Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Transformation

Clear the Mechanism: Interview with AT-12 Winner Audie Harrison

April 7, 2014 by

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 12th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Audie Harrison who placed 6th in our last contest.

Audie begins the discussion talking about his obsession with coffee.  It had become his crutch, helping him get through extended sessions in front of his PC.  He knew it was time to make a change and rather than gradually making a change he decided to “Clear The Mechanism” and went cold-turkey.

This mental battle would prove to be a continuing theme during the period of his transformation contest.

Prior to beginning the AGR System, Audie’s weight had the “Yo-Yo” effect. He was literally at the mercy of his lifestyle or environment.  Desperately looking for something to focus on, he felt AT12 would be the great opportunity to take control of his physique.

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

But first, check out Audie’s  AT12 Pictures

 

Audie Harrison - AT12 6th Place - Front Before/After Photos

Audie Harrison – AT12 6th Place – Front Before/After Photos

 

Audie Harrison - AT12 Transformation Image

Audie Harrison – AT12 Transformation Image

 

Audie Harrison - AT12 6th Place - Back Before/After Photos

Audie Harrison – AT12 6th Place – Back Before/After Photos

 

- AT12 6th Place - Side Before/After Photos

Audie Harrison- AT12 6th Place – Side Before/After Photos

Audie’s Transformation Essay:

I decided to do AT12 quite a while before the contest even started. I’d gained more fat than I would have liked and decided the competition would be a good way to focus my energy and keep me on track. Had I really thought hard about it I never would have entered at this time what with a family holiday to contend with as well as a week I would be away with work. It had me freaking out at the time but I’m glad I did it  anyway.

I knew I was in for a tough time and I had actually planned on being very close to my golden waist by the time the competition started, which I knew would leave the majority of my transformation to come in the form of muscle growth, which is obviously very slow. I’d set the bar high for myself but that was fine with me.

Workout wise there was nothing too fancy. I’d spoken to various forum members about what worked for them and decided to do Adonis 3.1 and add in a Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) Booster every single day on top of it, or as much as my body would allow anyways. My body tolerated the flow of Adonis 3.1 and I was able to stay mentally engaged during the workouts. Calories were a huge pain for me. I was on a deficit the whole time and I’d experimented with two different eating patterns, one of which made me feel horrible for two weeks.

All in all,  I really enjoyed the competition even though I felt I made more mistakes than I needed to.  Something struck me as soon as I’d had my pictures done. There was this feeling of catharsis where everything just seemed to evaporate and I felt an immense sense of relief. It was at that point that I realized just how hard this competition can be on someone without them even knowing it.  My biggest support system was the online community. There are some terrific guys on there. They’ll stand by you and encourage you when you need it, and give you a mental shake when you need that too. I honestly don’t know if I could have made it through the whole contest without the support and encouragement I received from those guys.

One thing I’m very glad to take way from this contest is the liberation from doubts and worries that I had pre contest. I’m genuinely looking forward to the years ahead. Many thanks to everyone behind the Adonis Golden Ratio System, and a special shout-out to all you guys on the forums! Thanks to you that I have a very clear vision of the road ahead. I know now exactly what physique I want and exactly how I’m going to get it!

 

Editor’s Note:

Hey Audie,

Through sheer mental toughness and perseverance you held fast to your goals.  ” Congrats on your transformation and placement in this contest!  Happy to know that you finally came to utilize all the tools that the AGR system has to offer.  Most importantly, the online Adonis community!  Your story is a great inspiration to others. Keep pushing toward your goals, remember, “Winners Find A Way to Win!”

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

Audie’s Transformation Interview:

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Filed Under: body image, Contest, diet, exercise, Goals, Physique, Sage Advice, Transformation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Hard Gainer U-Turns Onto Golden Way Drive: Interview with AT12 Winner Chad Frakes

February 24, 2014 by

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 12th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Chad Frakes,  who placed  1st in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Chad has been following the program since about April 2013.  He  competed in both contests AT11 & AT12.  He’s a great example of someone who may need to complete two transformation contests in order to achieve their “Golden” measurements.

