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Archives for February 2014

Hard Gainer U-Turns Onto Golden Way Drive: Interview with AT12 Winner Chad Frakes

February 24, 2014 by

Here’s your new interview with one of the winners from the 12th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Chad Frakes,  who placed  1st in our last 12-Week Transformation contest.

Chad has been following the program since about April 2013.  He  competed in both contests AT11 & AT12.  He’s a great example of someone who may need to complete two transformation contests in order to achieve their “Golden” measurements.

Chad shares with us  his “Adonis Origins” images prior to the start of contest AT11.  See below:

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes Beginning of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes Beginning of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes End of Contest AT11

Adonis Origins: Chad Frakes End of Contest AT11

 

“I have spent most of my life as a hard gainer, eating whatever I wanted. I was always motivated to train in order to put on size. But when it came to cutting the fat, I was clueless. I am truly blown away when I reflect back to the shape I was in prior to starting Adonis Golden Ratio Systems. “

– Chad Frakes, AT12 Contest Winner

 

Scroll down to read more of  Chad’s transformation journey in his own words.

But first, check out Chad’s  AT12 Pictures:

Chad Frakes - AT12 1st Place - Front Before/After Photos

Chad Frakes – AT12 1st Place – Front Before/After Photos

 

Chad Frakes - AT 12 Transformation Image

Chad Frakes – AT 12 Transformation Image

 

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Chad Frakes – AT 12 Transformation Image

 

Chad Frakes - AT12 1st Place - Side Before/After Photos

Chad Frakes – AT12 1st Place – Side Before/After Photos

 

 

Chad’s Transformation Essay:

I joined Adonis Golden Ratio in April 2013, and quickly put the AGR workouts to the test. Right away I felt great with having a laid out plan to follow, I have been working out for about 14 years. Having a detailed exercise program to follow was something new to me, I have always just done what ever exercise or muscle group I felt like doing that day, with no real plan. For the most part, I would do chest/tris, back/bis, legs/shoulders. Doing this type of routine would give me results, but never gave me a total body plan that was goal objective.

When I first started the program, Dieting was something I did not understand; I have been a hard gainer for most of my life, I was use to eating whatever and however much I wanted. Since I have gotten older and life less active that has changed for me. Once I started to gain fat I really didn’t know how to get rid of it, I just kept doing what I have done for years.

The past 12 weeks have been a great experience. There were some difficult times along the way, it is my experience that when I started AGR and only eating 1000 calories, this was easier for me then when I got leaner and was eating 2000 calories, it seems the leaner I got the more hunger there was. I encountered some resistance from friends and even my own girlfriend as I was getting leaner, they kept telling me I was getting too skinny, but I ignored them and kept on the path to  achieving the Golden ratio. I think most people are not use to seeing other people as lean as they should be really, but the stares I get in the gym told me I’m on track!

I kept things simple throughout my transformation, just followed RTD: Reverse Taper Diet, ate what I wanted within my calorie deficit, that’s it.

Thank you AGR systems, my new body has been achieved from the results of this program!

-Chad Frakes

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Chad,

Congratulations on making a successful transformation.  You stayed the course through BOTH AT11 & AT12 never losing sight of your goal.  I really enjoyed listening to your interview and the mindset you had to push pass barriers to get the results you were working for.  Your hard work has paid off and we look forward to featuring you as a “cover model” on some our upcoming workout programs.   Your “U-Turn” onto the Golden Way has been a tremendous success! Keep up the great work and we expect to see and hear more from you along your fitness journey.

your brother in Iron,

Allen Elliott | Adonis Golden Ratio Ambassador

 

Chad’s Transformation Interview:

To listen to Chad’s transformation podcast interview click below:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Filed Under: body image, Contest, Sage Advice, Transformation Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach vs. Reverse Taper Dieting

February 20, 2014 by

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach vs. Reverse Taper Dieting

Whether you Forward Taper or Reverse Taper to achieve your final look. Rest assured there's some hard work and effort involved.

Whether you Forward Taper or Reverse Taper to achieve your final look. Rest assured there’s some disciplinek and effort involved. Are you working SMARTER or HARDER?

Today’s podcast with John Barban and Brad Pilon compares the two dieting styles of traditional bodybuilding’s  “Forward Tapering” to the Adonis approach of “Reverse tapering.”  The key discussion points of the podcast were provided via a research paper studying natural bodybuilders preparing for an upcoming competition. Other items of interest that were measured caloric intake, exercise time, body fat levels, hormonal levels, etc.

