Featured Body Transformation: Bruce MacdonaldBy Vince On July 19, 2010Under Body Transformation Contests, Featured Post

Featured Maximize Your Muscle Transformation Story: Bruce Macdonald

These motivational stories will show you everything you will ever need to know on how to finally create the body of your dreams.

Feeling unmotivated? Well, look no further. Your fellow bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts are here to give you all the drive youll need

BEFORE PICTURE: Bruce

AFTER PICTURE: Bruce

THE MOST COMPLETE AND CHALLENGING WORKOUTS

When you came out with the MYM program in Jan 2010, I thought that if the master sculptor for bodybuilding has a new program I wasnt going to pass it up. I also felt you threw down the gauntlet when you said this was only for those really serious. I wasnt about to pass up the challenge Also, I wanted to see how a 63 yr. old body would respond to this level of workout. These were the most complete and challenging workouts Ive ever been involved in. I was sore in places I didnt think you could get sore

Like all involved in the MYM program, it has taken lots of work, sweat, tears, consistency and eating healthy. Stay the course and you can achieve what you dream to have. At 63, I hope Im an inspiration to those looking at these photos young and old.

I appreciate the need to be in good shape and healthy at my age. I see too many my age that arent in good physical shape or in good health who are getting ready to retire. It is unfortunate for these people because they are going to be sitting on the sidelines or worse yet in the bleachers watching others as they play on the field of life I prefer to be out there actively enjoying life because Ive chosen a life style that enables me to thanks to your programs

-Bruce Macdonald MPH, RM(NRM), CSP,  Durham, North Carolina

Vince: Congrats on your recent transformation.  How do you feel about it?

Bruce: I enjoy looking and feeling good. Having put on more lean muscle since I finished the 6 Pack program has helped fill out my physique. While Im impressed what I have done in 16 weeks, I still have not achieved the level I want.

Vince: It must take a lot of discipline and hard work to transform your body at 63 years of age.  Would you agree?

Bruce: I chuckled at this question. I simply dont view myself as 63 whatever a 63 is supposed to be/look like. In my mind Im still a young stud, well maybe not THAT young

Im sure it took a lot of work for everyone on the MYM to transform their bodies regardless of age. I think too many people believe just because youre over 60 yr. old youre limited in what you can do Not true. Sure recovery time may take a tad longer than when I was younger. Im certainly not able to do what I used to do when I was younger. And there are years of accumulated aches and pains. However, I never let being over 60 yrs. old stand in my way. Any goal you want to achieve takes discipline and hard work no matter what age.

Vince:  What is one thing you think you could have done to improve your condition more in the past 16-weeks?

Bruce: In looking back over the 4 Phases, I would have tried pushing more heavy weights. Part of holding back was from past injuries to my shoulders I had gotten in racquet sports that hampered me from doing heavy weights for some exercises. I found, though, the exercises I did do has helped stabilize my shoulder as Im seeing in Phase 5 when lifting heavier.

Vince: How did you get into bodybuilding and fitness?

Bruce: Since I was a kid I was always active. In High School I did cross country and track. In college I took as many PE courses as I could to stay fit. Part of my drive to be fit comes from seeing how unfit my Dad was. He smoked and drank too much, having the skinny mans beer belly. At the age of 62 he passed away as a result of being in poor health. I vowed I would not let myself get like that. This picture has been interwoven in the matrix of who I am and how I take care of myself.

Weight lifting hasnt been a strong point with me until the last 3 years. Most of my lifting was to simply keep strong enough for the racquet sports I did. I really had no game plan when it came to lifting.

When our club closed there werent any other places around that had squash courts resulting in me finding a club to workout in. My workouts were totally unstructured. Doing the same old thing I had in previous years. One day I happened across your web site. One thing you said that hit home was If you dont have a plan when you workout then youre wasting your time in the gym Look around you. How many are still where they are physically this year as they were last year?

Yep, that about described my workouts and the results I wasnt getting. I decided at that point to get involved with the 6 Pack program to lose the body fat I had gained and go for the ripped look.

Id like to add a sidebar to this answer because I think your readers need to read an example that illustrates the importance of your statement You put small deposits into your account when you work out. The event is another factor that continues to drive me to be fit.

In 2002, after an annual physical, I was told I needed to have heart surgery to repair a valve. If I didnt then I wouldnt have many years left to live. After the surgery I spent 5 days in the hospital and then was released. It would be two weeks before I had my follow up examine and could get back to my normal routine.

