bodybuildingben

As a personal trainer, nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and, as pictured above, ex-bodybuilder, I work with many people, both face-to-face in Spokane, Washington, and also online, anywhere in the world. I help with everything from..

…getting ready for a triathlon…

…to losing fat…

…to eating healthy and enjoying it…

…to winning a beauty pageant…

…to toning thighs and abs…

…to figuring out what the heck is going on with their body, their metabolism, and their health…

Here's a video that shows some of what I do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beySOfPhtkc

Let's cut to the chase. Here's what this page is all about.

The Stories of 2009

On January 1, 2009, I took on a limited number of clientele to be involved in a special program. In exchange for permission to use their photos and videos, I promised to help them achieve their fat loss, performance, and health goals, and also threw in a FREE Gymstick for home workout lean body toning, Enerprime superfood multi-vitamin for optimum energy and immune system development, and the Thermofactor metabolism-boosting, fat-burning supplement. The goals were broad and included:

…to run a marathon

…to lose 100 pounds of fat

…to become toned and lean

…or to eliminate nagging and potentially serious health issues…

From the wide range of individuals who chose to participate in this full-service fitness training, nutrition consulting, and health-enhancing program, I chose 8 candidates to follow on this very webpage.

These eight brave people made the decision to drastically change their health, performance longevity and appearance in 2009.

You can find their stories below. It will be exciting to track the journey of each individual as they take the proprietary fitness and nutrition systems that I have designed and apply these scientific concepts to achieve ultimate success! Remember, you can post your thoughts and comments on bottom of this page!

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Story #1:

Can Ben Greenfield actually help a 32 year old stay-at-home mom who has already tried Slimfast, Atkins, Herbalife, Body for Life, interval training, personal training, detox, low-fat diet, horseback riding, Slim in 6, a home treadmill and elliptical, mini-trampoline, gym membership, cleanses, Weight Watchers, hoodia, green tea, calorie counting, walking, hiking, Tai-bo, Wii fit, Denise Austin, bands, exercise balls, yoga and Lean for Life?

Sometimes people have unsuccessfully tried many, many other methods. You must watch this video to see an extreme example of Farah, a 32 year old stay-at-home-mom who has tried EVERYTHING for fat loss:

Here are some pictures that she sent:

1st-easter-j farah-070913 sept-07-029

So can I help her?

In December of 2008, this 32 year old stay-at-home mom signed up for training (through my online training website Pacific Elite Fitness). Within 48 hours after she had signed up, I had collected a series of online questionnaires about her health and exercise history, conducted a video conference between me in Spokane, Washington and her in San Diego, California, and sent her the first set of exercise and dietary recommendations.

Here's the first video she sent back:

FARAH'S ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING AND NUTRITION PROGRAM UPDATE #1:

I wrote back immediately, giving her an alternative exercise to the bridge. It turns out, she was attempting an advanced version of the bridge!

FARAH'S ONLINE PERSONAL TRAINING AND NUTRITION PROGRAM UPDATE #2:

2 Weeks Into the Program

Weight: 223.7 (Starting Weight: 225)

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Want to find out what happens? Is there any chance she can shed 95 pounds of fat, especially with everything she has already tried? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Farah…

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Story #2:

Can Ben Greenfield help a 45 year old construction manager to achieve his goal of shedding 25 pounds, lowering his cholesterol from 250 down to 200, learning to eat healthy and running two marathons in 2009?

Kevin started his program with a resting and exercise metabolic test at his home. If you live in the Spokane or Coeur D' Alene area, you may be eligible for home personal training. Click here to find out more.

Here is how Kevin’s metabolic test information will be utilized:

During Kevin’s exercise metabolic test, his ventilatory threshold occurred at a heart rate of 133. This is the point at which he begins to breathe hard and gain superior cardiovascular exercise benefits. At this heart rate, Kevin is burning 336 calories of fat and 534 calories of carbohydrate, for a total of 870 calories per hour. At a much lower heart rate of 108, Kevin reached a peak fat utilization of 588 calories of fat per hour (by aguilo at dresshead.com). At this intensity, his body is learning how to burn fat very efficiently, and he is gaining aerobic fitness. Click here to read a blog post and hear Ben Greenfield's podcast about Exercise Metabolic Testing.

Because Kevin wants to run a marathon in addition to losing weight, he will be performing a combination of long, slow fat-burning sessions at a heart rate close to 108, combined with more intense interval training sessions above a heart rate of 133.

Kevin’s resting metabolic rate was very normal – about 97% of predicted values. He burns 1980 calories per hour at rest, which is going to be at least as many calories as he needs to eat during the day to sustain a normal metabolism.

