The First Ever 12 Week Kinobody Transformation Competition – Fat Loss Results

 

First Place – Will ($1000 cash)

Will Fat Loss First Place

Stats

Country: Canada

Age: 40 years old

Height: 5’7 tall

Starting Weight: 171.5 lbs –> 156.5 lbs

Starting Waist: 34″ –> 30.5″

Biceps Measurement: 13.5″ –> 14″

Chest Measurement: 39.5″ –> 40.5″

Shoulder Measurement 44.5″ –> 45.5″

Program: Warrior Shredding Program

My Comments 

A lot of people think you can’t gain strength and muscle while shedding fat. Will did precisely just that. This was accomplished in 12 weeks (newspaper proof) following the warrior shredding program and it’s not like he’s a 20 something year old. Moreover, he ended up adding 60 lbs to his deadlift, hitting a personal record of 335 lbs. Looking at Will’s physique, his abs are threatening to pop out.

If he was to drop down another 2-3% body fat, about 4-5 lbs of fat loss, his abs would be perfectly defined. As well, he can cool down on the leg work as his legs have plenty of size. I would actually encourage him to substitute his leg training for 4-6 sets of sprints. As well, he can focus on bringing his VMO (the teardrop shaped muscle that sits above the inside of the knee). This will give his legs more proportion and a more balanced look. I cover this extensively in the sleak and powerful leg workout in Kinobody Elite for the month of May.

Will’s Essay 

The timing of the Kinobody Transformation Contest was perfect.  Shortly before the contest started I found out that I would be moving across the country to a place known to have some of the best sandy beaches in Canada.  I couldn’t think of a much better motivation to lose the fat and get into summer beach body condition than that.

I was pretty ashamed looking at the before photos. It was a cold hard reality seeing how pudgy I had gotten.

Having seen the before and after photos on kinobody.com, I was confident that following the Kinobody Warrior Shredding program would net fantastic physical results. I also picked up lots of great information from the Road To Ripped podcasts, in fact I’ve listened to every episode at least twice.

My day to day life during the 12 weeks of the contest was extremely hectic with very long and stressful work days. But I followed the nutrition and exercise regimen in the Kinobody Warrior Shredding Program as closely as I could. It’s all laid out for you, it’s simple.

It’s definitely not easy, but it’s simple and straightforward.   From looking at my after pictures, it’s obvious that I lost fat but I think I put on a small amount of muscle too.  For years I was told that it’s impossible to do both at the same time.   My strength definitely shot up too.  Over the last twelve weeks my deadlift went from 275 lbs to 335 lbs.

My advice to others: set a goal, set a deadline, get one of the Kinobody programs, follow it as written, and stick to it. Don’t look too far ahead, just focus on making today a success.

One thing I know for sure – I don’t intend to let myself get fat ever again. I’m looking forward to eating at maintenance for a short while then jumping into the Greek God Muscle Building Program to add some muscle.

Second Place – Salvador ($500 cash) 

Salvador Second Place

Stats

Country: United States

Age: 25 years old

Height: 6’0 tall

Starting Weight: 207 lbs –> 184 lbs

Starting Waist: 40.25″ –> 35.25″

Biceps Measurement: 16″ –> 15.6″

Chest Measurement: 44.5″ –> 43.5″

Shoulder Measurement 51″ –> 50″

Program: Warrior Shredding Program

My Comments

Salvador started off in really rough shape with a waist measurement exceeding 40″ and in a short 12 weeks Salvador slimmed down to looking quite lean and fit. Now he still has plenty of work ahead of him, but the difference is staggering! Many people that can identify with Salvador’s before picture, would absolutely kill to look how he looks in the after picture. He looks healthy and fit and would have no problems feeling confident at the pool or beach.

This is really an amazing accomplishment. Now if Salvador wants to get to the point of turning peoples heads then he’ll need to take his waist down another 2-3″. This reflects about 10-15 lbs of fat loss. He’ll want to take this slower and give himself 3 months to drop this next 10-15 lbs of fat. This is because the leaner you are the more sensitive you are to big calorie deficits and the more susceptible you are to muscle loss.

Salvador’s Essay

There are thousands of trainers out there with their own workout plans, products and gimmicks, but everything that I found at Kinobody just made sense and was so simple and available. The calorie deficit, the different types of lifting, and the intermittent fasting work, you just have to stick with the program. That is why I joined the Kinobody Transformation Contest. I would be held accountable for 3 months – starting off 2014 with a bang, and hopefully having that beach body everyone craves for once summer comes around.

