I finally talked my wife into renting a “guy” flick. She was not at all excited but could see my eyes light up when I saw King Leonidas on the front cover. I think somewhere deep down every guy would like to believe he could have been one of the 300 Spartan Warriors. With my popcorn, Dr. Pepper, and large chocolate brownie shake in hand I was ready to enjoy the epic battle. I was in awe as I watched scene after scene. These Spartans were not your typical looking body builders. They were lean, chiseled, and gave the appearance that they could conquer the world. As I watched the movie I couldn’t help but think there was a Warrior inside of me that wanted to come out. During the movie I kept looking down at my stomach of 41” and wondered how did I let myself get here and how long would it take to get back? Could I ever feel confident about myself again? It wasn’t just how I looked either, it was how I felt. I felt lazy. I felt like I had no drive to make myself feel better. I had known my health was bad for some time. The Dr. had prescribed medication for my high cholesterol, and my blood pressure was high. I was definitely too young to be feeling this old.
As soon as the movie was over I did two things. I called my younger brother Austin and asked him if I could borrow his copy of Body for Life, and I looked up everything on the internet I could find about how these 300 Spartan Warriors (actors) looked liked they walked right out of Sparta. One of the workouts these actors did was called the 300 workout. It was quite extensive to say the least. I attempted it right away. What one of the actors could do in 18 minutes would have taken me several days to accomplish. I think I almost died, and I wasn’t even 1/3 of the way through the workout. Following my near death experience I read the book Body for Life in a day. This was my answer. This is what I was looking for. The answer: 84 days. 84 days to get my life turned around. 84 days to become a Warrior. 84 days to set the direction for the rest of my life. 84 days to accomplish what most would say impossible. 84 days to be an example to my students. 84 days to show my students that when I say I am going to do something I will do it.
I put everything I had into those 84 days. I had too many reasons to succeed. I had too many goals set to give up. Body for Life gave me the direction. EAS gave me the nutrition, and my will gave me the way to succeed. The vision I had of myself while sitting on that couch came to fruition. It was 100% worth any sacrifice made in those 84 days. More importantly I have learned how to continue to set goals for myself.
Download the Success Journal’s from the website. Write down your dream list, write down your reasons, and set your goals. If I had one suggestion it would be to write everything down. Take ownership over your thoughts by writing them down. Become accountable to yourself.
There are 84 days that separate you from where you are now and where you want to be. Don’t let those 84 days pass you by. Everyone has that Warrior inside of them.
Commit!
Fully Invest Yourself!
Dream Big
and Don’t Be Afraid to Fail!
35 comments:
Being your younger brother I am happy to leave the first comment. Being close to you I know the work and effort that went into your transformation. You took no short cuts and put forth a max effort every day of your 84 days. You now are reaping the blessing of that work. Being a personal trainer I meet people all the time wanting the quickest results with the least amount of effort. You have shown that it just doesn't work like that. You have to make a decision on what you want and then go after it not allowing failure to enter the picture. Thanks for your example.
Your Bro Austin
Are you offering a summer camp?
Loved you story!
Sure, let's have a summer camp. Bring your running shoes!
What was your workout routine (weights? times per week?)
During the 12 week challenge I did the workouts the way they were set up in the Body For Life book. 3 strength training days and 3 cardio days. I tried to stay as active as I could throughout the days as well.
Thank you for your response. Your motivation and determination are very inspiring. It makes me see that I can change. Going to buy the book today. Thanks again.
Marc,
Good Luck and let me know if I can help in any way.
Thank you, I certainly will. And thanks again for your inspiration.
Great job Colby, congratulations!
I'm currently in week 8 of the contest and I use your story and pictures constantly for motivation. You made an incredible change in 12 weeks. I'm a 33 year old ex-athlete and I can relate to your story and situation and I'm striving to achieve your results. Thanks for going out of your way to help others! It makes a difference.
Brian
Thanks Brian I appreciate it.
Good luck these last four weeks. Its been over a year since I did the 12 weeks and its the best thing I ever did to get myself back.
