USN wanted to reward those who make hard-fought muscle gains by launching the Muscle-Up Challenge, using a simple benchmark for success – the person who makes the most gains in 12 weeks, wins.

As a pastry chef, Tarryn Hyde is surrounded by temptation all day, which makes sticking to a clean diet extremely challenging.

“I’m a big foodie and I have a major sweet tooth, so eating clean consistently requires serious discipline.”

Personal stats

  • Age: 30
  • Career: Pastry chef
  • Weight before: 72kg
  • Weight after: 61kg

Discipline breeds success

But it is that discipline that Tarryn credits for her success in the USN Muscle-Up Challenge – a 12-week competition that used a simple benchmark for success – the person who makes the most gains in 12 weeks, wins.

“Motivation comes and goes but discipline creates the consistency that will always get you across the finish line. As they say, you’ve just gotta put in the work and trust the process. Ultimately, you get out what you put in. It’s that simple.”

READ MORE | USN Body Makeover Challenge Helps Andrew Find His Winning Way

Looking for a challenge

Tarryn was looking for a challenge where she could put everything in and see what happens, and decided that the USN Muscle-Up Challenge provided the perfect opportunity.

Taryn’s Muscle-Up supplement plan

“It has always been a dream of mine to transform my body into something I am proud of. Once I started seeing results, there was no turning back. Seeing your hard work pay off is priceless. It’s the biggest motivation you can get.”

Tarryn says the training was the easiest part of the process for her. “It’s part of my lifestyle so I will never stop training hard and pushing myself.”

Taryn’s weekly workout split

  • Day 1: Legs
  • Day 2: Push
  • Day 3: Pull
  • Day 4: Rest
  • Day 5: Legs
  • Day 6: Push
  • Day 7: Pull

Applying her determination and discipline in the kitchen was where Tarryn faced the biggest challenge.

“The hardest part for me was relentlessly sticking to my diet, day in and day out.“

She ate clean over the 12 weeks, focusing on a combination of complex carbs and protein throughout the day, with a lower-carb meal at night.

And the commitment was worth the effort as Tarryn won R25,000 in cash as the runner-up in the competition thanks to her amazing transformation.

Taryn’s daily diet

  • Meal 1: Oats, protein, banana
  • Meal 2: Chicken, rice, green veg
  • Meal 3: Chicken, rice, green veg
  • Meal 4: Extra lean mince, sweet potato green veg
  • Meal 5: Protein shake, low fat yoghurt, fruit

“Since finishing the challenge, my eating plan has changed slightly. I still eat a very clean diet, but I have more flexibility to enjoy the foods I love and socialise while still staying on track and reaching my goals.”

Tarryn says that challenge has given her a sense of accomplishment, resilience, and discipline, which she will carry with her throughout life.

“It has given me confidence and I have proven to myself that I can achieve anything I set out to achieve. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and give it your all.”

For anyone else who wants to tackle a body transformation challenge, Tarryn says you need to just keep going and don’t give up. “Keep the end goal in mind. It will all be worth it in the end.”

Quick facts

  • Favourite muscle-building meal: Overnight oats
  • Favourite exercise/routine: Push day – shoulders in particular.
  • Must-use muscle-building supplements: USN Hardcore Whey gH
  • Top muscle-building diet tip: Make sure to hit your protein goal daily. Protein is king.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists

The top 5 in the USN Muscle-Up Challenge each received a USN ambassadorship worth R30,000 in products and apparel. Congratulations to:

  • Celumusa Mthimkhulu (Grand Prize Winner)
  • Tarryn Hyde (Runner-Up)
  • Shawn van der Merwe (Finalist)
  • Christo Olivier (Finalist)
  • Walt Sevenster (Finalist)

In addition to the prizes for the top 5, the People’s Choice winner, chosen by the public, received R20,000 in cash, and the Social Media winner received R10,000 in cash. Congratulations to: