A New Lifestyle
by Karl Schlierf
Ever since I was in fifth grade I was chubby and out of shape. My junior year of high school I was in weightlifting class and would also go do cardio in the morning five days a week, I would even run after school some days. I was working out three times a day and I also started being really strict with my eating. I got defined abs but my muscle mass began to dwindle, i was probably only eating 1200 calories a day. I went from 135 pounds to 113 pounds of skin and bones. People began to comment on how skinny I was and even my teachers began to worry. I knew I needed a change!! I began seeing a nutritionist and lifted weights after school three days a week and only did cardio once a week. I ate a clean 3000 to 3500 calories a day. I went from 113 pounds up to 140 pounds while maintaing a body fat of 3.9%. After that I began to overtrain again, I would go to the gym 6 days a week and lift for three hours, on my off day I would run 8 miles. I began to hate working out and dreaded going to the gym. Since I was eating 5000 calories a day I maintained all my muscle but I was severely overtrained and mentally fatigued. I talked to my nutritionist and she told me to take a week off, so I took a week completely off and a whole month off of weights. I dropped down to 125 pounds. After my body and mind recovered I began to bulk again, I bulked for about nine months and got up to 161 pounds and 9.7% body fat. That summer I cut and went to 151 pounds and 5% body fat, I had never looked this good! That school year I continued to lift and although I lost ten pounds by the time the school year was over I was excited to get on a plan. I lifted four days a week and did cardio twice a week, I stressed less about my calories and was loving life. Six weeks later when I went to see my nutritionist although I was only 143 pounds I looked bigger then I ever and was only 3.1% body fat. I am now trying to pack on more muscle and compete in a bodybuilding show in 2011. It would be amazing to have gone from chubby to border line anorexic to a bodybuilder!! My motivation is sky high and I love the bodybuilding lifestyle! |