1) Can you tell The M.F.I.C members a little bit about yourself?

My name is Aaron Bolton, I'm 17 years old and live in England. I'm currently at college studying for my national diploma in sports and fitness. I have a part time job funding my gym and supplement needs. My hobbies include weightlifting/bodybuilding, seeing friends and martial arts.


2) What were your initial motivations for transforming your body?

My initial motivation that got me into bodybuilding was when I first saw the Rocky films. Sylvester Stallone inspired me alot when I saw him working out and saw his body changing throughout the years in the various films.

I then began to watch other films by actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean Claude Van Damme. Seeing the physiques of these people made me realize that this is what I wanted to look like. Once I began to see my body change through working out it made me feel much better about myself. Not only that, but I gained much more confidence and felt bigger, stronger and more powerful. I knew from then that this is the life I wanted to follow.


3) How long have you been on your program for and what kind of success have you experienced so far?

I would say that I have been training for about 2 years but it wasn't until recently that I really began to understand the importance of nutrition etc. Once I worked out my caloric needs I gained about 11lbs in 17 weeks. My strength became unbelievable and very soon I was lifting twice as much as I previously was. I had put on over an inch everywhere and was amazed at
the results. By far the best results I saw were when I followed Sean Nalewanyj's "Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System".


4) How has this success changed your day-to-day life for the better?

Since working out I have definitely noticed a big change in my life. I have much more confidence and feel better about the way I look and feel. I receive comments from other people about my body and it gives me more inspiration to carry on. I have friends asking me to help them workout and give them advice. I have constant energy and always feel active.


5) Did you ever experience any setbacks along the way? If so, what were they and how did you get past them?

There have been very few setbacks throughout my journey. A few would include holidays and lack of motivation. However, these were simple to overcome.

I would arrange my workout schedule differently to compensate or I would use bodyweight exercises to attempt to substitute free weight exercises for a while.

Lack of motivation was a bit more difficult to overcome. I find having a break from working out can get me in the mood to exercise and get back into it within a week or so.

Occasionally I could get the will to workout again by watching Rocky or videos on youtube of bodybuilders. I also find looking at where I want to be in the future to be a great motivation technique.


6) What type of workout plan has worked best for you?

I think the best workout plan that has worked for me is weight training three times a week and training each muscle only once a week. Intensity must be kept high to ensure good progress. I personally prefer to use free weights and don't use machines.

I like to use heavy compound movements and I definitely get the best results from these. I use low reps, about 5-7 and never use more than 2 sets per exercise. I never go over an hour when I workout so I tend to keep my workouts intense and as fast as need be. On occasions I like to do short but intense cardio on non-workout days to help burn off more fat and keep endurance levels high.


7) What type of nutrition plan has worked best for you?

This is a pretty difficult one. I have followed various protein/carb/fat ratios and I have got different results. I definitely think that protein is the food type you should have most of and depending on your goal (e.g. lose weight or gain weight) then I would adjust my carb intake. I found whilst reducing my carbs almost by half I lost just under a stone and looked more ripped. However, I prefer to stick with high enough carbs to give me sustained energy for better workouts.

The ratio I am currently following and seeing great results with is protein 40%, carbs 35% and fat 25%. Most of my food comes from whole foods. Tuna, chicken and eggs make the majority of my protein. Whole grain bread, pasta and oatmeal makes up most of my carbs whilst olive oil and nuts make up a lot of my fat intake. I try to be as strict as possible with my eating as I believe nutrition to be 90% key.

Sometimes I have a cheat meal or a piece of junk if I'm really craving it and have been following my workout and nutrition plan strictly for 2 weeks or so.


8) What muscle building and/or fat loss supplements have you used? Which ones worked for you and which ones didn’t?

I have used a variety of supplements from different proteins to creatines. Personally, I believe that all whey protein shakes work the same except some provide more protein and sugars than others.

I've tried Maximuscle Promax and Promax Extreme. I feel these to be expensive and don't last very long either. I have also tried Dorian Yates protein which tastes really nice with water. Body Fortress have a number of proteins out and I have used these also along with one of their muscle and weight gainers. However, most of this was made of sugar as was the York weight gainers. When using these I put alot of fat on.

I think the best brand for whey protein is Multi-Power. 30 grams weight gives 31 grams of protein which is exceptionally good. I find buying in bulk works out much cheaper in the long run than buying a smaller weight tub.

At the moment I'm using a basic York creatine monoydrate and have experienced good gains with it. I have also used the Body Fortress creatine. This is a flavoured one and was disgusting! You have to take 43 grams just to get 5 grams of creatine. The rest of it was sugar so I wouldn't recommend that brand. I think that all protein shakes have worked and I haven't received different results from any of them.


9) What are your future fitness goals?

I'm currently at 11.4 stone and would like to reach 12 stone in about 6 months. From then on I shall continue to bulk until I'm happy with my size and then I will attempt to cut up. I don't have any specific measurements I would like to reach but I would like to add another few inches everywhere.

As for body fat level, I feel mine always increases whilst bulking but this is only natural. When I last looked I had 10.7% body fat and was happy with that as I can see my abs. If they slowly disappear I will do more cardio and look at my diet until they return. I would definitely like to increase all my lifts by double within two years or so as this is a reachable goal with proper plans.

I have never competed and had thought about it but I don't think I will at this age... maybe in the future.

10) What are the top 3 tips you would give to others who are interested in beginning a muscle building and/or fat burning program?

1 - Do lots of research before beginning as there are lots of false articles and bad information out there that will actually limit your results or make them worse. It's worth taking time to study your goals as much as possible to know you're taking the right route in what you're doing.

2 - Get a good motivator. This doesn't always have to be a person but could be an idol or a film. This will push you to carry on when you feel you can't and will set you back on the right track. Having clear goals on where you want to be is also a good motivation technique. Before and after pictures along with measurements is a brilliant way of keeping track and pushing yourself even more.

3 - Finally, nothing happens over night. Anything worth doing is worth doing well so take your time and expect to see results with hard work. I believe you can see good results within a few months so don't panic and quit if you don't. Everybody is different and everyone responds differently to various things. Stick with it and you WILL see results!