Beyond-Raw Journal “FINALE”

Who wants to try something new when it really counts?  That’s exactly what GNC and FitFluential asked me to do.  GNC asked me to use this amazing new line of products they call their “Beyond-Raw” line to get ready for my next event.  Normally I would accept and try anything with no reservation… EXCEPT this time I really needed to be in tip-top condition.  Not just for photos, but Bonnie and I and a group of nationally recognized trainers were leading a Fitness Retreat in Cancun Mexico (pictured below) for Fit Studio and My destination wellness.

As a trainer,  on-lookers compare what you are saying by living it.  In other words, our words are validated by our physiques.  There are no excuses when you talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.  So I had my reservations.  I didn’t want to be judged a hypocrite if this “stuff” just didn’t work.  I know how to dial in my training, and I know how to tweak my diet down to the last calorie.  I can cut 12 pounds of water in 6 hours… but what was I thinking when I told GNC -DAN to send the Beyond-Raw supplement to Florida?  It was on.  Didn’t help that I was starting this “experiment” at the heaviest and softest I’ve been in over 6 years.  Or that I only had 2 months to drop about 20 pounds or 6% body fat.  But a deal is a deal… It had better work.

The first month I cut back on the calories and began the supplementation and immediately I lost about 5 pounds in the first two weeks.  I was floored.  I was thinking to myself, this is a cakewalk.  AND THEN…. n o t h i n g… for the next month.  I couldn’t get the scale to move.  I resorted back to a body composition report and realized… my body fat was indeed decreasing as I lost 3 more pounds of fat but gained 3 pounds of muscle.  I’m almost 42 years old.  I haven’t gained muscle in over 6 years.  I redid the body comp every day for a week because I thought I was dreaming.  I dropped from almost 13% body fat to 9.1 in less than a month. This gave me a fever to push as hard as I could.  The discipline to eat and supplement perfectly was effortless because I was seeing my body respond daily.  Don’t get me wrong, after the initial loss, I was discouraged, but after the body comp showed the mass gain… I was sold out for the “Beyond Raw” line.  I wanted all I could get.

The question is,  after your training, after your nutrition, how much can supplementation really do???  Listen; genetics, training and nutrition can only take you to the edge. When you are ready to jump, you better be packing “Beyond-Raw“.

Before & After:
Here are my “RAW” pics – and a couple photos from a photo shoot I took the same weekend as my after shot.

Here’s what I did:

I started my day, training or no training,  with one scoop of RE-GROW.  In short, this protein is formulated to increase lean muscle anabolism and decrease  lean catabolism.  If we can train hard and not break down muscle, and still stimulate growth… then I want more.

Next I would take Re-Fine before training.  If I wasnt weight training I’d take Re-Fine before conditioning, even if it was yoga.  What I loved about this pre-workout thermogenic is I was able to stay focused during the rush.  Didn’t notice the fat loss until it mattered most.  From 9% to 6% it was completely apparent.

I used the Re-Power as a recovery drink.  The BCAA are made to absorb fast and preserve muscle, and prepare them for the next bout of intense training.  It is one of those supplements that you can feel working to repair muscle.  The last supplement was the most confusing for me, and the one that forced me to do a little research to understand the mechanisms at work.

Re-forge is taken at bed time. Anyone who schools themselves on rest and repair is aware of how important our endocrine function is at night.  This is when our body is re-pairing and re-building the cells that we spent brutalizing all day.  Re-Forge is what is responsible to encourage our body to release the right hormones and enzymes to maximize repair and lean muscle growth during our sleep cycle.

So there it is… My Journey that took me “Beyond-Raw“.  The before and afters were for me only, but a picture is worth a thousand words.  When you have gotten every ounce of muscle out of your training and nutrition, i hope you do your self a favor and try “Beyond-Raw”  it’s truly “BEYOND-RAW“

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.