Hold The Rope! Final Countdown to AT-18

Final Countdown to AT17: “Hold the rope! -- let it burn but don't let go!"

Final Countdown to AT18: “Hold the rope! — let it burn but don’t let go!”

 

In the last remaining days of AT18 it’s imperative that you maintain your pursuit towards that “Golden” transformation.   Many will be making their final preparations this weekend or have already done so.

Contest Photo Submissions for AT18 will be due no later than Monday November 23rd at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

For many contestants, this is the first workout program that you’ve followed consistently.  Thank you for your commitment to the Adonis Golden Ratio Program and more importantly for your commitment to your own personal goals.

Here is a brief recap of some of our transformation winners from earlier this year.

AT16 TOP 3

 

Eric Weinbrenner [Eric Weinbrenner]- 1st Place

Eric Weinbrenner - AT16 1st Place Front Before/After Photos

Eric Weinbrenner – AT16 1st Place Front Before/After Photos

Renne Ramirez [_Ren_]- 2nd Place

Renne Ramirez - AT16 2nd Place Front Before/After Photos

Renne Ramirez – AT16 2nd Place Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick [tristan]- 3rd Place

 

Tristan Creswick - AT16 3rd Place Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick – AT16 3rd Place Front Before/After Photos

AT17 Finalists

Louis Martinez [biglou111]

Louis Martinez - Front Before/After Photos

Louis Martinez – Front Before/After Photos

Jacques Grobler [jacquesgrobler]

Jacques Grobler  - Front Before/After Photos

Jacques Grobler – Front Before/After Photos

Darren Edman [Dazpowder]

Darren Edman  - Front Before/After Photos

Darren Edman – Front Before/After Photos

 HOLD THE ROPE!

Every year we have transformation contests in which the Top 10 transformation contestants are recognized for their achievement in staying committed to their fitness goals.

All these contestants have one thing in common. No matter how tough it became throughout their transformation, they did one thing — they held the rope!  What is “holding the rope?” Imagine that you are hanging from the edge of a cliff with a drop of twenty thousand feet. The only thing between you and a fall to your death is a rope, with the person of your choice on the other end. That person on the other end is the AGR system which includes our awesome community members.  When the going gets tough, you can rest assured that we have the guts to pull you to safety.  Whether it be a clarification with nutrition or a mental stumbling block which is overcome by encouragement, motivation, and/or AGR coaching.   Rest assured, all you have to do is “Hold The Rope!”

You see, the person that holds the rope when the going gets tough is a winner. When you’ve had a long day at work and choose to go to the gym afterwards that is a “winning” decision.  If you are frustrated and have lost the willpower to track your calories come and visit with some of the members in the AGR community.

In a matter of speaking, they will tell you they have been where you are, just “hold the rope — let it burn but don’t let go!”

Win or lose, remember that your transformation is a personal achievement and you should be very proud of your accomplishment.

In a previous post, I discussed the Four Key Ingredient necessary in order to become “Photo-Shoot Ready” on command.

Those ingredients are:

1. Conditioning

2. Posing

3. Tanning

4. Photography/Lighting

Keeping these concepts in mind will help you capture some amazing images of your new & improved physique.

In conclusion, to all my brothers in Iron, I hope you’re enjoying living the Adonis Lifestyle and to those contestants in AT18, come November 23rd, I look forward to congratulating you on your transformation!

If you have any questions on the contest email me at:

ALLEN.E.MODEL@GMAIL.COM

Hold The Rope! Final Countdown to AT-17

Final Countdown to AT17: “Hold the rope! -- let it burn but don't let go!"

Final Countdown to AT17: “Hold the rope! — let it burn but don’t let go!”

 

In the last remaining days of AT17 it’s imperative that you maintain your pursuit towards that “Golden” transformation.   Many will be making their final preparations this weekend or have already done so.

Contest Photo Submissions for AT17 will be due no later than Monday August 3rd at midnight Eastern Standard Time.  AT17 is trending to be our largest competition to date based on the number of contest entries.

For many contestants, this is the first workout program that you’ve followed consistently.  Thank you for your commitment to the Adonis Golden Ratio Program and more importantly for your commitment to your own personal goals.

