Member Spotlight: Alex Aslan
Hey I’m Alex,
Just over a year ago I walked into Planet Fitness West Gosford because I was feeling really uncomfortable in my own skin, I would be embarrassed to take my shirt off in front of my friends and even close family. When I went to the beach it was always with a T-Shirt on and it was starting to play with my self esteem.
After a few months of training on my own I noticed Mitch training in the gym and I asked him if he would be interested in training me. Mitch asked me what my goals were, I jokingly said I want to do a body building competition and Mitch not knowing my sense of humour took me seriously and said yeah of course why not? So began my competition journey. Our first move was to slowly bulk up towards the end of last year. We took skin fold measurement and photos, I was completely fine not knowing how tough this was going to get! At the start of 2018 Mitch set out the nutrition and training plans, this involved slowly adjusting my meals and my training as I lost weight. He guided me through my exercises and explained everything about 100 times as I never understood anything the first time.
We planned to do a competition towards the end of the year and aimed for the end of season B, so with this in mind we began the slow cutting process while trying to retain as much muscle mass as possible. I began at 89kg and with a skin fold total of 128mm over 9 sites. Over the past 8 months Mitch guided me through the good and the bad, sometimes my skin folds would be up and then other times down. Through it all Mitch kept me feeling positive and pushed me to my limits.
On September 22nd 2018 I got up on stage at Australian Natural Body Building Competition as Fitness Model Competitor, my stage weight was 77.8kg and my skin folds total was down to a total of 42mm over the 9 sites. Being my first time I didn’t know what to expect, but the feeling of being on that stage knowing you have given everything you got was the most satisfying part of the competition. This experience has really given my self-esteem a boost. I didn’t finish in the top 4 however I am now even more dedicated to work twice as hard for next year. I’ve set out my new goals and my prep has begun for 2019. Not only have I accomplished my personal goal of being on stage but I have made many new and good friends within the gym and Mitch is definitely one of my good & close friends and I could not have done any of this without him. Cheers mate you’re a legend!
– Note from PT Trainer, Mitch
The stats:
Total Skin Folds Dropped: -85mm
Total Tape Measure Drop: -36cm
Dexa Scan: Lean Mass: +6.7kg
Dexa Scan: Fat Mass: -12.6kg
“I stared training Alex at the start of November 2017. He expressed to me that he would like to one day compete in a body building competition. I of course was stoked about the fact he had some awesome goals to work towards.
To get Alex to where he needed to be for his competition, we used skin fold callipers along with tape measurements and scales. This helps to more accurately measure body fat. He also had a Dexa scan taken before he began to lose body fat, over the course of the prep Alex gained 6.7kg of lean mass which is an amazing achievement.
The slow nature of Alex’s weight loss was perfect for his lifestyle and goal. The fact he lost weight slowly helped to retain muscle mass and keep the body fat off long term.
I am extremely proud of Alex and what he has achieved. Not only did he transform his body but his confidence and self-esteem has improved immensely.
Alex you should be stoked with your commitment and attitude over the past year. I look forward to seeing what you can bring to the stage in 2019. ”
– Mitch