My 12 week body transformation

I transformed my body in 12 weeks... Was it worth the trouble?   You can be the judge.

For the past 7 months, it has been my unique pleasure to be a member of the United States Air Forces Singing Sergeants.  Thus far, my audiences include: US Generals, foreign dignitaries, nationally televised sporting events, audiences in California and Arizona while on tour and the President and First Lady at the White House.   If you had told me this would happen a year ago, I'da called you a whackadoo.  

My primary duties for the Air Force band in DC are singing and staying in shape.  So... If that's what they want me to do, why not try to be that absolute best I can be at both?   When I auditioned for the Air Force my singing was at all time high.  Vocally, I was in the best shape of my life.  Then basic training happened.  Holy crap, trainee!!!   8 weeks of crazy and I felt like I had to discover singing all anew. BUT... After basic I was in the best cardiovascular shape of my life.  If someone told me to run 20 miles nonstop, I could have done it.   The key I was missing was balance... The question for me was how was I to stay in the best physical shape(or "mission ready" as the AF likes to say) while still singing at a high level?  The answer I eventually found was regiment.  Design a singing and work out schedule/plan and then stick to it.  

In December, I found a guy on bodybuilding.com named Kris Gethin.  His 12 week transformation program was exactly what I was looking for.  He walks you through step by step! Diet, workouts, and supplements.... And the best part about it was that it was all free.  So in the first week of December, 2012 it began.  I had no idea how demanding it would be... 

This is my 12 week physical transformation.  I kept a blog of all the things that I encountered over the weeks to keep my self motivated.  I've used the writing and photos as fuel to keep progress moving and also as an outlet to vent when times got tough.  It was intense, stressful and frustrating at times but what an incredibly rewarding roller coaster it turned out to be.  

Week 1

I'm unhappy with my overall strength.  I'd never pushed myself to the absolute limits like an athlete would while training.  Working out was serious for me but I didn't take any risks or ever try to push through pain.  Not joint or bone pain, but rather, muscle fatigue.  It was time for me to hit it as hard as I could in the gym while still maintaining safety without a spotter.  I have a workout partner once a week but I couldn't rely on any 1 person to hold me accountable accept Kris Gethin.  Kris never misses a meal(every three hours), never misses a work out, and never cheats and eats nonsense that is not on the diet.  He has a video for every day of the 12 weeks. You learn something new about nutrition, muscle fascia and fibers, exercises, recover, supplements.  What an incredible resource.  There's also a female version by Jamie Eason!  She's amazing and inspiring.  I used a couple of her recipes.

Week 2 

Wow, only 1 week of serious training and I can already see some minor results.  Got a tiny taste of what I can accomplish and now I'm hooked.  Don't see much difference in body fat.  Gonna have to step up on the cardio!

Week 3 

Alright alright alriiiiiiiiiiiiight... Now we're talking on some considerable results.  BUT... These pesky lovdydoves weren't going anywhere.  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to eat 3500 calories of GOOD food a day.  Eat 2 Big Macs and you can knock that out in no time... but chicken breasts, salad, oats, fish, veggies, OH MAN!  Also, gonna have to step up my steady state cardio to two short sessions twice a day.  

Week 4

Banannas!  Holy six pack bat man... I think I see a semblance of one.  The cardio is definitely doing the trick but the muscle growth is happening slower than a fat kid runnin up a hill.  I have to change it up because I realize now that kris' program was not really designed for somebody who started off with less than 15lbs of fat to lose.  I need to do some research on what I'm doing wrong cause I'm not cheating and this isn't working how I'd planned.

Week 5 

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.  - Galadriel  "Lord of the Rings"

  It's the magic of glycogen replenishment.  Kris' diet was designed to shave fat off the body.  Only problem is fatty acids are essential in muscle grown.  I was blasting my muscles in the gym a not giving them any love for all the hard work they did.  My insulin levels were through the floor board after a workout and I thought I was helping my situation by not eating any fruit or sweets afterwards.  Sorry Mr. Gethin,  gotta cheat your program and throw some fruit back in the diet.  Only in the mornings and after workouts, though.  That first banana after 5 weeks of nothing sweet was like a flavor explosion.  Truly the nectar of the Gods! 

Week 6

It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities. -Harry Potter.

