Weight Loss Inspiration Jordan Grahm Lost 160lbs & Became A Personal Trainer!

Jordan Grahm’s Biography

All of my life I was overweight. For many years I struggled to control my problem with food. In high school, at 13 years-old, 5’9″ and 290 lbs, I played football as a lineman. Football training was getting me in better shape and helped me to burn a lot of the calories that I was eating. Unfortunately I fell off track two weeks before my fifteenth birthday when my mother suddenly passed away.

The trauma of that event led me down an emotional and physical spiral which resulted in my becoming morbidly obese. In late 2007, at nearly 400lbs, I was maxing out XXXXL shirts and size 48 pants. I ate somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-10,000 calories a day all while doing absolutely no physical activity. Numerous doctors told me that if I do not change my lifestyle I would die from an obesity-related complication. March of 2008 I was in a bad car accident which left me with a grade 2 tear in my shoulder’s AC joint. This car crash was the catalyst that turned my life around. I decided that I needed to transform my life completely and embrace a healthy lifestyle.

I started eating smaller, more protein-packed meals and also started walking on a hill with my dog starting with 1 mile. Slow but steady and full of determination. I started bringing the distance and the pace up of my walks, they became jogs then runs, and even uphill sprints.

After losing about 100lbs, in August 2009, I decided to join a gym and start working out in order to lose more weight and get stronger and leaner. I seriously needed to gain some muscle mass. I started out having trouble bench pressing the 45lb bar due to my shoulder injury and was completely unable to do a pushup. Working hard I have brought my strength and muscle mass up quite nicely and am now able to bench press over 300lbs, squat over 400lbs and deadlift 500lbs. I also completely changed gears professionally and now I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer based in Los Angeles working with others helping them to reach their fitness goals.
 

 

GUIDE

I lost the first 100lbs by cutting out fast food, soda, and excessive portions. Also the first 100lbs were lost before I had ever set foot in a gym. I walked, then jogged, then ran, sprinted and hiked my way to losing all of that weight. My dog was my personal trainer back then always motivating me to go faster or to do another mile. During my transformation I tried a variety of different weight training splits, most were bodybuilding oriented. Recently however I have found that training for strength not only really increased my overall strength but my physique as well. I started doing a lot of compound movements with heavier weight and fewer reps which really worked well. The routine that I found to yield the best results has been Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 routine with some accessory work.
 

Monday:

• Barbell Back Squats- Warmup sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 3 reps, Work sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 5+ reps (working up to
• 90% of 1RM for top set)
• Leg Press – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Leg Extensions – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Leg Curls – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Cardio – 10-20min spin bike

 

Tuesday:

• Barbell Bench Press
• Warmup sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 3 reps/ Work sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 5+ reps (working up to 90% of 1RM for top set)
• Dumbbell incline bench press – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Single arm dumbbell rows – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Skullcrushers – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Cardio – 10-20min spin bike OR 5min warmup 4min 20/10 Tabata intervals

 

Wednesday: OFF DAY

• Rest
• Recover
• Foam roll, stretch, agility work
• Walk at least 1 mile

 

Thursday:

• Barbell Standing Military Press- Warmup sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 3 reps, Work sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 5+ reps (working up to 90% of 1RM for top set)
• Pullups/Chinups – 5 sets of 10 reps (can be weighted)
• Dips – 5 sets of 10 reps (can be weighted)
• Cable triceps pushdowns – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Cardio – 10-20min spin bike OR 5min warmup 4min 20/10 Tabata intervals

 

Friday:

• Barbell Deadlift – Warmup sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 3 reps, Work sets – 5 reps, 5 reps, 5+ reps (working up to 90% of 1RM for top set)
• Rep out 225lbs for as many reps as possible (I get 20-25, you can use lower or higher weight to hit this amount of reps)
• Defecit sumo deadlifts w/ bands – 5 sets of 5 reps
• Leg extensions – 5 sets of 10 reps
• Ab wheel – 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps
• Cardio – 10-20min spin bike OR 5min warmup 4min 20/10 Tabata intervals

 

Saturday: OFF DAY

• Rest
• Recover
• Foam roll, stretch, agility work
• Walk at least 1 mile

 

Sunday: OFF DAY

• Rest
• Recover
• Foam roll, stretch, agility work
• Walk at least 1 mile

 

Jordans Weight Loss Transformation Video

 

DIET:

I learned how to track my food intake and therefore had a great deal of satisfaction with what I was eating. I found that I did not have to completely eliminate any one type of food, but I had to be smart with my portion sizes, macronutrients and micronutrients each day. This way of eating made it so that I could still enjoy my favorite foods in moderation and obtain great results. For the most part I would just have a set calorie goal and a protein goal, as long as I met those I did not fret too much about the ratio of carbs and fats. As I advanced in my training and nutrition I did carb-cycling where I had high, medium and low carb days corresponding to my workouts on those days.

My current diet varies slightly day-by-day but there are many things which are staples in it. I switch out the meals sometimes as I do not really follow a time schedule, just make sure to get in all of my daily macro and micronutrients.
 