I followed the warrior diet and lifting program, seeing results within 2 weeks. Lifting heavy feels good: you go in and lift more than you did last time. At first I used a modest weight to get the form right, but I increased the load pretty fast once the form was down. I had a huge sense of accomplishment leaving the gym. You develop a sense of honesty with yourself where you know you could have or should have lifted more. I would make note of these moments and push myself the next workout.

Tracking your workout is the number one tool when it comes to lifting. I feel like that’s the only way you can really progress, you need to know exactly how many reps you did of what weight, and how you feel your form was or any other notes. Having a lifting buddy also helped a lot. It made the time between sets go faster and it made me lift heavier knowing I had a spotter. I developed quite a bit of muscle, which I knew was going to help in dropping fat because I would be burning more calories just resting (I wasn’t really planning on doing much cardio…).

Being in a calorie deficit works. We’ve all heard it before, our doctors tell us, but we still don’t do it. Now with sites like Kinobody and calorie counting apps, it’s never been easier. I’m a medical student, so all I do is study, lift, eat, and sleep, which made keeping track of calories cake (easy as cake). I would have my first big meal at 2 PM right after my workout, dinner around 8 PM, two protein shakes in between and still have room for chocolate or a beer.

I found that cooking was the best way to keep track of my calories and make sure I got enough protein. I also held myself accountable for everything I ate. I didn’t have cheat days, but I knew that there were going to be some weekends where I’d drink and eat way above limit, so I’d just account for that and plan ahead. I did find that I need both the diet and the workout in order for me to stay on track. I hurt my shoulder and couldn’t lift for a couple of weeks, and found myself slipping on the diet.

It was difficult. Lifting makes me eat right because I want to repair the muscle as fast as possible, and want to “torch” the belly fat by eating at a deficit, but without lifting I found myself straying quite a bit. Currently, I’ve lost 23 pounds and am lifting more than ever. I have no plans of stopping. I’ve spread the word, and one of my buddies already lost 5 lbs. This has completely changed the way I workout, eat, look, and feel – I’m feeling good.

Third Place – Tom ($250 cash) 

Tom Fat Loss third placeStats

Country: United States

Age: 25 years old

Height: 5’10 tall

Starting Weight: 190 lbs –> 182 lbs

Starting Waist: 37″ –> 34.5″

Biceps Measurement: 14.5″ –> 14.5″

Chest Measurement: 40″ –> 40″

Shoulder Measurement 45″ –> 46.5″

Program: Warrior Shredding Program

My Comments 

Tom had an absolutely awesome transformation! In his before picture he looked like most typical nonchalant lifters at the gym. He has a little muscle with very little definition! Funny enough, Tom was absolutely serious about fitness beyond belief. He was training a couple hours each day and was also engaged in plenty of squash and a brutal low calorie diet. Yet Tom had really nothing to show for it.

Twelve weeks later, eating a lot more food and training a fraction of the time, Tom gained some serious strength, added a ton of muscle and definition to his chest, shoulders, arms and he’s slimmed down his waist very nicely! In fact, his shoulders and build are starting to resemble that of Brad Pitt in Troy. If he was to pack on some more muscle onto his chest, slim his waist down another 2″ and get a magical golden tan, he would have that Achilles look.

With a wedding coming up in October (5 months from now), this is precisely what Tom is going to do, minus the unrealistic tan! In fact, Tom was so ecstatic with the results he was getting and how much fun he was having with the training and eating that he recently hired me for personal coaching!

I’m putting him on a slow cut program to take him down to 8% body fat over these next three months while doing a form of chest specialization to add a solid layer of muscle to his chest! Normally I like to focus extensively on building the upper chest, but with Tom, we really need to emphasize a lot of flat and dip work to build the sweep under his chest.

Tom’s Essay

Hi, I’m Tom Ness and I joined the Kinobody Transformation contest to give myself the extra push to finally lean down to the physique I wanted. Before this contest, I didn’t have set plan. I would see an article in Men’s Health detailing what some actor was doing, or read about a workout online other people were doing that they seemed to be getting results from.

The workout I did before joining the transformation contest was Greg Plitt’s MFT28 program from BodyBuilding.com. Let me tell yeah… To hell with that! First of all, it’s not one, but TWO workouts every day: one in the morning and one in the evening. Each workout took about an hour and a half, so you’re looking at 3+ hours of lifting every day.

