Check out Alex's inspirational
pictures and also the Q&A we put together on how he achieved these
results (very informative and inspirational!)
Alex Miller from the UK
Alex in 2007, before using
These pictures are of one of my favorite TruthAboutAbs
readers, Alex Miller from the UK, who has had phenomenal results and I
couldn't be more proud of him with how he has changed his life! I've
kept in communication with Alex these past couple years and have
actually become good friends with him. But he started out years ago as
one of my TruthAboutAbs customers.
What I love best about these pictures is that you can see there is at
least a 2-year period between Alex's "before" pictures and his "after"
pics. This shows the reality that changing your body doesn't happen
overnight. Sure, Alex probably could have made these changes in 4-6
months if he did everything perfect, but sometimes life gets in the way,
and his journey took longer...
TruthAboutAbs
Alex in 2009, and 2010, after applying the TAA principles
And that's why I like his story -- it's realistic for the average
person. I'm sick of scammy weight loss ads that claim you'll get a
perfect body in 15 days by taking some miracle acai berry pill... sorry,
not going to happen!
I've been so amazed by Alex's story, that I contacted him recently
because I just HAD do a Q&A with him to get you all the nitty gritty
details of how he's had such an awesome transformation.
So let's get started!
Mike: Hey Alex, I wanted to feature your story to
my readers because I think the changes you've made are really
inspirational and can help others. You've had
incredible results using
some of the principles that you learned in my Truth about Six Pack Abs
program as well as other research you've done yourself.
First of all, your before and after pictures are amazing! Congrats
on changing your life and your body so dramatically. It's obvious that
you're an action taker and that's why you got such amazing results.
Let's start by having you share some of your before and after stats
with my readers. What were your before and after bodyweight, body fat
%, etc?
Alex:
Back in 2007 (image 1) I was 14-15% body fat at least, weighing in at
197 pounds. After applying some of your techniques in your product, I
dropped to 9.4% body fat within a few months, but only got around to
taking some pictures in the summer of 2009. I lost fat faster after
changing my workouts and diet. As of late 2010, I'm under 8% body fat
and a weight of 161 pounds - that's a 36 pound loss and I still have
plenty (if not more) muscle on my frame than I used to.
If you look at my before pictures, when I looked fat and out of
shape, I was actually running and lifting weights in the gym 3-5 times
per week. Typically each session used to last about 1.5-2 hours.
I was definitely getting stronger and my distance running was
improving a lot, but I could never shift the fat from my stomach
especially, no matter how hard I tried with training and eating. I had
certainly reached a plateau and it frustrated me more than you could
imagine.
I started looking on the Internet for advice and a way
to break through this and eventually I came across Mike and his product "Truth About Abs" and that's when everything changed for me.
I changed my workouts completely and started doing his style of
intensive, interval training instead and combined this with his unusual
workout plans for weights (which are amazing by the way). I now spend a
mere 25-40 minutes per session in the gym and get at least 3-5x better
results -- hopefully my pictures prove I'm getting better results!
CLICK HERE to find out more about this program
Mike: Amazing transformation Alex! I'd also
love to hear how this transformation has changed your life. Obviously,
you went from "a little bit chubby" to ripped six pack abs. But beyond
just the obvious visual improvement in your body, how has it affected
things in your life such as:
a. your confidence
b. your health and energy
c. how other people treat you or view you (any extra attention from the ladies ?)
d. your ability to perform activities or sports ?
e. any other benefits you can think of ?
Alex:
I can't tell you how much more energy I have now compared to a few
years ago. I used to feel pretty tired, a little lazy and I generally
lacked consistent energy – plus this was during my early 20's!
Nowadays, my energy fluctuates a lot less during the days and
evenings, and this has had so many benefits for me – I'm more productive
with work, my mood is better (less highs and lows) and I generally just
feel more active!
I'm a regular gym-goer and obviously there are some days I'm just not
in the mood, but 9 times out of 10 I look forward to working out
because I know I'll get such a powerful endorphin release after my
workout as well as knowing I'm keeping the weight off. You have to try
Mike's exercises!
I'd be lying if I said attention from the ladies has gone down! It's
such a confidence booster to have the body that you've always wanted
and I'm not shy to take my top off at the beach anymore.