Breakfast:
4 whole omega-3 eggs scrambled with baby spinach
Western Bagel Perfect10 bagel
1-2oz Light cheese
 
Snack:
2 scoops whey protein, 1-2 servings cereal, 8oz lowfat milk
or
4-8oz chicken breast, 100-200g baked sweet potato
 
Lunch:
8oz chicken breast
200g baked sweet potato
2cups broccoli
2tbs natural peanut butter
 
Snack:
2 scoops whey protein, 1-2 servings cereal, 8oz lowfat milk, 2tbs natural peanut butter
or
4-8oz chicken breast, 100-200g baked sweet potato, 2tbs natural peanut butter
 
Dinner:
10-16oz chicken, turkey, steak, or fish
1 baked potato or 1cup rice
2cups broccoli/spinach/green beans
2tbs natural peanut butter
 
Snack: (depends on training and if I’ve already hit my macro goals):
2 scoops whey protein, 1-2 servings cereal, 8oz lowfat milk, 2tbs natural peanut butter

 

 

INTERVIEW

Before Stats: 20 years old. 400lbs. 48” waist. XXXXL shirt.

After Stats: 23 years old. 220lbs. 36” waist. XL shirt.
 

How Did You Put On The Weight?

I, like many others was an emotional eater. Food was comforting and was always there for me during times of distress. I was suffering from extreme depression and was in fact slowly killing myself through the over indulgence of food.
 

How Did You Feel About Yourself At Your Heaviest Weight?

I felt terrible about myself not only physically but mentally as well. There were many low points when I had just given up hope and given up entirely. I was depressed and even though I had many friends felt very lonely.
 

What Sparked Your Dramatic Change?

March 30th 2008 when I was in a head-on car collision. It took 5 guys to lift the stretcher up in to the ambulance. I knew that had my airbag not been re-connected that night, I could very easily have not made it out of the car alive. That was my wake-up call that living the way I was living is not going to cut it anymore. I wasn’t making my mom proud, and I wasn’t making myself proud.
 

Where People Supportive Of Your New Lifestyle?

I was lucky enough to have the support of friends and family along the way. Of course I did lose some friends and relationships but that is part of the territory when transforming your entire life. My best friend who is like a brother to me was always in great shape and was a personal trainer, he helped me through the journey a lot and we always had a fun time together even when the workouts were grueling.
 

 

What Did You Do Differently In Day To Day Life?

I began to look towards the future more optimistically. I went back to school, studied nutrition, took up a boxing class, joined a running group, took my dog hiking with friends multiple times a week. Everything changed when I made that decision to improve my health and subsequently my life.
 

What Did You Change In Your Diet?

Cut out the fast food and junk. I was eating somewhere around 10,000 calories a day for so long, when I first started losing weight it came off very rapidly due to diet change. I also started eating vegetables which I hadn’t really done much of when I was obese.
 

Any Tough Points On Your Journey?

I hit plateaus with my weight every now and then which was frustrating. Having a separated AC joint and never undergoing surgery to correct it made the progress of my upper body lag behind my lower. I started out in the gym after losing the first 100lbs by walking and running and was barely able to bench press the 45lbs bar for 12 reps due to my injury. With lots of dedication and hard work, I was able to keep pushing forward and bring my bench press up to over 300lbs while also losing another 60lbs from when I first joined the gym.
 

 

How Did You Stay Motivated?

I kept seeing results and progress, and kept digging deep down inside to ask myself how badly I wanted to change. This process felt so good even when things were rough as far as workouts or scheduling. I knew that I could conquer, and I did.
 

What Advice Would You Give Someone Who Was Looking To Lose Weight?

The big 3:

1. NEVER GIVE UP HOPE. Sometimes the results you want take a while, be patient and persistent.
2. Instead of thinking of transforming your body as a quick process, think of it as a lifestyle change that will last with you many years to come.
3. No matter what obstacles stand before us, there are always ways to prevail. Never surrender, never quit, and always keep pushing forward.
 

Did You Make Any Mistakes When You First Started?

Going full force on the cardio and not starting to do resistance training until I lost the first 100lbs. Knowing what I know now I would have joined a gym and picked up a barbell sooner, however that was part of my journey and has led me to where I am now so I have no regrets.
 

 

You Where Featured On Bodybuilding.com! How Did That Come About? What Was It Like To Be Recognized For Your Transformation By Such A Large And Respected Organisation?

I feel so honored to be recognised by such an amazing website that has helped myself and many others with their transformations. When I was first contacted by bodybuilding.com it was so exciting and when the article went up I felt very proud.

I am also so glad that my story is able to reach so many people and inspire them. Daily I receive emails from people around the world who have seen my transformation and have questions or just want to show some support. It is truly an honor and very humbling. I am also looking forward to having my weight loss transformation video reach more people and inspire them.
 

Can You Share Some Of The Benefits Of Being Trim?

I feel great! I can buy regular clothes, fit in to any car/seat/etc. I just recently went to Disneyland for the first time since I was a little kid and actually got a bit emotional when I got off the roller coaster. I never would have fit on it when I was in my worst shape.
 

 

Any Problems With Loose Skin?

I do have a bit of loose skin from being heavy for so long and losing so much weight. I am not too concerned about it as I know there are amazing doctors who can remove it when the time is right.
 

Did You Use Any Supplements?

Fish oil, multivitamin, creatine and the occasional pre-workout. Nothing too fancy.
 

How Do You Feel About Yourself Now?

I feel amazing and every day wake up looking forward to continuing my journey and carrying out my mission of helping others change their lives.
 

What Are Your Goals For The Future?

I just want to keep working hard and helping others reach their goals. To pay it forward is the biggest gift for me, to make a real, lasting impact in somebody else’s life. Eventually I will do the surgery for the loose skin and also one day I plan to get up on the powerlifting platform!
 

For More Of Jordan Check Out

His Website: www.TheFitBoss.net
His Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefitboss