Transformations Series: Chrisgen Whitfield

We love to share the exciting fitness transformation stories of our many awesome fans. It takes commitment to change your life, and we're proud that our meal management systems have been able to help people take the fitness bull by the horns. Today we introduce you to Chrisgen Whitfield, a man whose dedication to his new life is evident within seconds of finding out a little bit more about him. 31-year-old Long Beach, California resident Chrisgen is a Student Accounts Specialist who can pinpoint not only the exact moment he knew he wanted to make a change in his life, but also the seedling planted the year before when he bought a muscle and fitness magazine on a whim, read it, highlighted it, and then put it to the wayside. A year later came the day he will never forget. "It will go down as one of the most memorable days of my life," Chrisgen said. "I have always been a fat kid and come from a family of rather 'big boned' people. Growing up fat and having been teased for it at an early age, being called fat by someone with a hurtful intent never bothered me. For some reason though, this time it did. My friend and I went to meet other friends for a hang out and some drinking. When meeting everyone and saying hello, our 'friend' that doesn't have a filter said to me, 'Damn Chrisgen, what are you eating? You're getting big.' I laughed and said, 'Oh, really?' and the night went on. The next day I woke up with the sting of his comments still in my heart, so I took to the scale. The damn thing said I was two hundred and sixty five pounds. As a scientist you must test 3 times. Each time it said the same thing. 265. 265. 265. That was it for me." Everyone faces hurdles during a fitness transformation, but Chrisgen insists that he did not have to overcome any because he has found that when he wants something, he is going to get it, no matter the time it takes.

"I will invest myself in it, learn every aspect of it, and execute with precision. When you invest yourself into something, nothing can get in your way."

For example, he found what I wanted to take for supplements, researched them all until he had read everything under the sun on them, wrote it all down, and re-read the notes until he was falling asleep to them. He wanted to be sure he knew what he was putting in my body and how it would work. Then he set out a road map.

"I read that it takes an average person a year to lose 100 pounds safely. I only wanted to lose 65, so I set what I thought to be a realistic goal: lose 65 pounds in one year. What I gave myself one year to accomplish, I did in 6 months."

He is currently training with Kris Gethin's muscle building program. His main focus is on the use of heavy weight and loads of sets. He points out that this is "all the rage now," but he's been doing it since 2013. "They call it over training now," he explained. His average set is 18 or more reps for 4-5 sets, although if he likes the particular maneuver he can get up to 25 or so. Chrisgen first heard about 6 Pack Fitness when he came across a video of people trading in their old torn up cooler bags for 6 Pack Bags! Although he had already begun his fitness transformation and achieved the first goal he laid out for himself, he knew that the meal management capabilities and attractive appearance were just what he had been looking for.

"I was hooked."

Everyone has their own bit of fitness advice, and Chrisgen's is refreshingly practical: know what you are doing and set realistic goals for yourself. If you're starting your fitness transformation at age 30, you are not going to achieve your goals in 30 days. "You have 30 years of habits and functions to correct. It doesn't mean it will take another 30 to do so, but it's surely not going to happen safely in 30 days." It comes down to one simple truth: be honest with yourself. Chrisgen's inspirations are similarly as easy to pinpoint as his moment-of-change: Tony Horton, developer of the P90X exercise video series, Dreya Weber, aerialist and famous P90X personality, and Express For Men. In his own words, these are the reasons behind the inspirations:

Tony Horton:

"I have never been motivated or encouraged by anyone through a video the way Tony got me going. I loved coming home to train with him even though I already knew what he was going to say and do."

Dreya Weber:

"Dreya, on the other hand, would piss me off. She would [also] eventually become the launch pad for my personal mantra and soon trademark pending fitness brand. I was at the end of my wits as I lay on my carpet [covered] in sweat. Tony says, 'Look at her go, Dreya's still going, she's a beast.' I mumbled into the carpet, 'Who cares?' and rolled over. But this voice in my head whispered, 'She trains hard. Look at her body. What do you do?' My answer? I train hard too! As I rolled myself back over, I said, 'I train hard. Train harder than Dreya. Train harder than the rest. I. Train. Harder.' From that point on, with anything, I. Train. Harder."

Express For Men:

"I wanted to be able to buy a shirt from there and make it look good with me in it, something I had never ever been able to do before in my life."

Chrisgen did not follow a particular diet or set of macros to precision during his fitness transformation, but he did follow some roundabout rules, such as maintaining 1g of protein per pound rule to promote healthy muscles. His training began in 2010 by dabbling with P90X, but he set up two 3-month phases for his workout plan the following year. The first three months he used his lunch hour to do P90X cardio on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and trained all 5 days of the week with a weight-oriented DVD from the series. During the second set, he began running at his workplace's gym, during which he would often get 2.5-3 miles of running in, with another 3 miles after work prior to hitting the weights. Chrisgen notes that his fitness transformation has had an inspiring effect on others around him. "All I was doing was aiming to get into a size 36 pants from a 44 and boom! Here comes this ripple effect of touching others' lives," Chrisgen describes. His own mother and a cousin have both lost a good deal of weight, and everyone from coworkers to friends asks Chrisgen his opinion on fitness-related matters. We're ecstatic that we've been able to contribute so coolly to Chrisgen's fitness life - literally and figuratively. He is currently in a transformation competition held by bodybuilding.com, and his aspirations for the future include becoming a personal trainer, the kind that actually hits the gym with people. "Call it a professional workout buddy," he says. We can't think of a more motivating force ourselves! We wish Chrisgen all the best in all his future endeavors, but we're pretty confident he'll continue to achieve all his wildest dreams. Check out more of the amazing stories in our Transformations Series, and if you need the perfect meal management system to help you achieve all your fitness goals, check out our gym backpacks, gym totes, and sports duffle bags!