Now we're talking...  It's starting to look like I'm taking this seriously.  This week has been frustrating though.  Family and friends give you a hard time.  I had friends I work with literally giving me such a hard time for not eating "a" cookie.  They didn't understand that if I compromise then I run the risk of falling right off the bus and ending up back where I started after six weeks of hard work and dedication.  

Week 7 

Ok boys and girls... Now it's about endurance and focus.  I'm taking it to the next level to try and put on some more muscle mass.  I've been making my protein shakes before I go to sleep and keepin them by my bed.  Set my alarm for 430a.m., pound a shake, then go right back to sleep.  If you're not keeping the food coming in every few hours your metabolism slows down and your body starts eating away at the hard earned muscled you've gained in the gym... Can't have that! 

Week 8 

I've been reading a lot about how body builders get the best results.  Besides the use of anabolic steroids there are a lot of tricks to make you look even better for your final transformation photo.  You can take diuretics, eat certain foods to "carb load" to make your muscles look fuller a couple days before you final shot.  I'm not really interested in all those stupid tricks.  It's just a show... your body can only stay in that depleted state for like 10 hours anyway.  In fact, it's not really healthy for you.  All the pros tan like mad and I think that is stupid.  God made me white and healthy.  That's how I'ma stay.  That's why my Italian friends call me Mozzarella!!

Week 9

Took this picture right after a back workout so I had a nice Cobra back thing going on!  I bought a membership to a really swanky gym in Chinatown at the Verizon center called VIDA fitness.  It's like $90 a month with a military discount.  It's like $145 regular.  This is one thing in my life that I've done to just spoil myself.  The place is very therapeutic for me.  It has relaxing music in the locker rooms, like 12 different kinds of  body washes in the shower, motivated and attractive people pushing hard and doing their thing, amazing sauna and pool.  Having a positive environment that you love going to at the gym is clutch to stay consistent. 

Week 10

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  My body is quite streamlined now.  The though of eating fast food makes me get a weird taste in my mouth.  Now that I've been giving my body nutritious goodness every 3 hours or so, it totally expects it. The hardest thing about this transformation is meal preparation.  You MUST plan ahead. Sometimes I have to plan up to three days in advance in order to ensure that I'm keeping my schedule on track.  3 day weekends away from home are a common thing for me.  That means 18 meals in tupperware or little plastic baggies.  I got a totally nerdy lunch box I bring around with me.  If you go out to eat with friends at restaurants there is usually always some kind of chicken salad.  Just say "No cheese no dressing, please." :)

Week 11

Now that I'm reaching the end of this transformation it makes me think about an important life lesson.  When you begin a journey like this one, one might think once I make it to the end of this successfully, I'll have made it!  The reality is, even though you pushed yourself as far as you can go you end up with an entirely new set of goals.  Inevitably, your standards for yourself are completely different.  We're never a finished product.  There are always improvements to be made.  Thus, the consummation devoutly to wished is enjoying the journey, don't sit around waiting for the final result. 

Week 12

The final week... aahhhhh (sigh).  I feel somewhat relieved and also quite sad.  I've had Kris Gethin to motivate me with a new video every day for the past 80 and now I'm on the final straight away.  My body is quite fatiqued because of the nature of the workout towards the end of the program. DTP, dramatic transformation principle. You'll do 10 sets of the same exercise in a row completely fatiguing the music by doing this rep sequence 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 increasing the weight as you drop the reps.  Then repeat the process in the opposite direction.  One day, the morning after a chest workout, my joints we so sore that I could hardly lift my left arm above parallel to the floor.  After this is over I'll definitely take it pretty easy on the weights for a week or two to let my body recover. 

Drop a post and tell me what you have planned for your fitness goals.  Did this motivate you at all to make some life changes?  Remember there is no such thing as a successful diet only lifestyle changes. With diets you'll drop weight and put it right back on twice as quick as you lost it.  These no carb, grape fruit, weight watcher diets are a big waste of time in my book.  It boils down to... do you have the discipline to eat 6 small meals a day and have a consistent workout plan that you stick to, no matter what???  That's it!  That is the key to transforming the body that God gave you... no matter what genetics you were given or the work schedule/family life you have to keep up with.  You can do it!  I believe in you!  Let me know if you need encouragement or accountability!  

Bless you,

Daniel