Clint Eastwood taught me that when your life is comfortable, it’s time to shake it up again.  Last year I was feeling like I wanted to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and do something that was way beyond what I had ever done before.  So, inspired by a friend that’s an Ironman athlete, I decided to run a marathon (all 26.2 miles of it).  There’s no doubt that it kicked my ass and challenged my physical endurance.  But, honestly, it didn’t challenge me to step outside of my mental comfort zone (I thought it would have).

This year I have been looking for that BIG goal.  The one that would not only challenge me physically, but also, get me outside of my mental comfort zone.  Well, I think I found it.  And, I’m friggin’ terrified (which is probably the first sign that it’s the goal I’ve been looking for).

Last year my wife, Kim, competed in a fitness competition.  At the show, I saw guys that were shredded, but not like a bodybuilder, more like the statue, David.  I learned that this world of figure and fitness isn’t just for the ladies.  These men were competing in a fitness model category.  I was blown away by the conditioning of these guys, but by Christmas is was kinda out of sight, out of mind.  Then in January, Kim said to me, “Honey, my fitness coach, Cathy Savage,just started a Men’s division and I think you should check out this guy’s transformation on her website”. One look at what this guy had accomplished, I knew I wanted in.

But, (isn’t there always a but) if I wanted to have his body AND step out of my comfort zone, that meant the goal ended with me being on stage in a male fitness model competition.  Holy s**t balls!  Are you kidding me?  Me, get up on a stage, in a bathing suit and be judged (by three judges), against 20 somethings and an entire crowd of onlookers? Then all my Tony Robbinstraining kicked in. “If you can’t …Then you MUST!”

O.k.  I’m in.  Let’s do it.  I asked Kim what I needed to do.  She said “hire the men’s (virtual) coach [from Cathy Savage Fitness], send your photos in once a week, he’ll adjust your workouts and diet [based upon what he sees in your pictures]“.

I still had some more questions about this whole thing.  I needed to get inside guy’s head a little and understand what was going through his mind.  We were about the same age (he’s 39 and I’m 43) so I’m sure we both had similar fears and anxieties.

I found out that his name is Tim Diehl.  I asked Tim if he would let me interview him for this blog and help me out with some of my questions.  He agreed (our interview is below).

Next week:  I’ll be interviewing my coach, then I’ll show you some of the progress I’ve made so far. Enjoy!

1) Thanks for agreeing to do this!  Let’s start with the basics.  How old are you and where are you from?

West Milford NJ, 39 YRS OLD

2) Why did you decide to do a male model competition?

I have known Rob for several years and was hanging out at a bar of all places and Rob told me about getting hired by Cathy Savage to run the men’s programs. We started talking and he bet me that he could get me into shape and do a fitness model contest. I thought, yeah right, but what did I have to lose. The rest is history.

3) What was your biggest fear when you started?

Having my fat ass up for all to see!! AND JUDGE!!

4) Let’s talk about your training. How long did it take you to go from your before picture to your after picture and could you give us an idea (in a nutshell) of what that looked like for you as far as diet and exercise?

It took about 4 to 4.5 months to get into shape. I hadn’t really been working out as you can tell so we had to start a little slow. Diet was pretty varied. Lots of good natural foods and a lot more carbs then I would have thought. We worked up to 4 days of weights give or take and 3 days of cardio around 20-30 minutes. Maybe a little more towards the end, but nothing too crazy.

5) What was your biggest challenge to overcome?

Cooking at home and not getting food on the run all day.

6) Let’s talk about stage presence. Does being on stage come naturally to you or was this a struggle (and if so how did you overcome it).

You just do it and have fun. It doesn’t come naturally, but it was fun and a challenge.

7) Knowing what you know now…. if you had to boil your successful transformation down to just a few things that you did …..what would they be an why?

Lots of little things make big things. Doing something like this makes you organized. If too many things get blown off you will pay for it later.

8) What was the biggest surprise about completing this whole process that maybe you weren’t expecting?

Dreams do come true!!

9) Tell me about the moment that they called your name to go on stage (what were you thinking and feeling)?

Here goes nothing!! I had nothing to lose. I was in fanatic shape, the best shape of my life!! What’s to lose? I worked with Rob and he got me ready.

10) What advise do you wish someone gave you before you began this whole process?

Rome wasn’t built in a day.