Have a good one.
Knight
Thanks for the response (this is Brian). I won't be bugging you every day but I wanted to ask you about Betagen. I understand it is a good product and it works different for everyone, but I have 4.5 weeks to go and I'm more focused on leaning up than building muscle at this point. We have similar body types and I'm wondering if you would recommend starting the Betagen now, or if this is something I should have started using from the beginning. This product obviously worked well for you but would you recommend starting to use it this late in the game? Thanks for your opinion.
Brian, I definately wasn't concerned about building muscle either. The main reason I used the Betagen was to try to keep the muscle I started out with on me. I really just wanted to lose body fat. It is generally difficult to lose fat and gain muscle, but I thought the Betagen did a good job of helping me recover from workouts better and keeping the muscle. Even though I did gain some strength in the 12 weeks my primary goal was to get the fat off. In answer to your question I think out of all of EAS performance supplements I think Betagen is the best supplement for the price. If you have the money it would probably be worth using for the remaining 5 weeks, if money is an issue I wouldn't worry about it and just keep working hard. I would step up your cardio the last 5 weeks that is what will make the biggest difference in the end. Dont hesitate to ask any other questions if any come up.
Colby
I'll start kicking up the cardio, thanks for the reply
Thanks for the great advice (this is Brian), my girlfriend and I had our weekly weigh in today and the extra cardio the last few days made a difference! We both played sports in high school and small colleges and we are starting to look and feel like athletes again! We all know what it feels like to break through a plateau and you helped us do that, THANKS!
Hey Colby, congratulations for your success. Today, I found out the Body for life web page, and I definitely going to take the challenge, I am 37 years old, but I think it is not to late to make a change in my life. I live outside the US, but in about 3 weeks I am going to NC. So I am making plans to start ASAP. Could I bother you about some doubts about the program during my process?
I would be happy to help were I can. Just let me know.
Colby,
Congratulations on your success. I saw you in the IF newspaper, and was so happy a hometown guy won. I am an aide over at Hawthorne Elementary and am in week 4 of the BFL program. I have been focusing really hard on weight-training so far, my theory being to build muscle to protect my metabolism. I am thinking it is easier to burn off fat and muscle in the last few weeks than to try to grow muscle back. Is the cardio in the program seriously enough to lose 1% body fat per week?
Thanks, Karen
thanks dude!!!
Karen,
I think it depends how active you are during the day. If you are really active the cardio is probably enough if you are putting the right kind of effort in it. I don't think it hurts to hit the cardio everyday if you have the energy. I definately would say the 20 minute cardio session that is outlined in the book was the best way to go. I mostly did stair steps and jump rope for my cardio because I thought it was the best for me. Good luck in your challenge.
Colby, congrats on your success and being such a great role model to your students. You have so much experience to share with those who have similar aspirations.
I am starting on BFL and I wonder if you could answer a few questions for me? Did you follow the BFL strength training program exactly or did you tweak it a bit? As for the nutrition program did you count calories or use the hand and fist method suggested. Any idea how many calories you consumed and what balance of protein/Carbs/Fat? Finally did you workout in the AM on an empty stomach or some other time during the day? Thank you very much for getting me off on the right start.
Hi Colby,
Congradulations!
I do an all over body strength training program 4-5 days a week for about 45-75 minutes. Plus a cardio workout for about 20-40 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. I feel like people workout less than I do, I am constantly in the gym, and I am very active, plus an athlete but still do not get the results I would like. Any suggestions?
I would suggest that if you haven't already experimented with it that you track your food intake for a couple of weeks. You are certainly working out enough. I would have to believe that your diet is what would take you to the next level. Keep track of how many calories you are taking in and your percentage of protien, carbs, and fat. If you are a fan of full body workouts I would check out crossfit.com and try some of their workouts. There metcons are short duration, high intensity workouts. Using a competitive, high intensity, output driven workout might help. You have probably heard of Wolf's Law. Your body will adapt to the demands in which you place on it. It never hurts to change things up a little bit if you feel you are not getting the results you want. I hope this helps a little.