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The results of Kevin’s resting metabolic rate test will be combined with the results of his exercise metabolic test to allow a calculation of how hard Kevin will need to work to lose 25 pounds by June. Since a pound of fat is 3500 calories, over 130 days, Kevin will need to lose 87,500 calories. In reality, there will be 150 days until June, but Kevin will have a rest day every week, which will take away 20 days. So for him to achieve his goal “race weight”, he will require a caloric deficit of about 675 calories per day.

On some days, Kevin can simply perform 1 hour at his fat burning heart rate and he will automatically achieve be close to this goal, since he burns 588 calories of fat per hour a this intensity. On other days, Kevin will be performing a combination of weightlifting and interval training, and will likely burn more than the easy fat-burning days, since his heart rate will be at or above the ventilatory threshold heart rate of 133 and a calorie burning rate of at least 870 calories per hour. With a combination of easy fat-burning days and more difficult weight training days with cardiovascular intervals, he will easily be able to achieve his goals with an hour a day on the weekdays, and a longer marathon run training workout on the weekends.

Beginning of Program – Jan 5, 2009

Weight: 210; Body Fat: 21.7%

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Want to find out what happens? Is there any chance Kevin can lower his cholesterol, shed the fat, and run 2 marathons in 1 year? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Kevin…

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Story #3:

Can Ben Greenfield help an ICU nurse and mother of 4 children to achieve her dream of completing the Coeur D' Alene Ironman Triathlon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqGc1g_O4IU

Along with the one other man competing with a triathlon goal in mind, Irva will be given full access to the cutting edge TrainingPeaks software that Ben uses for testing and coaching, from Pacific Elite Fitness. Using this software, Ben will be setting Irva up with complete annual training and racing plan based on her unique ICU nursing schedule, personal profile, skill level, limitations, and racing history. She will be e-mailed with detailed daily workout instructions every night, or she can look ahead and see what the next week's workout will bring! She can even export her workouts to her Outlook calendar or phone to keep everything in one place in her busy schedule, and full training logs are provided for her to fill out after her workouts.

Nutrition will be a key part of Irva's training plan and her plan will allow her to record meals for Ben to analyze her nutrition, help plan her menu, and ensure peak performance fueling. Planning, graphing and analysis capabilities will allow Ben to track her training and nutrition progress and monitor improvements and changes. She'll even be able to upload workout data from her Garmin 405 watch!

Ben will be developing a customized heart rate zone training chart for Irva based on the results of her exercise metabolic test in his downtown laboratory. Click here to read a blog post and hear Ben Greenfield's podcast about Exercise Metabolic Testing.

Irva's heart rate zone training chart will be based off her ventilatory threshold heart rate of 150, and proper heart rate tracking will be important for her Ironman training. At this heart rate, Irva burns about 580 calories per hour. Her more intense workouts will take place at or above a heart rate of 150.

Meanwhile, her “long, slow” cardio sessions to develop aerobic endurance for Ironman, will occur at a heart rate range of 127-133. At this heart rate, her exercise metabolic test shows that she burns about 520 calories per hour, and she will begin teaching her body to absorb fuel while training by ingesting 30-40% of this, or 150-200 calories per hour.

During her Ironman training, it will be important that Irva consumes at least 1650 calories per day from whole food sources. This is her resting metabolic rate, and undercutting it will lead to poor performance and a loss in lean muscle and energy levels.

Beginning of Program

Weight: 158; Body Fat: 35.5%

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Want to find out what happens? Can Irva balance her job as an ICU nurse and busy mother of 4, and still compete in Ironman Coeur D' Alene? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Irva…

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Story #4:

Can Ben Greenfield help a 34 year old woman gain back her health, shed 70 pounds, get back into size 8 pants, be able to ski and snowboard again, and be ready for a big singing competition in July?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0eWE0IZ3n8

Nicole also had some powerful words to share about her goals.

“I have not ever  been this overweight in my  life –  in my early 30's due to stress I gained  about 80 lbs.  I got my  life back on track but my health has suffered  a severe blow.   I want to lose this weight so much and fit back into my  size 8's  again.  I want to be able to go skiing with my husband and   snowboarding with my friends.  I have a big singing contest in  Colorado  at the end of July – I really want to have most of this  weight off by then so  I can get a record deal!  I did a  singing gig in San Diego last  week and looked at the photos taken of  me – I'M SO FAT – and I'm done being  fat.  I'm comitted to do  whatever it takes to  get this weight off and do it in a healthy way – no  surgery.  I  want to look in the mirror and not see a fat person but the  beautiful  me I used to be staring back again.  I want myself back.”