On top of that, the diet program was a smoothie-based protocol… With a chicken salad for dinner. Not substantial at all, considering how much I was lifting. After doing this for a month, I felt like I didn’t even see any major differences. I put in a LOT of work and didn’t see the results coming from it. Plus I was spending a lot on supplements (about $150 for that month), and didn’t feel like the results justified it.

It was around this time that Greg kicked off the Transformation contest. I was a big fan of his blog before this, but after reading his workout routines, I just thought it had to be harder than that. Like if I wasn’t beating myself up every day, then I wasn’t going to get results. Since I wasn’t seeing results with what I was doing, I decided to try out Greg’s Warrior Shredding Program, which I used for the contest.

This was a much different program from anything else I’ve done before, especially coming off Plitt’s program. The biggest thing is that I wasn’t working out as long. With the WSP I was in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less. More than that, I wasn’t completely drained after each workout from doing superset after superset. Instead, since I was only hitting a handful of lifts and only doing 2 sets for each, I wasn’t taxing my nervous system as extensively.

The common theme with people that follow my programs (Tom’s essay continued)

At first, I felt like I wasn’t doing enough work since I wasn’t as sore as I used to be. But then I noticed my lifts going up. I was benching more, curling more, pressing more… And my lifts went up every single week. For example, at the beginning of the contest, I could only do 2 sets of 8 pull-ups at bodyweights. Last week, I hit 5 reps with 40 pounds attached for set one and dropped down to 20 pounds for 8 reps on set two. That’s some crazy progress!

And the diet! Man, I was drinking smoothies and eating a chicken-topped salad – staying under 1,600 calories a day. Greg’s plan had me eating an extra 600 calories, but the Intermittent Fasting style protocol meant I could eat a HUGE meal with a couple smaller ones in there.

I actually prefer IF now, crazy enough. It’s SO much easier to fit that into a hectic schedule. And I never thought I’d say it, but I even struggled to finish some of the meals. On a cut. Ridiculous, right?

This contest – and Greg’s course – has really showed me that you don’t need to be in the gym for hours a day to build muscle and strength and get lean. Nor do you have to starve yourself. I eat more food now and workout less, leaving more time for life and fun. But I’m not constantly stressing out about fitness or worrying about everything I eat.

It’s really been liberating, and I’ll never go back to the “old ways”. Kinobody has become a way of life, not just a fitness program. I honestly didn’t think fitness could be this easy. I just wish more people would believe me that I started getting FASTER and BETTER results by working out less and eating more!

It’s a Wrap 

Hope you enjoyed hearing about these three winners success stories! It’s amazing what you can accomplish in three months if you dial in your training, nutrition and lifestyle habits. As you can see, there’s still areas they can improve in to maximize their aesthetics, so this is only the beginning. If you want to start getting your warrior shredding on then you’re definitely going to want to pick up the course. You can learn all about it here – warrior shredding program.

If you want me to evaluate your physique and personally coach you then you can apply for my exclusive program here – kinobody coaching. This is not something I’m planning on doing forever, so if you want to work personally with me, then I suggest getting in as soon as possible.

 

33 Comments

  1. […] Further reading: The First Ever 12 Week Kinobody Transformation Competition – Fat Loss Results […]

  2. Julian on July 7, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Will the warrior program build some upper body muscle as well?
    I am already slim but want to get cut while building muscle.

  3. Mitchell on June 8, 2014 at 1:02 am

    Hey Greg,

    I’m interested in trying out the shredded program but I have one major concern. In one month I’ll be taking part in an intensive program for school which will go from 10am to 7 (sometimes till 10 pm) for a year. I do get breaks during the day, but I’m worried about losing concentration and not being able to focus from being hungry in the morning. My main goal is to do well in school, but I would also like to fit this into my schedule too. Your advice would be much appreciated.

    Also, after I finishing dieting to achieve the body fat I desire, can I go back to a regular breakfast, lunch, dinner, while still maintaining my calories?

    Thanks,

    Mitch

    • Greg on June 8, 2014 at 4:40 pm

      You actually won’t be hungry. You’ll be hyper focused. Drink 1-2 cups of black coffee during the fast and you’ll be more productive than ever before.

  4. Mike O on May 27, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Great job to all of the finalists! Excellent progress you guys!

    I have been following the Geek God program since January and have been pleased with my muscular growth and strength gains. It’s an excellent workout and thank you Greg for your support along the way.

