Ever look at a fitness magazine or watch a few minutes of an infomercial after gettingback from the gym and think, "Why don't I look like that?" The ads want you to believethat with their products anything is possible. In his article "HowTo Get A Fitness Model Body" AskMen fitness expert James Fell explained that no pieceof equipment or dietary product will get you perfectly sculpted. Even with the rightdietary restrictions and workout regime, it's extremely difficult to attain the idealphysique. Author and fitness model Vince Del Monte goes even further, explaining that thebodies we see in the media are not only near impossible to achieve but are impossible (andunhealthy) to maintain.The above photo was taken 24 hours after Icompeted in a fitness show in 2011. The actual truth about how I achieved thiscondition is a tough pill to swallow, so instead of offering you false hope by promotingmy products and services as the answers to a ripped andmuscular physique, let's make sure you're ready: Can you handle the truth? Well,here it is.To get into this extreme shape, I began weight training at the ageof 22 and have continued to lift consistently for the past nine years (not nine weeks). Iwas able to take my scrawny, 149-pound body to a muscular 227 pounds (and not withoutgaining fat through the "bulking up" process). Understand, it's impossible to gain musclewithout fat unless you're taking performance-enhancing drugs. I chose not to.For the four months leading up to this picture, my diet was very strict. I ate everythree hours. I ate six different protein sources a day (sirloin, whole eggs, white fish,turkey, chicken, protein powder), four different carb sources a day (brown rice, Ezekielcereal, quinoa, yams), two different fat sources a day (avocados, mixed nuts), consumedvegetables with every meal, trained from 1.5 to 3 hours a day (six days a week), andeliminated all alcohol and sweets. I went to bed at 10:30 p.m. and rose at 6:00 a.m. everyday. My weekly grocery and supplement bill was around $300 a week. I invested $4,000 tohire one of the top bodybuilding coaches inthe world. I have a very supportive wife who lives and breathes the same lifestyle, makingit easier.RELATEDVIDEO: What Not To Eat Before Your WorkoutI was also training at one of the best gyms in the country and was surrounded bycelebrities and professional athletes to keep me motivated.I grew up in an extremely goal-oriented home so I have my own natural drive to besuccessful. I was competing for my Pro Card (which I won), giving me huge motivation. DidI mention I was filming my entire transformation to create a brand new product calledStage Shredded Status? That gave me financial motivation, too. I also invested in aprofessional photographer who shot over 800 images to capture this one. I wouldn't doubtthat some digital retouching was applied to fix some of my cosmetic flaws -- and that wasafter my body was already water-depleted and carb-loaded (sneaky tricks we fitness modelsknow)! In fact, what most people don't know about the fitness models andbodybuilders who are promoting the next pill, powder or potion is that these models arescheduled for photoshoots immediately after competitions. This is to ensure the model isin extreme shape after months of dieting, intensetraining (often times with the use of steroids and growth hormone), tanning, posingpractice, using diuretics, and other photo-enhancing products and tricks.Although this type of extreme shape is temporary, many magazines and advertisingcampaigns hope their prospects buy into the belief that this condition is the standardlook, rather than the exception, and never do they explain that this look is temporary andthat these models do not look like this all the time. These images may inspire millions,but they also mislead millions. Individuals are encouraged to emulate their idols, notknowing how they really got there.Find out how to get the most from yourworkouts... Continue Reading

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