Ash's final blog - post competition

It’s the day after the final photo shoot and I couldn’t be happier or more excited with my results!!! It was an early start, 4:45 to be exact. We arrived at the local tennis courts and the morning was shaping up to be a perfect day for a photo shoot. The energy amongst us boys was electric and you could tell that we had all been looking forward to this day for such a long time. We all looked great, especially thanks to our fake tans we received the night before!! Haha

Ash's application photo for the comp, Sep'11

Ash on the final day of the comp! early Jan'12

The photographer and DNA team arrived shortly after we did and Andrew got us doing some last minute training to make those muscles bulge. Five minutes for hair and make up proceeded and then it was onto business. Coincidence had it that we were having our photo shoot right where we have our Bootcamp of a morning, so the boys and girls that we train with in the early hours of the morning watched as we struck our poses! The photo shoot was so much fun. The tennis theme was a little bit of a struggle for all of us as we were quite hopeless at returning the ball over the net… haha! We all got our photos taken, and they look fabulous… clearly we are all born to be models!!

When the photo shoot had ended the three of us went and had a celebratory brunch. It was delicious, although I found out later that it went straight through Greg, as he wasn’t used to carbs!

That night I went out to dinner to celebrate with my friends, and it was amazing. They had all been so supportive throughout the entire process and I participated in my first glass of wine since the competition had started… I have to say I have lost my fondness for wine… maybe that’s a good thing if I am to keep this body I know have in this condition!! We also had pizza, which I hadn’t had in ages and it was a taste sensation!!

Today however I am straight back into training with some light cardio, a TRX class at Golds gym and a weights session with Greg after… not bad for a Saturday morning!

I am determined to continue my progress and maintain the body I now have. I have never felt better. My health and fitness has just improved so much I don’t want to go back to what I was.

I must take this opportunity to thank everyone at DNA for this opportunity of a lifetime!! I am very grateful and lucky to have been able to experience this rollercoaster ride of fitness. Special thanks to Andrew for always being there and having the answer to everyone of our questions… this is sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech! Haha

Finally this has been a wonderful experience and I wouldn’t change anything of my time in the last three months. I am actually sad that the competition has come to an end and I won’t be seeing Greg, Andre or Andrew everyday… we have become quite a tight little fitness family.

I want to wish Greg and Andre continued success in their ongoing body transformation, I know they will do superbly!!  

Oh, what the hell..

Here's a quick sneak peek of one of the boys getting some final photos taken...

Competition ends!!

Well it's done!

The final photos have been taken, and the final measurements have been tallied...

And what a massive difference in the guys!

First of all, let me be clear - this isn't a post about their results. Not yet anyway. The final pics will be revealed in their full glory in DNA magazine March edition, available mid-late Feb. So not too far away. Not to say that I won't put a few sneaky pictures up here from behind the scenes at the final photos before then ... and with Simon Le having taken the photos, they're bound to be amazing!

And yes I will do the wrap up and provide all the final measurements very soon - and they are pretty damn impressive!

No, before the final reveal, a few more of the boys' blog entries in these final stages, and from over their holidays.

Enjoy!

Ash's blog weeks 11-12

So I’ve finished up work for the year, so happy and now I am on holidays!

I am spending my entire holiday period at my parent’s house in country NSW. This would usually involve relaxing and getting my mum to wait on me hand and foot. Not to mention EAT!!! Like we all think, our mums are the best cooks in the entire world… well my mum is no exception. She is a dessert Queen. My family home is always full of delicious treats. This period would usually see myself putting on the normal 5kgs holiday weight, which every year I would spend all of January and most of February trying to work off. This year the exact opposite was to happen. I was super good and only had 2 meals off while at home in Leeton, one being Christmas lunch (without the delicious Trifle and pavlova for dessert.)

