[John M Berardi]

INTRODUCING OUR MEN'S FINALISTS
by John Berardi, PhD, CSCS

As many of you already know, the PN Challenge Wrap-Up period has ended. And, after receiving a host of amazing PN Challenge stories, we're in the process of making some really tough decisions.

You see, we wanted to narrow down the applications to 8 finalists - 2 men under 40, 2 men over 40, 2 women under 40, and 2 women over 40.

However, we failed miserably.

With all the debate that's been going on around here, we ended up only getting the list down to 15 people - 4 men under 40, 6 men over 40, 3 women under 40 and 2 women over 40.

And I'm proud to introduce each of our finalists - each representing PN in a unique and motivating way.

Now - A Special Thank You
Before moving on, I want to thank each and every applicant for being part of the challenge. Every one of them truly deserves to be a PN Body Transformation Challenge winner.

And we here at PN are very proud of what each applicant has accomplished. Not only do they look good, the discipline, dedication, and commitment they've invested has led to a strong and healthy lifestyle - a PN lifestyle.

So, to all of you who've applied, thanks for being part of this event.

There Can Be Only Two
Of course, in the end, there can be only 2 grand prize winners - 1 grand champion and 1 runner up. And there can be only 1 category winner for each class. Basically, here's the prize structure:

Men Under 40 - 1 category winner
Men Over 40 - 1 category winner

Women Under 40 - 1 category winner
Women Over 40 - 1 category winner

Overall runner up - 1 winner (from any category)
Grand prize - 1 winner (from any category)

So, as of today, we need your help in choosing our winners! You see, it's your vote that'll help us select our winners.

What are the prizes, you ask?

Well, category winners walk away with a digital camera and a lifetime subscription to our Precision Nutrition Online Results Tracker!

Our overall runner up wins 3 months of pre-prepared healthy meals delivered right to their doorstep!

And our overall winner wins a year's worth of free groceries!

So, if you'd be so kind as to take a moment to vote, it'd be much appreciated by not only the PN staff but the entire PN community.

What To Do
In this post, you'll find a before and after photo of each of our male finalists - over 40 category.

And in the thread below this post, you'll find additional photos of each finalist, including their stories (trust me, you'll want to read them).

Please browse through all of their photos and read each of their stories. Then, cast your vote for the finalist that you believe will best represent PN as the PN Challenge winner.

The Male Over 40 Finalists
Ok, without further ado, it's time to look at some pics! Here are our male over 40 finalists in no particular order

Finalist #1
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 4lbs during his transformation


Finalist #2
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 28lbs during his transformation


Finalist #3
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 22lbs during his transformation


Finalist #4
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 16lbs during his transformation


Finalist #5
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 13lbs during his transformation


Finalist #6
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 14lbs during his transformation

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To learn all about how to make a remarkable transformation of your own, pick up a copy of Precision Nutrition today.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #1
Male Over 40 Category

Growing up, I was your typical academic nerdy type guy (please forgive the stereotyping). I was uncoordinated in sports and never really developed into someone who could throw, jump or run very effectively. In my mid-twenties, I discovered that I had finally caught up to what some young men can do physically at 16.

At that point, I started running mostly. For those of you who remember Ken Cooper of "Aerobics" fame, I thought that’s what you should do to be fit. So, for quite some time into my thirties, whenever I was trying to stay in shape, I ran. I never belonged to a gym, but when a Gold's Gym came to my area, I decided to join. I was in my mid-40s at the time.

As far as eating, what is "good for you" has changed so much. First, carbs were good and fat was bad, then carbs were bad and fat was good. Quite frankly, I didn't know how to eat to reach my goals.

Sometime in my forties, I discovered T-Nation and John Berardi. When Precision Nutrition was offered, I thought I'd give it a try. Immediately, what I first liked about Precision Nutrition (and what I still do), is that it makes sense and it's relatively easy to follow. At the same time I discovered that muscle is what I really wanted to gain to be fit, so I changed to a more balanced program of lifting and cardio.

Gerald Before The PN Challenge


Gerald Before The PN Challenge

My advice to others is to follow these three key elements when trying to be successful in building a good physique and stay healthy:

1. Consistency – I do best when I can keep to a schedule and know exactly what I am going to eat and do for physical activity during the day.

2. Commitment – I often have to ask myself how important getting fit and being healthy is in my life. If it’s important, then I need to eat correctly and exercise.

