Here’s your latest essay interview with 4th place winner Jim Ferneyhough from the 14th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.
Jim Ferneyhough – AT14 4th Place – Front Before/After Photos
Jim Ferneyhough – AT14 4th Place – Back Before/After Photos
Jim Ferneyhough – AT14 4th Place – Side Before/After Photos
Jim’s Transformation Interview:
1- What workout or nutrition routine did you do before Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) System? What kind of results did you get?
I followed almost every workout/ nutrition program you can think of:
- Body For Life
- Atkins Diet/ Cutting Carbs
- Men’s health programs from Mag
- Juicing (not steroids)…Fruit/Veggies
- Master Cleanse
- Fat Burners & other… ‘magic pills’…and a bunch of others!
Most had little or no change. All were short term fixes that I rebounded from & ended up in worst shape. Body for Life was the only one that had results, however eating 6 meals a day & filling out all those crazy charts created too much work.
2- How did you find out about AGR?
I found AGR by a simple click of the “mouse” button. A friend LIKED your Facebook page. So I went on to check it out. At the time it seemed like any other program but I signed up to be on your free email list. Receiving those emails once a week was what really got me interested. But it was the podcasts where you interviewed previous winners that made me want to give the program a shot.
Jim Ferneyhough AT14 4th Place Transformation Image
3- What was most appealing to you about AGR?
The idea of the Adonis Golden Ratio is amazing & really appealed to me. The concept that I can achieve the perfect body for me was very exciting. The fact that this formula exists & can be used by anyone with any body type was awesome & I had to learn more. And when it is all backed up with a great history dating back to the Renaissance period was simply incredible. That’s when I knew this was something special & VERY different from anything I ever did in the past.
4- Were the any concepts or approaches you were skeptical about?
I was very skeptical when the AGR nutrition calculator suggested I intake only ‘1,000’ calories a day. Several questions arose such as, how would I function mentally? Could this negatively impact my training performance? Additionally, Reverse Taper Diet is the complete opposite of every other program and seemed like some crazy trick that would not work. On top of the fact that this program wasn’t recommending eating 6 meals a day with tons of protein, which seemed very strange to me. How can I eat once or twice a day & gain muscle?
So initially, I was very skeptical of almost the entire program. However, I read ALL the material & it started to make total sense & the fact that it was ALL backed up by science made a huge difference for me.
To be totally honest after reading everything I could and listening to those podcasts I was totally hooked for 2 reasons!
1) Achieving my Golden Ratio measurements
2) This was TOTALLY different from everything I ever done & nobody else was doing anything like it at the gym.
5- When did you decide to jump on board full-fledge with AGR?
After reading and listening to the emails/podcast for about a year in January 2014 I signed up & entered AI 13. The other important thing I did was cut off all other sources from the fitness industry.
I was no longer interested in Bro Science! I wanted to be 100% focused on AGR and did not want anyone or thing changing my thinking. This was the best decision I ever made regarding my fitness.
Jim Ferneyhough AT14 4th Place Transformation Image
6- When did you first decide to enter an Adonis Transformation (AT) contest?
Because I had been learning & listening that entire year I joined a month before the next contest started, knowing I was going to enter.
7- What was your experience going through the AT contest? Challenges that came up? Things you didn’t expect?
‘Hurts So Good’…That’s how I would summarize my experience during the contest. It was tough but so worth it. Eating only 1,000 calories a day along with training 6 days a week for 90 days is tough. I experienced many tired mornings with little aches and pains along the way.
But every morning I wrote out the day’s work out on paper. Then on the back I wrote out my goals. That mental picture of the end result kept me moving forward. That and knowing I committed to my photo shoot and images would be taken if I was in great shape or not. The
“after” pictures were a true source of accountability.
If you want to be successful at anything in life you need goals, a game plan, and a deadline that you are held accountable too. These contests provide everything someone needs to be successful… 1. A Goal to strive for (your Adonis Golden Ratio Measurements)
2. Plan (AGR Workouts provided)
3. Deadline (90 days contest conclude with submitting “After” pictures.)
The key is to ‘Execute the Plan’
Before every workout I would say to myself “I’m not the Biggest, Strongest or most Ripped BUT nobody will out work me today.”
Jim Ferneyhough AT14 4th Place Transformation Image
8- How did people react to your transformation?
Other people’s reactions have been typical with the… “Hey there, you are looking good!” to “Are you losing weight?” – “Don’t get too skinny.” – “So, you’re cutting carbs?” – “You must be starving yourself.”
Most people say nothing. I had a guy at the gym pull me aside and noticed I was losing weight and shaping up. Then told me about some crazy carb cycling thing I can do to get to the next level! I was polite and said I would check it out. However, I labeled it BroScience and continued to follow the AGR game plan.
A few people asked “What’s your secret?”… My answer normally is “I eat less & train more. And my workouts are provided by Adonis Golden Ratio”. They all had that “Yeah Right, you must be doing something else but won’t tell us” look on their face.
9- How do you react to the “Brand New” you? Have you noticed changes in your outlook and attitude in general.
I am now more confident, with increased energy and feel absolutely fantastic. Since January, I have taken 2 garbage bags full of clothes to the GoodWill donation center. The most important thing for me is finally knowing how to control my eating habits. After 20 years of training & working out & TRYING everything under the sun the #1 issue has always been my nutrition. I now feel in control and able to make corrections if I wonder off the path.
The Adonis Golden Ratio Program is the absolute best workout and nutrition program. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The online community is the secret sauce that makes this work. I will continue to “Execute the plan” provide on my way to “Golden & Beyond.”
-Jimmy
Editor’s Note:
Hey Jim,
Wow! Talk about positive mental attitude. Reading through your journey I was inspired by your positive daily affirmations and your method of mapping out each workout. You put the “Big Hurt” on your transformation/weight loss goals. Job well done my friend! Keep striving for greatness and big kudos to you for keeping that “Secret Sauce” stirring in the AGR community.
your brother in Iron,
About Allen Elliott