TRANSFORMATIONS – ANONYMOUS

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Welcome to our latest installment of Transformations! Spotlighting the many #YardHard athletes who participated in the Yard vs. The People challenge, or who otherwise wanted to share their personal fitness journeys.

Although our next feature would prefer remain anonymous, that doesn’t mean his story is any less impressive. “Mr. ______” had wanted a program to help lean down, which Ilan Cumberbirch and Sam Shaw were able to provide over several weeks training at Yard Athletics. Since that time he is down over 26lbs and close to 5% body fat – a truly remarkable showing of dedication and hard work. Our hats are off to you!

Without further adieu, Mr. ______’s Transformation…


“I’ve always enjoyed working out, but like most people my motivation can fluctuate from time to time. When I started working out with the crew at Yard Athletics it was during a period of less than normal motivation, so I was looking to “get focused” again.

I wanted help with my form on certain exercises, as well as a program that I could follow on my own when not at the Yard. After a few months of working out at the Yard I found myself getting stronger, as well as getting the motivation back to exercise. I had it in my mind that I wanted to start a cutting program, so I approached Sam & Ilan about building one for me – that’s when they told me about The Yard vs The People contest.

I was excited because I knew the contest would hold me accountable for what I was already planning to do. Ilan and Sam created a cutting program for me that I started that day. I followed the program closely and would work out 1 – 2 days a week at The Yard, getting help on my form in addition to any questions I had about the program. Coupled to that, I was often running home from work (5.5km) making for a fairly intense 2-a-day program. I also used the My Fitness Pal app to track everything I ate. I had a total calorie goal for each day as well as a macro goal for Protein, Carbs and Fat.

  BEFORE    AFTER

From my experience, I never accomplish any goal for my fitness unless I track what I eat. It helps me for a number reasons, namely that I don’t eat a lot of junk when I do this, I tend not to over eat, but most importantly it allows me to view what I eat as fuel for exercise. I work harder in the gym knowing I’ve given my body what it needs to be successful, which then becomes a positive feedback loop: I stick to my eating plan because I’ve been working hard at the gym / I want to work hard at the gym because I’ve been eating well….

By the time of the official Yard vs The People weigh-in I was already down 9 lbs. Over the course of the next two months I lost an additional 17lbs for a total of 26lbs, as well hitting 5.3% body fat. The experience was great, and now that the contest is over they have me started on a strength program where I’ve been slowly adding more calories back into my diet. I’m the most motivated I’ve been in a long time, and am very pleased with the results. The crew at the Yard made it easy for me to accomplish this, and I couldn’t be happier with everything!

Mr. ___________ ”

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