Max Verzilli is 27 years old and lives in Boulder, Colorado as the maintenance manager for a landscaping company. After being injured, he found himself looking weak and feeling weak. Here is, in his own words, the way he pushed himself to be the best form of his life.
After suffering a back injury in early 2019, I stopped exercising. In November 2020, I looked in the mirror and thought it looked weak and fragile. It was the moment I decided I was over weakened and I was worthy of the body I wanted.
The first change was that I knew I could go back to my favorite program and stay consistent. I’m mainly training in gymnastics, a big fan of Reddit’s r / BodyWeightFitness community, and started with something very similar to their recommended routine, but my listening to my body I met my goal.
For my workout, I started with a three-day full-body split. On my upper body day, pull-ups, rows, push-ups and dips were all done in the gym ring. I got rid of my knee injury, approached my lower body slowly, and slowly progressed to catch up with my knee time, seriously working on the basic and perfect form.
Apart from weight training, I was already a very active individual in cycling, snowboarding and splitboarding, so I had to make sure I was eating enough too.
The only way my diet really evolved was to increase the amount. The biggest thing that prevents someone from trying to build muscle is dieting. You can put in all the hard work you want, but if you don’t eat for proper recovery, you will be stagnant.
I calculated my total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and added about 500 calories to start eating. I don’t follow a particular diet, I just eat what is best for my body. Lots of eggs, bacon, cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken, steaks, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, and junk food such as pop tart and ice cream sandwiches on the day I was late for calories.
I spent a lot of time learning the basics of programming and progressive overloading and understanding the best ways to build muscle. Most people just show up. I think they did a lot of exercises that didn’t really work, jumped on the treadmill, sweated and they did a good workout. After a month, they gave up because they didn’t see any results. Unfortunately, this is a product of the fitness industry and social impact, and we are trying to incorporate your opinion.
I weigh in the least amount of clothes first thing in the morning and take the weekly average as the weight for the week. I was filming every week to gain about a pound of weight. I saw the whole body change in front of me, including traps, latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, thoracic muscles, triceps brachii, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. I don’t think my quadriceps were growing as much as I wanted. They are big muscles and you really have to work them, it can be difficult at home with minimal equipment.
Over the past year following diet and exercise, I’ve been around 130 to 150. It’s quite bulky as it fits a little better in how you walk, how you hold it, and your clothes. It feels good! I am in the best condition of my life. I am confident and happy to look at it. Everyone deserves their available dream body.
Now I’m doing a 6-day push-pull leg split that I absolutely love. Upper Body Day focused on complex exercise with weight added as the focus of the workout, then on form, time under tension, and really tired those muscles, underweight Focus on other exercises. My lower body work is mainly done in kettlebells.
My advice to others is to find the program that best suits your goals. Use progressive overload. Stay consistent. And follow the Calorie In, Calorie Out (CICO) method for any weight goal you have.
Having a goal was my biggest motivation. I have something I can measure and see. The progress photos also helped me a lot. It usually takes a month or two to see no progress, and at first it can be very slow. But if you go back to the photo six months ago and see how far you’ve come, you’ll want to push even harder.
But the hardest part for me was my diet. I love pushing myself and gymnastics is fun so I can exercise without problems most days. I rarely take a day off unless I really need it. However, on days when I eat a lot of 3,200 calories and are busy with work, it can be difficult to get those calories. To grow up, you need to eat big.
My body and I have a much healthier relationship and I now have a very good mental muscular connection. I love looking at myself and smiling. My self-confidence is over the roof and I find people looking at me differently when I’m in public. When clothes fit you well, your self-confidence soars and as a result you will walk with your head a little higher. People are aware of these things.
This lifestyle has become so important to my health that I never see myself immobile. After a busy year and a busy season, I spent several weeks unloading during my vacation. Now it’s back to grind. Next year, we will focus on the movement of skills such as handstands and front levers.
Set realistic goals for yourself for those who embark on a fitness journey. Take lots of pictures, even if you’re ridiculous. Comparing old photos really shows the effort you’ve spent. Remember that it is not race or competition. Use the movement as a celebration of what you can do, not as a punishment for what you eat!
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