I want to start by sharing the measurable changes I have seen in this program. **I will fully admit, my nutrition followed more of an 80/20 rule than strictly following the nutrition plan.
Measurements: I lost 4 pounds and lost 2 inches on my waist. My arm measurements ended the same, but at the midway mark they had gone down and then went back up. The increase is ALL muscle. My other measurements stayed the same, but the tone that I have now tells me that I lost a lot of fat and gained muscle. Check out these pictures!
I think the next numbers show how much my strength and endurance increased.
In 60 seconds I could do...
Some of my other improvements were increasing my weights significantly in specific exercises. In the Hammer Power workout, I started using 5 lbs, 8 lbs, and 10 lbs as my light, medium and heavy weights. I finished the program using 5 lb, 10 lb, and 15 lb weights. One of the biggest improvements was my ability to do tricep bench dips. I started doing 8-9 with limited range of motion and being completely burned out. By the end I could do 10 full range with one leg lifted with ease! Then there was the dreaded balance row pistol squat from Chisel Balance. I started at 13-14 reps with several breaks and 8 lb weights and moved up to 15 reps with 15 lb weights! Similarly I started doing single leg dead lifts with 8 lbs and was able to move up to 15 lb weights by the end. I was able to move from a set of 8 lb weights for a military press to 10 lbs and up to 15 lbs for a bench press (including the one arm press in a one leg bridge from Chisel Balance).
Overall, I couldn't be happier with my results. My priorities fall in this order: faith, family, fitness. My fitness is important to me, but not more important than the other two. With that order of priorities in mind, I was able to push my body to its best level of fitness EVER! I can run and play with my kids without getting tired, I have more energy and overall feel the best I ever have. I have struggled with back pain since high school and have built my back muscles to the point that my pain has decreased to occasional soreness when working out. I think I can safely say that when I turn 30 in a month, I will be at my healthiest!