3. Accountability – I find I do best when I have someone to report to about how I’m doing. I use a trainer - not necessarily because I don’t know what to do - but because I have to report back to my trainer on how I’m doing, whether my week has been successful or not.

Gerald After The PN Challenge


Gerald After The PN Challenge

As a PN follower, I eat more vegetables now than I probably ever have in my life. I had one of those tests where they shine a laser into your hand to measure your anti-oxidants. As a result of my diet, I scored in the top 2% of the population for antioxidants.

Also, when I eat, I look for my proteins, my healthy fats, and my vegetables and fruits. My starchy carbohydrates are usually relegated to when I get up in the morning, if I have them. I do have carbs post workout.

Two years ago, my Doctor was suggesting statins because I had high cholesterol (over 240). Today, with proper diet and adding in fish oil, my total cholesterol is really outstanding for someone my age.

I've become a proponent of the PN way of life and I'm thankful that the PN provide a wonderful support group and base for really good information. Thanks for having a great product!

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Gerald dropped his body weight from 178lbs to 174lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 5% body fat during the challenge, with about 10lbs coming from fat. Concurrently, he gained about 6lbs of lean mass.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #2
Male Over 40 Category

I was always active as a child and an avid distance runner all thru High School. I competed in cross country and track and ran numerous road races to include 2 complete marathons. My last marathon, during my high school senior year, I finished in 2hrs51min.

After high school, I joined the Air Force. Now, we're here, 20 years later. My 20 year Air Force career consisted of mostly 3 months of lifting and running followed by 4-5 months of inactivity, and this cycle was basically what I did until June 2006 when I started reading Dr. John Berardi's articles on T-Nation.

I first purchased Dr. Berardi's Gourmet Nutrition in June 06 and this gave me access to the PN website. I tried some of the recipes but my nutritional adherence was at best maybe 50%. I was lifting more consistently and throwing in some cardio work from time to time but my nutrition consisted of coming home from work and cleaning out the cupboards of chips, crackers and other junk food and binge beer drinking on the weekends.

Mark Before The PN Challenge

Mark Before The PN Challenge

At the end of June 2007 Dr. Berardi announced the Body Transformation contest and I thought this might be just what I needed to finally get my butt in gear and stick to a program long enough to get some results. I purchased PN in July 2007 and started my transformation on 9 July.

As a long time reader of the popular muscle magazines with advertisements showing these incredible before and after photos in only 30 days, I was a bit discouraged with the snail like pace that I was dropping body fat.

Regardless, I resolved to remain compliant with the PN guidelines and let nothing pull me away from maintaining greater than 90% compliance. Although I measured every 2 weeks and the Results Tracker showed I was improving every time, the visible improvement didn’t really hit me until around the 12th week.

Mark After The PN Challenge


Mark After The PN Challenge

PN has taught me how my body reacts to various food types and I feel that one of the keys is the distinction of P+C and P+F.

By keeping fats low during higher carb intake I have been able to keep my body in the fat burning zone.

I have learned to cook better and I have no trouble going out to eat and knowing what and how much I can eat and what I need to avoid. I truly feel PN is a very doable lifestyle and the past 4 months have taught me that I can continue to follow the PN principles and continue to improve my body composition and health.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been approached by numerous coworkers inquiring what I have been doing to get so lean lately. These are the same people that joked as I ordered iced tea and chicken ceasar salad hold the dressing as they devoured slices of pizza washed down with beer. And the same folks that said “hey Mark, donuts and bagles in the breakroom” and chided me for not indulging.

From the start of the challenge I have not been shy to let all those around me know what I am doing. I didn’t look fat in my work clothes so the average person could not comprehend why I thought I needed to get leaner. I have the 7 habits in a word document so I have emailed that with an explanation and the PN website to all who expressed an interest.

Sadly, most people just don’t seem to have the fortitiude to adhere to healthy eating and exercise. I’ve heard so many excuses of why what I am doing is too difficult. I plan to continue following PN and building upon what I have gained the past 4 months and hopefully be a PN ambassador to anyone with desire to change their lives for the better.

PN has become my bible for nutrition, supplementation and exercise. PN is not just the V2 manual and recipe book but the PN website. The website is an incredible resource overflowing with a wealth of very useful information. It’s fantastic to be able to ask a question and actually receive a response from a knowledgeable and authoritative source. The website also allows those of like mind and purpose the opportunity to provide mutual support. Its one thing to put out a book, but the ability to actually communicate with the author and his team is truly what I love about PN.

