Ken Stanton

Beginning Stats:
Age: 36
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
Weight: 243
Skinfold thickness: Chest 21mm; Abdomen 51mm; Thigh 20mm; Triceps 20; Sub-scapula 43.5mm

Thirty-six year old police officer Ken Stanton has fought to keep his weight, "where he feels comfortable" for the better part of his adult life. Trying, as many Americans, different fads and formulas that simply do not work, Stanton decided to make a change that can last a lifetime.

The decision was made when Stanton's uniform became too tight and he was having difficulty "chasing the bad guys," as he puts it. Rather than considering his problem to be a factor of age, or placing the blame were it does not belong, he decided that it was time to take control of the situation.

And so, for the next twelve weeks, Mr. Stanton undertook a body transformation. This success story outlines the types of training and diet involved and the hurdles that arose.

The first consideration in any weight loss program is diet. Aside from Stanton's diet being somewhat low in fruits and vegetables, the only two things blatantly wrong is the timing of his meals and the composition of each. Stanton went long periods without eating and then tended to eat unbalanced ratios of carbohydrates and protein, which caused his insulin to increase.

As a result, his new diet incorporated a lower maintenance calorie diet, which is the most important component in any successful weight loss program. The new diet was about 50 percent carbohydrate (whole-wheat bread, brown rice, etc.), 30 percent protein (lean meats, beans, whey, etc.) and 20 percent fats (olive oil, safflower oil, etc.). The diet also called for five medium-sized meals a day.

The second component to be addressed, also an element of a negative calorie balance, is cardiovascular exercise. The two methods that Stanton incorporated included long slow distance, or LSD, and high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Explanations and etiology of these methods will be explained in further detail later.

The third element was Stanton's weight training protocol. In accordance to Stanton's goals of increasing his lean body mass and strength while at the same time decreasing his body fat, he will be hitting the weights.

While in the process of reducing calories and increasing cardiovascular activity, strength and lean mass are generally sacrificed. As a result, this was one of Stanton's biggest challenges. Given his genetic makeup, Stanton started his transformation with an abbreviated resistance-training program that comprised of only one hour once a week to enable adequate recovery.

Statistics after three weeks
Age: 36
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
Weight: 243lbs. (11/13) - 226lbs. (12/6)
Chest: 21mm (11/13) - 17mm (12/6) (Skin-fold Thickness)
Abdomen: 51mm (11/13) - 31mm (12/6)
Thigh: 20mm (11/13) - 21mm (12/6)
Triceps: 20mm (11/13) - 17mm (12/6)
Sub-scapula: 43.5mm (11/13) - 21.5mm (12/6)

Thirty-six year old Temple Terrace police officer Ken Stanton was well on his way to peek physical conditioning. Despite the lure of a Thanksgiving Day feast and a tempting wedding reception Ken was able to drop 17 pounds of fat in as little as 23 days! With 61 days left in our twelve-week journey Ken looked and felt great. He stuck to his nutrition plan with only a couple splurges and completed all on his LSD (Long Slow Distance) aerobic sessions. Ken weight trains once a week using low volume (one set) and high intensity (lifting to failure slow and under impeccable control). As stated, he incorporated a lower than maintenance calorie diet that consisted of 50 percent carbohydrate, 30 percent protein and 20 percent fats spread out in five medium-sized meals a day. He completed Long Slow Distance (LSD) and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for his aerobic training to further offset his calorie count.

As you can see, he was winning the losing battle, thus far. With the reduction of calories, by way of a nutrient dense reduced calorie diet and carefully prescribed aerobic exercise, Ken was able to move his belt three notches to the negative. But however great the progress was to that point, there is a phenomenon that takes place in the human body, known as cellular resistance. You see, exercise and diet is an adaptation process; when you subject the human body to a certain stimuli your body is enticed to adapt within its genetic parameters. If an individual undergoes the same type of stimuli day-after-day (Homotropic Training) the stimuli is not unique enough to elicit an adaptation response. When the exercises, tempo, volume, diet, intensity, and / or any other shock technique are altered (Heteratropic Training) it convinces the body that adaptation is necessary for future survival. To avoid cellular resistance Ken, and anyone else looking to receive the most effective progress for their time and energy investment, would be better off changing certain variables of his workout and diet approximately every two to three weeks. For example, in the coming weeks he exchanged one of his aerobic workouts for a weight training workout, and substituted a LSD workout for a HIIT aerobic workout. He also slightly increased his daily caloric consumption to meet the demands of more vigorous training. Here are some examples:

Week One Program
Approximately 30 minutes of continuous aerobic activity 4 to 5 times per week.
Weight training once a week, bringing each set of the 8 exercises to momentary muscular fatigue, e.g.,1 set of as many repetitions (or tension time) as possible.

Weeks Two and Three Program
Approximately 30 minutes of aerobic activity 3 to 4 times a week, along with one 20 to 30 minute interval workout.
Weight training two times a week utilizing a lower load with greater volume (i.e. 2-3 sets with 8 to 12 repetitions (60 to 90 seconds tension time).

With the strides that were made, and the knowledge that changes as the weeks progress, Ken is motivated to take it to the next level.

Data Update
Age: 36
Height: 6 feet 2 inches
(11/13) (12/26)
Weight: 243lbs. - 218lbs.

