Featured Body Transformation
Ronn Merkley



BASIC STATS

Name: Ronn Merkley
Age: 23
Location: Mississauga, ON
Height: 5'6"
Weight Before/After: 210-220 lbs. Before / 145 lbs. After
Body Fat % Before/After: 20%+ Before / Approx. 6% After
Years Involved In Fitness: Lifted weights on and off for 10 years. Have taken bodybuilding seriously for 1 year
Favorite Bodyparts: Legs
Favorite Exercises: Breathing Squats
Favorite Supplements: BCAA's, Glutamine, Glucosamine, Fish oils, Creatine Monohydrate, and REAL FOOD.


INTERVIEW

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

Well, I've been strongly interested in bodybuilding and bodybuilders for most of my life. As a young child I aspired to be just like my Dad (and still do!). He was and still is a very strong, muscular guy and has a 6 pack that looks better than guys half his age - truly inspiring. But it wasn't till years later I would find a magazine that would truly start me off on my journey.

At the ripe age of 13 (10 years ago) I came across a 1996 collectors edition of MuscleMag. It was a tribute to Arnold and his accomplishments. I remember seeing his photos and I was hooked... that's what I wanted to look like. I still have that magazine to this day.

Shortly after finding that magazine I joined the high school weight room in hopes of becoming the next Arnold. Of course I had no idea what I was doing in terms of dieting and working out, but I did my best. As time went by I became discouraged because I wasn't looking anything like Arnold at all and I started to fall away from the gym.

After awhile of being on and off from the gym I finally stopped working out altogether and sadly enough picked up on a path of self destruction. I fell on some hard times in my life where I had picked up some very, VERY bad habits. On top of these habits I was eating VERY poorly. I was eating McDonalds and Wendy's regularly. It didn't take much time before I had really gained alot of weight which then lead to a whole slew of problems (depression, negativity, etc.)

It wasn't until May 2005 that I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and I didn't recognize the man staring back at me. I was completely disgusted with what I had done with myself. It was time for change, it was time for action!

I immediately began to do research on the internet on weight loss, bodybuilding etc. but to be honest there was nothing that seemed to really motivate me to get up and start moving and putting my plans into action. That was until I came across 2 people's transformations that would change my life forever. John Stone and James "Skip" Albury. After seeing their awe-inspiring transformations I felt this surge of energy, rush... motivation!!!

If they could do it...SO COULD I!!!

That day I raided my house. I threw out all the junk food, alcohol, etc. into the garbage. I went and took my savings and bought some weights for my apartment and stocked my freezer with nothing but chicken, steak, veggies.

It's been all uphill from there basically...

Though it wasn't until this past year that I started to take fitness to a whole new level. Prior to this past year I worked out and ate better than most but it wasn't proper for me and my goals. I couldn't seem to get really "shredded" nor was I packing on any real muscle. I had hit a major rut, a rut I had been stuck in shortly after I had started to get into shape back in 2005... I couldn't understand why and to be quite frank it was very discouraging and I had wanted to give up on more than one occasion. To be working out for a couple years and not seeing any real progress after a certain point... it would make almost anyone want to quit! But I stuck to it. My persistence back then to stick with it is truly starting to pay off now.

It wasn't until I met my girlfriend that I began to see where I had been going wrong and what I needed to change. She sat down with me and really explained where I had been going wrong all these years. The changes she made to my diet showed immediate results. That surge of energy I had when I first started to workout finally came back!!

I'm truly in the best shape of my life right now. I'm just getting ready for my first proper bulk or as I like to put it, "gaining phase". I hate the word "bulk" because when I hear that word I see it as an excuse to eat dirty and get fat. I, however, am trying to gain muscle but with as minimal an amount of fat as possible, so I'm eating extremely clean this year and only eating a couple hundred calories over my maintanance diet. I'm also gearing up to compete! There are some shows coming up in the spring/summer of 2009 with the INBA that I want to compete in.

Over this past year I've been working with my girlfriend Anna, Paul and Magda Wilk (2007 Natural Universe winners) Aram Hamparian, and James Albury with my diet and training. I've learned so much. It's been an amazing year; I truly wish I had learned this stuff years ago!

Besides my own bodybuilding journey, I enjoy playing guitar, sketching, video games, spending time with my girlfriend and our little girl (our greyhound Phoebe), and helping others in their fitness journeys.


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

As I had said prior, the thing that finally got me off my butt and pushing the iron were 2 men: John Stone and James "Skip" Albury. Their transformations and words of wisdom changed my life forever. I've been lucky enough to have developed a good friendship with both of these men over the past few years.


