Last Visit: Oct 9, 2009 12:49pm Last Forum Post: Jul 5, 2007 8:05am Last Photo Upload: Aug 30, 2009 9:37am Last Profile Update: Oct 8, 2009 9:23am Last Blog Post: Dec 17, 2008 4:51pm
Thanks to my Family, I have always been involved in fitness. I was very skinny growing up. My Dad introduced me to weightlifting my 8th grade year to get stronger for Football. I loved it immediately. I decided I was going to become a Bodybuilder at 15 years old. The year was 1987. I entered my first Bodybuilding Competition....and I WON!
I was hooked. I competed for the next three years, winning several more shows, including the 1990 Teenage Mr. Maine. I also competed against and defeated another teenage bodybuilder who turned out today to be the Professional Wrestler, Triple H! I have pictures and a video!
I stayed in "fair" shape during the next 13 ½ years. I joined the Maine Air National Guard in 1993 and became a Maine State Trooper in 1995. I remained a Maine State Trooper for 5 years, then I went Active Duty with the Maine Air National Guard in 2000. Still, I always carried extra body fat around my waist which bothered me a great deal. I just did nothing about it. When my wife was pregnant with our fourth child, Ella, I decided that I was going to "relax" my nutrition for the Holidays. Boy did I ever RELAX my nutrition! I gained more weight than my wife did! I ended up at 219 lbs and 21% body fat. I looked and felt horrible. I developed acid reflux and was very uncomfortable. I was getting severe headaches and didn't work out hardly at all.
The last straw was when my wife's Grandfather passed away in January 2005. At his Funeral, Tami's Uncle Paul, who I love to death, was talking to me and he patted my stomach and said "Wow Mike, I've never seen you with a belly before!" He wasn't trying to hurt my feelings, so I laughed it off. His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had enough.
I was watching TV one day and saw the Power 90 infomercial. A light came on in my head! I told Tami about the program and we decided to order it. We made a commitment to ourselves and each other that we were going to complete the 90 day program no matter what. Having Tami on board with this program made all the difference in the world. We were eating the same foods and suffering through the workouts together. Our strength was each other. I knew we were going to see Tami's Uncle Paul that summer and I wanted to have a big surprise for him! We completed the 90 days and I went from 219 lbs. to 182 lbs. I had done it! As I had visualized it, I got my chance to show Paul the hard work that I had done. At a Family BBQ I brought Paul in front of everyone and told the story. Then I lifted my shirt and showed Paul my flat stomach! He loved it! I told him that when he patted my belly and said those words to me in January it hurt. I then thanked him and gave him a hug. If Paul hadn't given me that unintentional wake up call, I would still be overweight and unhappy. I owe him for the rest of my life.
Tami and I continued to use Power 90 for the next year. While I was at Air Force Survival School in March 2006, I received a phone call from Tami who told me that she had seen the P90X Infomercial on TV. She asked me about it and I told her that I thought it was an awesome program. She ordered it that day. We agreed that we would start P90X when I returned home in early April. Unfortunately, the P90X arrived before I got home and Tami took a look at some of the workouts, like Chest and Back. "There is no way!" she said. She said she was "scared" of the X! We were not ready for the X at that point so we sent it back.
We found the P90 Master Series. It was just what we were looking for! We completed another year blending the original P90 with the P90 Master Series. We loved it.
In June 2006 my wife, Tami, became severely ill with viral meningitis. She ended up in the hospital for four days. The first night she was in the hospital her fever spiked to over 104 degrees. I had to seriously consider losing the love of my life and soulmate. It scared me to death. It took Tami 5 weeks to recover. Her Doctor told her that the only reason she recovered with no side effects or even survived, was due to her excellent physical condition. I believe that Power 90 saved my wife's life. Thank you beach Body with all my heart.
This brings us to 2007. I was at 195 lbs. and still wasn't happy with my midsection. Tami called me on the phone at work and told me that she had just seen the new P90X Infomercial and ordered P90X. Things were different this time. We accepted the challenge. We wanted to see just how far we could push ourselves. We both devoured the information presented in the P90X Workout Guide and the P90X Nutrition manual. We organized our entire lifestyle around maximizing our results.
We have gotten mind blowing, life changing, results from P90X!
I started Power 90 in February of 2005 at 219 lbs. and 21% body fat. After completing my first Round of P90X, I ended up at 168 lbs. and 6% body fat! I lost a total of 51 lbs. and 15% body fat! I got in the absolute shape of my life! Life is good!
I completed my first Sprint Triathlon this year and completed a 9.4 mile, 7 1/2 hour ascent/descent of Mt. Katahdin, a mile high Mountain here in Maine!
I have gained 14 pounds of muscle since my Transformation Challenge win in July and I have finished up my preparations for the MDB Transformation $250,000 Competition!
I was selected as a "Top Coach" for Team Beachbody in the month of November 2007! Tami and I are going to Hawaii in March 2008!
Thank you so much to everyone who supported me in my P90/P90X Journey, especially my wife, Tami. Honey, thank you for your positive motivation, unconditional love, and support! I am a better man because of you. You are the bedrock of my life and I thank God every day for you!
To all my Team Northwoods Extreme Fitness Brothers and Sisters from the message boards, I love you guys!
Thank you Team Beachbody, you have changed my life forever! I can never repay the gift that you have given me, but as a Team Beachbody Coach, I am going to try!
One goal...get better EVERY day!!
Mike
Why I Love It:
I am interested in functional, ELITE fitness.
How I Stay Motivated:
I want to be as muscular, strong, flexible, and fit as I can be. Being in elite shape is an awesome feeling! I want to get better with age.
BB Accomplishments:
1990 Teenage Mr. Maine
$10,000 Million Dollar Body Transformation Challenge Champion for July 2007
I beat the now pro wrestler Triple H in a teenage bodybuilding show! I have video and pics as proof! **Check out my Photo Gallery, I posted the pic there!**
There it sat in the middle of my kitchen. (Where I decided to workout today!) 62 pounds of cold, black, Iron.
The biggest Kettlebell I own. 62 pounds or 28 Kilograms. It sat there unflinching, daring me to lift it. Saying, "Alright French, do you have what it takes to complete your...
Extreme Interval Fat Burner work in the am. and Resistance work in the pm. on Monday - Wednesday - Friday
Cardio work on Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday
Run 3 1/2 miles on Sunday
OMG MIKE, THAT AVI ROCKS!!! THOSE GUNS ARE EVEN BETTER & MORE DEFININED THAT BACK IN FEB! SENSATIONAL PHYSIQUE BRO...YOU NEVER DISSAPPOINT. BLESSINGS, DAVE.
Hey man awsome pics! So you know or have met Tony Horton. I just ordered P90X hoping to see some good gains. I see you are a beachbody fitness coach. what did you have to do to get that qualification?
Happy Easter Mike, I pray you had a blessed weekend or if not so spiritual atleast found alot of eggs in the hunt. Remember eggs is a great source of protein, LOL. Keep up all your hard work.
great progress in the past few years! how many P90/X 90 day trips have you taken? do you take a long break between two 90-day sessions? (i am currently on Body For Life prgogram, but wish to try P90/X next). thanks :D
you looked ripped man!! You on any certain diet or just eatin clean. I've been doing the zone diet for the past week and starting to see some good results. Nice to see another kettlebell guy on this website
THanks Mike. I dont think it will fit in this box. If you dont mind, i will send you a quick summary in a message/email. I could use the help and advise of someone like you man!