8 Months and Counting

The 8 month transformation

Within just a few months, I transformed my body from 15% body fat to just fewer than 7%. Besides my discipline and intense regimen, I owe my results to the team at CampusProtein. Not only were they my main supplier of supplements and vitamins, but they were also my encouragement and gym buddies during the whole process.

 

Every few weeks I would stop by Mike Yewdell’s house and raid his room of free samples and try numerous supplements until I found something that I liked. I like to take pre workouts before every single workout. I just recently finished Animal RAGE and it was very intense. I’ve basically tried everything under the sun. From C4 to 1.M.R. I’ve tried it all.

Throughout this blog, I am going to go through each step that transformed me from nothing to something. I’m going to explain and list all the supplements and programs that I followed. It was a very busy 8 months that more than paid off.

It all started when I got back from studying abroad in Florence. I was disgusted with what and how much I ate over the course of the 6 months I was there. Now of course we did backpack and hike a lot, but it didn’t make me feel any better. I was never the health freak, gym rat that I am today, but I wasn’t fat or a bad eater, I was just not physically fit and the best eater all the time. But things were about to change for the better. I really don’t know what got into my head to make me change so drastically. I guess I was just tired of not having those “washboard” abs and that “surfer V”, (aka Sex-V) that I’ve always wanted, so I changed my diet and worked out as much as I could.

As soon as I got home, I joined a gym. I joined Equinox because that’s where my parents go and it was so close to home. I would go literally every day for about an hour. The first supplement I took was called C4 by Cellucor. It was a great product. Great to start with and really gave me intense energy to get through my entire workout. I then took an egg protein shake, by Healthy N fit. I took that for a few weeks and then quickly changed to Gold Standard Whey protein. I really felt a difference in leanness and bulk. The C4 lasted for about a month and boy was that first month filled with intense weight training and cardio workouts. I got a trainer to help me get started for the first few weeks and to show me a few new workout regimens that would help me increase my results. My trainer measured my body fat % before our first training together and I tested at 15.4% body fat, which isn’t bad but I had little to no definition in my abs and arms. Little did I know that was going to change dramatically.

Morning Supplements: Centrum (multivitamin)

Pre workout: C4

Protein: Healthy N’ Fit Egg Protein & Gold Standard Whey

Diet: For the first month or so I rarely ate carbs. I only ate carbs before or right after my workout, and id usually workout in the morning.

Tip: If you want to shed weight quickly, watch out for 3 categories:

1. Sat/trans fat
2. Sugar
3. and Carbs

         If you cut those out or watch your intake, then you’ll see drastic changes within just a few weeks.

For the next few months I started to take 1.M.R. by BPI. 1.M.R was a great pre workout! It was certainly different from C4 in the sense that it gave me more pump and helped me last longer through each workout. I could last about 1 hour to 2 hours in the gym on 1.M.R. It was really a great supplement and really helped me out through those long and intense workouts. I was still consistently using Whey protein and I was really starting to see great results. Towards the end of the summer I was really getting into a great routine.

I would wake up around 7-8am and eat egg whites with turkey bacon and 1 slice of whole wheat toast. I’d then eat a salad with some sort of protein mixed in it like grilled chicken or tuna and have a snack mid afternoon like nuts or a banana or a Cliff Bar and then I’d get home from work around 6-7pm and have my pre workout and workout til about 8-9pm and eat a protein full dinner of either chicken, fish or lean meat. I ate like that for about 6-7 months while I was in my transformation mode. I rarely allowed myself to cheat, even though it’s ok to have a cheat day once in a while. I’d treat myself to a burger or steak once or twice a month. (Tip: You need to give your body a break and spoil it for all of its hard work. The nicer you are to your body, the nicer it will be back.)

As the summer was coming to an end and I was starting to get ready to go to school, I was not letting up. I was still in the zone and was still going to the gym 5-6-7 times a week and eating healthy. I had just finished 1.M.R and switched to Amino Energy by Optimum. I didn’t really feel the affect from Amino Energy, but that’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted to take a little break from the hard core intense pre workouts and I wanted to go with something less intense and easier on the body. Amino Energy is good for someone who doesn’t want an intense workout but wants great energy and muscle recovery. It was good for the time being as I was about to leave for school. My trainer measured my body fat before I left for school in august and I was at 10.2% in only 3 ½ months of working out and dieting.