Colby
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Colby,
Congrats on an amazing accomplishment. I am starting day the challenge today. I have tried unsuccessfully in the past, but I am going to finish it this time. I had a few questions that I wanted to see if you could assist me with.
1 - Did you take phosphagen/betagen/creatine before or after a workout? Do you take it every day even on cardio or off days?
2 - Could you outline a typical day of eating for yourself? Did you ever have cheat meals/days?
3 - Did you set goals and if so, what were they? How frequently did you measure progress?
4 - When you were lifting, did you do enough weight that the last couple sets were impossible or did you do weights that would allow you to complete the set?
5 - Did you ever do cardio on lifting days? Before or after a lift?
6 - What sorts of things did you tell yourself to get psyched up/motivated?
Thanks. I appreciate your offer to help.
27yoBFLer
27yoBFLer,
Good luck with your challenge!
1- I took creatine before my workout, and Betagen before I went to bed. No real logic for that, that is just the way I did it.
2- Typical day of eating.
6:30 am 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 apple
9:30 am Myoplex Lite shake
12:00 pm 1 can of chicken or tuna
1 cup lowfat yogurt
12 baby carrots
3:00 pm Myoplex Lite shake
6:00 pm 1 whole wheat tortilla
8 oz grilled chicken
onions/ salsa
steamed vegetables
9:00 pm Myoplex Lite shake
If I counted the calories it was usually between 1600 and 1900 calories a day. I started to using a cheat day beginning the 4th week of the challenge. I used it on Saturday and did a cardio session at the end of the day. It made me feel better about eating what I wanted.
3- I set a number of goals including %body fat. My goal was 7%
I wanted to be able to complete the 300 workout in 25 minutes. I wanted to be able to do 25 pullups. I wanted my waist line to be 34 inches.
4- I lifted by myself so I tried to only do weights that I could do the whole set.
5- I did cardio on the nights that I felt like I had a lot of energy regardless of whether it was a lifting day or night. I tried to stay active during the day as much as possible. I looked at everything I did as burning calories.
6- I motivated myself by always keeping the vision of what I wanted to look like in my mind. I told everyone close to me what I was doing so they would know and make me feel more accountable. I have helped several friends complete the challenge and the friends that have had a good support group have done awesome. Try to find someone to do the challenge with.
I hope this helps.
Knight
Thanks Colby. That is a big help. I really appreciate your insights.
Hi Coach Knight,
I am so proud of you for accomplishing your goals!!!! I was a student of yours @ PHS and you were my favorite teacher!!! I took every class I could of yours, also I was sad you left before my senior yr. I have always liked working out, but your conditioning class was my favorite class in high school! I loved how you would be excited to create new workouts for us everyday. You pushed me, and helped me realize how hard I could push myself. My favorite class was when you made everyone run twenty, forty-yard sprints. Good Times! I also loved your anatomy and health intro. class's as well. I hope you love your new school in idaho that you teach at, and I hope that everything is going great for you and your family. I always thought that you were an amazing person and so it's no suprise that you won the competion. :)
Thank you very much! As a young teacher you always hope that the students will forgive you for your faults. Things are going very well here. Hopefully I am getting better with each school year. It is amazing how much you learn with each passing year.
Thanks, and good luck to you.
Colby, nice work man I would to get my butt in shape. So I am asking if can help me out email me at 34jhall@gmail.com or talk to me on Facebook. Thanks bro, Jason Hall
I would love to help any way I can. Let me know.
Hey Colby,
a couple months ago I sent an email to your school account I would guess you don't check that one much but it was before I found this contact. I live in IF and start the challenge Saturday. I hope I've planned enough. Thanks for sharing your story and knowledge.
d
Good Luck d, Some emails seem to get filtered through the schools system. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Knight
here is the email i sent on nov 6th
Colby,
I hope its alright that I'm contacting you here on your work/school email.
My name is Dave and I live here in Iona. I plan on doing the challenge at the first of the year, and I was wondering if you could give any specific pointers?
