Transformation in Progresss
Three years ago this week, I began my first attempt at my path down fitness; it was the first attempt in many years, with previous attempts failing. This attempt was no different.
It started off well enough with the “Biggest Loser” competition the gym was hosting. I was committed, I was going to get this, I was finally going to lose weight.
It was shortly thereafter that someone in the gym made a catty comment about me; basically they said I probably would wash out and I was just “another resolutioner” and that I should just give up now. I heard this and thought, “maybe they are right…” so I went home, and rarely made it back to the gym.
Nine months later, I have someone call me and basically drag me back to the gym. That was Andrew, my soon to be trainer, coacher, and friend. We went over some basic exercises, made a simple plan for me to improve.
Two months later, I begin working with Andrew and the changes begin. I began getting stronger. I wasn’t losing weight, but I could tell my body was beginning to change. Come April 2016, I began to get my nutrition in line, and the weight began coming off. Over the next six months I would drop from the upper-30s in bodyfat down to the low 20s. I began feeling better, becoming more energetic, and actually enjoying life instead of dwelling on how terrible it was.
Once I reached the low-20s, it was time to go off to the Nerd Fitness summer camp I signed up for. When I came back, I sat down and evaluated where I was, and where I was headed in regards to fitness.
What I figured out was simple. When I started this, I just wanted to be “not fat”, but now I wanted more. I tasted the fitness life and I loved it. Now I wanted to get even stronger, better, faster, more athletic.
We started powerlifting, and it was so much fun. I was picking up weights I never imagined I would ever be able to lift. I was doing barbell squats when just a year earlier i was barely mobile.
Come September 2017, I announced to my trainer and friends that I was moving to Richmond, VA. While I was disppointed to leave my gym and everyone around me who had supported me for so long, I also knew that it was time to move to my next big adventure.
Before I left for Virginia, Andrew gave me one last program to work through while I adjusted to live in the south. I went through the program, and pushed my weights up. Towards the end of the program I began to once again evaluate where I was, and what I wanted to achieve long term.
I made the decision to step away from powerlifting for a while. While it was a tough decision to make, it was one that I felt right about. I hired a new coach now that I was settled into my new city, Derrick, who would introduce me to new world of fitness; bodybuilding style training, yoga, flexibility, etc.
I’m currently just begininng my second wave programming with my new coach. Where powerlifting brought me strength, bodybuilding has begun to bring me more confidence in how I look. I’m already seeing changes in my body composition; much like I had powerlifting beginner gains, I’m getting some bodybuilder beginner gains and they feel good when I look in the mirror.
I refuse to give up on strength completely. I was told, “if you get bigger, you’re going to get stronger, but if you get stronger you don’t always get bigger” which seems contradictory yet also makes sense.
More than anything, this represented an opportunity to explore a new area of fitness I hadn’t been exposed to in the past, and I also found that exciting.
I’m still doing things like deadlifting, squatting, bench pressing, and overhead presses. I am doing them differently; higher reps, lower weights, building strength but also endurance in the body.
I’ve committed to myself that 2018 will be the year I move down the path to the body I’ve always wanted. I know what I need to do. I know what diet I need. I’ve hired someone to help me along the way. All I need to do is implement, stay consistent, work hard, and I know I will succeed.
It’s time for me to move my body to the next level.