As soon as I arrived at school, nothing really changed. I quickly looked at my schedule and easily fit the gym in every morning at 10am. Classes didn’t start til 1pm everyday so I had plenty of time to get a great workout in. I wanted to take my workouts to the next level. I was seeing great results but I wanted to see better results, so I switched pre workouts to Jack3d by USPlabs. Jack3d was great! It gets a lot of mixed reviews but I didn’t have any problems with it. It gave me great energy and amazing pumps, not to mention the flavor (fruit punch) was amazing! Might as well of been homemade healthy punch.

I wanted a leaner protein so I switched to Hydro-Whey protein by Optimum. I still use this today and I love it. It so lean and enters the body so fast. I personally love to blend it with a banana and strawberry and some ice water. It’s a great meal replacement and so delicious after a tough workout!

Morning Supplements: Centrum (multivitamin), Fishoil, and Green Tea Pills

Pre workout: Jack3d

Protein: Hydro Whey

Diet: I knew that going back to school would be tough considering my weekends…with beer and liquor, so I treated those drinks as my cheat food. I tried to limit my late night eating and still obeyed by my fat/sugar/carbs diet.

Tip: Try to limit your food intake after 3am even though it’s a myth that late night food is bad for you. But if you must eat late night, try eating something healthy, like a slice of turkey or an apple or some nuts. You’ll see some major progress.

The last few months of college weren’t much different. I continued to follow my regimen and diet and saw amazing results. I went home thanksgiving break and visited my trainer. He measured my body fat % again and I was down to about 8% body fat in only 3 months. I was right on schedule with what I wanted my body to look like. I was proud to flaunt my abs on the beach in Aruba over December break and couldn’t wait to get back and continue to see results.

As soon as I got back from break, I intensified my workouts and tried new exercises and workouts. I started the Spartacus workout with my roommate Jason Belnick, and started doing yoga with my other roommate Ian Sachs. It was a great variety and really worked every muscle in my body. I fell in love with yoga and did it about 2-3 times a week for the last 3 months of school. It was a great way to increase my flexibility and balance. It was also a great core workout and increased my definition and tone in my abs.

Spring break was coming up and I wanted to maximize my results so I started to take a more intense pre workout. I started Assault by Muscle Pharm. It was absolutely amazing! I loved the tingling feeling and the way it pushed me through each and every workout. I then took a caffeine pill, Spirodex by Gaspari Nutrition, to help me get through the day and push me to work out again or run. I do a lot of cardio. I mix it up between hot yoga, spin and running. Some people may not consider hot yoga cardio, but with the amount of sweat that I accumulated per class, I’ll gladly put it in that category. I usually do cardio 2-3 times per week not counting my usual 10-15 min warm-up run before every workout. I like to get my heart rate going before every workout. It helps to burn fat and it’s easier to get into a workout with your heart rate already going.

Soon after spring break I went back home for a weekend to relax before finals and LITTLE 500! I took a trip over to Equinox and had my trainer measure my body fat % one last time before the end of the semester. I couldn’t believe it. 6.8% body fat. But he said once your under 8% it really doesn’t make a difference where you’re at because its already so low. But I was so proud of myself. I hit my goal, and that is the best feeling. My goal was to be under 7% by the end of the school year and that’s exactly where I was. My hard work and dedication paid off and I had no intention to give up. From that day on I didn’t let up one bit. I still go to the gym 5-7 times a week and still eat healthy. (with a cheat meal here and there – my body earned it!)

Morning Supplements: Centrum (multivitamin), Fishoil, Green Tea Pills,

Pre workout: Assault

Mid-Day Supplement: Spirodex

Protein: Hydro Whey

Before Bed Supplement (Post-Grad addition): ZMA

Diet: Nothing really changed those last few weeks of college. I just added more cardio and cut more carbs, but added a lot of lean protein and vitamins. I ate a lot of fish as well.

Tip: When going to the gym, don’t just go and do random workouts. Have a plan of attack and target 2-3 muscle groups each session. I target Arms, Back and Abs on one day and Legs, Shoulders and Core on another. This will certainly help increase your results.

Thanks for hearing my story and I hope you’ll have the same determination I did. Hard work always pays off!

I’d really like to thank my friends at Campus Protein! If it weren’t for their low prices and huge inventory, I wouldn’t be where I am today, or my wallet would be a lot smaller haha.

Thank you Mike and Rusty!

– @andrewbrauny

CP4Life! #BEST CUSTOMER!