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[As a leader in the field of sports nutrition for over 20 years, we at ProSource have seen a lot of amazing physique transformations in our time. But Darrin Hills's story is truly exceptional. Darrin's fierce desire to learn, his devotion to his craft and his relentless positivity have been an inspiration to us all, and we hope this first installment of his tale and those next to come in the series will be similarly inspiring to you. Take it away, Darrin! -- ProSource Product Research Team]

My name is Darrin and ProSource has asked me if I would like to share my story and experiences with transformation, weight training, and supplementation. It truly is an honor to be asked this from such an amazing company that has been my go-to source for incredible supplements going on seven years now.

I hope you'll enjoy this and find some useful information, if nothing else some motivation to make yourself how you want to be. This entry is the first in what will be a recurring series documenting my strategies for success, the challenges I encountered along the way, and what my future goals are and will be. It isn’t easy and takes commitment but is truly worth it. All it takes is a spark, a desire to change, and you are on your way.

 

 

Six years ago at age 45 I was going through some very difficult personal issues and needed an outlet. I always struggled with how I looked and had admired the bodybuilding look, so what did I do? I haphazardly went out and bought some gym equipment and began throwing weights around.

The release that I experienced from weight lifting was exactly what I needed at the time. If you take a bad day at work, which we all have more than enough of, and couple that with some personal issues, it can bring you down. Weight training with intensity feels so good and is such a release I would often forget what I was struggling with.

I would like to pause for a moment and see if you noticed the word intensity. First thing I noticed was the difference from giving 110% and just going through the motions. If you don’t force your body to go temporarily past its maximum capacity, in this case weight volume, you aren’t going to grow.

You may be wondering how a new guy to weight training would know this; I read every last article I could about intense training, something I will talk about later, but left out what I believe is the most important part, diet and supplementation. I really liked how I was looking in terms of tone and vascular definition, but the size, the thickness wasn’t coming and I was actually going backwards after about 6 months.

The Importance of Diet and Supplementation

Back to the internet to see what I was missing. Diet and supplementation? You just can't throw weights around and get stronger, bigger? Sure you can but not for very long. This is when I found ProSource and once again started devouring articles and reading about supplements.

I really wanted this, like really wanted this and decided to go all in. I developed a diet that worked for me that consists of 8 small meals per day. I struggle to eat a lot, so I spread my meals out between 3:30am and 8:30pm to ensure adequate calories and protein for growth.

What about supplements? Aren’t those just gimmicks? Some might be, but think about what you are doing to your body day in and out if you are performing any type of high-intensity training; you are placing it into a state of needing more than standard nutrition can supply.

ProSource to the rescue. The endless amounts of amino acid combos you can create coupled with some of the best protein and pre/post workout shakes out there is what took me to year over year growth of approximately 10-12 lbs per year and still going. January of 2014 I weighed 165 and had no idea where my bodyfat was, today, nearly six years later I am 222 lbs at 7% bodyfat.

Adapt, Stay Motivated and Grow

So, six years later at 51 how do I stay motivated? The first part was just getting into a routine. Once you have your routine and the results start coming you’re set. For a couple of months that is, and then you need to change again because the body adapts, something more we can talk about later.

 

 

The other thing is dealing with injury and extremes. Remember when I said I bought a bunch of gym equipment? Yes I still have it and workout in a garage, a non-heated non cooled garage where temps vary from 20F to 100F plus. Sure it's tough but adversity and dealing with it is what makes you grow, maybe not physically in all cases but mentally which is more important than most realize. If you can control your mind you can accomplish anything. What about equipment? I have a great setup but not club stuff. Point is how good or advanced of a hammer do you need to drive a nail?

Welcome to My World

I hope this gives you a little insight into my world, my successes and my challenges, something all of us have but might not be equipped to handle. Anyone can do whatever they want if they believe and take all of the necessary steps to get there. There are a bunch of things mentioned in this article that were only tapped on and have barely scratched the surface on my journey. I am looking forward to opening up these deeper subjects and hopefully help you learn and succeed at anything you want as these principles can be universally applied.

Thanks for reading and come find me on Instagram @darrinjhills

Endorsers used products in conjunction with diet and exercise and may have been compensated for their appearance. Endorser's results are not typical. The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.