Bill Byrne: “How I Got in Peak Shape at 41”

Name: Bill Byrne
Age: 41
Length of Membership: 3 Years, 6 Months
Fat Loss: 12 Pounds  (Image)
Timeline: 9 Months
Reduction in Body Fat Percentage: 6%

What is your name, age, occupation and how long have you been at the gym?

Bill Byrne and I’ve just started to hit the quarter life crisis at 41.

I’m a director at Remedy Communications, a public relations and social media firm with clients in action sports, consumer tech, finance and… well, lots of other places. Do me a solid and like us on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/RemedyPR/

I’ve been a member for more than three years now. I started when there was an outdoor only class twice a week and slowly committed more time over the years. Too slowly, which is no one’s fault but my own.

What changes has your body gone through in the past year?

It’s been a good year. Heck, it’s been a good nine months, which is about when I really started my tracking. It’d have been a better if I didn’t indulge quite so much during Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. But that’s life and I like living life.

When I started tracking back in April, I was 168 lbs with a body fat mass of 28 lbs and PBF at 16.6. I know I’ve been heavier for sure. The other metrics I have no idea about.

The first week of February I was down to 154 with a body fat mass of 16.2 and PBF of 10.6.

Through this process, how has your mindset evolved?

My P360 epiphany happened with my first use of the Body Composition Anaylzer in April. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s the scale with the handles at Crown Point and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

It was an unexpected kick in the face. I had a rough idea of what I weighed, but the other stats were a little disheartening to say the least. It led me to really start tracking what I’m doing in and out of the gym.

I downloaded LoseIt for my phone and started looking more at where my calories came from. Then I started using my iPhone’s Notepad App to track what I was lifting. Then I started keeping myself accountable.

Are there certain aspects of Performance360 that have helped you with this?

So many. The structure, the diversity of the classes and people who go. I’m pretty motivated in a lot of different areas of my life, but when it comes to working out, I need guidance and help.

I’ve never been a group workout guy, but what you have going on works for me. Anyone that knew me prior to joining the gym is pretty surprised at how big a fan I am. I see people of all shapes and sizes doing some pretty amazing things.

The blogs and knowledge posts on the website help a ton also. Some are more relevant to me than others, but I read them all and bookmark certain ones for reminders.

What training factors do you attribute to your recomposition?

Commitment and accountability.

Simply committing to going regularly was a huge one for me. After that, I had to make it a point to stop avoiding certain workouts.

There were weeks when I simply wouldn’t go because I couldn’t make the Shred classes and didn’t feel comfortable with what was going on with the Daily Challenges. That was a huge mistake.

There’s still a few lifts and movements we do in the gym I dread for one reason or another (backsquats, split jerks), but I no longer avoid them intentionally.

In addition to that, tracking what I lift helps significantly. Knowing roughly what my 45 percent or 85 percent for a certain lift is before I get to the gym helps me make the most of my time while I’m there.

What diet factors do you attribute to your recomposition?

Tracking what I eat and getting more knowledgeable about nutrition. For example, I heard quinoa can be great for you… but like an idiot, I thought that meant I could eat as much of it as often as I wanted. Turns out an 80 percent carb diet isn’t right for me.

I’ve made it a point not to drink alcohol at home Monday-Thursday. That includes the simple beer or glass of wine with dinner on a Tuesday night, which is really hard for me to do. If I’m out to dinner, sure, get me a beer. While at home, I abstain. On the weekends, all bets are off when it comes to what I’ll eat or drink.

By no means would I say that’s what anyone else should do, but for me, those mid-week alcohol calories add up pretty quick and I’ve been better off cutting them out.

What is your strategy on a week-to-week basis? Do you seek out certain workouts? Or do you let the chips fall where they may?

My strategy is to be consistent and not to avoid particular workouts based on what’s programmed. After that, it’s to go as soon as I can get out of the office. I’ve found that if I wait too long from when my work day ends, excuses to not to go will pile up.

I try to make sure I hit one Shred class and the weekly Kettlebell class for a change of pace, but if I can’t make one, I go to a Daily Challenge. Again, not avoiding workouts has helped me more than seeking certain workouts out.

At the end of the day, I realize my recent success is due in part to slacking off for so many years. I used to hover around 180 when I moved to California. That’s my bad. I had the weight to lose for sure. I’m almost positive I won’t be dropping another 10 lbs anytime soon and more than likely, I’ll see my weight and PBF vary based on what’s going on at the time. Putting on more muscle is a goal of mine as well.

All in, I lead a pretty normal life. I sit at a desk 8-12 hours a day. Friday–Sunday I don’t log my food and while I’m pretty active during the weekend, it’s rarely at the gym.

All that said, for people that aren’t seeing the success they want, I’d encourage them to start tracking more and make minor tweaks that could go a long way.

To read more about results like Bill’s, please check out The Most Efficient Way to Burn Fat and Build Strength.