The first week of July was so filled with ups and downs, there was just so much happening at the same time that it was quite overwhelming to be honest. I took a small break from the scheduled program for my weight lifting and got a training session in with my good buddy and The Revolution of Health co-host Dr. Ray. He really encouraged me to go beyond my usual numbers and I ended up bench pressing what was my previous 1 rep-max for 2 clean reps and then 3 more with a bit of spotting from him. We had an awesome guest on our show Tuesday named Carmen Wylie who discussed cognitive wellness and neurofeedback, some truly interesting stuff! Thursday we had an episode that Dr. Ray and I had been excited about since the inception of our show. We were honored to have world renowned fitness icon Mike O’Hearn as our guest, he is such an inspiration and so multi-talented. On the show with Mike we discussed how he got to where he is today, how important it is to lift heavy weights and challenge yourself in new ways all the time, and him and I were able to connect on the subject of having a dog as a training partner. I was so blown away that we had him on the show, this is a man who I watched on TV when I was growing up and always told myself “this is somebody who I want to be like when I get older”.
Friday I went to the legendary Mecca of bodybuilding Gold’s Gym in Venice for my first time to do deadlifts with Dr. Ray. It was my first time there but I already felt at home. I was pleasantly surprised to see a friend of mine who I met and trained with at the gym I usually go to, he moved and now frequents Gold’s 5 days a week. Dr. Ray and I had an amazing deadlift session, both of us pushing ourselves and never letting form break down. After deadlifts he introduced me to some new (to me) kettlebell exercises which were tough but felt great. We then moved on to the leg press machine when lo-and-behold the one and only Jay Cutler with his trainer Eric DiLauro were using the hack squat machine directly behind it. Eric recognized me from when we had met at LA Fitness in Hollywood when he was preparing a friend of mine for her show, I also found out that he knew Dr. Ray and had prepped him for his first bodybuilding show…it’s such a small and awesome world in fitness! We all got to catch up for a bit and take some photos together which was so awesome. After Dr. Ray had to leave I continued training legs and got on the hack squat right next to Jay, him being there inspired me to load up an extra 2 plates and I did as I always do, full range of motion until it touches the stops on every rep (pretty far down at 6’1″ haha). I did a few sets with the big guys there and then moved on to do calves and abs by myself, I went really hard and felt so damn good, I was unstoppable!
A lot of things were going on in my personal life at the same time as these amazing events, it was hard to not get dragged down by them. When I realized the magnitude of abundance and positivity that had happened for me throughout the week, I could do nothing but smile and be thankful. When I was over 400lbs I never would have dreamt that I would be able to train with somebody as strong and smart as Dr. Ray, have my long-time role model Mike O’Hearn on a show that I am co-host of, and work out with the top level bodybuilders and trainers in the world…much less all of that in one week.
Never give up hope, keep pushing forward and you will see AMAZING things happen in your life.
Mike O’Hearn on The Revolution of Health:
Jordan Grahm & Dr. Ray @ Gold’s Venice
Jay Cutler & I @ Gold’s Venice
Eric DiLauro & I @ Gold’s Venice
If you like this video please share it with others!
This video chronicles my journey of transforming my body and my life through changing my mind-state, my diet and my exercise habits . I just wanted to share a very personal transformational journey of mine from fat to fit. I hope that I can serve to inspire you to never quit on yourself and believe in yourself. If you like what I created, please share this video with others. It took me a lot to share this with the world, I think that many people will benefit from learning about my journey and applying it to their lives.
Thanks so much,
Jordan
Start your own transformation today! NEVER GIVE UP HOPE
Red Velvet Protein Pancakes
Posted: May 23, 2012 in RecipesTags: bodybuilding, cheesecake, Diet, fitness, High-Protein, Low-Carb, NY, protein, Recipes, weightloss
Ingredients:
Pancakes:
8oz – Liquid Egg Whites
40g – finely ground steel cut oats
2 scoops – iForce “Red Velvet Protean”
1/2 packet – Stevia (to taste)
Topping:
225g (1cup) – Fat Free Greek Yogurt
8g – Fat Free Sugar Free Cheesecake Jello Pudding Mix
1/2 packet – Stevia (to taste)
Directions:
Topping:
Mix greek yogurt, jello pudding mix & stevia thoroughly in a small bowl
Pancakes:
Mix egg whites, oats & protein powder thoroughly, I used a blender bottle.