Beginning of Program

Weight: 238.6; Body Fat: 54%

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Want to find out what happens? Will Nicole be ready for her big singing competition, and can she shed fat at the incredibly rapid rate necessary to lose 100 pounds in 1 year? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Nicole…

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Story #5:

Can Ben Greenfield help a 55 year old man become as lean and ripped as possible, while also helping him to gain optimum health and energy for his incredibly busy career as a public speaker and expert adviser?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4kHcKEW7hw

Beginning of Program

Weight: 219.5; Body Fat: 28.2%

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Want to find out what happens? Would you like to track David's incredible body transformation as he achieves optimum health while developing a leaner physique? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for David…

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Story #6:

Can Ben Greenfield help a 60 year old woman with a low metabolism and sagging energy levels achieve her  ideal anti-aging program, while reclaiming her fitness and energy levels and running the Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuv2uL9jOmE

Beginning of Program

Weight: 145; Body Fat: 28.5%

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Want to find out what happens? Can Marji fight through age, a low metabolism and low energy levels? Can she become vibrant, healthy and full of newfound energy? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Marji…

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Story #7:

Can Ben Greenfield help a Pennsylvania triathlete get his body fat to 8-12%, build a rock solid core, correct his muscle imbalances,  improve his cycling technique, finish in the top 3 of his age group in local triathlon events, beat his PR of 1:42 in a local 1/2 marathon, qualify for the Boston Marathon, and compete at the World Ironman Championships in KONA?

Stephen, a 42 year old computer programmer, was very specific when he outlined his goals for this program:
“1) To get my body fat down to 10 – 12% by end of March/April – it's currently 20%.

2) Strengthen my core, correct my muscle imbalances (left leg is very weak), and increase flexibility.  Previously I have not incorporated any core, or strength training in any of my training schedules.  I just started core about 10 weeks ago 1 hour every wednesday.

3) Bike — Even though my biking will benefit from core and strength training, I really need to work on my technique (pedal stroke).  Since I'm so new to competitive cycling I have plenty of room for improvement.

4) Run —  Correcting the muscle imbalances, strengthening my core, and increase my flexibility will improve my gate, but I still need to concentrate on improving my technique – gate, and fore foot striking vs. heal toe.  Some good off-season drill will be good.

5) My Swimming will benefit from the core, and strength conditioning.  I need to work on better body position to reduce drag, improve body roll, and bi-lateral breathing.”

Just like Irva, Stephen will be given full access to the cutting edge TrainingPeaks software that Ben uses for testing and coaching, from Pacific Elite Fitness. Using this software, Ben will be setting Stephen up with aomplete annual training and racing plan based on his unique schedule, personal profile, skill level, limitations, and racing history. He will be e-mailed with detailed daily workout instructions every night, or he can look ahead and see what the next week's workout will bring! He can even export his workouts to his Outlook calendar or phone to keep everything in one place in his schedule, and full training logs are provided for him to fill out after his workouts.

Nutrition will be a key part of Stephen's training plan and his plan will allow him to record meals for Ben to analyze his nutrition, help plan his menu, and ensure peak performance fueling. Planning, graphing and analysis capabilities will allow Ben to track his training and nutrition progress and monitor improvements and changes.

Beginning of Program

Weight: 164.5; Body Fat: 22%

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Want to find out what happens? Can Stephen drop 10% body fat and become a lean, mean triathlete with enhanced skills and the power to get the Kona Ironman World Championships? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Stephen…

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Story #8:

Can Ben Greenfield help a 29 year old woman who has already lost 65 pounds in 6 months take the next step to passing a physical agility test, running 1.5 miles in under 14 minutes, and taking her new body to the next level with toning, shaping, firming and shedding a final 15 pounds of fat?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqrjnZaPijk

Danielle's first goal is to pass the physical agility test for a new job that she wants.  She knows that she feels better when she exercises, and needs to control stress, sleep better, and eat better. She wants to live a long, healthy, and enjoyable life. Furthermore, she seems to be at a weight loss plateau, and even though she has lost a significant amount of weight in the past month, she really wants to step it up and get the last 10-15lbs off for good.

Ben will be creating  a plan for Danielle that takes her new body and gets it completely toned and shaped, while at the same time getting in peak physical condition to achieve her performance related goals.

Beginning of Program

Weight: 128.6; Body Fat: 31.2%

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Want to find out what happens? Can Danielle shed 15 more pounds, and more importantly, will she pass the physical and be able to run 1.5 miles in under 14 minutes? Would you like to stay tuned to this story?

Click here for complete FREE access to the program that Ben Greenfield has designed for Danielle…

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Want to hire Ben as your personal trainer, nutritionist, or coach? Simply e-mail [email protected] or click Ask a Podcast Question at the bottom of this page.

You can also check out any of Ben's books below:

“Top 12 Resistance Training Routines for Triathletes” – click here


“Run With No Pain” – click here


“100 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism” – click here


“Shape21 – The Complete 21 Day Lean Body Manual” – click here


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