Chad shares with us  his “Adonis Origins” images prior to the start of contest AT11.  See below:

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes Beginning of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes Beginning of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes End of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes End of Contest AT11

 

“I have spent most of my life as a hard gainer, eating whatever I wanted. I was always motivated to train in order to put on size. But when it came to cutting the fat, I was clueless. I am truly blown away when I reflect back to the shape I was in prior to starting Adonis Golden Ratio Systems. “

– Chad Frakes, AT12 Contest Winner

 

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

But first, check out Chad’s  AT12 Pictures:

Chad Frakes - AT12 1st Place - Front Before/After Photos

Chad Frakes – AT12 1st Place – Front Before/After Photos

 

Chad Frakes - AT 12 Transformation Image

Chad Frakes – AT 12 Transformation Image

 

i00nd3kcu6

Chad Frakes – AT 12 Transformation Image

 

Chad Frakes - AT12 1st Place - Side Before/After Photos

Chad Frakes – AT12 1st Place – Side Before/After Photos

 

 

Chad’s Transformation Essay:

I joined Adonis Golden Ratio in April 2013, and quickly put the AGR workouts to the test. Right away I felt great with having a laid out plan to follow, I have been working out for about 14 years. Having a detailed exercise program to follow was something new to me, I have always just done what ever exercise or muscle group I felt like doing that day, with no real plan. For the most part, I would do chest/tris, back/bis, legs/shoulders. Doing this type of routine would give me results, but never gave me a total body plan that was goal objective.

When I first started the program, Dieting was something I did not understand; I have been a hard gainer for most of my life, I was use to eating whatever and however much I wanted. Since I have gotten older and life less active that has changed for me. Once I started to gain fat I really didn’t know how to get rid of it, I just kept doing what I have done for years.

The past 12 weeks have been a great experience. There were some difficult times along the way, it is my experience that when I started AGR and only eating 1000 calories, this was easier for me then when I got leaner and was eating 2000 calories, it seems the leaner I got the more hunger there was. I encountered some resistance from friends and even my own girlfriend as I was getting leaner, they kept telling me I was getting too skinny, but I ignored them and kept on the path to  achieving the Golden ratio. I think most people are not use to seeing other people as lean as they should be really, but the stares I get in the gym told me I’m on track!

I kept things simple throughout my transformation, just followed RTD: Reverse Taper Diet, ate what I wanted within my calorie deficit, that’s it.

Thank you AGR systems, my new body has been achieved from the results of this program!

-Chad Frakes

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Chad,

Congratulations on making a successful transformation.  You stayed the course through BOTH AT11 & AT12 never losing sight of your goal.  I really enjoyed listening to your interview and the mindset you had to push pass barriers to get the results you were working for.  Your hard work has paid off and we look forward to featuring you as a “cover model” on some our upcoming workout programs.   Your “U-Turn” onto the Golden Way has been a tremendous success! Keep up the great work and we expect to see and hear more from you along your fitness journey.

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

 

Chad’s Transformation Interview:

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Filed Under: body image, Contest, Sage Advice, Transformation Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach vs. Reverse Taper Dieting

February 20, 2014 by

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach vs. Reverse Taper Dieting

Whether you Forward Taper or Reverse Taper to achieve your final look. Rest assured there's some hard work and effort involved.

Whether you Forward Taper or Reverse Taper to achieve your final look. Rest assured there’s some disciplinek and effort involved. Are you working SMARTER or HARDER?

Today’s podcast with John Barban and Brad Pilon compares the two dieting styles of traditional bodybuilding’s  “Forward Tapering” to the Adonis approach of “Reverse tapering.”  The key discussion points of the podcast were provided via a research paper studying natural bodybuilders preparing for an upcoming competition. Other items of interest that were measured caloric intake, exercise time, body fat levels, hormonal levels, etc.

The data from the research paper on the bodybuilders was fairly comparable to the data submitted by our prior Adonis Transformation Winners.

 

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach

“Forward Tapering”  is when you begin dieting at a HIGHER calorie level and continually DECREASE your calorie intake as you get leaner.

This is the traditional bodybuilding approach to preparing for competitions.  Most contest prep plans span between 12-20 weeks.  The goal is for the bodybuilder or competitor to “peak” or look their very best on the day of the show.  There are several tricks a person can perform to hit their “peak” or final look.  It normally begins with drastically cutting calories and increasing their cardio to resulting in depleted glycogen and fat levels.  More advanced preps might include sodium loading/depletion, water and/or carbohydrate cycling.

However most of these efforts are short-lived and hard to maintain because the effort it took to achieve that look is not easily sustained.  Unfortuately, if a competitor does not have a post-contest gameplan they are at risk of  the dreaded “post-contest rebound.”  Some have even ended up looking worse than before they started their prep.

 

Reverse Taper Dieting

“Reverse Tapering”  is the OPPOSITE,  you begin dieting at a LOWER calorie level and continually INCREASE your calorie intake as you get leaner.