Skin-fold Thickness
Chest: 21mm - 9mm
Abdomen: 51mm - 27mm
Thigh: 20mm - 14mm
Triceps: 20mm - 15mm
Sub-scapula: 43.5mm - 21.5mm

Criminals beware there is a new bread of officer on streets and he's leaner, bigger, stronger, and faster than any of his predecessors. His name is Ken Stanton, and with the help of a 10-year personal training veteran and owner of Temple Maintenance Personal Training Studio, in as little as six weeks he dropped 26 pounds; an estimated 11% reduction in body fat. This marked the halfway point of Ken's twelve-week-transformation and we both had our eyes fixed on a sculpted physique (7-9% body fat) with 200 pounds of metabolically active muscle. With the psychological momentum of being able to drop four notches in his belt during the holidays, kudos were received from friends, co-workers, and family, and overcoming the temptations of a wedding reception and a week's vacation Ken's goals were in his reach. Performing this transformation during the time of the year where Americans gain on average 10 pounds is exceptionally empowering. However, whenever the time of year and whatever the obstacles may be, with every wise decision the will is strengthened.
The ability to transform the body effectively is 50% inspiration and 50% perspiration. You can posses all the desire in the world to reach a certain destination but have the wrong map and you will never reach your ultimate location. Likewise, you could have literally thousands of maps representing every corner of the globe and without the motivation to put them to use you will remain stationary. All the glitz of the multi-million dollar fitness centers, body wraps, surgical procedures, and diet drugs will shrink the size of your wallet and will. It is only through small day-by-day, meal-by-meal, workout-by-workout successes that we are able to integrate healthy habits into our lives, and to assure a lasting result. At this point it is no longer contrary to our character, but rather a part our character.

Ken, like many, once feared the possibility of falling out of shape after the twelve weeks where complete. Interestingly it is that fear which will help motivate him to stay on course. Better agility, a healthier blood profile, better cardiovascular functioning, a leaner midsection, greater strength, and overall better health were positive aspects to keep him on the right road for the remainder of his quality life.

After twelve weeks, Temple Terrace Police Officer Ken Stanton was an agile 202 pounds, down from his former 245 pounds twelve weeks ago; from 26.5% to about12% body fat. Ken achieved his goal, the best shape of his life. As a result of taking the challenge, Ken is now well aware of the fact that it is not your conditions, but your decisions that lead to success. Despite the opposing conditions of a luring sofa, tempting foods, and the feelings of fatigue we all experience from time-to-time, Ken made the appropriate decisions to make changes that will lead to a positive impact on his health, occupation, relationships, and overall quality of life. The choice to do some form of cardiovascular exercise or weight training instead of sitting on the couch after a twelve hour shift, reaching for water rather than soft drinks, electing to eat five small meals a day, incorporating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into his daily diet, and simply setting a higher standard and not settling for metabolic mediocrity are some of the key ingredients to Ken's long term weight loss, as well as successes in other areas of life.

It has been said, "Life is a journey, make yours an adventure!" And this journey has been just that. Some of the more comical things that happened over the course of the twelve weeks are: Ken has been ordered by his supervisor to purchase smaller pants (his former 42s were a little saggy on the south side, he is now wearing 36s); he was confronted at a restaurant where another patron asked him what he had chosen off the menu to see if it was prohibited or not; at Christmas he is able to climb up into the attic and ambulate around rafters getting into places where before he may have remained downstairs. And so, overall, it has been a great experience, and we are already talking about what his plans for the future.

Increasing your quality of life is really what getting in shape is all about; being able to do the things that you need or desire to do on a daily basis. Some people would like to compete in bodybuilding, run marathons or triathlons, some would prefer being able to get down on the floor and play with their grandchildren without aches and pains, or be able to go to the beach and not feel embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit. And there are countless reasons for getting in shape and eating right that are not as tangible, such as bettering your blood chemistry profile, decreasing the likelihood of acquiring adult onset diabetes, obverting and reversing osteoporosis, and much more.

Every time my wife reaches for another chocolate brownie I tell her, "The children and I will miss you when you're gone." Although that sounds horrible, she knows that my intentions are pure, and if she overindulges than her quality of life will suffer. But after she has chased me for a block or two, at least most of the calories have been offset by the aerobic session.
But in all seriousness it does not require money; it requires motivation. It does not require starvation; it requires calculation. It does not take tears of anguish, it take time and patience. Not blind ambitions, but wise decisions. There are no valid excuses; everyone, anytime, and anyplace can achieve better health. When all is said, read, and done, the simple fact remains...If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to make it happen!

Our twelve-week journey is complete and here are the final results:

Ken Stanton has scaled his weight down from 245 pounds to a sleek 202 pounds. He has reduced his body fat from 26% body fat to an amazingly low 12%. And as you can see from his before and after pictures above, he is looking and feeling great. Although the twelve-weeks are complete, Ken and I set an even higher bar for his physical well-being. Ken's new goal is a body fat percentage of 8% at a body weight of approximately 190 ­ 200 pounds. To the left is a more recent photo of Ken. We will reach this goal within another twelve weeks, and so we are already talking about the next step. Everyone, regardless of his or her current level of fitness, can improve; even if it is being more efficient in the gym so as to have more time for the more important things in life, like family, relationships, spiritual growth, and the like.

But after being in the personal training business for over 10 years, and competing as a professional athlete myself, I have learned many valuable lessons for staying on top of one's health. Two such lessons are: you must continue to set SMART goals, and always press forward never to look back!

Smart goals are:
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Tangible

"My endurance and overall fitness level has never been better...my confidence level is at an all-time high, and for the first time in my life I am tucking-in my shirts!" Ken Stanton

Eric Messersmith is owner of Temple Maintenance Personal Training and Therapeutic Massage. He has a B.S. Degree in Comprehensive Wellness from USF, 10 years personal training experience, and is a Certified Fitness Practitioner with the International Association for Resistance Trainers. Eric can be reached by calling (813) 997-4355, or e-mailing EricMessersmith@msn.com.