Here is a brief recap of some of our transformation winners from earlier this year.

AT16 TOP 3

 

Eric Weinbrenner [Eric Weinbrenner]- 1st Place

Eric Weinbrenner - AT16 1st Place Front Before/After Photos

Eric Weinbrenner – AT16 1st Place Front Before/After Photos

Renne Ramirez [_Ren_]- 2nd Place

Renne Ramirez - AT16 2nd Place Front Before/After Photos

Renne Ramirez – AT16 2nd Place Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick [tristan]- 3rd Place

 

Tristan Creswick - AT16 3rd Place Front Before/After Photos

Tristan Creswick – AT16 3rd Place Front Before/After Photos

 HOLD THE ROPE!

Every year we have transformation contests in which the Top 10 transformation contestants are recognized for their achievement in staying committed to their fitness goals.

All these contestants have one thing in common. No matter how tough it became throughout their transformation, they did one thing — they held the rope!  What is “holding the rope?” Imagine that you are hanging from the edge of a cliff with a drop of twenty thousand feet. The only thing between you and a fall to your death is a rope, with the person of your choice on the other end. That person on the other end is the AGR system which includes our awesome community members.  When the going gets tough, you can rest assured that we have the guts to pull you to safety.  Whether it be a clarification with nutrition or a mental stumbling block which is overcome by encouragement, motivation, and/or AGR coaching.   Rest assured, all you have to do is “Hold The Rope!”

You see, the person that holds the rope when the going gets tough is a winner. When you’ve had a long day at work and choose to go to the gym afterwards that is a “winning” decision.  If you are frustrated and have lost the willpower to track your calories come and visit with some of the members in the AGR community.

In a matter of speaking, they will tell you they have been where you are, just “hold the rope — let it burn but don’t let go!”

Win or lose, remember that your transformation is a personal achievement and you should be very proud of your accomplishment.

In a previous post, I discussed the Four Key Ingredient necessary in order to become “Photo-Shoot Ready” on command.

Those ingredients are:

1. Conditioning

2. Posing

3. Tanning

4. Photography/Lighting

Keeping these concepts in mind will help you capture some amazing images of your new & improved physique.

In conclusion, to all my brothers in Iron, I hope you’re enjoying living the Adonis Lifestyle and to those contestants in AT17, come August 3rd, I look forward to congratulating you on your transformation!

If you have any questions on the contest email me at:

ALLEN.E.MODEL@GMAIL.COM

The Proof Is In The Details: Interview w/ AT-14 Winner Brad V. [BradnMI]

Here’s your essay interview with 9th place winner  Brad V. from the 14th Adonis Golden Ratio Transformation Contest.

 

Brad V.

Brad V. 9th Place AT14 –  Front Before/After Photos

Brad’s Transformation Interview:

 

 1.  What workout or nutrition routine did you do before Adonis Golden Ratio (AGR) System? What kind of results did you get?

For most of my adult life, the sources for most of my workouts were what I obtained from various fitness magazines and/or purchase of a few exercise books over the years.  I had OK success with adding strength but no success in obtaining a well-developed physique since I generally got tired of the routine and lost interest over time.

I had pretty good luck with Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle around 2003-2004, but the real progress only happened when I was tracking my calorie intake.  However, since this was before on-line sites were available I had to use look-up calorie tables and spreadsheets, which eventually got kind of old.  I don’t recall the workout routine I was using at the time.  I was able to effectively lose weight and some fat but not to the point where I had visible abs.  I eventually got tired of the routine nature of the workout programs and lost interest so I never had success in obtaining a well-developed physique. The muscle I did develop was still covered by a layer of fat.

During the summer of 2009 after looking at vacation photos from July 2009 (see attached example), I decided to make a change and vowed to get in shape.  At that point in my life I was 55 years old, approximately 6 ft. tall and I weighed 226 pounds.  I consider this photo from July 2009 my before photo for my pre-AGR/ESE transformation.

Adonis Origins: Brad V. circa 2009

Adonis Origins: Brad V. circa 2009

So in August of 2009 I began the process of calorie restricted dieting and exercising.