I got myself a temporary gym membership while in Leeton. This was the best thing I could have done as there isn’t much to do in a small country town so whenever I found myself getting bored I would take myself to the gym. I spent many hours at this gym for this very reason!! While in Leeton I also took up swimming. I would swim a kilometre a day. I enjoyed this immensely as I usually had the entire pool to myself. I also went on long 15km runs around the countryside. The scenery on the runs was beautiful and I found this incredibly therapeutic.

I loved my time at home as I could really focus on my training and saw real results during this period. I was so proud of myself because every day of my time away I had food temptations all around me but my will power stayed strong and I got back to Sydney feeling excited and motivated for the final week of the competition!!    

Final week!

And as this grey and rainy Monday morning dawns we're into the last stretch before the final weigh-in and photos...

How exciting! Well for me at least. Scary as hell for Greg, Ash and Andre.

I can see the vague panic in their eyes as they count down the total number of workouts and meals before the big day.

So what can one actually do in so short a period of time to be at your aesthetic best?

The answer is, of course, to do what these guys have been doing for the last 12 weeks - consistent, solid, progressive workouts; great supplementation and great eating. This was never going to be a 5-day rather than 12-week challenge for that very reason - there's not a whole lot you can do last minute to be ready if you haven't done the hard yards.

That being said, there are some slight adjustments to be made in the final days before a photo (or event):

1. Cut out all salt (sodium), sugar, white flour and alcohol. We're talking a diet high in vegetables, salads, lean meats, whole grains and good fats. Almost no processed foods.
2. Cut out any foods to which you're intolerant. These are the foods your body can still digest, but tend to irritate something in the digestive tract, or annoy the immune system. For Greg, this is dairy. Intolerance is not in itself dangerous, but you do feel better, cut bloating and look a lot better when you avoid foods you're intolerant to.
3. Drink loads of pure, filtered water. The stuff with almost no salts or minerals in it. I've recommended the boys drink Noble's Pureau water by the litre, 2-3 L each day, to help stabilise body water levels.
4. Drop the carbs up until the final day or two and depleting muscle glycogen. This can help reduce bloating, reduce excess fluids in the body and burn through some fat stores. Carbs are then re-introduced in the day before, so that the effect is a rebound swelling of the muscles when glycogen levels get fully replenished, drawing a lot more water into the muscle cell.
5. Use herbal mixes that stimulate liver, kidneys and the digestive tract. You want to have perfect digestion for these days so that nothing lingers in your intestines or causes potential bloat. Likewise, sipping dandelion and nettle teas can help tonify and stimulate the kidneys, leading to more effective body water control. 

Greg Keith - Week 11-12

Greg in the midst of wresting with a (TRX)
alligator in the wilderness (and yes that is the
name of the exercise!)

So as per what Andrew said we had a bit of a break over the Christmas period for me it was from 23 December to 2^nd January.

This involved having a nice Christmas break from the 23^rd December – 27th with my two best friends ( which I consider to be my close gay family) , my partner & step son in a house on the Hawkesbury which was only accessible by boat . Luckily I was able to convince them to have a Paleo Christmas, okay so there were a few compromises I made my traditional Potato Salad, but also came up with one using sweet potato and my own freshly made Mayonnaise.

There were a few cocktails drunk throughout the weekend with nice fresh fruit as well made but this all didn’t stop me from staying focused. Early in the morning I was up doing runs around the island - even managed to beat my record of doing squats in a minute. Each morning when the others had got up had already done my run and had a nice fresh detox drink for them each, one of them remarked how easy it was for him to get back into the gym when he came back from the holiday. I think the reason for this was all the food we had over Christmas was fresh and there was no processed food used throughout the period.

However unlike them for me and my partner it was off to Myall Lakes with the Careel sailing group. This didn’t mean training stopped: no way! One of the guys brought along a surf board which meant I was able to paddle out into the middle of the lake each morning which I loved. Heck it has reignited my passion for surfing!