The data from the research paper on the bodybuilders was fairly comparable to the data submitted by our prior Adonis Transformation Winners.

 

Traditional Bodybuilding Approach

“Forward Tapering”  is when you begin dieting at a HIGHER calorie level and continually DECREASE your calorie intake as you get leaner.

This is the traditional bodybuilding approach to preparing for competitions.  Most contest prep plans span between 12-20 weeks.  The goal is for the bodybuilder or competitor to “peak” or look their very best on the day of the show.  There are several tricks a person can perform to hit their “peak” or final look.  It normally begins with drastically cutting calories and increasing their cardio to resulting in depleted glycogen and fat levels.  More advanced preps might include sodium loading/depletion, water and/or carbohydrate cycling.

However most of these efforts are short-lived and hard to maintain because the effort it took to achieve that look is not easily sustained.  Unfortuately, if a competitor does not have a post-contest gameplan they are at risk of  the dreaded “post-contest rebound.”  Some have even ended up looking worse than before they started their prep.

 

Reverse Taper Dieting

“Reverse Tapering”  is the OPPOSITE,  you begin dieting at a LOWER calorie level and continually INCREASE your calorie intake as you get leaner.

 This Adonis Lifestyle approach is SIMPLE, but it’s not EASY.  It requires discipline upfront, when there is no deadline looming in front of you.  Your hard work is done in the begining and provides more room for you to make adjustments as you progress in your transformation.  The Reverse Taper  approach also focuses more on  calorie deficit through eating LESS food as opposed to eating MORE food and doing MORE exercise.

 

It’s Not a Competition, It’s a Lifestyle

Most people who would be opposed to this approach simply have to win the “mental” battle in their mind to believe that this process is more efficient and sustainable.  If they trust the process they can avoid the longer exercise periods needed to create a caloric deficit with the traditional bodybuilder approach. 

John and Brad truly deliver in this podcast, discussing the in’s and out’s of the “Fitness Competitor” lifestyle.  In conclusion, both of these approaches have proven results.  But the question you must ask yourself, are you working SMARTER or HARDER towards the pursuit of you fitness goals?

 IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

(If you are using Adonis Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

Not an Adonis Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: body image, diet, exercise, health, Model, Muscle Building, Sage Advice, Shape, Transformation, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight Training, Workout Design Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

If You Want to Change Your Shape, You Need to Change Your Life: Uncensored Podcast

February 5, 2014 by

 Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 3.

 If You Want to Change Your Shape, You Need to Change Your Life

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Any time is a good time to start your fitness goals, but the New Year is a common time to start. The most important thing is that you are making a LONG TERM lifestyle change. If you are going to make this step, it’s going to take a shift in the way you live your life.

 

Welcome to February 2014!  The crowded gyms filled with New Year’s Resolutioner’s are beginning to dwindle down in occupancy.  Hopefully, with the help of the Adonis Community you will remain motivated and steadfast in the pursuit of your goals.   Any time is a good time to start your fitness goals, but the new year is a common time to start.

Some people show up in January hoping it will all be done in February, but it just does not work that way does it?  The problem with this mentality is that it is not life changing.  Real change requires you to change your habits for life.  You can’t just fix everything in one month and go back to the way you were living your life that got you overweight and out of shape in the first place.

The most important thing is that you are making a LONG TERM lifestyle change.

If you are going to make this step, it’s going to take a shift in the way you live your life.

The first 21 days are the toughest, it’s the habits you develop here that eventually become the way you live your life.  These habits over time are performed with less effort as it becomes familiar and more natural to you.

Why is exercise is important?  Not only is it healthy for you, it provides structure – like a steering wheel – it creates a mindset for changing your body.  It adds purpose to your day, giving you something to strive for. Proper exercises accompanied with good food choices adds incentive to see results quickly.

The habits of good diet and exercise build upon each other, creating a snowball effect and your progress accelerates as your quality of life increases.

DIET (two diets):  Diet from food and diet from fitness media (limit your reading of fitness media).

Be patient because it won’t happen as fast as you want it to, but patience is what will finally bring you the results.

Today John and Brad talk about the Adonis philosophy of weight loss and how to change your shape for life.

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

(If you are using Adonis Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

Not an Adonis Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

Filed Under: exercise, Fat Loss, Uncategorized, Uncensored Podcasts S03, Weight Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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