If it were not for PN and all of its resources I don’t think I would have ever made my transformation. PN is what I plan to continue to adhere to from here on out. Thank you Dr. Berardi and PN Team for providing such an awesome resource.

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Mark dropped his body weight from 192lbs to 165lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 11% body fat during the challenge, with about 23lbs coming from fat and only about 4lbs coming from lean mass.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #3
Male Over 40 Category

I've always been obliged to take some pains to stay in reasonable shape, with intermittent success at it.

Lately, having passed age 40 a few years ago and having a small son who needs an example of how a man should behave, I have felt a greater impulse to stay in shape.

Also, I'm in the Air Force Reserve, and there are physical fitness standards. They're not hard, or burdensome, but you're not considered successful if you're just barely meeting the standards.

Beyond that, of course, I'm 44 years old and would like to make as much of my natural potential as I can. Though I'm not a gifted athlete nor possessed of any great genetic capability or disposition towards fitness, I can be very self-disciplined if properly motivated.

This challenge helped me to do that - not so much because of the competitive aspect, but the cooperative aspect. Those of us who fully engaged with the challenge kept logs on the PN forum and frequently offered help, suggestions, and encouragement to one another, along with the public accountability that entails.

Mitchell's Before And After Pics

I went from doughy to fit by applying the PN methodology to what I ate and how I exercised.

For me, Precision Nutrition is a scientific approach to body composition management. In science you make measurements and adjustments based on your results. That's worked very well for me.

The opportunity for self-deceit is minimal. I earned it, but PN gave me the framework I needed for getting to where I am now. I did 56 full-body weightlifting workouts and ran 500 miles during the sixteen weeks, along with 93 percent adherence to the diet program. The results speak for themselves.

Mitchell's Before and After Pics

For me, the biggest change in how and what I eat and exercise is the coupling of the two in the Post Workout Meal. Many of the foods I enjoy the most are only available post-workout. This keeps me honest. I have to pay attention to what I eat, and I have to earn my occasional indulgences. Cheat meals need to be budgeted, and carbs need to be earned. This pattern keeps me constantly focused on what I eat and how I exercise, and I've adopted this habit permanently.

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Mitchell dropped his body weight from 192lbs to 170lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 15.5% body fat during the challenge, with about 30lbs coming from fat. He also gained about 8lbs of lean mass throughout the process.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #4
Male Over 40 Category

I’ve been active all of my life and have been lifting weights for over three decades. I’ve been fat and I’ve been lean and everywhere in between. In the late nineties I was as heavy as 200 lbs; my wife calls those my “fat Elvis” days. Unfortunately, there were more fat phases than lean phases.
My knowledge increased in the last decade because I’ve been fortunate enough to meet someone who shares my passion for health and fitness. I began to make fitness the focus of my life. I was certified as a personal trainer and recently became a Level 1 PICP strength coach. I’ve attended seminars to learn from some of the best in the business, (including JB).

Late last year, I set a goal to get into the best shape of my life for my 50th in February 2007. Strong desire alone does not guarantee success however and when I looked in the mirror on my birthday, I was not pleased. So what was missing? Accountability.

The PN Transformation Challenge provided me with that missing link. Entering a public competition and announcing my intention to friends, family and coworkers forced me to finally put it all together.

To succeed, I would have to overcome a lifetime of bad eating habits and poor training methods. My plan was to follow the Ten Habits rigorously. Once I was down to 10-12% body fat I would switch to a hybrid version of the Get Shredded Diet and “tweak” where necessary.

Pete Before The PN Challenge


Pete Before the PN Challenge

I began by eliminating one bad habit at a time. I stopped sneaking peanut butter sandwiches at night, finishing my son’s crackers and juice boxes and drinking red wine on non-reward days. The key was to make only one or two changes at a time and stick to them! However, I consciously tried to have fun. I didn't count calories, weigh anything or time my meals.

Another major key was increasing my healthy fats, especially from fish oil. But the real turning point came late in the contest. I’m a high cortisol type so my “problem area” is belly fat. To lose those last few BF% points I needed to change the habits that were keeping my evening cortisol levels high. Once I replaced late-night computer use and TV with mediation and positive visualization, the fat melted away. Supplementation helped as well. Phosphatidly Serine and ashwagandha blocked cortisol; magnesium improved my sleep quality.

