[John M Berardi]

The Grand Prize Winners
Well everyone, it’s time for the moment of truth.

That’s right; after a few weeks of deliberation, we’ve finally done the deed and chosen our PN Hot Body Contest winners!

I know, I know - it’s been an agonizing few weeks. Both for you and for us. After all, your entries were so excellent that we had a heck of a time narrowing it down to the six best contestants, let alone the two best contestants.

However, after much discussion and some tough decisions, we’ve finally selected our winners.

Drumroll, please…

And the winners of this year’s female and male hot body divisions are…

2007 FEMALE HOT BODY WINNER
Contestant #6
Alena Schurkova of New Plymouth, New Zealand


2007 MALE HOT BODY WINNER
Contestant #2
Clayton Hyght of Danville, California

In the end, I'd like to reiterate that while Alena and Clay were selected as the grand prize winners, we believe that every single contestant is a champion in his or her own right.

Their commitment to live a healthy, happy, and fit Precision Nutrition style life is an inspiration to the PN community and the fitness community at large.

So stay tuned for interviews with and articles by our top 16 PN finalists. They've got a ton of great lessons to share. Lessons that I guarantee will apply to your life as well.

Note: to check out our other 14 finalists, click here.

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About Alena
I was physical ever since my childhood and was fortunate to be brought up in health conscious family. I have athletic background with horse riding and volleyball as my main sports. My first real encounter with nutrition and health/fitness industry was in 1992 in South Africa. I had minor knee operation and was advised to rehabilitate with strength training. From the first time I touched weights I was hooked.

I would buy every available Muscle magazine on the market .I breathed and lived the lifestyle and followed the example of top athletes with their eating and training programs. For the next 10 years I studied anything about nutrition and strength training I could lay my hands on. I had no internet available at the time, so I was relying on books and magazines. I concentrated on heavy lifts with emphasis on compound exercises. Outside the gym I have done lost of cardiovascular work, sprints and plyometric work due to commitments to Indoor and the Beach Volleyball National Team. I loved physical challenges and pushing the boundaries. I just wanted to be the best I could be.

I was encouraged to enter BB competitions by PT at my gym who thought I had the potential to do well. I competed in 6 competitions in 2000/01 season winning them all. Including SA National Open title in 52-57kg category. I never realized how taxing it will be on me physically and mentally especially while being on National Team and looking after my family. After the season was over I felt like I needed more integral Body/Mind approach so I incorporated yoga/meditation into my program and minimized weight training. Not only looking healthy but feeling healthy has become my priority No 1.

I have turned to Organic Living with main emphasis on fresh produce and keeping active everyday. I started to search for like minded people who put their health first and promoted wholesome living that resulted in everyday (not only precontest) lean vibrant energetic body.

Finally I came across Dr. John Berardi’s work on T-Nation. I enjoyed his writing style with all his expertise and what he stands for. I started to follow his nutritional advice. I purchased PN in March 2007 after seeing Val Waugaman photos from Arnold.

Sorry JB all your written word was just not enough! It was this chick who flicked the switch. As they say “Picture is worth 1000 words” I was blown away by her transformation and though if PN team is responsible for that then I am in.

I can honestly say that I made wise decision and it was the best spent money ever. No need to search any longer. What I really love is that PN system emphasizes health and wellbeing. Now everything is real simple and easy, I just follow the instructions and I am set for success. Purchasing The PN system was the best “Investment” for my health I could ever make. Thank you all who put this “Magic” together.

PN has helped me simplify my life tremendously in all areas. No more guessing. All I have to do now is to follow couple of very simple rules. I used to read so much and I suffered information constipation. Now I am leaving it to JB and rest of the gang to read all that scientific Mambo Jumbo and give me only what I need to know. This has freed my time considerably and now I can focus and improve in other areas of my life.

Supplementing with 15-20 grams of Fish oil since I purchased PN has resulted in dramatic improvement in my physical wellbeing. I no longer suffer from excruciating pain in my hip joints. I am different human being. My yoga has blossomed in last couple of months.

Individualization plan and nutrient timing- My overall nutrition has been good for very long time, but rearranging what/how much and when to eat made significant difference to my physique and my mental well being. I am sleeping deeper and feel rested when I wake up. My overall energy and recovery has improved too

Lately I emphasize circuit training, supersets and mostly unilateral work with lower body. This has helped me to streamline my legs for sure.