    My bf% is 20 and now that I have had 5 months of steady gains, I am looking to start a cut. I have been eating 250 over maintenance. Would you suggest staying on the Greek God program but transition to a 250 deficit? Or would you take a more aggressive approach and begin the Warrior Shredding program?

    The second part of this question is what bf% would I cut to before returning to my next bulk?

    • Greg on May 27, 2014 at 7:30 pm

      250 is too small of a deficit. It would take almost a year to get down to 10% body fat. I’d do the aggressive fat loss program to swiftly drop 15-20 lbs.

  5. Carlo on May 20, 2014 at 4:23 am

    After dieting, should I slowly increase calories to maintenance (reverse diet)? Or is going straight to maintenance calories alright? I’m worried about rebounding if I don’t let my body adapt.

    • Greg on May 22, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      You can go to your new maintenance. So if on the last week of dieting you lost half a pound. Then your new maintenance is about 250 calories above your diet calories. You can’t use your old maintenance after dieting.

  6. joe on May 15, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Hey Greg, how soon will you release your Superhero Program and can you use it to gear yourself towards the chris evans physique in captain america? Thank you.
    -Joe

  7. Carlo on May 14, 2014 at 10:03 am

    I’m aiming for Brad Pitt in Troy physique. Will I be muscular enough when I can Incline Bench 1.2x BW and Chinups 0.5x BW for Brad Pitt in Troy physique? What do you think is his Bodyfat? What do you think is his strong muscle groups?

    • Greg on May 18, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      I’d say he’s around 8% body fat. Maybe 9%. You’d want to get up to 1.3x incline and 0.6x chin up for 5 reps.

  8. Johnny on May 13, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Greg, I’m following Warrior Shredding program and I’ve already leaned down, but I have problems with some stubborn fat (lower abs, chest).

    Recently I’ve come across two articles that talk about hitting stubborn fat:
    1. http://www.muscleforlife.com/the-truth-about-stubborn-fat-and-how-to-get-rid-of-it/
    2. http://www.leangains.com/2010/06/intermittent-fasting-and-stubborn-body.html

    Both articles talk about fasted trainings. What’s your opinion on that? Is fasted training really that effective while losing stubborn fat? Due to my lifestyle I much prefer to workout in the evening and have a big meal around 10 pm but if fasted training is so effective I’ll give it a try.

    They also talk about supplementation. I like it to keep it as natural as I can so I only use whey protein, fish oil, caffein and sporadically multivitamins. That said, I was thinking about adding green tea extract, yohimbine seems to be something I’d prefer not to touch. Your thoughts about green tea extract and yohimbine?

    I’m pretty lean (around 10-11%) but I’ve always had troubles with stubborn fat. Thanks man!

    PS. Lean bulking: cycling weeks (3 weeks surplus, 1 week deficit) vs cycling training and rest days. What’s your preferred method now and what do you recommend your clients?

    • Greg on May 18, 2014 at 4:13 pm

      I don’t think stubborn body fat is actually much of an issue. You probably just need to reach a lighter weight. So when you lean down more, your issues with stubborn body fat will disappear. Keep those cutting macros and you will see results.

      I like different approaches to lean bulking. Another one I like is 5 consecutive high cal days and 2 low cal days on the rest days. Works well too. Go with whatever is most practical for you.

  9. Mads on May 12, 2014 at 12:20 am

    Hey Greg

    I started cutting about three months ago, which went fine until now. since a monts ago I haven’t lost any weight(nor put any on), so I thought I’d try intermittent fasting to lose the last few kilos of fat.
    My question is simply, in the morning, does drinking my coffee with milk mess up the whole point of the fast?

    • Greg on May 12, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Just limit the amount of milk you use. You don’t want to take in more than 40 calories during the fasting window.

  10. Carlo on May 11, 2014 at 10:20 am

    In the 3 Day Split in GGMBP, Can I replace Flat Bench press for Low Cable Flyes (Rest – Pause style) ? Will this affect my shoulder strength on Monday? I want my upper chest to catch up.

    • Greg on May 12, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      No, that’s not an acceptable substitution and changes the nature of the workout.

