The journey of a lifetime – by Michael Bell, lifetime natural athlete.

It was once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Perhaps it could be said that my own journey - the journey to a new physique - began with that first pound of weight loss. Towards the end of 2006 when a slightly more rotund version of Michael Bell existed, in fact all 17st 5lbs of me, I decided to test-drive PhD’s new potent and innovative fat loss supplement ‘Lean Degree’, (having read great things about the product and trusting the team behind the company, as natural athletes themselves) and in the process chart what progress, if any, could be seen over a prolonged period of time.

By manipulating my daily food intake to create a calorie deficit, I continued in my usual training regime of 5 times per week, training one body part per day on a five-on / two-off split, which brought about the positive and welcomed results that were to be my early source of motivation to take things to the next level.

Mon- Back. Tue- Arms. Wed- Chest. Thu- Legs. Fri- Delts. Sat- rest. Sun- rest

My original diet while being far from optimum in terms of variation and in hindsight EFA intake, was still however proving to be adequate for my needs in terms of providing sufficient energy to fuel my workouts and enough protein for muscle repair. Following discussions with respected PhD strength and conditioning consultant Phil Learney, my diet at this stage was given an over-haul to include these fats, together with a manipulation of my carb & protein intake so as to negate any catabolic effects that the diet might bring.

To that end with much trepidation I tentatively forwarded my most up to date progress pictures, to team PhD (via their website and discussion forum- ran by top level drug-free athletes).
To my delight and surprise the prompt feedback that I received was both positive and flattering and culminated in the team suggesting that I should seriously consider competing on stage in a natural bodybuilding competition later in the year.

Nothing could have prepared me for the next few weeks and the sheer determination needed to succeed.

At this point I felt the need to re-adjust my training sessions from the format of those previously utilized.
To that end the programme I adopted, followed a pattern closely resembling that of the one utilized by drug-free body building legend Dr. Dean Garratt in conjunction with Gavin Laird’s UHT System which dictates that the whole body is trained over 3 days, with one days rest, and then repeating the process.

At this juncture - I re-enforced my arsenal by re-introducing Lean Degree™ back into my daily supplement intake, combining this with Formula-X™ (now re-launched as the superb Methoxy-7-Test™), Wired™ and also PhD’s ‘all-in-one’ supplement Synergy Iso-7™, to co-incide with the imminent cardio on-slaught I was about to endure.
In doing so, almost immediately I felt a re-ignition of strength and energy together with a renewed sense of motivation and impetus.

My diet at this time was:

Additional supplements used:
Micronised L-Glutamine: 10 grams taken in two divided doses: 5 grams during workout, 5 grams before bed.
Formula-X™ (now Methoxy-7-Test™): Used 3 capsules daily with great results.

At this point I had decided to add more cardio into my training plan.
The said cardio now took the form of early morning 1 hour power-walks at 4.30am, with another of the same at 9pm at night. Calories, particularly carbs were restricted and low. I was looking gaunt in the face and at times, particularly mid-afternoon and early evening I would become extremely tired and somewhat irritable.
This is where Lean Degree™ and Wired™ came into their own, as they were the source that provided me with not only the energy needed to fuel my weights sessions and cardio, but also the focus to concentrate at work.

I daresay that those at PhD Nutrition would no doubt be the first to re-iterate, the fact that, despite what others would have you believe, there are no ‘miracle’ supplements available and certainly no fast track route to a great physique which didn’t embrace the fundamentals of a sound diet and workout plan.
That said, I now fully believe that when all of the above factors are in place, and other criteria are met - PhD’s excellent range of supplements can and will make the difference.
The impact and significance that this brand has had on me and my physique during the course of the last year, is remarkable and cannot be underestimated.
The rigours of a pre-contest diet regime are intense, extreme and both physically and mentally demanding. PhD’s quality, reliable supplements and support team online have provided me with the stimulus, energy, focus and the motivation to persevere when I believed I couldn’t.