Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can begin the ascent back to the top. It’s a healthy, fit physique that’s at stake, and the 2006 BodyBlitz Grand Champion James Read is the perfect example that even rock-bottom is not far down enough for you to turn it all around.
James lived the party life, going out to clubs and parties, staying up all night, eating whatever he could get his hands on and abusing his body so that he could keep the party going.
“At first I didn’t even realise what I was doing to my health,” said James. “I convinced myself that I was fine and still looking good... I just kept hitting the nightclubs and eating anything that was available, which was normally pizza!”
But as is so often the case, this much abuse and the delusions that you are okay can prevent you from seeing the warning signs, and when, after a heavy night of partying, James’s twin brother Jason partied a little too hard and suffered a drug overdose, it all finally came crumbling down on James like a tonne of bricks.
The prospect of losing his brother frightened him half to death and it was sitting in the hospital waiting room, unsure of his brother’s fate where James made a pact with himself: if his brother’s life was spared, he would give up the abuse, turn over a new leaf and start the climb back to the fitness, strength and health he had once worked so hard to achieve.
“I guess at first I was just having too much fun and didn’t realise the effect I was having on my health and physique. Looking back I can see I was just fooling myself and I now understand that this is what most of the population do when they neglect their health. They convince themselves that they are fine or that they wish they could do more but they just don’t have the time.
“I see now that my bingeing and excesses were really my way of dealing with the feelings I wasn’t ready to confront, and that I was basically hiding inside myself. I am so lucky to have woken up from it all otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be around today.”
After his brother started on his own road to recovery, they both turned to the BodyBlitz Challenge as a way of helping to stay on track and to help motivate the change they both new was what they desperately needed and wanted.
“I realised that I was taking away from the value of my life and that it was affecting my personality and ruining every other aspect of my life, I had become the kind of person I detested.”
As with all things worth doing, there was always going to be struggles and it was always going to be hard to stay focused. But turning these negative emotions into a positive, James would make sure he pushed himself even harder on the nights he felt the pain the most, doing an extra 200 push-ups before bed, just to gain an even better feeling of achievement.
“The hardest part was actually every Friday night when I would normally be out with my mates hitting the town. I found that was when I really had to push myself and just hire some movies; it was a great feeling though to know I had the willpower to stick to my training and diet no matter what.” he said.
As with all great achievements, gaining strength and a solid foundation through a trustworthy support team is one of the critical components to achieving success, and James’s story is no different. Other than his brother Jason, who also made an incredible change to his health and physique, James had a number of others pushing him forward.
“I had a lot of support, especially from my girlfriend Beck who helped me keep eating healthy by only filling the cupboards with suitable foods and trying to eat the same as I was. My twin brother Jason was also great help as he performed the challenge with me so we made sure we kept each other motivated and on the right path; we also pushed each other in boxing sessions and when we needed to wake up early to do those dreaded morning runs. I also had support from my training partner Ash, owner of Extreme Results Personal Training. Having been quite successful in bodybuilding he helped push me in the gym and take my training to the absolute limit.”
Despite all the physical work needed and the changes to his body that continues to improve to this day, it seems that James’s mental toughness and will power was the one thing that was strong from the day he made the decision to enter the Challenge.
“I never felt like giving up. Because I trained and dieted so hard I pretty much saw results within the first two weeks and this made it easy to stay motivated and go even further in dieting and training. I love every second I am in the gym, so being able to train for even longer and harder then usual was something I loved about the challenge,” he said.
By the end of the 12 weeks, James had surprised even himself as much as he’d surprised his family and friends. The continual compliments he gets from them keeps him on the training track and keeps him working hard in the gym to push harder and achieve more. But the biggest surprise came from those outside his friendship groups.
“I found the biggest change was the way the general public treated me, I found I suddenly received so much more respect and people were interested in what I had to say,” he said.
“When I see photos of how I looked before the Challenge I can’t help but laugh at that fat fella and how he actually convinced himself that he looked good. It’s funny but I look at that guy as a stranger with totally different ideals and completely lacking in my newfound confidence and motivation.”
