What you are about to read is a story of personal transformation. It is
a testimony of how fitness extends beyond appearances and is capable of
transforming character at a profoundly personal level. To forge a piece
of flesh into a finely honed work of art requires discipline that not
only reshapes the body, but transforms the spirit.
Aaron Clary -
My transformation:
As a child, I came from a world of divorce, drug addiction, abuse and
instability, so it was always in the cards that I followed suit and
acted out the horrors that my parents had taught me. By the age of
twelve, I had already been convicted of assault, two M.I.P.S charges,
and one possession of over an ounce with intent to sell. By the age of
fourteen, I added two more possession with intent to sell charges,
fifteen counts of vandalism for writing graffiti, five breaking and
entering charges, and three rehab visits. At only fourteen, I was
considered a lost cause and labeled a drug addicted, high school drop
out with no future. I was passed along from family member to
family member, all had hopes of fixing me, but like a scared dog I bit
anyone that got too close.
Through my
teenage age years I continued the same type of destructive behavior
until I had made the decision to go to the "Job Corps" at the age of 19.
While there, I discovered
bodybuilding, which taught me about
limits, and that I have none, true dedication, respect for my
body, and it gave me a constructive outlet for my endless pits of anger.
It is strange, five rehabs and an entire family could not stop me from
drinking and doing drugs, but I stopped when I found bodybuilding. It
will probably sound cheesy to some, but I am convinced that it saved my
life.
From that
point, my life changed. It was still hard as hell, but I earned a G.E.D.
and went back to school with a goal of becoming a P.E. teacher (a dream
I am still making happen), and I started bulking with hopes of one day
giving back something to a lifestyle that had given me so much. I bulked
from a lanky 175 to a bulky 230 from 19 to 24 years old.
At 230
lbs, I decided I was big enough to do my
first show "The OCB Pacific
Northwest States", in which I won first place in novice. Although, it
took a serous amount of meditation to over look my flaws and just say,
"I will not be ruled by fear. Winning and losing does not matter. This
is a life long goal and that's that."
I started
by simply cleaning up my diet (no simple sugars, condiments or bleached
flour. I added flax seed oil, and increased protein and water.) I also
added in some light cardio for the first couple of weeks (which got
increased in duration and intensity later on). I lost about ten pounds
by doing this (as I am an ectomorph). However as it got harder, and it
gets hard, I had to decrease carbs add in more cardio, and constantly
battle food cravings at night.
Having a
good support system helps with the physiological part. For me, having
the support of many good people from
Liftforlife.com made me feel
less anxious. As for getting specific about my
diet and exercise program
I do not feel like I have to because I just did what every bodybuilding
article on ever website on the internet will tell you to do. Lower
calories 500 below your maintenance levels, increase protein, increase
water, lower carbs, only eat complex carbs, add cardio in gradually etc.
I basically followed Layne Norton's "Pre contest Advice" article found
on Bodybuilding.com. word for word the last 9 weeks of my
contest diet.
I also got a lot of great advice from
Liftforlife.com.
My
workouts are pretty standard as well. I stick to the basics for the most
part: squats, dead lifts, military presses, dumbbell presses, pull-ups
and rows. I lift heavy and hard, but with controlled movements in the
6-10 rep range and let my body dictate what I will do for the day.
Usually I do 6-10 sets for the larger muscles, 6-8 sets for the smaller
muscles, four days a week, but some days I don't even count reps, and
pay no attention to weight.
If I feel
run down I do less sets. If I feel like it, I do more sets. However, I
always go
intense and give my workouts
my totally attention and best effort every second I am in the gym. I use
my past as energy to fuel my workouts. It acts as therapy for me.
I take all the hurt and anger bottled inside and destroy it with
something positive.
In
closing, I want to add that the true transformation happened internally
years before I transformed externally. To me,
bodybuilding is more than
contests or tans. It is more than filling out a shirt or looking good in
the gym. To me, bodybuilding is self-discipline. It is pushing your
self to places that you had ever dreamed imaginable. It is dedication
and respect. It is showing up every day, whether you want to or not,
and holding nothing back, day in and day out. It is spiritual, and is
everything but egocentric. To me, bodybuilding is true dedication to
self-mastery that can transform you inside and out.