I'm a bigger guy than you were when you started so I will be on more of a weight loss program than you needed to be. I have a friend who completed the challenge several years ago who told me about it. I got serious about learning more about a month ago. For me it is happening now because my next birthday will be the big 4-0, and I want to be able to enjoy my kids more than I have thus far. In the last 3 months I have lost 60+ lbs. My goal, as it stands right now, is to end up weighing as much as you did when you started. I've read the book and listened to the champions book on CD and poured over the website.
Any info you are willing to share would be great, including essay pointers and any things that you learned later that you wish you learned sooner. I read at the BFL site that you used myoplex lite, any special reason you used lite instead of original? I'm not looking for a workout buddy but if you would like to 'reciprocate' some knowledge my direction I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
Dave/d
Hi Colby,
I came across your blog and I have some questions for you.
I am trying to lose weight and am very frustrated I have been eating between 1200-1400 calories a day for a two weeks. Plus I lift weights two-three times a week for thirty-five minutes, as well as do cardio four-five times a week from twenty-fourty-five minutes. And I gained a pound. I feel like my body as at a set point that it does not want to move from. I am very confused about how many calories I should be eating, some people have said that anything under 1500 calories is to low and that I am shutting down my matabolism, but I dont know how to lose weight without limiting calories. I am very worried about hurting my metabolism for the long run. Do you think that 1200 calories is too low for a 20 year old female that is 5'9, I weight 137 pounds and am trying to get down to 125 pounds. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate them! Also what do you think about eatting after 6 or 7 at night, do you think it makes you gain? Also do you think I should stop weight lifting, and do more cardio to burn fat? I dont want to lose muscle, but I feel like if I am lifting I am putting on muscle, which is weight, and thus helping "prevent" weight lose, even though I know it is not fat. If you could give me some examples of fat burning workouts that would be great! One more question should I be doing high or low weight, and reps?
Thank you
Kayli
Hey Kayli,
I hope I can help a little. I couldn't tell you if eating under 1200 calories screws up your metabolism or not but I would say it is very hard to supply your body with the nutrients you need with that little caloric intake. It is possible for you body to believe you are starving yourself and for it to store fat rather than burn it. Plus you don't want your body to become accustomed to too few calories.
If I were you I would find someone that could take your % body fat with skin calipers. It is the most accurate way to measure other than being hydorstatically weighed. Your body composition is constantly changing and I would find it hard to believe that you have not lost fat after two weeks of exercising and eating healthy. Once you know your % body fat than you can better determine how much muscle you should gain and how much fat you should lose. You definitly want and need muscle. Muscle will burn more calories than fat and it will speed up your metabolism in the long run. If I were you I would worry more about body composition than I would about weight. The scale is fine to use as a measurement as long as you use it in correlation with other measurments. Take your body measurements with a measuring tape as well. Measure the biggest part of your stomach/ waist line/ hips/ and thighs.
If I were you I would try to keep your calories between 1500 and 1700 calories a day. 3500 calories make up one pound and restricting your diet to 1200 calories a day just doesn't make sense to me. You will be better off in the long run by giving your body the energy it needs to sustain itself.
Keep your diet healthy with lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and cut out your sugars. Keep lifting weights. Try to gain as much functionaly strength as you can. Do workouts that you can measure so you know if you are improving or not. Don't be afraid to write down your workout and how you did. I am a believer in an all encomposing workout. I will do heavy and light. I will do high reps and low reps. I am a huge fan of bodyweight exercises. I try to limit my rest during my workouts so I am able to turn lifting weights into a cardio event.
In my experience most of my cravings do come at night, so in that respect I do try to control what I eat in the evening. I personally do not set a time on when I won't eat anything else. I personally don't buy the fact that you shouldn't eat anything after 6pm.
Kayli I hope I have given you something here. Don't get frustrated. You will no doubt feel better and look better if you keep working productively. Don't let the scale be the final judge in how you are feeling about yourself. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Colby
Post a Comment