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Transformation of
Dan
Freed
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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