Greg thought to include this photo of what I
can only assume is his zombie like trance
heading to the wilds for a surfboard swim
and TRX session at 5:30am

While up there Andrew sent a text asking if we were ready to get big in January which in return I replied was concerned as my chest had shrunk as I hadn’t been near a gym for so long. The reply back - had I been using the TRX? Hmm I needed to start using it. So every morning I was up using it, became a feature some people thought it might be some weird sex toy LOL hanging from the tree. A couple of times I woke them up in the morning with my grunting when using. It’s not as easy as using it in the gym, certainly keeps those core muscles going.

When I came back was aching for the gym and have been back into it ever since!

So over the Christmas period and New Year was it hard did I let myself go? Sure I had a few drinks and even at one stage had some chocolate cake which was awesome hadn’t had anything like this since I started. But the main thing is the whole time made sure I kept up with the cardio and ate healthy food throughout. Another thing which has happened out of this whole experience is my passion for cooking has returned.

Last night had a craving for Spaghetti Bolognese , so instead of using pasta substituted it with eggplant done julienne style, sautéed with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. Heck my stepson even liked it and asked if I could cook it again.

Yes at the moment we are on a strict diet with the lead up to the photo shoot. Okay I think I raved on enough now but as always if you want to you can keep track of me through twitter Greg491. And yes I will also be getting back into my original blog Greg mind Body soul which I created to get myself fit. In it I remember saying if I’m a fan of Kylie Minogue I need to be in shape. Bring on your 25 years concert Kylie I can now say I’m ready for it LOL!   

January get-together

Andre hard at work on the bench press

CLEAVAGE!

Aww group shot!

Week 11-12

Well just getting back into it after a little break over the new year - and with it all the normal obstacles of overeating, drinking, family, parties and recovery periods. And that's just Ash!

No I kid, from what I've heard and was kept appraised of during the last week and a half, all three boys did a great job keeping on track over the festive season. An amazing job actually, considering the usual vices and pitfalls that waylay the normal exerciser - let alone someone who has to get photos taken in the next week!

Let's start with Christmas.

Our last group meeting before the big day was spent with me pouring out pearls of wisdom about how to avoid drinking too much; how to be able to squeeze exercise in even on the biggest family and food days of the year; and how to make sure they were still sticking to their programs despite gyms being shut (and for Greg, not being near a gym for a week whilst he was up around Myall Lakes).

Pearls of wisdom, I thought, but to them it was probably more of a nag :) I mean, you can say all you like about what to eat and what not to eat during the silly season, but when your mother stands over you with peanut butter choc fudge brownies and a bucket of brandy custard; or in Ash's case had stocked out the pantry with a variety of lollies, biscuits and sweets; sometimes the familial guilt kicks in.

Whilst Ash went to his hometown for a week (complete with workouts planned for every day in the spanking new gym down there); Greg was in Myall Lakes doing TRX workouts in the trees; Andre stayed around Surry Hills like a good boy - and promptly got violently ill for a week.

Yes we all have our challenges around this time. Greg longed for a gym, which he dove back into last week with gusto to make sure he didn't lose any muscle (the guy is huge now - and no sign of the waistline he started with). Ash had to throw out half his mother's pantry every few days as it was constantly restocked with foods that would otherwise thwart his attempt at staying the lean, mean fighting machine he's become.

And Andre ... well, over the course of not being able to eat for a few days, getting hideously sunburnt, having no job or fixed address for a few weeks and no money for food anyway, there wasn't much not challenging the boy. Unfortunately that meant by the first week of January he'd lost another 3 kg, taking away a lot of his hard-earned gains from the previous weeks.

We have only a few more days of training left and let me tell you, those boys are working it hard!

Some might question the sensibility of doing this competition to include the last few weeks over Christmas and New Years. I myself have questioned this. But to be fair, this makes it about the most realistic challenge you could get. What 12 week period in anyone's life can be lived, cloistered away from any food, drink, partying or even illness?

It means the results, when they're in shortly, will be reflective of 3 guys who worked hard, had some setbacks, faced normal challenges and still managed to get as far as they could.

Well done to them all for getting from 25/12 - 5th Jan intact! Apart from Andre!