Looking for an incentive to get fitter? So was Terry Turner and when he saw a fitness influencer lay down a challenge he grasped it with both hands and transformed his physique.
VITAL STATS
Before
• Age: 32
• Height: 6’0”
• Weight: 205lb
• Body fat: 17.5%
After
• Age: 33
• Weight: 169lb
• Body fat: 8%
TAKING THE CHALLENGE
One of the trainers I follow, Michael Wittig (@WittigWorks), put out a challenge to his followers to transform their bodies to the best of their abilities in just four weeks. I love a challenge, so I jumped on it. The hardest part was finding the time. We all have busy lives, but when you think about it most of us aren’t really that busy.
We’re busy watching our favorite shows or aimlessly scrolling on Instagram. Put your health first. Don’t concern yourself with what your favorite celebrity did today. Concern yourself with taking care of your body. You only get one, so take care of it.
Psychologically it was hard to be selfish. I put a lot of things on the back burner to really give this my all. I prefer to workout for two hours or more so that took a lot of time away from my family. I would work 60 hours a week and still put 10 hours or so a week in the gym. My partner at work helped a lot by volunteering for overtime, so I appreciate him. I’ve never been this dedicated to fitness and really wanted to push to see what I could achieve.
NUTRITIONAL MODIFICATIONS
The first step was to work out my macros. I used a macro calculator to figure out what I needed to eat in a day. Then, I started meal prepping on Sundays and basically ate the same things six days a week. Fortunately, I don’t really get bored with food so I don’t mind eating the same things every day. I do two high-carb days, three medium-carb days, and two low-carb days. The high-carb days help fuel big muscle group workouts and replenish muscle glucose levels. The low-carb days make my body use fat as fuel. Carb timing was something I figured out on my own last summer. I started training for a mud run, and was trying out keto at the time. I went out for a jog and the energy just wasn’t there. This was an eye-opening experience. I did some research, and learned more about carbohydrates. Now I always have carbohydrates with my breakfast every day to give me that quick burning fuel to power my workouts.
MY WORKOUT
Day 1: Legs
Superset 1a. Walking dumbbell squat: 4 x 10 reps
1b. Jump squat: 4 x 15
Superset 2a. Alternating double lunge: 3 x 8 each side
2b. Sissy squat: 3 x 10-12
Superset 3a. Lying dumbbell curl: 4 x 15
3b. Lying hip raise: 4 x 20
Superset 4a. 3-position standing dumbbell calf raises: 4 x 30
4b. Calf jumps: 4 sets of 45 seconds
Steady state cardio:
20 minutes
Day 2: Back/biceps
Superset 1a. Banded dumbbell bent over row: 4 sets of 15 reps
1b. Banded dumbbell pull-overs: 4 x 20
Superset 2a. Banded behind the neck wide pull: 3 x 20
2b. Banded overhead curl: 3 x 15
Superset 3a. Banded snow angel: 3 x 15
3b. Banded dumbbell behind the back curl: 3 x 15
4. Banded lying curl: 2 x 15
5. Banded dumbbell crunch: 4 x 25
6. Dumbbell tuck: 4 x 15
HIIT cardio day: 7 rounds of 30 secs on/30 secs rest
Day 3: Chest/triceps/shoulders
Superset 1a. Banded seated low cross over: 4 sets of 20 reps
1b. Crawling Spiderman push-up: 4 x 16
Superset 2a. Banded dumbbell incline press: 3 x 15
2b. Dumbbell Svend press: 3 x 15
Superset 3a. Shift lateral raises: 4 x 15
3b. Banded dumbbell Scott presses: 4 x 15
Superset 4a. Banded dual dumbbell overhead extensions: 4 x 15
4b. Banded dumbbell kickbacks: 4 x 15
Steady state cardio: 20 minutes
Day 4: Legs
Superset 1a. Dumbbell leg extensions: 4 sets of 20 reps
1b. Banded dumbbell squat: 4 x 15
Superset 2a. Uni-lateral split squat: 3 x 12 each side
2b. Uni-lateral split lunge: 3 x 10 each side
Superset 3a. Banded stiff leg deadlift: 4 x 20
3b. Bent over calf raises: 4 x 20
Superset 4a. Lying banded leg curls: 4 x 20
4b. Banded dumbbell staggered calf raises: 4 x 30
HIIT cardio day: 7 rounds of 30 secs on/30 secs rest
Day 5: Full upper body
Superset 1a. Banded side chest presses: 4 x 15 reps each side
1b. Double banded static seated row: 4 x 15
Superset 2a. Double banded dumbbell flat press: 3 x 15-20
2b. Double banded lying pull-down: 3 x 20
Superset 3a. Banded dumbbell upright row: 4 x 15
3b. Banded dumbbell bent laterals: 4 x 15
Superset 4a. Chair dips: 4 x 20
4b. Banded dumbbell reverse curls: 4 x 15
Steady state cardio: 20 minutes
Day 6: Abs
Superset 1a. Corkscrew spears: 3 sets of 15 reps
1b. Dumbbell legs-up crunch: 3 x 15
Superset 2a. Banded bicycle crunch: 3 x 15 each side alternating
2b. Dumbbell reverse crunch: 3 x 15
3. Up plank dumbbell passes: 2 sets of 90 secs
HIIT cardio: 7 rounds of 30 secs on/30 secs rest
MY DIET
Upon waking: Whey isolate
Breakfast (1 hour after waking): Oatmeal (amount depends on the day’s carb intake requirement), 2oz berries, 1 whole egg
1 hour after breakfast: Pre-workout supplement
Immediately after exercise: Post-workout supplement
1 hour after workout: lunch, which is usually just leftovers from whatever my wife made for dinner. She helps by keeping most items separated, so I can weigh out what I need for the day.
2 hours later: 1 whole egg, 4 egg whites, 4oz cucumber
3 hours later: 8oz chicken, 3oz spinach
3 hours later: 3oz tuna
Before bed: Casein protein
HELPFUL HACKS
Rethink resistance bands
One thing I always missed from going to a gym was cable exercises. Michael Wittig helped me see the potential I had in my basement to use resistance bands to perform those exercises at home. Michael’s Dumbbell Devastator program really opened up possibilities with resistance bands and modified exercises.
Set a routine
By getting my body into a routine, I was able to stay consistent. I went to bed at the same time, woke up at the same time, ate my meals at the same times, and worked out at the same time day in and day out.
Find the spark
I feel the competition of it is what I liked best. If you’re a competitive person, maybe find a buddy or co-worker who wants to make changes as well. Then you can feed off each other’s energy and keep one another accountable.