Since entering the BodyBlitz Challenge, James’s life has done a complete 180-degree turn. He now feels this drive to succeed in every other aspect of his life. He has used his newfound attitude and knowledge to open a very successful personal training business New NRG Personal Training on the Gold Coast with his brother, and he now owns his very own gym, something he has always dreamed of doing.
Everyone wants to get in shape and look good, but the real secrets to
getting all the way to the end and achieving the results is what we all crave. James has his own advice to give:
“The secret is to finally realise that nothing is as valuable as your own health and your own body. People everyday are spending thousands on their cars or mobile phones yet when it comes to putting that kind of investment into themselves, they don’t see the worth. I think this is really unfortunate as your body is the only thing that really does deserve your care and attention and you can dramatically improve your life by doing so,” he said.
“The other secret is to stop making excuses and just do it, everyone works and everyone has responsibilities, the trick is to not get into the habit of using them as excuses not to train.”
James is now setting his sights on achieving even more success with his business and to continue to exceed all expectations.
“I also plan to compete in boxing and bodybuilding sometime this year and to get a modelling portfolio together. I really want to use every opportunity I get to achieve every dream I have ever had. I have waited on the sidelines for long enough and watched life pass me by whilst hoping an opportunity would knock on the door; it’s my time now!
When asked whether he has any advice for those wanting to make a change in their life and possibly enter the 12-week BodyBlitz Challenge his response is simple: “Definitely, my advice is to go for it!” – something he claims really helped to take his training to the next level.
James’s Training Tips
I trained 45 minutes in weights every morning, except for Sunday. Having been involved with kickboxing/boxing since I was 11 I found it very easy to get enough cardio done and just got together with my boxing coach Brett Pescud and designed a fast paced fat burning boxing circuit, On Saturday and Sunday I performed light cardio in the form of basketball or light bag work.
I find it hard to run on a treadmill as it can get very boring so I try to get my cardio done in the form of sport.
James’s Diet Advice
My diet was definitely the biggest change. I had to say good-bye to the pizza, KFC and Beer that had become such a big part of my life! I cut everything out that was only going to make the challenge harder and the only things that passed my lips were whatever was going to help my physique or accentuate my results. I went just as hard in dieting as I did in the gym.
Joint Winner is Amy Ashurst
Joint monthly winner Amy Ashurst tells how altering more than just her workout lead her into a healthy weight range. Read more »
Joint Winner is Romany White
Joint monthly winner Romany White proves hard work really does pay off!
Read more »
January's Monthly Winner is Helen Jaman
Helen Jaman combined a family holiday with fitness and healthy eating to achieve amazing results. Read more »
This Months Winner was Paul Omann
Motivated by the 12-week BodyBlitz Challenge and with the resolve to resist temptation, Paul managed some incredible results. Read more »
But as is so often the case, this much abuse and the delusions that you are okay can prevent you from seeing the warning signs, and when, after a heavy night of partying, James’s twin brother Jason partied a little too hard and suffered a drug overdose, it all finally came crumbling down on James like a tonne of bricks.
“I had a lot of support, especially from my girlfriend Beck who helped me keep eating healthy by only filling the cupboards with suitable foods and trying to eat the same as I was. My twin brother Jason was also great help as he performed the challenge with me so we made sure we kept each other motivated and on the right path; we also pushed each other in boxing sessions and when we needed to wake up early to do those dreaded morning runs. I also had support from my training partner Ash, owner of Extreme Results Personal Training. Having been quite successful in bodybuilding he helped push me in the gym and take my training to the absolute limit.” 
Since entering the BodyBlitz Challenge, James’s life has done a complete 180-degree turn. He now feels this drive to succeed in every other aspect of his life. He has used his newfound attitude and knowledge to open a very successful personal training business New NRG Personal Training on the Gold Coast with his brother, and he now owns his very own gym, something he has always dreamed of doing. 
James’s Training Tips
Joint Winner is Amy Ashurst
Joint Winner is Romany White
January's Monthly Winner is Helen Jaman
This Months Winner was Paul Omann