Before, I
looked for every excuse to keep my shirt on!
Mike: I love it! It's so powerful when you think how many aspects of your life that being fit and healthy can improve.
Next question... Please share with my readers exactly how you got
started when you first started using some of the principles that I teach
in The Truth about Six Pack Abs? For example:
- How did you change your workouts?
- How did you change your eating habits?
- How did you change your mindset?
Alex:
My workouts:
Ok, I totally changed my workouts.
You have to be willing to do this to see the results that you want -
many people (which is totally understandable) are stubborn to change
their routines because this requires you to step outside of your comfort
zone, but if you follow Mike's stuff you won't regret it.
I stopped going for long, boring jogs and runs which used to last 40-60 minutes each time.
I stopped isolating my muscle groups when lifting weights.
I started doing multi-joint exercises and high intensity workouts
which involves working your largest muscle groups as the calorie
expenditure is ridiculously higher this way. I'm typically in the gym
for 25-40 minutes MAX (vs 1.5-2 hrs previously).
Circuit training is at the core of my workouts which I generally just
make up myself (more on this further below) but they are always
intensive. That is the key. I'm burning over 600 calories easily every
workout; I can't even compare it to what I was doing before... I wasted
4-5 years doing the wrong thing!
My Eating Habits:
This was also a BIG one. Nutrition is easily 75-80% of "the game"
with weight loss because you can burn 600-800 calories in the gym, but
if you're taking in more calories per day than you're burning, you're
not going to get the fat loss results that you want.
Before I explain a little more, you have to understand that you don't
need to eat perfectly all of the time, I always have 1 day a week where
I'll go out drinking with my friends or eat some junk food. It's what
you do on the other days that gets you the results.
I eat a lot of wholesome, single ingredients foods – all kinds of
meats, fish, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs etc –simply
don't listen to people who say you have to eat tuna fish all day to
lose weight.
I eat so many different meals and food combinations it's unreal – the
options really are endless AND tasty! I love the food that I eat and I
used to eat TONS of crisps, chocolates, cakes when I was heavier.
I virtually eliminate the intake of carbohydrates in the evenings
because I know I won't burn off the energy, plus it helps stop cravings
and hunger soon after and I feel much less bloated.
I guess I'm on a "slow-carb" diet. And when I do eat carbs, I mostly
limit the grains and sugars to small quantities. Just remember that
you can get more than enough carbohydrates from veggies, fruits and
beans.
It's the little changes that make a BIG difference – for example,
when I changed what I ate for breakfast on a daily basis I lost an extra
4-5 pounds over the course of a few months. I'll eat eggs in the
morning, either with some veggies or a slice of wholemeal toast – this
is 100x better than eating sugary, ultra high carb cereals which make
you hungry only a few hours later as well as pile on the calories!
Mindset:
Well, my mindset turned into pure excitement as soon as I started
reading The Truth About Abs – I genuinely was pumped because realised I
had been doing it almost totally wrong for the past 4-5 years in the
gym, but I like to think that I've proved it's never too late to change!
My motivation sky-rocketed as I began to see myself losing pounds
quickly, as well as seeing vast improvements in my energy, general mood
and confidence.
It's hard to lose that motivation when you see results consistently,
month after month. Then, when you reach the body you've always wanted
you obviously don't want to lose it so the motivation sustains itself.
Mike: Perfect! I agree on the motivation
point... I feel that once you're in great shape, it's really hard to let
yourself slide because you don't want to give up the great feeling that
you've gained.
I also think that one of the major reasons that you got such great
results compared to many people that buy fitness or diet programs is
that you TOOK BIG TIME ACTION on the information!
One of the things I love about your transformation, Alex, is that
you've taken some of the concepts that you learned from me, and you
created your own customized workout plans, and nutrition that worked for
you. I think it's so important for people to learn how to customize
things to their own schedules and personal lives.
Can you explain how you've integrated my concepts into your own personal workouts and diet that works for you?
CLICK HERE to find out more about this program
Alex:
Sure! When I got used to your exercises and some of your workouts I
started looking up other such exercises and variations (mostly on
Youtube) so as to keep my workouts fresh and keep things interesting.
When you go to the gym 4 times per week you need to rotate what you're
doing quite a lot, otherwise you'll get bored quite quickly.