 This Adonis Lifestyle approach is SIMPLE, but it’s not EASY.  It requires discipline upfront, when there is no deadline looming in front of you.  Your hard work is done in the begining and provides more room for you to make adjustments as you progress in your transformation.  The Reverse Taper  approach also focuses more on  calorie deficit through eating LESS food as opposed to eating MORE food and doing MORE exercise.

 

It’s Not a Competition, It’s a Lifestyle

Most people who would be opposed to this approach simply have to win the “mental” battle in their mind to believe that this process is more efficient and sustainable.  If they trust the process they can avoid the longer exercise periods needed to create a caloric deficit with the traditional bodybuilder approach. 

John and Brad truly deliver in this podcast, discussing the in’s and out’s of the “Fitness Competitor” lifestyle.  In conclusion, both of these approaches have proven results.  But the question you must ask yourself, are you working SMARTER or HARDER towards the pursuit of you fitness goals?

 IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

(If you are using Adonis Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

Not an Adonis Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: body image, diet, exercise, health, Model, Muscle Building, Sage Advice, Shape, Transformation, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight Training, Workout Design Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The 13th Adonis Transformation Contest starts TODAY!

January 20, 2014 by
The 13th Adonis Transformation contest (AT13) starts today!

The 13th Adonis Transformation contest (AT13) starts today!

 

The 13th Adonis Transformation Contest starts TODAY!

We will accept contest entries starting on January 20, 2014. The deadline for entering your before pictures will be Midnight Eastern Time on January 27, 2014.

The pictures must be taken between between January 20th and January 27th, 2014. The newspaper front page picture must be taken during the same photo session.

 

Before you enter please read the contest instructions

 

Click here –> Contest instructions, rules, and regulations <– Click here

Note: The contest dashboard is only open during the

week of Jan 20-27, 2014

Here is the link to an earlier post showing steps for contest entry:

 

HOW TO ENTER AT13

 

You will receive a confirmation email after January 28, 2014 if you carefully followed the contest instructions.

If you completed all 8 steps but did not carefully follow the contest instructions you will not receive a confirmation email and you may have to wait to enter the next contest.  Please carefully read the contest instructions before you enter the contest.

Checkout the winners of our previous contests.

This is your chance to throw your hat in the ring and be part of something
special. It’s time to make a change, a big time change in your body and
your life!

Stay Safe & Train Hard!

-Allen Elliott

PS Email me if you have any problems or questions entering the contests.  allen.e.model@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: body image, Contest, Transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

News about Upcoming Events in the Adonis Community for 2014

January 13, 2014 by
News about Upcoming Events in the Adonis Community for 2014

PLAN AHEAD: 2014 marches on and it’s time to get ready for some exciting upcoming event in the Adonis Community

Count Down To AT13

The First Contest of the Year Starts on January 20, 2014

The next contest will be the Adonis Transformation Contest AT-13.  This starts on January 20, 2014 and will end on April 14, 2014

Contests are a great motivator for some people.  You can also “shadow” a contest which is not actually submitting an entry but following along during the same 12 weeks.

Many people use the online community for support during the contest, or during their “shadow contest”.

There are also many challenges created by community members; these are informal mini contests where Adonis community members pool together prizes and have fun cheering each other on.

Competition Amongst Contest Entries Has Been Fierce!

As more men enter the contests, the bar is getting set very high so think about entering a contest during a time of the year when you might be close to reaching your Adonis goals.  The contest judges will evaluate final entries based on the following factors:

1- Weight Loss (LBS)

2-  Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR)  Transformation Change

3-  Final AGR Score

4- Muscularity

5- Aesthetics/Photogenic Quality

The judges need to see these changes in the pictures so it’s important that both before and after pictures are in focus and taken at appropriate angles and with good lighting (selfies don’t do this well).  Take the time to to use a camera with a timer or have someone with a steady hand take the pictures.

We typically run three contests a year.  After AT-13 is complete there will be two additional contests this year:

AT-14 Starts May 12, 2014 and ends August 4, 2014

AT-15 Starts September 1, 2014 and ends November 24, 2014

Look forward to AT-12 interview podcasts in the weeks to come

In the upcoming weeks we can look forward to the Adonis Transformation Contest AT-12 interview podcasts being posted every Monday.  This is where we will hear the first hand stories from the winners and what helped them with their success.  We will hear about their struggles, lessons learned, obstacles overcome, and their words of wisdom.  For most of us these stories are very motivating. We can learn something new from each story.

Not only will you hear the motivating stories; John also includes tidbits of coaching and advice that pertain to the stories.  Usually we find this information reassuring or can use it to change our own strategy for success.

