[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 - under 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 Under 40 Finalists
Ok, without further ado, it's time to look at some pics! Here are our male under 40 finalists in no particular order:

Finalist #1
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 37lbs during his transformation


Finalist #2
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 15lbs during his transformation


Finalist #3
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 13lbs during his transformation


Finalist #4
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 25lbs 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 Under 40 Category

I got into exercising after high school, during which time I was what you would call a computer nerd. I would eat cereal for breakfast, chips and a burrito for lunch, and jack in the box for dinner. Soda was on the menu almost daily.

Needless to say, this lead to be quite a butterball at 210 pounds. One day I overheard my dad say he weighed 170 to my mother, and for some reason that really stuck with me - that I weighed 40 pounds more than my dad. I started looking on line for some information and, long story short, I started going to the gym and dieted down to a "ripped" 150 pounds. VICTORY!

Or so I thought. After some progress photos I came to the realization that I had dieted myself to emaciation levels. My brother introduced me to T-nation and my muscle building efforts have been underway for the last 3 years.

The PN Challenge came at a time when I was questioning the amount of body fat I had put on to get to the weight of 212 I was currently sitting in July. I decided to shed the fat and see what was underneath there once and for all.

Lionel Before The PN Challenge



Lionel Before The PN Challenge

I have been eating PN style all summer long and exercising 4 days a week.

I am currently down 42 pounds of flab and now actually have a body I am happy with. I plan to continue eating under the PN system while I attempt to gain another 20 - 25 pounds of lean mass.

While I usually consider myself pretty dedicated, the PN challenge added a new level of motivation for me and set a date for my progress to be completed, which I had not had before. The PN Challenge helped me stay on track and for that I am grateful.

Lionel After The PN Challenge


Lionel After The PN Challenge

I think I am a testament to the fact that anyone can get in great shape. All I did was go on line, read a few articles here and there, and put it all into action.

I wasn’t dealt a genetic royal flush, I didn’t play sports in high school, and I've been everything from chunky to super skinny. I essentially started at 0 and have worked my way up to where I am today.

I have learned over the last 4 years what it really takes to transform your body. Going to the gym is not enough. Eating "right" is not enough. You must push yourself in the gym with heavy weights and hard exercises, you must do the math so-to-speak with your nutrition, you must pay attention to detail.

Going through the motions isnt going to get you there, and I have learned that over the last few years, and still have many more years of applying that same information to myself to go. The body is never finished, there is always more to go.

PN has taught me the important of food volume and eating veggies with every feeding. Before PN I barely ate any veggies and just consumed whatever food I thought would be good for my bodybuilding goals.

Now, I eat copious amounts of veggies throughout the day which helps to keep me full and satisfied. I actually enjoy and look forward to that next batch of steamed stir-fry mix veggies.

Also, PN as a system has helped me to not be afraid of cardio. I never did cardio really until this summer because I wanted all of my available calories to go into my muscle building.

With the principles of G-Flux at my side, I now realize that cardio can actually act in a synergistic way with my weight training and nutrition to help me achieve the body I desire, along with keeping me fit in the process. It doesn’t help to look good if you can barely run a mile!

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Lionel dropped his body weight from 212lbs to 175lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 12% body fat during the challenge, with about 27lbs coming from fat and only 10lbs coming from lean mass. These are some remarkable changes!

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #2
Male Under 40 Category

I have been exercising since I been 14 years old.

I was always called the skinny kid, so this hit home and when I was "of age" I got my first membership and I was hooked.

I started at a weight of 132 lbs and and ballooned up to 245, by choice, by the age of 23. I was training 5 times a week to get to that weight and then decided it was time to cut up.

I took a year and then leaned out to 185 lbs and approx 5% body fat. From then on I maintained that weight.

I always ate well since I started training at 14, reading from different material to get my food info. And for the last 4 years I trained but 3-4 times per week, not gaining or losing.

At the beginning of 2007 I decided that I would like to know more than what I already know about nutrition and took the John Berardi workshop in Ottawa. I later in the year took Holistic lifestyle coaching and Metabolic typing from Health Excel.

Steve Before The PN Challenge


Steve Before The PN Challenge

When I saw this challenge, intuitively I knew I had to do it, no matter what the outcome. So I followed the PN Principles and the Get Shredded Diet. Never having competed, I had no idea what the outcome would be.

Steve After The PN Challenge


Steve After The PN Challenge

When I went to the seminar in Ottawa, I only knew the name John Berardi through another trainer.

Listening to what was said, I had to agree with most of it since I had experienced this through my training during the years, I just hadn't put words to it or wrote about it. I really enjoyed how genuine JB is and can't really say that about many people. He does what he says and says what he does.