I'd find 5-10 multi-joint exercises that I liked the looks of and
then create my own circuits and workouts. I sometimes do them in a
studio or I'll go into the gym, grab a mat and work out there (you
really don't need much room at all).
I keep things very intensive, constantly rotating muscle groups and
my rest periods are literally 0-30 seconds in between exercises. So, I
might do 6 exercises in a row with little to no break – then I'll rest
for 30 seconds and do the round again. Then I'll finish with a different
3rd round of exercises (to keep it interesting and keep the body
guessing). This can be done in about 15 minutes easily.
After that I'll maybe do some dips, pull ups, leg raises (4-5
different variations), medicine ball work (6-8 exercises) and some other
killer ab stuff. The cool thing is that 90% of the exercises that I do
are at least working the abs indirectly – those, combined with the more
direct-ab exercises results in me getting a really strong core, burning
tons of calories and feeling AWESOME.
In terms of diet, once you "get it" and understand more about
nutrition and what your body needs, it's really not hard at all. I know
exactly what options to take if I'm either cooking at home or eating
out. I make sure that I treat myself regularly because I still enjoy
eating chocolate and drinking alcohol (which I do too much probably!) –
typically I'll pig out and/or drink a bunch of alcohol once per week but
for the other days I completely enjoy eating tons of meat, fish,
wholefoods, veggies, eggs and the other foods I mentioned above. I never
feel like I'm on a diet which is what many programs make you feel,
everyday.
Mike: If you had to list 2 or 3 of the biggest
changes that you made in your life that have had the most impact on your
transformation, what would they be? Were there any old destructive
habits that you had to give up?
Alex:
1. Working out intensively in the gym, training
your largest muscles and focusing on multi-joint exercises totally
transformed my body and the number of calories that I burnt. Stop doing
long, boring cardio – you won’t lose the weight that you want to.
2.
Cutting the amount of carbohydrates that I eat during the day, and
especially at night. I do NOT mean the Atkins diet, but it's simply a
matter of cutting most carbs out after 4-5PM in the day as your body
doesn't need it and will end up storing excess fat or causing cravings.
3.
I try to eat every 3 or so hours during the day, even if it's just a
little snack in between the larger meals. This helps me to stop
over-eating when it comes to lunch and dinner especially. If you just
eat 3 meals per day you'll find it very hard not to over-consume – I'm
hardly ever starving or stuffed and it's a great rule to keep to (and
very easy). Organisation is the key – making sure you have a stock of
healthy foods at home or on you when you're out and about will make a
big difference and stop you from eating the wrong foods.
Mike: Great stuff Alex! I especially like what you
said about minimizing carbohydrates. People like to argue about carbs,
but every single fitness model, bodybuilder, or athlete that I've known
that had super low body fat levels, always was very careful about their
carb intake. Bottom line... when I want to gain weight, I increase my
carbs... when I want to lose weight, I decrease my carbs and eat more
proteins, healthy fats, and lots of veggies.
Ok, last question... from what you've told me, your new body and life
is a permanent change. You're not going to "fall off the bandwagon" and
let yourself get out of shape again.
This new body and life is a new fitness lifestyle for you that is a
priority in your life. Do you have any advice for other people that
seem to always fail to make a PERMANENT change? Some people seem to go
on diet after diet only to lose weight and gain it back again. But
you've kept your transformed body for at least 2 or 3 years now, and
you're not going back. What advice do you have for people that struggle
with this?
Alex:
I touched on this further above but as soon as you start enjoying
your workouts and the food that you eat, whilst at the same time getting
unbelievable results, you simply won’t want to go back to your old
ways. Why would you?
I'm convinced you'll love these workouts, exercises and overall the
approach that Mike takes to exercise. On top of that, it's so enjoyable
to eat foods that are so healthy for you, fill you up, SO tasty and
result in a lower, daily calorie intake.
Remember that I still eat treats and things like chocolate but
honestly my cravings for these types of foods rapidly decreases when you
start eating correctly and giving what your body wants. This is because
your blood sugar levels are a lot more controlled and therefore your
cravings will reduce significantly.
Once you've got it, you won't ever want to go back.
CLICK HERE to find out to get this program for less than $5.00
CLICK HERE for more testimonials
0 comments:
Post a Comment