Look forward to a new workout of the month

You can look forward to seeing a new workout released each month.  We’ve got some really fun and interesting series coming out based on your continued requests and feedback.  It’s going to be an exciting year.

New Year,  Same Drive.  What keeps you motivated to achieve your goals?

This will be different for each person.  You may already know what keeps you motivated or you may need to experiment to find out.  Some people like our contests and others may like our fun community challenges.  Some may have a wedding or important life event to look forward to.  If you’re still searching for motivation to pursue your goals, here are some additional questions you may want to ask yourself:

Who do you know that can support you in making this transition to live a healthy and fit lifestyle?

 What prompted you to want to make these changes?

When would you like to start this process and when do you expect to see results?

Where else have you looked for advice or found helpful information?

How do you think the transformation process will affect your current schedule and responsibilities?

One thing to keep in mind regarding support and  motivation is this year we have an Adonis meet up in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA planned.  As iron sharpens iron, there have been several long-lasting relationships developed within the Adonis Community.  This meet-up will be a great opportunity to enjoy in the camaraderie and fellowship of like-minded people.

Thanks for your Vote!

You may recall earlier last year that I was  nominated into the Top 20  as “Semi-Finalist” in the 2014 BodySpace Spokesmodel Search, hosted by Bodybuilding.com

I’m happy to announce that thanks to your support by way of votes, I was selected as a Top 10 Finalist.  I will go on to compete in the Finalist Competition at the LA Fitness Expo January 21-26.  This was a dream turned into reality thanks to the continued support from my brothers in iron.  I’ll definitely have some updates to share upon my return and am thrilled to be an ambassador for the “Adonis Lifestyle” on a national platform such as this.

Top 10 Finalist Have Been Chosen! Thanks for helping make this dream a reality.

“Top 10 Finalist Have Been Chosen! Thanks for helping make this dream a reality.” – Allen Elliott aka “Captain Healthy”

 

Wrapping up

Last but not least, we’ve got a surprise down the road for those of who have asked for some EXTRA accountability… more on that very soon.

Stay tuned, The year is young and we’re just getting started!

 

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

 

Filed Under: Transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Environmental Influencess: Uncensored Podcast with John and Brad

January 8, 2014 by

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

Environmental Influences

Adonis Origins-Rich Sigona

Adonis Legends: Rich Sigona
Rich is one of the original Adonis Transformation Contest winners. He’s learned to deal with the environmental influences during and after his transformation. Today, several years later, he still maintains the Golden lifestyle.

 

Your location and context are important to your success

People around you have a lot of influence in what you do.

Where you are is very important.

Who you are with is very important.

Are you at the gym?

Are you with people who encourage or discourage positive workout behavior?

Interaction with others to fit in with the group will affect your decisions.

Persecution regarding food is not about you. They are projecting their issues and insecurities on you.  The very fact that you are thinking about what you eat and consume is threatening to some people.

Negative comments are always really people making comments about themselves and their issues, not YOU.  The guy or gal on Facebook who says “Too much muscle!” or “Too skinny!” or whatever, it is really not about you.

 

You will get a lot of negative comments during your corrective action phase

 

“The correction” or corrective phase is what most will be commenting on.  This is the phase that requires serious effort – and is only necessary for the weight loss. The extreme corrective action is not forever.

 

It is not sustainable or you would go down to zero percent body fat.  At some point it must stop, because it’s corrective action.

Maintaining is less extreme than the “correction”.   When you maintain, you only need very short temporary corrective action for minor fat gains. Reigning in eating habits results in a journey back to a maintenance level.

 

Online writing is biased

 

Everyone has their issues.  It comes through in their writing. There is bias.  There are very few experts.  They explain to you their perspective as if everyone was like them.

 

So it’s not just friends, family, and people around you, it’s also the fitness writers online.  Even the researchers; they have a hope or bias that the outcome or answer will turn a certain way. They are trying to convince you that their issues are your issues.

 

Your life will change as you gain success

 

All of your relationships will change as you gain success and reach your goals. People will need to adjust to the new transformed person you have become. Some people are able to adjust, and some are not.  You will have to make decisions and evaluate all of your relationships.

You will be affected by jealousy and others who want your success.  This is what happens with any success.  The more success you have, the more your relationships all around you will change.

So the bottom line is that who you spend time with in your life as well as online will all affect your success.  They will also affect how well you keep your success.

To hear more about what John and Brad have to say about environmental influences listen to today’s uncensored podcast click on the link below.

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not an Adonis Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: Transformation, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »
Support