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

 Right now I'm doing more of a strength style program (low reps, heavy weight) while gearing up for my upcoming gaining phase. However, once I start my gaining phase I will be training soley for hypertrophy.

I've been training for strength for the past 4 weeks or so and I've seen some good progress. For instance, I have added 2 extra plates to my leg press putting me at 12 plates (540 lbs). I tend to change my program weekly. I keep a constant structure of what days I work out and what bodypart I train on certain days.

Monday: Legs (train calves as well)
Tuesday: Chest, triceps
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back, biceps
Friday: Shoulders, calves, traps

But I change what I do each time I go into the gym. I never do the EXACT same workout twice. I like to keep the body in constant shock. I seem to make the best progress that way.


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

The success of my fitness journey has made me a much happier and confident man. I used to struggle alot with depression and was a VERY negative person. I rarely had anything nice to say... it was sad really.

Now I constantly look at the glass half full and find ways to make it overflow! I haven't had any depression issues in a very long time. I love my life, I surrounded myself with positive things and people and it's been great!

Also, through fitness I have met some really great people including my girlfriend! She has truly been the best thing that has ever happened to me, seriously.


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

Constantly! But it's how you deal with them that makes the difference. I do my best to not let anything deter me from my goals. I find ways around my dilemmas. Rather than using these setbacks as ways to give up I use it to my advantage and take it on as a challenge.


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

Well I'm meso/endo so I tend to respond well to most training. However it is proper diet and nutrition that has made the difference for me.

To answer the question though, I respond best to higher reps (around 10 or so unless it is legs where I will bump up my reps to 15-20). I do 4 sets and I do 3 exercises per bodypart. I will change things up by adding drop sets, super sets, etc. Again keep myself contantly shocked.


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

Clean diet. Being a partial endo I gain fat, and FAST. So my diet has to be super clean. The basic staples of my diet are chicken, steak, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, tuna, veggies.

I stay away from bread, pasta, and most dairy. I keep my carbs high, my protein moderate, and my fat low. I also base all my carbs in the morning and around my workouts, meaning I will eat carbs for breakfast, before and after my workouts. I never mix fats and carbs ever. I will have fats and protein in one meal and carbs and protein in another but never fat and carbs in a meal together.

Again, I keep it REALLY clean. I don't eat junk food and if I have a cheat meal I do so rarely and in moderation. A cheat meal for me would be a cup of pasta with a homeade tomato sauce, a little bit of goat cheese, and some sliced chicken.

The one thing that bothers me about dieting is that carbs get such a bad rap. But when it comes to competing naturally it's a real essential thing! Talking with people who compete naturally I've found that dieting is completely the opposite to everything I had ever known. Aram Hamparian taught me that.

For instance, while I was dieting down for the August 2008 INBA IVKAR cup hosted in Paris, ON. (which was cancelled 4 weeks out unfortunately), quite a few of my daily meals consisted of cold potatoes with salt and chicken breast! It was amazing. I was dropping fat, looking really cut, keeping my muscle, and the muscle constantly looking full.


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

I've used alot of the major label supplements out there and seen virtually no gains at all. The quality of most supplements out there is less than garbage.

I tend to stick to the basics.

The old school no name creatine monohydrate, BCAA's, Fish oils, Glutamine and Glucosamine is what works well for me. Not any of the major label crud that has an IFBB pro slapped in a magazine holding their product.

Save your cash kiddies, you're not going to look like an IFBB pro taking the supplements they endorse.

I'll let you in on a little secret... the best supplement in the world as far as I am concerned is REAL FOOD! I cannot stress that enough. 6 balanced meals a day, you cannot beat it.


9) What are your future fitness goals?

My future fitness goal is to eventually come in at 160-180 lbs at 5% BF, continue to help others reach their fitness goals as others have helped me, keep improving my diet and training, and compete during the 2009 season.


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 your research on dieting and training. If you're still unsure on how to do things, hire a reputable trainer to help you get the feel for things in the gym and an understanding of the importance of proper nutrition.

2) Keep at it! Rome wasn't built in a day. These things take time. Be patient. Consistency is key.

3) Abs aren't made in the gym, they're made in the kitchen! Same with just about any other bodypart. Diet is, as far as I am concerned, 90% of someone's progress. If you don't eat to grow and meet your weight training needs and goals, how are you going to? It's like trying to get somewhere and having no gas for your car.