Not all transformations are stories of gargantuan losses. For some, it’s the #gains that make all the difference. And workaholic Francois Griesel is proof that exercise – and the brawny mass it can bring – can be a lifeline when you feel like you’re treading water. Here’s how our reader gained muscle to transform his life.
The Wake-Up Call: “I Decided I Didn’t Want to Exist Anymore.”
Griesel, the founder of Xpand Your Brand, had spent years buried in his work. It was a pressure cooker of stress, trauma, anxiety and emotional pressure. In other words, he was neglecting himself as he ploughed forward to grow his enterprise.
Before he even clocked that he was profoundly underweight, he knew he was exhausted. When he looked in the mirror, he didn’t recognise the man looking back at him. He needed to reconnect with who he was.
READ MORE: From Heavy Nights to Heavy Lifts: How Our Reader Lost 17kg and Rebuilt His Body
“I decided I didn’t want to just exist anymore,” says Griesel. He needed to stride forwards with purpose, and training for something was exactly the goal he needed.
The Change: How Did He Transform His Body?
Griesel’s target? Entering a bodybuilding competition. The ultimate aim? Finding meaning far beyond the aesthetics.
With a tireless intensity, he began training every day, leaning on a structured routine that merged strength work, cardio and fluid movement. He retooled his sleep, too, with those precious Zzz’s being one of the first casualties of his round-the-clock at-the-office graft. Regardless of whether he felt motivated or not, there was one simple rule: you’ve got to show up.
He also fine-tuned his nutrition. At a featherweight 60kg, he was in the danger zone for all the symptoms of malnourishment, so it was vital that he kept his tank fuelled with the mega macros that build mass. But he didn’t want to pack on flab; the priority here was lean mass after all.
READ MORE: The Simple Habits That Helped This Reader Lose 32kg and Keep the Weight Off
He cut out sugar, junk food and fizzy drinks and instead opted for high-protein plates and a 3 000 calorie target.“I learned that food is fuel,” he says. “Once I changed my relationship with food and stopped using it to cope emotionally, everything started shifting.”
It wasn’t smooth sailing. “The hardest part was fighting the voice in my head telling me to quit,” says Griesel. “There were days I was emotionally drained, overwhelmed, anxious and mentally exhausted.”
He was juggling a business, family and life’s endless to-do list of responsibilities. Silencing that voice, the pessimistic one that had seen him fall into his slump in the first place, was the real secret to his success.
The Transformation: How Much Muscle Did He Gain?
Prior to his transformation, Griesel had hit rock bottom. Feeling desperate and struggling, he had attempted to take his own life. Now, five months after beginning his road to redemption, he’s achieved the impossible – managing to pack on 19kg of weight and not only entering his first bodybuilding competition but also winning in the ‘Transformation’ category.
“I feel stronger mentally and physically,” he says. “But the biggest victory was proving to myself that I could fight back, not just for men’s mental health after attempting suicide, but for my family, too.”
READ MORE: How He Dropped 31kg—Our Reader’s No-Nonsense Weight Loss Story
His lesson? Start small, but start somewhere. “You don’t need to have everything figured out on day one,” adds Griesel. “You just need to decide that your life matters enough to fight for it. Some days you’ll fail. Some days you’ll want to quit. Keep going anyway.”