1. Preheat pan with a bit of cooking spray on medium/high
2. Pour half of the batter (depends on pan size) on to pan
3. Wait for the bottom to solidify and bubbles to appear then flip the pancake
4. Cook for another minute or 2
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the rest of the batter
Place thin layer of topping in between pancakes with the rest on top.
ENJOY!
Macronutrient Profile:
680 calories; 92g Protein, 55g Carbs, 11g Fat
Transformation Video 160 pounds Weight Loss
Posted: April 23, 2012 in InspirationTags: before/after, Body, bodybuilding, BostonTerrier, determination, Diet, Dog, Exercise, fitness, gym, Hiking, inspiration, journey, lifestyle, motivation, Muscle, NASM, powerlifting, Puppy, Running, strength, trainer, training, transformation, weightlifting, weightloss, Workout, workouts
This video chronicles my journey of transforming my body and my life through changing my mind-state, my diet and my exercise habits . I just wanted to share a very personal transformational journey of mine from fat to fit. I hope that I can serve to inspire you to never quit on yourself and believe in yourself. If you like what I created, please share this video with others. It took me a lot to share this with the world, I think that many people will benefit from learning about my journey and applying it to their lives.
Thanks so much,
Jordan
Start your own transformation today! NEVER GIVE UP HOPE
New client promo still in full effect!
Posted: April 11, 2012 in UncategorizedTags: fitness, gym, health, inspiration, lifestyle, motivation, NASM, trainer, training, weightloss
Are you ready to take the next step towards being in the best shape of your life? I am extending my 50% off your first month special to all my new clients! Time to transform your life!
Remember, your introductory fitness assessment is FREE. What’s stopping you from reaching your goals? We will break through together!
The day I was given a second chance at life
Posted: March 30, 2012 in InspirationTags: blessing, blog, catalyst, catastrophe, determination, inspiration, journey, motivation, strength, weightloss
Car totaled in 2008
Four years ago today my life was changed forever. I was involved in a serious car wreck while on my way home from going for a drive in the canyons with my friends. It had just started to rain lightly so I was being extra careful and going slow, I was scheduled to trade the car in the next day. Out of nowhere an oncoming car appeared to be heading straight towards me, I slammed on the brakes and braced for impact. The next thing I knew they hit me. Luckily the airbag had deployed and stopped me from flying through the windshield. I was in shock, having to climb out of the passenger side door to escape the wreckage. A fellow motorist who had stopped rushed over to me and asked if I was OK, the first thing I said was “I was going to trade the f***ing car in tomorrow!” he replied by yelling “who cares about the car! Are you OK?”. I was not OK, besides the burns and bruises from the airbag I noticed that no matter how much I told my body to do it, I was completely unable to move my left arm. That was truly scary to me, I had never been injured in that way before where I was simply incapacitated. The ambulance was called and they came to pick me up, I remember it took about 5 guys to lift the stretcher up in to that ambulance.
A remarkable thing about the timing of this crash was that for one week prior to its occurrence my airbag had been disconnected. My airbag was only reconnected for a few hours before it ended up saving me. I feel that there was somebody watching out for me from above, my mother who I miss so immensely every day.
At the time of the car crash I weighed close to 400 pounds and had no intentions on improving my health, or my life.
The day after the crash I was sent to get an MRI at the hospital and I was barely able to fit in to the machine. The technicians were suggesting that I might have to go to a special, larger MRI machine at a separate location. At that exact moment I decided that after being so close to losing my life, I would have to take it upon myself to get in better shape and improve my life. I had no idea where to start but I vowed to change the way I ate and to start exercising. The first few days I started just by walking my dog on the hill we live on, it would take one hour to walk down and then back up…that was one mile. We worked our way slowly and steadily to doing 2 miles in that same hour, then it became 3, then 4. One day we walked down and up the hill 10 times, 10 miles…I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. The walks turned in to jogs and even uphill sprints, and then became us running down and back up the hill 4 miles a day, 6 days a week. Since then I have lost over 160lbs and transformed my entire life. I feel like a new man and I am motivated to share the story of my journey with others and inspire them.
“Things always happen for a reason” was one of my least favorite cliché expressions, however after going through this I totally understand it now. This car crash was a blessing disguised as a curse, it was so hard to see that when it happened. Now that four years have passed I am able to reflect on it and appreciate that it was a catalyst to bring me to where I am today.
Have you ever experienced a situation that was catastrophic but ended up changing your life for the better? Tell me about it!
jordangrahm 