Following 12 weeks of dedicated dieting and regular training, Justin Burdett emerged as the male winner in the latest NPL Body Revolution Challenge thanks to his inspirational transformation.

Justin chose to enter the challenge when performing small tasks like going to the shops and cooking left him feeling tired.

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Personal stats

  • Age: 28
  • Lives: Port Elizabeth
  • Career: Online ESL teacher/Sound Engineer/Singer-songwriter
  • YouTube: @fruit4109 
  • IG: justinfruit14

Justin regains his physique

“My clothing didn’t fit well and I had lost fitness.” Justin explains that the poor lifestyle habits he picked up during the COVID lockdown contributed to his poor fitness levels and weight gain.

“With gyms closed, I stopped training and started snacking on chips and chocolates every evening. I thought I would easily lose the weight when gyms reopened, but my poor eating habits meant I gained a lot of weight and was suffering from IBS when I started training again.”

As someone who was well built in his early twenties, Justin was unhappy with how he looked.

“When looking at old pictures that showed my defined abs, I felt I was still there mentally but was far from that condition physically. I felt unattractive and my confidence was low.”

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Time to change

Justin also lacked motivation in many aspects of his life. He finally decided it was time to make a change when reversing out of his driveway one morning left him out of breath.

“I told myself that this isn’t who I am.” Justin knew he could also manage his IBS with healthier lifestyle choices, and was determined to become even fitter than he was at his peak a few years ago.

Justin decided the NPL Body Revolution Challenge was the ideal way to achieve his goals.

“I knew that I would have to redevelop the discipline I once had with my training, diet and supplementation to achieve the physique I wanted, and the 12-week challenge would keep me accountable.”

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Compounding his results

His training plan included training sessions six days a week, with 30-minute cardio sessions on the elliptical after every weights session. In the last month, he added a 30-minute abs session in the afternoons.

“I incorporated compound movements in my training, going as heavy and intense as possible, with isolation movements for each muscle group.”

Justin’s training split

  • Monday: Legs
  • Tuesday: Chest
  • Wednesday: Shoulders
  • Thursday: Back
  • Friday: Legs
  • Saturday: Arms
  • Sunday: Rest

Transformation success a numbers game

Justin meticulously managed his weekly calorie intake to sustain a deficit, gradually decreasing his calories from 2,800 to 1,800 calories a day throughout the 12 week process.

“I ate four meals a day, getting around 250-300 grams of protein a day, with higher intakes as my total calorie and carb intakes dropped.”

Staple foods in his diet included chicken breast fillets, rice, maize meal, broccoli, shirataki noodles, low-calorie sauces and NPL Vegan protein shakes.

“I used NPL Vegan Protein to avoid digestive problems from whey and it didn’t trigger my IBS.”

Justin’s NPL supplement stack

Expert transformation guidance

Justin sought professional advice from two coaches from Edge Fitness in Port Elizabeth to formulate his precision approach to diet and training.

“Jacques Van Aarde and Mikey Randall helped keep me accountable with my training and diet, and offered tips regarding the mental aspect of the transformation process.”

His dad also gave him advice that sustained Justin through tough times during the challenge.

“He told me that we are all winners in this beautiful game of life if we apply ourselves fully in all that we do.”

Justin lost five kilos in the first month and improved his physique. While his progress slowed after that, which knocked his confidence, Justin picked himself up and remembered why he was doing the challenge to get back on track.

Transformation stats

  • Weight before: 118.5 kg
  • Weight after: 100.5 kg
  • Body fat before: 30%
  • Body fat after: 10%

Emotional ups and downs

Justin describes the transformation process as an emotional see-saw, but the most rewarding yet challenging task he has ever done.

“Periods of complete euphoria following weekly weigh-ins that revealed great results were followed by slumps in motivation when the scale showed no change.”

But by sticking to the process and achieving the results he wanted, Justin says he regained his confidence and is motivated to achieve new goals in other areas of his life.

Offering advice to other hopefuls who want to transform their lives, Justin says you must realise that you are the only person who can change your life. “Nobody else can do it for you.”

Quick stats

  • Favourite healthy dish: Steak and sweet potatoes
  • Favourite training routine: The bro-split with powerlifting-type compound movements
  • Top diet tip: Tracking your calories is a game-changer. Make healthier cheat meals from home rather than getting a takeaway meal.