I realized when I was home that I needed to get out and walk to begin the process of building up my strength. If youve never had major surgery, you just cannot imagine what it takes out of you

Having been disciplined in working out was a strong force to get me going. The first day I went a half block. It was as if I had done a marathon I was exhausted. I didnt know if I could make it back home  In subsequent days I was out again going farther, pushing to do a personal best.

By the end of two weeks I was doing 2 miles at a pretty good pace. Once I was given the O.K to go back to the gym I was in there doing light cardios and weights to continue to build up strength and endurance.

I attribute my ability to bounce back fast to the deposits I made in my account over the years that I worked out. I didnt anticipate having heart surgery and I dont think anyone can forecast when a health event will arise. Making those deposits, though, WILL give you a significant edge in recovery.

Vince: At what point did you decide to take your bodybuilding goals very seriously?

Bruce: Once I saw the results after 32 weeks on the 6 Pack program, I decided to go for your NNMB program.  I had only done 3 months when you came out with your MYM program. It was at that point I decided to kick the bodybuilding up to a whole new level. To give you a time reference, I started the 6 Pack in 2009 so I really havent been involved in a serious program very long.

Vince: Whats next for you in terms of physique and life goals?

Bruce: I still want to have a physique like you so Ive got plenty of work ahead of me. I would like to see what being 180lbs of lean muscle and 7-8% body fat is like. This means putting on about 10lbs of lean muscle. I think this can be done in the next 16 weeks.

Vince: What was the most impressive result you experienced on MYM?

Bruce: The most impressive result I got from the MYM so far was increasing the size of my biceps and thighs. My biceps have always lagged and seem never to respond to whatever I did. This is one area I really pushed as much as I could.  Phase 4 may have been the point that really got me over the plateau. And it was at that time people started making comments about how big my biceps had gotten As far as my thighs are concerned, my legs have always been the strongest part so the increase came as no surprise.

Vince: What is the biggest mistake older fellas are making in the gym who want to build muscle?

I think the biggest mistake most people, no matter what age, make in the gym, is they go in without a game plan. They have no defined goal in mind, consequently they have no direction I feel you need to define what it is in the long run you want to achieve. Once you have that clearly define in specific terms, then youre ready to put together a map of how youre going to get there and what your milestone will be.

Vince: What is the biggest tip for managing your belly and keeping a firm and flat stomach?

Bruce: I found that diet is the key to being successful. I once thought that doing umpteen ab exercises was the trick. However, as I learned, if you have strong abs but lots of belly fat, you arent going to see those abs.

Eating clean and being disciplined in your diet, with the occasional splurge, goes a long way to have the stomach you want. For me it is eating less carbs and more protein. It took me a while to figure out what my body responds to.

What everyone needs to figure out is how THEIR body responds to a specific diet. If youre not seeing the results you want then you need to change up one aspect and see the results you get. Keep changing one thing at a time until you hit the right solution.

I dont feel that one diet fits all and not all diets fit a particular personality. I like a diet that is extremely simple and doesnt take a lot of thought to do and has tasty meals. For me, I find David Ruels plans are great. He has fantastic recipes in his book that meet my criteria.

Vince: Did you tweak the MYM workouts or nutrition at all based on your age?

Bruce: I didnt do any tweaking. Age played no role in how I approach the MYM workouts. I may not have set any record time in finishing the work out, however, failure to finish was never an option.

I adjusted diet according to the workout intensity. When cutting I just ate 2000 cal high protein less carbs.

Vince: How about supplements?  What role did they play?

I take multivitamins, Omega 3 oil, creatine, whey protein powder, and glucosamine. Since all these work on the cellular level, I couldnt tell you what results the supplements have had. I know they do work for cellular protection against free radical, and help to build muscle.

Vince: Final advice to our over 60 crowd who want to get buff and stronger than ever?

Bruce: From my perspective, age isnt a limiting factor or an excuse not to work out as long as you dont have physical and health issues.  Learn how to eat healthy by incorporating meal plans that are simple and good tasting.

Establish what it is you want to achieve physically in specific terms and define the time you want to achieve that goal. Set milestones to make the ultimate goal more manageable. Then, get yourself a game plan before you go into the gym. Vince has a variety of work outs to meet most needs and level of experience.

Once in the gym stay focused on the workout and dont get distracted. For me the gym is no place for chit chat or cell phones when working out. Save that for afterward.

Be consistent in your workouts failure to workout is not an option in most cases. During each workout, set a personal best in weight or sets or reps., this will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you see improvement.

Take before photos and after 4 months take another photo to see the improvements. Seeing results helps keep you motivated.

Become a role model of fitness and inspire others to workout. Help eliminate obesity that is rampant worldwide.

END OF INTERVIEW

Vince Delmonte