The Butterfly Effect: My Transformation
By: Chris Chelekis

       My name is Chris Chelekis, and here is my story. When I was young I was always over-weight. I was the heaviest kid in most of my classes. Once I got to high school I was accepted for my weight when I joined football. This is where my lifts and weight both skyrocketed. In my first year I gained 15lbs, and was stepping on the scale at 240. I knew nothing about dieting, very little about weightlifting, and only followed a football-lifting program. The next year I gained an additional 10lbs and was up to 250, although my 3 football lifts (bench/power clean/squat) were increasing, so was my body fat. I would eat anything and everything I wanted on a given day. I had no concept on portion control; I ate until I couldn’t anymore.
       By my junior year, I had reached an all time high of 260lbs. Although the football coaches loved this weight, and I personally thought I was on the top of the world, when I would walk up stairs I would break a sweat. My clothes had to be baggy and loose to hide my weight. By the end of that year, I had torn my knee, and severely injured my shoulder. It was time to make a choice; I needed to go on a diet, because without football I would just continue to gain weight. I started by eating 4 meals a day. I knew nothing about dieting but I did know that eating less more frequently kept me satisfied so I would not binge eat at one of my 3 primary meals. I did the Atkins low Carb diet for 1 month and while loosing 25lbs on it, I honestly felt as if my body fat did not change and I ended up loosing a lot of my muscle while not being able to workout.
       Slowly but surely I researched more and more about how to gain quality muscle, workout splits, and a flawless diet. I still did not have the body I desired and continued to research. I came across several articles on Bodybuilding.com. Two writers listed constant workouts, diets, and supplements they took. Their names are Layne Norton and Derek Charlebois. I followed their workout programs, their diets, and their training split. After 3 months of doing this, I had lost 10 lbs, and this time it showed in the right way. My lifts however were stronger than when I started and I felt better about whom I was and what I was doing.
       5 Months after reading their first articles, I contacted both of them. Layne set up a program for me and gave me a list of supplements. Some of these supplements I had never heard of or used before. However I felt as if these supplements along with my clean diet were the major benefactors to me achieving the body I have today. Let’s fast forward a bit, as of today; I am a healthy 195lbs, with 10.7% body fat. Now from where I originally started at the weight of 260, with over 25% BF I am pretty satisfied with my results. My training has changed; my diet has also changed in time as I have adapted new methods to eating and new supplements (which I will list in full later in the article).
The last thing that truly helped me was the motivation my family, my friends, and I brought to my training, my diet, and my lifestyle. Anything is possible if one strives to achieve it. I hung before and after pictures up. I had realistic goals, which I posted on my wall to remind me everyday of the person I used to be and the person I wanted to be. Here are samples of my diet, my training, and my supplement list.

 

My Diet:

7:45 - 1 scoop Substance WPI, 2 Thermal Rage

8:00 - Stretch/ Start sipping on Xtend

8:15 - 30 Min Cardio (continue sipping on Xtend)

9:00 - 1 scoop Substance, 1/2 cup oats (mixed together), Sesamin, Max CLA, Fish oil

12:00 – 2 small Chicken Breast, 1 cup oats, Sesamin, Max CLA, Fish oil

12:45 – 2 Thermal Rage

1:00 - Stretch/ Start sipping on Xtend

1:15 – Lift (continue sipping on Xtend)

2:15 - PWO Shake (20g Carbs(Dextrose), 22g Substance WPI), 5g Creatine Monohydrate (creaform), 300mg Pure ALA)

3:00 - 2x Chicken Breast, 1 cup oats, Sesamin, Max CLA, Fish oil

5:00 - 1 scoop Substance WPI, 2tbs Flax Seed Oil, Max CLA, Fish oil

8:00 - 2x Chicken Breast, 1 cup broccoli, Max CLA, Fish oil

11:00 - Casein Shake/ Bed

 

My supplement list:
Layne and Derek both recommended these products, and I trusted their opinions. Although I trust them, I do thorough research on the products and the company that they are coming from before I purchase them. Primaforce/Scivation tests all their products and they work awesome, not to mention their Substance WPI is the best tasting chocolate protein shake I’ve ever had.

PrimaForce - Elastamine: Took this for my Joints
PrimaForce – Max CLA (EFA, really helped to lose weight)
PrimaForce – Pure ALA (300mg of an Antioxidant, Post Workout)
PrimaForce – Creaform (Creatine Monohydrate, Works Great)
PrimaForce – Thermal Rage
PrimaForce – Substance WPI (Chocolate is my Favorite!!!)

Scivation – Xtend (Great BCAA product, tastes awesome, helped in holding onto my lean muscle mass while dieting)
Scivation – Sesamin (EFA, helped with Fat Oxidation, 100% Pure)

Generic – Multivitamin
Generic – Fish oil
NOW     - Dextrose

My workout Split:

Monday –        Chest & Biceps
Tuesday –        Back & Triceps
Wednesday –   Cardio/Abs/Calves
Thursday -        Shoulders/Traps
Friday -            Legs
Saturday -        Cardio/Abs/Calves
Sunday -          Rest

Workout Routines

Monday
Chest & Biceps

      Chest:
o Incline barbell presses
o Seated hammer strength bench press
o Decline dumbbell presses
o Incline dumbbell flies
o Cable crossovers

      Biceps:
o Standing alternate dumbbell curls
o Hammer strength preacher curls
o Hammer curls
o Concentration curls

Tuesday
Back & Triceps

      Back:

          o Wide grip chin pull-ups
o Hammer strength rows
o Seated cable rows
o Hyper extensions

      Triceps:

          o Lying French presses (skull crushers)
o Cable pushdowns
o Weighted dips
o Reverse grip pull downs

Wednesday
Cardio, Abs, Calves

      Abs:

          o Leg raises
o Decline crunches

      Calves:

          o Standing calf raises
o Seated calf raises

Thursday
Shoulders & Traps

      Shoulders

          o Seated dumbbell presses
o Lateral raises
o Front lateral raises
o Rear lateral raises

      Traps

          o Hammer strength shrugs
o Dumbbell shrugs

Friday
Legs

      Legs

          o Squats
o Hack squats
o Leg extensions
o Hammer strength leg curls

Saturday

      I repeat the same workout as Wednesday.

Sunday
Rest