The best decision for me was to get involved with PN community and become more active member of the forum. What a wonderful friendly spirit PN members have. I have met many amazing people and I am very greatful for that..

In the end, I am highly driven, with a positive attitude, always striving to be the best under any circumstances. I believe I can achieve anything I set my sights on. While I can be extremely hard on myself and those I care for I am compassionate and understanding.

I fled from Eastern Europe in 1989 and hid as refugee in mountains for couple of months while pregnant with my son. I came out “Victorious” from emotional and physical challenges life threw at me. 10% on challenge, 90% on solution.

I believe I have gained lots of wisdom and now it is time to pass it on to those in need. I want to reach as many people as possible and give them guidance on healthy balanced living (body/mind/spirit).

I am passionate about health/fitness industry and I am always spreading the word that healthy fully integrated lifestyle is fun and very fulfilling. Humor is spice of my life and I would love to bring more laughter into people's lives. I am busy working on my own website. I have a yoga/wellness DVD in post production, that is due to be released in February 2008.

I know that with my healthy look and bright personality I will be able to reach many people and share my balanced lifestyle with them. I believe I am mentally, physically and spiritually at the point of my life where I can make a difference and inspire/motivate others to reach for the stars.

Alena's Photos

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About Clayton
I am a natural fatty.

As a child I was a chubby; you know, husky jeans and the whole bit. And I would've died before I would've worn shorts or went shirtless. To be honest, I was very self conscious about my weight. Well, not so much my weight but my body fat.

Luckily for me, I loved playing football. My family moved and my new team had weight limits for various age groups. Embarrassingly, I was too heavy to play. In fact, I was too heavy for the next age group, too!

Determined to make weight before the season started, I followed the basic but effective nutrition advice of my coach. I did everything meticulously and it paid off. I made weight - losing almost 20 pounds. It was at that moment that I realized that I was in control of whether or not I was overweight. Screw genetics, I’m in charge now! I haven’t been overweight since.

About a year after losing that weight, I began weight-training in my basement. Seeing as how I had no idea what I was doing, I began picking the brain of anyone I could find that new how to lift weights. I also began reading everything I could get my hands on that had to do with the human body and how it worked, especially if it related to the muscular system. All the while I was confined to my one barbell, bench, and plastic weights.

When my mom asked me what I wanted for my 16th birthday it took a fraction of a second for me to say “a gym membership.” Now I could drive myself to a “real gym.”

Just after turning 19 I saw a flyer for a bodybuilding contest. Being one who loves a challenge, I decided to compete. Though the judges were not too impressed with the 156 pounds of muscle on my 5’11” frame, I was hooked! This year marks my 16th year competing. Though I’m no pro bodybuilder or ever will be, I steadily improve and love every minute of it. I have managed along the way to win a couple shows and place fairly high in some prestigious competitions.

But the trophy or title is not what it’s really about for me. Beating my previous best is what’s important to me. I am my only competition. Though I still fight genetics, the temptation of bad food, and laziness like everyone else; I know that giving in to any of these would simply be an excuse. Most importantly, I know that I am in control of my body.

I realized long ago that my passion for health and fitness is nothing unless I share it with others. For that reason I have spent a good portion of my life doing just that, and I will continue to do so. I strive to find more and better ways to be a positive influence to larger groups of people. The more people I can help the better.

For starters I think it’s of utmost importance to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. When someone says that my actions or my physique inspired them, it means the world to me. It makes all the hard work more than worthwhile.

Whether it’s through giving tips at the gym, writing articles, giving seminars, or future books, videos, or CDs that I produce; I steadily try to inspire and educate others to achieve their health and fitness potential and will continue to do so. That’s where my true talent and passion lies.

John Berardi and Precision Nutrition have influenced me in many ways. I would say that primary influence JB and PN have had on me has been in how I now separate carbohydrates and fats. Doing this has enabled me to consume more of each (and overall kcals) without gaining fat. This carb and fat separation is now the standard I use to help others as well.

Another PN influence that has also helped me and how I help others is the attention to the basics. Often times we tend to get caught up in the minutia like carb, protein, and fat ratios before giving the appropriate attention to fundamentals like meal preparation and eating whole foods. The “7 habits” was (is) a wonderfully refreshing way to help people to avoid being unable to see the forest for the trees.

I have also been inspired by JB and PN. Seeing the great work they do and how they’ve positively influenced so many people is encouraging and motivating to me – a great role model if you will.
Clayton's Photos