The Transformation of

Leigh Carmichael

My name is Leigh Carmichael. I am a competitive
Natural Bodybuilder, Fitness Model and fully qualified Personal Trainer. I have a Diploma in Fitness (Recreation) and I am currently studying a
Bachelor of Science, specializing in Exercise Science.

I have always been a firm believer in a fit and healthy lifestyle and it is this passion for health and fitness that dictates how I live my life.

Correct diet and training have not only transformed my physique, but have given me improved self esteem and a whole new outlook on life. It all started with a goal, which initially I thought to be unrealistic, however I stuck at it and have achieved far more than I ever set out to do.

Up until my early teens I had grown up playing club level soccer and tennis.
I enjoyed both sports, however I didn't share the passion of my peers. It was at this time, through school Cross Country and Athletics carnivals, that I realized that I was quite a competent long distance runner.

I decided to join a running squad to determine my potential. Before long, with the right training and support, I had progressed into a competitive runner and was training seven days a week, covering close to 150 kilometers a week I continued training and competing until the age of 18. During this  time I achieved State and National success, in both track and cross country events.

"I was called names such as "chicken legs" and "Mr Puniverse".

At the age of 18 I became ill with Glandular Fever. Before this I had rarely been ill and I found myself in a bad way. I spent time in hospital and was out of action for several months. On returning to my running training I found I lacked my previous ability and was told that it may not return for quite some time.

Unfortunately at this time I was facing the common body image and self esteem issues that growing teens have to deal with. It didn't help that I was 18 years old, 5'10" tall and weighed just on 50kg. So you can imagine how thin I was and my friends didn't help either. I was called names such as "chicken legs" and "Mr Puniverse". Fittingly my quote in my high school year book sarcastically read "I am fat".

In order to try and overcome my body image issues I sought the advice of doctors and nutritionists. To my surprise the same two words kept coming up "resistance training". So that is what I did, I joined a small local gym and soon realized that I was quite weak. I was unable to do a single bodyweight dip, let alone press the bar on the bench press. However I stuck at it, so much so that I chose it over returning to running.

My first two years of training showed little results, I put this down to poor diet and my lack of knowledge in relation to exercises, sets, repetitions, rest and recovery. This failed to deter me, I wanted to know how to do it right, so in 2001 I enrolled in a Diploma of Fitness (Recreation). After two years of study I had my Diploma and the knowledge to help develop my physique. I also used this knowledge to help others and that was the beginning of my personal training career.

After working as a personal trainer for a while, I desired further knowledge. In 2003 I enrolled and commenced studying a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Exercise Science (which I am currently studying). By this stage I had gained considerable results with my training and was at a body weight of 77 kilograms. During this time I had also developed a passion for Bodybuilding and had decided that one day I would love to compete.

Upon the realization that 2004 would be my last year to compete in the "Junior division", I decided to begin preparations for my first shows. The experience was amazing, I learned so many things about my training, nutrition and my body. At the shows I managed to come in great condition, however I lacked a bit of size to mix it with the bigger guys. I still achieved great results considering it was my first year of competition.

In 2005 I decided to concentrate on my future Bodybuilding aspirations. It was all about trying new things, with both my diet and training, in order to increase my lean muscle mass for the shows at the end of the year. I varied sets, repetitions, exercises and recovery. I also tried different forms of carbohydrates, proteins and fats as well as the percentages of each in my diet.

I found that for me 2 working sets of 4-6 repetitions, for 2-3 exercises worked best. My diet needed to be high in carbohydrates to compensate for my fast metabolism and a high protein content to aid in muscle growth.

All the hard work paid off in the 2005 competition season, with several top results in state and national events. I attribute these results to my increase in muscle combined with my top conditioning. In every show I
entered, where the prize was on offer, I won the best poser award.

In 2006 I took the year off in an attempt to ad some muscle mass and in 2007 I returned to the stage bigger and better than before. I now know how my body works and hope to one day use that knowledge to gain a Natural Pro
Card.

Leigh Carmichael

Leigh can be contacted through his website at http://www.leighcarmichael.com/, or at leigh@leighcarmichael.com

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