Please visit his bodyspace. (please feel free to sign up and start your fitness journey too! IT'S FREE!)
But without further ado, here is a picture of my Husband's Body transformation.
So for those of you who don't know, he entered a 12 week (84 day) Body transformation on BodyBuilding.com, it's sponsored by musclepharm. He started on August 28, 2011 and his end date was yesterday November 20,2 011. His overall goal was to lose 20lbs and get "shredded".
I'm so proud of My Husband for not only surpassing his goal, but showing great determination and strength during this entire challenge. :) I cannot express to you all how proud I am of my Man!
The winners are chosen based on the most dramatic transformation of before and after pictures. If the above picture isn't proof enough of an amazing body transformation, then what the heck is?
He looks so amazing, and pictures really do no justice! but we are going to hope and pray that he gets this win! the winner of this body transformation contest wins 10k, a year supply of supplements, a professional photo shoot as well as other goodies! so please cross your fingers, and if you'd, visit his BodySpace and comment!
He'd like to post his final essay with pics/vids on here, once the contest has officially ended. But for now this awesome picture will do!
I've also had a few questions about now that I'm pregnant, do I feel pressured to be equally fit as my husband. I do not feel pressured as i'm freakin pregnant LOL.. no way i'd want to lose weight right now. But surely if you knew me before at my old blog (myfitbeauty.com) You'd know I Lose 21lbs after my second baby before getting preggers, and now that My Husband has finished this, I'm so much more motivated to get fit and go beyond what I was before. I am still continuing to work out and lift weights so that I can build a strong foundation for when I give birth and am ready, to give it my all :)
I have such an amazing husband and family who supports me :) so this will be no problem for me! feel free to check out my bodyspace as well (not really updating it since i'm not wanting to lose weight during my pregnancy).. but it's free! :)
UPDATED (posted his final essay from his bodyspace)
"Why I joined: I have been working out for about 5 years or so. I spent all that time building muscle and gaining weight, but never took any time losing fat. I think now is the best time than any to take things to a whole other level and live shredded.
Date Joined: 08/28/11" - Xtian
I wrote that 84 days ago before joining the Inspirational Live Shredded Body Group and Challenge. Now I'm at the end of this epic journey and I can say with confidence, that I'm living shredded. I have lost more than 20 lbs., and even dropped under 6% body fat. How I accomplished my goal? Consistency played a major role for accomplishing my goal. I have been consistent with my supplementation, training, diet, and most importantly, spent a lot of time on the Live Shredded Body group for motivation. Seeing others make tremendous progress was very empowering. I knew I wasn't alone in my journey and I was able to look to others for the needed inspiration.
Watch this video of me while I have my body fat measured!
My workout routine/schedule
The days I go to the gym may vary, as I juggle my schedule based on childcare/family time and work.
Day 1 Leg/Arms/Abdominals (Quadriceps dominant, hamstring accessory)
Day 2 Back/Shoulder or Shoulder/back
Day 4 Leg/Arms/Abdominals (Hamstring dominant, Quadriceps accessory)
Day 5 Back/Chest or Chest/back
My routine varies as I train based on how I feel on a particular day, some days I spontaneously throw in a max attempt (to gauge my strength levels), some days I throw in a huge amount of volume (to keep my body guessing). No training day is ever the same! I don't like restricting myself; I like the freedom of listening to my body! However, I do like to start off each muscle group by working my way up and increasing the weight for every set until I reach a 3-6 rep max, I try to do this for each muscle group.
Back squats, below parallel
205 lbs x 8 (working set)
255 lbs x 5 (working set)
300 lbs x 5 (working set)
315 lbs x 5 (hit my 5 rep max)
I usually try to add an additional 2-4 exercises, 3-4 sets, of 8 or more repetitions for each muscle group that I'm training on that day. What I do is all dependent on how I feel after working up to my 3-6 rep max. I also love throwing in a combination of compound and isolation movements. My favorite exercises are different variations of squats, deadlifts, lunges, dips, presses and pull ups.
See my video for samples of my exercises
My diet/supplement regimen
Muscle Pharm's Assault, Shred Matrix, Armor V + Calorie Deficit + Training + Consistency = Weight Loss!
