Big Bad Benny has been nominated as our waterloo member of the month and for good reason!
While his appearance may be intimidating, what with the massive biceps and shoulder and sleeve tattoos – you’d be hard pressed to find a nicer bloke in the gym!
He’s been with us for almost a year now and his transformation has been one of the most impressive I’ve seen, both physical and mental.
He’s an integral part of the 9:30 lifestyle/fanboy class at Waterloo, and you’ll usually find him hanging out after the class and hitting some extras.
I was lucky enough to find out what makes the great man tick and how he’s found the journey so far!
Tell me a little about you.
“My name is Ben, I’m 31 years old and married for just over 1 year. I have recently got back into the hospitality industry and have started studying again. My most recent hobby has been playing golf (terribly for the most part).”
Why do you train at BodyByBrando?
“I started training at BBB because I wasn’t enjoying going to the gym which meant I wasn’t training very often and at the time working in an office I wasn’t moving very much and putting on a lot of weight. I needed to make a change and it has been one of the best decisions I have made.”
Our key pillars are Physique, Performance, Pain-Free or Perception? Out of our key pillars, which one stood out to you most?
“I think performance is the one that stood out the most, I was really excited to see what sort of changes in my body I could make and that has become quite addictive to see how far I can keep pushing things. Moving pain free deserves a mention too, Brady has been able to work through some minor issues I was having that previously would have stopped me training altogether so I am extremely grateful for that knowledge being passed on.”
What were you most nervous/afraid of when you first joined our facility?
‘My biggest worry about starting here was thinking that I wouldn’t be able to keep up in the workouts and hold other people up or not even be able to finish them.’
Safe to say he’s definitely past that stage now, going from walking on the runs – to now smoking past people on the runs.
What made you take the leap and did you realise there was nothing to be nervous about?
“One of my good friends had some amazing results in a similar style gym and wouldn’t stop going on about how great it was but that did actually drive me to get outside of my comfort zone and try a new style of training. I am really glad I did eventually try it because as soon as I started I realised there was absolutely nothing to worry about, everyone is so welcoming and supportive here it makes you feel like you’ve been around forever.”
" I am really glad I did eventually try it because as soon as I started I realised there was absolutely nothing to worry about, everyone is so welcoming and supportive here it makes you feel like you’ve been around forever..” I
What were your goals when you first started?
“My short term goals when I first started were to train consistently, 3-4 times per week and to track my food intake. I also had a 12-month goal of getting to 95kgs from 119kgs when I started out.”
Its been truly inspiring to see Benny going from struggling with ring rows and jumping pullups to smashing out workouts ;like Fran and Jackie!
How do you feel now? What were your results?
“I am almost at the one year mark since I started and it is the best my body has ever felt. I am loving training and getting in 5-6 sessions most weeks and keeping track of my calories (for the most part). I’ve also lost over 20kgs now and getting very close to the 95kg goal which I am very proud to finally be achieving.”
What’s the next step for you?
“My next goal is to get down to 90kgs and hopefully around 15% body fat. I also have my eye on some gymnastics movements that I’d like to nail soon too like a handstand push up and toes to bar.”
I wouldn’t say that they’re far away either!
What makes us different to any other place you’ve trained and why would you recommend training here?
“I would say the biggest difference is the community here, it is such a supportive environment but at the same time everyone is pushing you to really test yourself. I would absolutely recommend training here, it isn’t as scary as you first think it would be and once you get past that and get started, there isn’t anywhere else you’ll want to train.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
“I would just like to thank you guys, particularly Brady and Dan who always go above and beyond, this place has made such a positive impact on my life and I genuinely wish I had started sooner.”
Brady Goodsell
Functional Transformation Coach and Exercise Physiologist
BodyByBrando, Waterloo