  11. Jake on May 10, 2014 at 4:16 am

    Hey Greg
    I recently bought your warrior program and I love it!!!
    How can I tweak the diet to drop fat faster? (when it comes to diet nothing bothers me) I’ll be willing to do anything just to drop fat slightly faster.
    Just wanted to say again that your program is genius!! I also have Visual Impact and I like your step by step program more! great job man! :)

    • Greg on May 10, 2014 at 4:23 pm

      You can just have the two bigger meals and ditch the smaller meals. That would kick up fat loss quite a bit. If that’s difficult, consider adding an apple or banana as a substitute for the smaller meal. You still should have in sufficient protein so it’s not a huge deal. Eventually you may want to add this meal back in.

  12. carl on May 9, 2014 at 6:29 pm

    Hey Greg,

    I’m just about to start your warrior shredding program, and I was wondering if I could implement the “abdominal vacuuming technique” that one reads about frequently on forums, etc. Is it compatible and effective, or just a load of hogwash? My greatest fear is to have that protrudent belly you see on some guys.

    Thanks.

    • Greg on May 10, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      Yeah it can help. You can practice it in the morning on an empty stomach.

      • carl on May 14, 2014 at 5:08 pm

        Is there a guide to the whole exercise that you could recommend? Also, should one be doing it every morning for 7 days per week?

        Thanks.

  13. shawn on May 8, 2014 at 3:11 am

    Hey Greg, could do the 3-day split workout from the GGMBP, but skip the second day (legs, abs) and do the first (shoulders, back, triceps) and second (chest, abs) every other day?

    • Greg on May 8, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      That won’t work as well because if your triceps are sore for the chest workout then you’ll be fucked.

      • Carlo on May 8, 2014 at 9:41 pm

        What if I’m not sore/ fatigue for the next workout?

        • Greg on May 10, 2014 at 4:17 pm

          Even still, the local nerves that fire a particular muscle group will still be recovering.

  14. Kris on May 7, 2014 at 10:01 am

    Hey Greg. Results are awsome. I am big fan of You. I have a question. You prefer low volume, low rep, heavy weigt training. This kind of training is good for strengh and building muscles, but what about overall fitness, cardiovascular condition ( do You run, ride a bike or swim??).

    If lifting 3 days a week is so god, whay professional bodybuilders and fitness models train 5-6 times a week, do high volume workouts any do a lot of cardio??

    And the last question:) If I only train in 5-10 rep range, has it a good impact for my musculare endurance ( for example, Will I be able to do 50-100 push ups or 20 pull ups if I don’t train like this – high reps???

    Thanks a lot ,

    • Greg on May 7, 2014 at 1:03 pm

      Hey man! I don’t do that much for my cardio. I know if I stay lean and strong, I can build my cardio up very quickly. I go for brisk walks on rest days and I get some cardio work from some of my lifts. I’ll also throw in a little jump rope here and there.

      And that questions is bullshit. Professional bodybuilders and fitness models are on all kinds of drugs. You can’t compare them to real natural lifters.

      Yes, if you get very strong you’ll build a shit ton of endurance. The stronger your one rep max is the more reps you can pump out of a light weight. I can do 80 push ups or so and I rarely go above 10 reps on anything.

    • Jeremy on May 7, 2014 at 8:05 pm

      You should listen to a recent podcast entitled “Athleticism and Strength Training”.

      I also think they touched on some of what you mentioned in a recent one called “Photoshoot Tactics for Maximum Definition”

      Also i’d just like to second what Greg said. Get strong and add the weight to lifts and you’ll be able to 1: do a lot with lighter weights ( i havent tried pushups, but several months ago when i hit 65 pound chinups for 5 reps, i was able to do 20 consecutive chinups )
      And 2: improve your cardio performance very quickly. That tends to come on quicker than strength, but a lot of cardio will mess up strength gains. So focus on strength and then if you want to improve your cardiovascular performance it wont be too difficult! Ive done very little cardio over the last six months but recently i wanted to start running again. So ive been doing one distance run a week. Ive been able to run an extra half mile a session, and ive been getting better time each.

      Just a bit of personal experience for you. Listen to Greg! It’ll make your fitness journey so much better.

  15. Jon on May 6, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    Out of curiosity, once you hit a certain BF level, does it make more sense to switch from the Aggressive Fat Loss to the Warrior program? Like, can that much calorie restriction be counterproductive once you’ve hit, say, 12% BF?

    I’m right around there, and I want to hit 10% or below by summer!

    Thabks for the awesome work you do, man!

    • Greg on May 7, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      Yah depends but somewhere around 10-13% body fat you’ll want to switch to the warrior shredding program. Also if you’re less than 12%, you could do the aggressive fat loss program but only for like 2-3 weeks at a time.

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