After the seminar I bought the PN system and it reinforced the way I eat, not really changing it too much since I was already eating this way. However, because I'm a trainer, I always pass the Precision Nutrition information to my clients. As a result, it's been a great help as have gotten into great shape following the system.

I give kudos to JB for his effort and his passion. He doesn't withhold anything and freely distributes new and upcoming information. I've been to many seminars and alot of the speakers have big egos and hold back. Not JB. Thanks!

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Steve dropped his body weight from 180lbs to 165lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 2.5% body fat during the challenge - not easy to do when you're already lean. This loss of body fat really allowed Steve to show off the muscle he's built over the years!

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #3
Male Under 40 Category

I've been lifting since I was 12 or 13, for football, but that’s also about when I started down the path of alcohol abuse.

I've only recently began eating right, although I have erroneously thought I was doing things correctly in the past (No Fat, High Carb among other ideas of "healthy" eating).

I've always been "athletic" but as I got older and had more time after college, I realised I was spending too much free time drinking/partying rather than taking care of myself.

During the last 2 years I have been stuck in neutral as a result of two DUI violations (12-25-05, I ruined Christmas that year, not great for the self esteem, and 7-5-06, 4th of July after fireworks).

These led to my having to spend 2 nights in jail and 12 on a tracking device. I spent these 2 weeks reevaluating what is important to me and my life and I realized that alcohol was not contributing in a positive way.

My diet had always been ok, fairly clean during the week, but come Friday and Saturday nights (and many Thursdays) I was ingesting a lot of empty calories via alcohol.

Obviously, my results in the weight room and appearance were compromised. I always looked above average, but I never really reflected on the outside the knowledge I knew on the inside.

After my encounters with the law, I decided to curtail my drinking significantly, as I got off supervision in March of 2007 (court took a long time, very stressful). I felt I had been doing well over the spring and beginning of summer, and then this challenge came along. I felt it could really help me realize my goals of healthier living and reduced drinking.

Aaron Before The PN Challenge


Aaron Before The PN Challenge

Over the course of 16 weeks, using the PN principles and the Get Shredded Diet, I got down to 3% body fat! I then realized that the only thing holding me back from realizing my goals is myself.

Everything else is an excuse, If you want to achieve something you can, it may be hard, but you can.

Now, I am no longer an abuser of alcohol, although that is something you take day by day. I'm also working towards my Masters in Exercise Science. Generally, I feel more positive about myself than I have in over 2 years. Life finally feels like it is advancing, rather than just dealing with the mistakes of the past.

I feel that the dietary changes I made with the help of PN, among other sources, has played a HUGE role in that change. I assessed the role alcohol played in my social life, and dietary strategy, and it was nothing but negative.

Now that it has been eliminated, my gains in physique and strength are improving immensely. My embracing of proper nutrition was not brought on by obesity, but rather by my concern for my alcohol abuse, a very significant health risk in its own right. I love the change and I won't look back. 

Aaron After The PN Challenge


Aaron After The PN Challenge

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Aaron dropped his body weight from 167lbs to 154lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 5% body fat during the challenge, with about 11lbs coming from fat and only 4lbs coming from lean mass.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #4
Male Under 40 Category

I have been interested in training and nutrition ever since I started a fairly sedentary job and became moderately overweight.

I wanted to change the way I looked so I searched the internet and read a lot of books - trying out different programs in the gym and in the kitchen.

Not much was making a big difference until I came across a program with Dr. John Berardi's meal plans attached as a bonus. By following the meal plans, I noticed rapid positive results.

So I did a search and found www.johnberardi.com. And that led me to the Precision Nutrition program.

The Precision Nutrition system explained methods on how to improve body composition, general health and performance using a simple system based on science and research. The forum provided training resources and support. So I started eating the Precision Nutrition way and exercising more frequently.

Daniel Before The PN Challenge


Daniel Before The PN Challenge

Precision Nutrition has taken a lot of the guess work out of training supplementation and exercise for me.

Previously I did not know the correct foods to eat, what amount, at what time and what supplements could be beneficial to me.

By learning the Precision Nutrition system and experiencing the benefits I am confident I can continue to make the correct nutritional choices to meet my exercise performance and body composition goals.

Beyond the food, the Precision nutrition team also set out guidelines on what amount and type exercise was optimal to achieve my goals. And I attribute my most recent - and most drastic - changes to body composition to following the basic nutritional guidelines of Precision Nutrition coupled with the highly effective "summer prep" training plan.

Daniel After The PN Challenge


Daniel After The PN Challenge

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Daniel dropped his body weight from 221lbs to 196lbs. According to his skinfold measures, he dropped 15% body fat during the challenge, with about 34.5lbs coming from fat. Concurrently, he gained about 10lbs of lean mass. These are some remarkable changes!