I used a combination of Muscle Pharms Live Shredded stack (Shred Matrix, Assault, Armor V, MuscleGel Shot), calorie deficit, intense training, and consistency to lose more than 20 lbs in 12 weeks. This was my first attempt at trying to lose some serious weight and I was surprised at how simple it was with the right supplements, training, and diet! I started off by determining my calorie deficit; I came up with around 2500 calories as my range for losing 1-2 lbs a week. I used a combination of intense training, and a daily intake of 180 grams (minimum) of protein to transform my body into a shredded, muscular machine. I adjusted my Fat intake to less than 100 grams, and filled in the rest with carbs to round out my diet. My goal was to eat less than 2500 calories a day, while hitting my nutritional goals.
Here is a breakdown of my typical day Monday-Sunday.
6:30am 3 capsules Shred Matrix 30 minutes before breakfast
7:00am (meal 1) Breakfast
- 1 serving Protein shake high in carbs = calories 385, fat 9g, carbs 36g, pro 40g
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/2 cup fruit = calories 119, fat 2g, carbs 12g, pro 14g
8:00am*(Preworkout) 1 full scoop Muscle Pharm Assault = 80 calories 18 carbs
8:30am gym 1-2 hours of intense/heavy/vigorous activity
10:30am (meal 2) AM snack
- Muscle Pharm MuscleGel shot = calories 90, fat 0g, carbs 2g, pro 22g
- oatmeal cookies (1 serving = 3 cookies) = calories 110, fat 2g, carbs 21g, pro 2g
*6 capsules of Muscle Pharm Armor V Multivitamins
Beef and egg omelet and salad
- 4oz ground beef = calories 295g, fat 23g, carbs 0, pro 19g
- 2 Large eggs = calories 160, fat 9g, carbs 0, pro 15g
- 2 cups bistro salad = calories 20, fat 0g, carbs 4g, pro 1g
3:00pm (meal 4) afternoon snack
- 3 Large eggs = calories 240, fat 13g, carbs 0, pro 21g
- 2 slice wheat bread = 130, fat 1.5g, carbs 25g, pro 6.0
- 1 tbsp. mayo = calories 90, fat 10g, carbs 0, pro 0
- 3oz Romaine lettuce = calories 15, fat 0, carbs 3g, pro 1g
- 7oz salmon = calories 340, fat 22g, carbs 0g, pro 37g
- or 8oz chicken = calories 240, fat 3g, carbs 0g, pro 52g
- 2 cups bistro salad = 20, fat 0g, carbs 4g, pro 1g,
- 2 tbsps. Italian dressing = calories 80, fat 7g, carbs 4g, pro 0g
8:00pm (meal 6) night time snack
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 8 oz mixed fruit = calories 119, fat 2g, carbs 12g, pro 14g
- oatmeal cookies (1 serving = 3 cookies) = calories 110, fat 2g, carbs 21g, pro 2g
approximate total = calories 2317, fat 94g, carbs 157g, pro 194g
I don't like restricting myself to the same foods every single day, so I like to throw in a variety of foods. I'm always looking for the nutritional values when I take my family out to dinner. If I can track it, I will eat it, just as long as I don't exceed my 2500 calorie limit!
I say this to everyone, if I could do it, anyone can. My wife recently lost her job, and on top of that, we're expecting our third child. As a result, I had to work more hours to keep my family afloat. I needed to be at peace with myself, away from the heavy work week and the stressors of life, and I found that place while I transformed my body. I want to show everyone that this can be done as long as you’re dedicated and consistent. I have shown great perseverance and dedication throughout the challenge even though my preexisting injuries could’ve set me back. I have a torn shoulder labrum, and have been rehabilitating after ankle surgery a few years ago. I’ve inspired my family, friends, and colleagues to live a healthier lifestyle. My neighbors have started working out with me, I even get random people stopping me while I go about my day, asking me how did I get my physique. This challenge has not only made me stronger in the gym, but also stronger mentally. I have so much more confidence, and I'm most definitely a better person, father, and husband because of it.
I plan to keep this momentum rolling by joining a bodybuilding/fitness competition. This challenge has catapulted me into greater things. Thank you Bodybuilding.com and Muscle Pharm for this life changing experience! I want to thank my wife, for her patience, support and motivation, my girls for making daddy laugh after a long day, my brother Jay, and my friends and family for pushing me on.