At that time I had purchased Craig Ballentyne’s Turbulence Training programs and I began using these to complete my workouts at home; these were primarily a combination of body weight and dumbbell exercises.  My equipment consisted of a couple of sets of adjustable dumbbells, an incline bench, some resistance bands, and an exercise ball.  Through the fall of 2009, using TT workouts and regular dieting, I lost approximately 10 pounds.

2.  How did you find out about AGR?

I was introduced to Eat Stop Eat through the Turbulence Training website/interview that Craig had with Brad Pilon. I bought ESE (second edition) in October 2009, but I didn’t complete my first fast until November 9th,2009.  The first fast went well and I was hooked by how simple it was to “diet”.  By April of 2010 I had lost a total of approximately 50 pounds using ESE along with continued use of various TT programs.  I “enrolled” in ESE-University in January 2010, which I think may have been the first ESE-University, and I was “introduced” to John Barban and the AGR programs through that.

I purchased my first AGR program and signed up as a member of the forums (as an observer/reader, not a participant) in May 2010. However, that summer things got pretty busy (my father passed away) and my exercise habits really slipped, although I continued to fast at least a couple of times a week.  By the end of July I stopped exercising regularly and totally lost any type of an exercise routine.  As I mentioned in my AT-14 essay and discussed in answer #5 below, it really wasn’t until August of 2013 that I decided to fully commit to a transformation change.

3.  What was most appealing to you about AGR?

I’m a scientist (master’s degree in environmental health/toxicology), so I like, and really appreciate, the research based presentations / information that John and Brad present in the uncensored podcasts.  I’m a detail oriented person so the more scientific/research based information in the podcasts the better.

I like the variety and choices in the workout programs that are available in AGR.  I also appreciate the amount of information I’ve obtained from the uncensored podcasts and the forum.

I’m hooked on ESE (almost all of my fasts are dinner to dinner so it never interfered with family meals), and I love how I feel during and after a fast.  I rarely get colds or sick; I love not having to worry about dieting or thinking about eating breakfast/making a lunch to take to work.  In addition to the relatively painless process of eating less via fasting, I am fascinated by the beneficial health effects gained as a result of fasting, especially autophagy, and increased growth hormone & insulin sensitivity.  I have personally enjoyed seeing  (by charting/graphing) the tremendous improvement in my blood lipid results since I started ESE.

Brad V. 9th Place AT14 -  Back Before/After Photos

Brad V. 9th Place AT14 – Front Before/After Photos

 

4.  Were there any concepts or approaches you were skeptical about?

For my entire life I have had to “watch what I eat” . . . starting from the time I was a chubby kid.  So this spring when my waist measurements finally reached / dropped below golden and the nutrition calculator bumped up my calories above maintenance, I had a really hard time believing that I could start eating more and not gain weight/fat.  As a newly minted lean person this has been the hardest concept to accept. Trusting and following the nutrition calculator guidelines really took some getting used to.

5. When did you decide to jump on board full fledge with AGR?

As I mentioned previously, I have been hooked on fasting instead of traditional dieting since I first tried it.  However, as I mentioned in my essay, it wasn’t until I listened Brad’s 7-week experiment podcast last July/August that I decided I was going to work to reach golden in in 6 months by the time I turned 60. I generally listen to one or more of the uncensored podcasts while I’m working out, and it seems like I get something I can relate to out of every single podcast.  They are a great resource.

6.  When did you first decide to enter an Adonis Transformation (AT) contest?

I entered a couple of earlier contests but didn’t finish for one or more reasons.  During AT-13, when I started tracking my calories and macronutrients using MyFitnessPal, I found that I made really good progress.  And while I did technically finish AT-13, I wasn’t satisfied with how I looked in my photos so I didn’t submit them.

Brad V. 9th Place AT14 -  Back Before/After Photos

Brad V. 9th Place AT14 – Back Before/After Photos

7.  What was your experience going through the AT contest? Challenges that came up? Things you didn’t expect? 

I learned that the most important thing was I have to be consistent both with monitoring my calories and workouts. Since February 6th I have not missed a day of tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal and I have been kind of fanatical about working out at least 5 days a week throughout this period.  I have gotten to the point where I feel like I’m missing something if I take more than two days off in a row from a good workout.

