Transformation of Dan Freed

BEFORE

January 2006
220 lbs
16 percent body fat
36 inch waist
17 in arms
45 in chest

AFTER

July 2006
162 lbs
4 percent body fat
30 in waist
17 in arms
44 in chest

Why You Got Started?

About 8 months ago (January of 2006) is when my transformation began. I have always been very strong, but did not realize how much fat I was actually holding until then. My friend (who is a fitness model and appeared on your website as a bodybuilder of the week, Kai Au) saw my potential then and asked me to do some test shots for a photographer. Included are my early pictures. These pictures made me realize that my look was possibly good for a football player or bouncer, but not the appearance I was looking for to be in a magazine. At this time I was about 220 pounds and over 16 percent body fat. I knew a great transformation was needed.

How You Did It?

Over the next 8 months, I performed cardio 5 days a week first thing in the morning and did my resistance training at night. Weight came off slowly but surely and surprisingly I did not lose much strength at all. My diet was very strict throughout as I aimed to burn more calories than consumed daily. A steady weight loss of around 1 to 1.5 pounds per week helped me to achieve a great level of definition and still maintain the mass I had at 220 lbs.

What Supplements Did You Take?

My diet during this time consisted of foods such as lean ground turkey, lean beef, tuna, skim milk, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, and natural peanut butter. Bodybuilding.com products like dymatize elite whey protein, higher power creatine ethyl ester, primaforce yohimbine hcl, HFS flax liquid gold,Primaforce caffeine, and higher power AAKG helped me to achieve my goal.

Give Us A Sample Week Of Your Diet

Below is what any given day during the week would have looked like in terms of diet. There was slightly any variation on my "on" days and I employed one high carbohydrate day during the week.

Sunday -Friday
9am : 2.5 mg's of Primaforce yohimbine hcl ,200 mg's of Primaforce Caffeine and one serving of HFS flax liquid gold

11 AM: 2.5 scoops of dymatize whey protein after morning cardio

1:30 PM: 10 ounces of 93 percent lean ground turkey and 1 cup of oatmeal sweetened with splenda and cinnamon

4 PM: 2.5 scoops of dymatize whey protein

6:30: PM 10 ounces of 93 percent lean ground turkey and 1 cup of cottage cheese

8 PM: 2.5 grams of Higher Power Creatine Ethyl Ester and 3 grams of Higher Power AAKG (pre-workout)


9 PM: 8 ounces of low fat yogurt, 2 scoops of dymatize elite whey and one cup of oatmeal (post-workout)

10:30 PM: 10 ounces of 93 percent lean ground turkey, 1.5 cups of skim cottage cheese, 2 cups of skim milk, and 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter

Saturday:
Repeat meals 1-6 from previous days but add .5 cups of oatmeal in meals where there was none added.

What Did A Sample Week Of Training Consist Of (exercises, reps, sets)?

Throughout all of my training, I aimed to preserve muscle so I kept my reps very low and trained heavy. The highest reps I would perform would be no lower than 6 and no higher than 15. Also, my resting time in-between sets was limited to 45 seconds or less in order to keep my heart rate elevated. Cardio was performed on an empty stomach early in the morning to burn fat. Muscle groups were given at least 5 days of rest before trained again. My night resistance training sessions lasted anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes:

Below is what typical, split-schedule workout program consisted of:

Monday:
1 hour AM cardio at 65 percent maximum heart rate (stair climber, elliptical machine, stationary bike, and slow jogging were all interchangeable exercises)

PM resistance training:
Chest: 15-20 total sets of exercises such as: Barbell and dumbbell bench press, smith machine incline presses, decline barbell and dumbbell press, cable fly's, dips, and pec-dec fly's
Triceps:8 sets total of : French presses, triceps rope pull downs, skull-crushers, triceps kickbacks, and one arm overhead triceps extensions
Abs: 4 sets (all ab exercises were performed with weight for reps of 15-20)

Tuesday:
1 hour AM cardio

PM resistance training:
Biceps and forearms: 12-15 sets of preacher curls, dumbbell hammer curls, standing one arm cable curls, incline curls, concentration curls, and forearm curls with either dumbbell or regular barbell

Wednesday:
1 hr AM cardio

PM resistance training:
Quadriceps and glutes: 8 sets total of leg press, hack and regular squats, lunges, and leg extensions
Hamstrings :4 sets total of straight leg dumbbell or regular barbell deadlifts; hamstring curls
Calves: 4 sets total of donkey calf raises, calf raises on machine, or smith machine calf raises
abs

Thursday:
1 hr Am Cardio

PM resistance training:
Lower and upper back: 14-18 sets total of wide-grip lat pull downs, straight arm pull downs, t-bar rows, one arm dumbbell rows, bent over barbell rows, reverse grip lat pull downs, and lower back extensions

Friday:
1 hour of AM cardio

PM resistance training:
shoulders and abs: 14-18 sets total of barbell or dumbbell shoulder press, frontal raises with ez curl bar or dumbbells, one arm side-lateral raises, machine side raises, bent over rear-delt dumbbells raises

Saturday :
Off

Sunday:
Repeat same workout order as above thought entire week

Suggestions For Others

Among the many things that I preach to my family and friends include:

1) Drinking Enough Water
Not only does water hydrate you but it allows for better blood transport through out the body. I suggest drinking at least one gallon a day. By drinking this much water, it also allows you to steer away from sugary drinks that provide empty calories. These drinks eventually get stored as fat!

2) Set Reasonable Goals
Constantly evaluate your physical condition and set small goals weekly. For instance, an achievable goal may be to lose a pound per week or get just one more repetition than you would normally perform on a certain exercise. What ever your goal may be, it is wise to have something you that you are working towards in order to conquer that overall dream.

3) Constantly Change Exercises or Other Stimuli
Try new exercises or ways of doing workouts when you reach a sticking point. This may mean trying lower repetitions one day and higher repetitions the next or something as small as substituting dumbbells for barbells. It is great to be consistent in your approach, but doing the same thing everyday can sometimes lead to stagnant gains physically. Also, do things to take your mind off working out when you are not in the gym. Try watching comedies, honing your skills on your favorite hobbies, or learning about other cultures. Keeping the mind active is just as important as keeping the body in excellent shape.

And finally,

4) Remain optimistic. Positive self talk may just be enough to get you through some sluggish days where cardio does not seem too appealing. You will realize that you are one of the select few that took the initiative to set a goal that many are unwilling to seek out. Your positive attitude and enthusiasm will possibly spark the interest of others to embark on your similar journey to a better existence.

I would like to acknowledge my photographer for his belief in me throughout this period. Included in some of my after pictures are some examples of his great work on www.bbpics.com. Throughout my 8 months, he worked with me and evaluated monthly pictures that I sent him. His honest critiques ultimately allowed me to achieve the contest ready shape that I showed for my photo shoot with him. For anyone who has serious goals and aspirations as a bodybuilder or fitness model, I recommend you check out www.bbpics.com.



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