Pete After The PN Challenge


Pete After The PN Challenge

I also changed my bad training habits. I finally actually applied the weight-training principles that I had learned: increase time under tension, maintaining full range of motion for every rep, no cheating. I also varied my training sessions between relative strength and functional hypertrophy.

And my transformation has been better than expected. My body fat has dropped from 19% to 5.6% while my lean muscle mass has gone up and my strength has improved.

PN IS the way I eat, exercise and supplement. It’s the way I live.

PN is the first place I’ll go to find information on nutrition and fitness. Someone on the forum always has an answer, irrespective of topic.

PN is curriculum. It’s a learning model. It’s made me realize that it’s not about being told what to eat, it’s about being taught HOW to eat.

During the challenge I increased my compliance with PN habits to nearly 100%. This alone dropped my body fat from 19% to 11%.

I followed a hybrid version of the Get Shredded Diet and the PN Fat Loss Kick Start program from about 10 weeks out. I would alternate between about 4 days of GSD and 4 days of Fat Loss Kick start (meat, veggies and essential oils only). This let me take my BF% down to 5.6% while maintaining my lean mass.

There was no calorie counting and there were no planned cheat meals (I call them reward meals). Instead I listened to my body. Whether it had been 5, 8 or 10 days, when my body called out for extra carbs, I ate them. This helped to increase my lean body mass even more while continuing to drop body fat.

I’m in the best shape of my life – at 50! And this is just the beginning!

The PN challenge was the missing element for me. Now that I’ve successfully transformed myself, I finally understand what it takes.

I have first-hand knowledge of how to overcome the hurdles that hold people back from achieving their fitness goals. I know that I can’t make someone compliant unless they want it.

In the end, I don’t think I’m that different from anyone else. I wanted it, believed I could do it, and then did it.

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Pete dropped his body weight from 190lbs to 174lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 11% body fat during the challenge, with about 23lbs coming from fat. He also gained about 7lbs of lean mass throughout the process.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #5
Male Over 40 Category

I began lifting weights at age 15 with a York vinyl starter set, and continued lifting throughout University.

After graduation entering the work world, the loss of the university weight room, and too much partying took its toll. Trying to lose the fat, I fell into the trap of skipping breakfast, and tried the low fat diet approach with little success.

Fast forward 12 years and 3 kids, I realized I needed to take better care of my body. I started by breaking out the old York.

Eventually I joined the local Y with my family. I started reading more on workout and nutrition, and eventually discovered JB.

I learned more about training and nutrition the last 2 years than the rest of my life combined. Last year about this time I moved to a new house and got out of my routine, I stopped hitting the gym as frequently as I should have, and my nutrition habits also started slipping.

A couple of beers and slices of pizza after baseball each week, and a 10 day vacation and suddenly I'd packed on an extra 15 pounds. I returned from vacation and learned of the contest.

Pete Before The PN Challenge


Pete Before The PN Challenge

The challenge inspired me to cut out all non veggie carbs and eat protein at every meal every 2 to 3 hours, except for a half serving of Surge during my workout, and another half after.

I started out with a fat loss program written by Christian Thibideau, and the weight started dropping off. After finishing that program I tried a program where I was lifting as fast as I could until the weight slowed down for 4 weeks always using free weights and compound movements, as suggested in an article by Chad Waterbury.

After that I started another fat loss program, but found I wasn't enjoying the worn down feeling I was getting from another fat loss program. At that time Chad released Maximal Recruitment Training. Although not a fat loss program, he claimed it would also reduce body fat, and I figured that added lean muscle tissue, would decrease my body fat percentage, and the quick workouts were easier to fit into my schedule.

That program along with Precision Nutrition worked well for me. My weight went up, but my pants got looser, so I stuck with the program. The one constant with all the programs I completed was lots of pull-ups, squats, and dead lifts, along with Precision Nutrition based eating habits.

The good thing is I'm able to fit back into my pants from last year which I couldn't do in July, so at least I won't need to go out a buy a new wardrobe this winter until they become to large for me.

Pete After The PN Challenge


Pete After The PN Challenge

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Pete dropped his body weight from 243lbs to 231lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 11% body fat during the challenge, with about 31lbs coming from fat. He also gained about 19lbs of lean mass throughout the process.