Keeping track of calories and macronutrients on a daily basis throughout this process is a huge part of the progress I made.  By doing this each day, I have a good handle on my maintenance calories at this level of exercise.  Plus MyFitnessPal provides some pretty cool report options, for example I’ve printed example reports for April to July on one of the attachments documenting some of the records I kept.

Challenges – working through family and life changes associated with separation/divorce.

Regarding things I didn’t expect, I have to say probably the biggest thing was how cool it was to see the progress / results of my DEXA scans as a results of following the AGR nutritional and workout programs; see the actual evidence of losing fat and gaining lean mass because of the hard work and effort.

DEXA results Oct 2013 to July 31 2014 (2)-page-001-shrink

Click for Full Screen View – Summary of DEXA results Oct 2013 to July 31 2014

8.  How did people react to your transformation? Positives and negatives (if any). 

I have gotten mostly positive responses, although during earlier stages of my transformation I got a number of comments about being too thin and my family was often asked whether I was sick or had cancer.

Brad V.'s AGR Transformation

Brad V.’s AGR Transformation

9.  How do you react to the “Brand New” you? Have you noticed changes in your outlook and attitude in general?

I look and feel much younger than my actual age; I have more energy and even when people around me have or get a cold or some other illness, I rarely get sick so I know the new me is lots healthier.

I’m enjoying my new look but I am still adjusting to being so lean and having a six-pack for the first time in my life.  Seeing the muscle definition in my arms/shoulders is a real kick.

Thanks again for all the great resources and program information.

Editor’s Note:

Hey Brad,

Job well done!   Thank you for your willingness to change your habits by monitoring you calories and developing a routine of incorporating daily fasts into your lifestyle.  

It was interesting to learn  how you stumbled upon AGR via Brad Pilon and Craig Ballentyne’s programs.  I’ve done both Brad’s Anabolic Again and one of Craig’s Crazy 8’s body weight cardio circuits.  They were no joke! LOL

 Nevertheless, I hope that the DEXA information you shared during your transformation journey will help further people’s visual  conception of how the proof really is in the details!  

Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing your posts in the community.

your brother in Iron,

Finding Your Own Diet Pattern; Uncensored Podcast

CoupleDiscussingMenuIstock

Do you ever wonder why some diets work for some people?

How do you find out what eating style works for you?

Our hormones can be effected depending on our level of body fat and age.

Some of us are more susceptible to negative health effects of overeating certain types of food.

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

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…

What happens internally and externally when you diet? Uncensored Podcast

Get ready for a lot of change in your life ahead.

Get ready for a lot of change in your life ahead.

 

Do you want to know what happens in your life once you start dieting? There is a lot more going on than just eating less and losing fat.

Not only does it change your awareness of what you eat, but it changes your awareness of what others eat.

It improves your health and it will change your relationships in almost every aspect in your life.

 

  • What is a true caloric deficit?
  • At what point does your body use body fat for energy?
  • Why do we need to make different food choices when we diet?
  • What happens to awareness of cause and effect of what food does to the body?
  • What is your intent of dieting?
  • What actually happens when you actively intervene with diet?

 

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

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…

What does exercise do for us? Uncensored Podcast

What benefits do we get from exercise?

What benefits do we get from exercise?

 

What is cardio training?

What is resistance training?

What training is oxygen dependent?

What type of training causes muscle growth?

What is cross training?

What is low intensity training?

What is high intensity?

What is interval training?

What happens at the muscular level?

What makes the muscles stronger?

What about the angle of the muscle fibers?

Can you get stronger yet not bigger?

What makes the muscle get bigger?

What about capillary density?

What about the shape of the muscle?

What about the tendons, bones, and ligaments?

What is sustainable exercise?

What about stress and repair regarding adaptation?

What is over training?

What about muscle memory?

How does cardio effect health markers?

How does this effect insulin sensitivity?

How does this effect fat loss and energy usage?

Do you have to know how this all works to get benefit?

What about cumulative effects and stress?

What about consistency and transient benefits?

 

Listen to what John and Brad have to say about this topic:

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…

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