respectfully submitted,

James Tonda

P.S. On a side note (not part of my summary essay), I thought you might find this humorous. During the 12 week AT11 contest I discovered I have an umbilical hernia. I am sure you must be asking yourself, why is this funny?

Well, I always had this small “pouch” of fat (so I thought) above my belly button that I just couldn’t get rid of.That is because it wasn’t a pouch of fat, it was an intestine pushing its way through the hernia.

The leaner I became, the more evident IT became that “the pouch” was not an actual pouch of fat. The real confirmation came while performing stability ball rollouts. During an Abs workout, upon rolling out, I felt a burning sensation that was undeniably letting me know something was going on (or out). HA!

But, in the Marine Corps I learned two rules:
#1- Never quit
#2- Always refer to Rule #1

So, since there is no quit in me, I continued on with the contest! Next stop surgery.

I did my best to push it back in during my poses, couldn’t do much about the inflammation/edema, so if you happen to see an alien trying to bust through you’ll know why!

Semper Fi,

James Tonda

Editor’s Note:

James,

As a military member myself and on behalf of all the members of the AGR community, we’d like to personally SALUTE you on a job well done! Pray all goes well with your surgery and that you have a speedy recovery.  James is on our “Watch List” we look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Semper Fi, Do or Die!

your brother in Arms & Fitness,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

 

James’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to James’s transformation podcast interview click below:

Rebound Recovery: Interview with AT11 Winner Michael B.

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 11th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

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

Michael is a unique contestant to AT11, he previously shadowed contest AT6 and made a transformation that most would be proud of.

However, his approach was to just cut as much weight as possible without fully embracing the AGR nutrition and maintenance  principles.

Needless to say, his transformation was temporary and Michael ended up rebounding to his original starting weight.

Here’s a throwback image of  Michael when he first embarked on his Fitness Journey and the results of him successfully shadowing contest AT6, an earlier AGR transformation contest.

Adonis Lifestyle Origins: Michael B. Circa 2011

Adonis Lifestyle Origins: Michael B. Circa 2011

 

With a renewed approach and support from members of the AGR community Michael has rebounded from his last transformation attempt and this time has transformed himself  in spirit,  mind, and body!   Check out his AT11 Pictures:

Michael B. - AT11 1st Place- Before Photos

Michael B. – AT11 1st Place – Before Photos

 

Michael B. - AT11 1st Place - Transformation Image

Michael B. – AT11 1st Place – Transformation Image

 

Michael B. - AT11 1st Place- After Photos

Michael B. – AT11 1st Place- After Photos

 

 Breaking the Mold: Gaining Muscle in a Deficit

Michael not only raised the bar of transformation possibilities  within a 12 week period, he broke the mold!  Michael is our first documented contestant to have gained muscle while in a  weight loss deficit.

As verified by the DEXA Scan:

 

Michael's DEXA Scan shows he lost over 16 pounds of fat while gaining 7 pounds of muscle!

Michael’s DEXA Scan shows he lost over 16 pounds of fat while gaining 7 pounds of muscle!

Michael’s Transformation Essay:

My Adonis journey has been a huge learning experience for me. I actually got involved with the Adonis Index Systems in September 2011. I joined a bit late to enter AT6 but shadowed the contest anyway, having an amazing transformation. I started at about 175 lbs. (I’m 5′ 7.5″ tall) with a 35 inch waist on September 15 and ended up weighing 147 lbs. with a 1.8 AI ratio on November 23. It was the first time I had visible abs in my life and I looked great, but the transformation didn’t stick 🙁

Shortly after the contest, I rebounded all the way back to where I had started. Even though I had accomplished a physical change, it wasn’t a transformation. I knew how to cut weight. In fact, I now realize that I had cut too far down, without even coming close to figuring out maintenance.

My one saving grace was that I kept on doing the Adonis workouts even as I was rebounding. I completed a giant cycle and was definitely getting stronger, but I was ashamed at how I looked.

I re-connected with the AI forums and focused on getting my mind right for true transformation. I started AT11 at 183 lbs. and a 35 in. waist. My goal was maintenance versus an all-or-nothing cut-down. I had to essentially come to terms with the priorities in my life (God, family, and living a life worth living) and how an Adonis body supports them. My focus became integrating Adonis into my lifestyle versus making Adonis a short-term priority.

The result: Before and after DEXA scans showed I had lost 16.48 lbs. of fat and gained 7.13 lbs. of lean mass in just 8 weeks! I went from 18% body fat to 8%. I am now just about at my golden measurements and enjoying life so much more.

Thanks to the Adonis family, especially you forum users, for welcoming a rebounder back and motivating him to stay in the fight. A big thanks to Barban, Pilon, and Howard for all their podcasts and the lessons I have learned from their discussions. You guys are life changers!

 

Michael’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to Michael’s transformation podcast interview:

 

Support