The Muscle Building & Fat Loss Inner Circle: Private Member's Area

Featured Body Transformation
Alex Silva

BASIC STATS

Name: Alex Silva
Age: 19
Location: College Park, MD
Height: 6'0"
Weight Before/After: 163lbs. Before / 192lbs. After
Years Involved In Fitness: 1.6
Favorite Bodyparts: Chest, Quads
Favorite Exercises: Dumbbell Bench Press, Barbell Squat
Favorite Supplements: Animal Flex (joint support)

INTERVIEW

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

I am a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, and am a Marketing major in the Robert H. Smith School of Business. I grew up in West Virginia, and came to College Park for school. Besides bodybuilding, I enjoy spending time with friends, the beach, and boating and jet skiing.

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

I grew up as a relatively active kid in rural West Virginia, and was involved in basketball and soccer. However, I always remained skinny. This didn’t change much throughout high school, though the common “bench and curl” routine senior year of high school helped put on a little bit of size.

Once in college, I knew I wanted to change my body and therefore my image and life. I began by joining the crew (rowing) team for my school, and got in great cardiovascular shape. In February of 2007, I began to hit the gym to get some strength for rowing. Once I saw the muscle start to pile on, however, I knew that the gym was where I belonged. I continued to “fitness” lift until about November of 2007, then was introduced to bodybuilding as a lifestyle and sport. This is when I decided to really put my mind to gaining a bodybuilder-type physique.

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

I have been on my current program for just under 4 months now, and I have seen results better than I could have imagined. The main focus of the second half of the program was to bring up my lacking legs, which, some have said, are now one of my best features.

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

Given my success with this program, I have become extremely motivated each and every day in the gym to see where I can go, and it has brought my physique and my confidence to a whole new level.

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

My most significant setbacks during my program were some knee problems, as I have bad joints overall. This was a relatively quick fix however, with a good pair of knee wraps, joint support supplements, and using strict form on the squat.

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

A 5-day split has worked best for me: 3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off, etc. hitting, respectively, Arms, Legs, Chest/Delts, Rest, Legs, Back, Rest.

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

I saw the most results from a 6-meal-a-day 4000 calorie diet that focused on balancing carbs, protein, and fats, and also valued vegetables for most meals.

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 whey proteins, creatines, and pre-workout stimulants. Here are the more well-known ones, and their effects:

BSN NO Xplode: Did not do a whole lot for me, and tolerance build-up is very fast.

MuscleTech Cell-Tech: I saw no noticeable difference from this creatine product.

Various whey proteins (Isopure, ON 100% Whey, Muscle Milk): I advocate whey protein powders as one of the most important aspects of a fitness diet, and would not have had the results I have without them.

Scivation Vasocharge (pre-workout energy, vasodilator, creatine): This has been one of my favorite products. It gave me great energy and pumps during my training.

Controlled Labs White Flood: This is essentially the same concept as VasoCharge, and it has worked well for me.

9) What are your future fitness goals?

Depending on how my muscle gain plays out, I would like to step on stage in a bodybuilding competition in the next couple of years. I am searching for sponsors, and also for fitness modeling opportunities should they arise. Long term, I will always remain in good physical shape, and the gym will always be my home away from home.

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) Take it slow. Begin with a feasible program that is not overwhelming, and make sure you have realistic goals.

2) Be accountable. Have a workout buddy, or write down your goals, so that you have someone or something to refer to so that you can track your progress and not stray from the path.

3) Take breaks. Being dedicated to a fitness program is one of the best things in life, but it can become one of the worst if you don’t take a vacation or eat a cheat meal every once in a while.