Starting Weight 172.4lbs
Starting Waist 34”
Starting Hips N/A
Final Weight 158.6lbs
Final Waist 32.25”
Final Hips N/A
Total Weight Loss 13.8lbs
Total Loss off Waist 1.75”
Total Loss off Hips N/A
Testimonial:
“Ding Ding Ding!!! Round 2!
Yep, that’s right I’m a glutton for punishment, I hated eating all those glorious macros! So I decided to do the challenge for a second time. I got way too used to eating all the carbs in my last 9 months of training, I needed that to stop ha. Ok maybe that’s not the exact reason I signed up to do the challenge again, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love eating all of the carbs.
In reality, I needed something to push me to that next level of training. While at the gym going down the Instagram rabbit hole one day – I mean resting between reps – I came across the 2019 Challenge post. I knew my 12 week training and nutrition program was coming to an end around the middle of January and thought to myself, “maybe this is what I need to push me out of my comfort zone and to take my training to a new level?” It’s not that I wasn’t happy with where I was or anything like that. I was able to achieve some really good things the first time around in the challenge and over the last year, but I knew it could be better. So I mulled it over for a few Days.
When I walked into the trenches last year to start the 2018 Challenge I had never worked out before, never followed a meal plan and generally just stayed as far away from the gym as I could. Neil started me off last year with a 3 day/week program, I didn’t want to jump into the deep end too fast and hoped by doing 3 days a week I wouldn’t get sick of the gym and would eventually grow to enjoy the gym. Well fast forward a little over a year later and as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t just enjoy the gym, I actually look forward to going. You can’t beat the feeling walking out of the gym after you have crushed a work out.
After a few rattles around the brain, I decided to sign up for the 2019 Challenge. I told Neil I was planning on doing the challenge and to make me shredded! Immediately Neil pushed me out of my comfort zone and added a 4 th day to my work out program, and started the food deficit. Neil told me he was going to get me into the 150s. I was slightly skeptical, to start the challenge I was sitting at the 172lbs mark and I hadn’t seen the 150s in almost 15 years. But as everyone always says when you start a nutrition and training program TRUST the process. So that’s what I did, I followed my nutrition plan to a T and hit my macro targets every day. In the gym I pushed myself harder than I ever had, I increased weight fast and went for that extra rep even when I felt I couldn’t get it. Sure, there were times when I was stuck under the bar and needed rescuing (ha) but who hasn’t been there before, and besides the next week I came back and made sure I got that rep I couldn’t finish. Obviously I had some struggles along the way just like everyone trying to lose weight. There were weeks that the scale didn’t move and that’s always frustrating when you are in a calorie deficit, but a good coach like Neil and all the others at Trench will tell you there are lots of non-scale victories. I of course didn’t listen to that right away. It really sunk in when I did some side-by-side comparison photos. Losing weight is one thing but the physical changes were what really started to drive me to keep pushing and complete the 12 weeks knowing I gave it a 110%. When I needed that extra motivation, I did a comparison photo from 4 weeks into this challenge and one from 8 weeks in. When I thought nothing was changing and I was stuck at a certain weight, it all vanished when I looked at those photos side-by-side.
Even more eye opening was looking at a photo from the start of the 2018 Challenge to 8 weeks into this year’s challenge; why didn’t anyone tell me I had a 10-pin bowling ball on my head all those years!? This perfectly plump, round head sitting on top of my shoulders. If I would have put 3 black dots on my head someone might have grabbed me and chucked me down a lane. Wow is all I have to say. Luckily I have since lost my bowling ball head. This is why they make you do photos, even though the scale was stuck for a couple weeks, when I compared photos from a month or two months apart the physical changes were there and that eases the scale frustration and starts to motivate you, making you want those changes to be even bigger.
For 12 weeks I followed my program perfectly, pushing in the gym, only doing the required cardio (who likes doing extra cardio anyway?? I know I don’t!) and hitting my macros. In the end I love the way I feel, the way I look, the added confidence I have, and trusting the process got me into the 150s!!!
A person doesn’t realize what they are capable of until they push themselves out of their comfort zone. I never thought I could get into the 150s again, but I did. I never thought I would move the weight around in the gym that I did, but every week pushing myself made me realize I was stronger than I thought I was. I never pushed myself before, I was happy with exerting a good amount of energy at the gym, but I never got that “swole feeling bro” when I left the gym until this challenge. That’s when I started to realize I could accomplish this goal of getting into the 150s and get stronger as I did it. Then I started to see the physical changes in my body, and who doesn’t like seeing some muscles show up! Hmm who knew this lifting weights could make a guy look like a slightly smaller Rambo??? Haha, just kidding, but after finishing the 2019 Challenge I feel better than I have since high school and I love the way I look right now. But that’s not the end of me being out of my comfort zone, I’m going to continue to push in the gym and continue to develop my strength and physique.
I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the support of my wife so a HUGE thank you goes out to her and of course to coach Neil, Erika and all the amazing trainers at Trench. I would also like to thank the fellow trenchers who always show their support and are always there to lend a hand when you get stuck under a bar!”
