Publications
Partners
35-year-old Brandon Faber at 120kg.
Supplied Image
A 35-year-old man who considers himself a steak-braaing extraordinaire has recently decided to put his love for good parties on hold while he attempts to get rid of some of his 120 kilograms.
Read: From 105kg to bikini model
To do this, Brandon Faber from Johannesburg has joined CrossFit 360Vida and has successfully completed two introductory training sessions. He plans to persevere through the pain for three months after which he hopes to have shed 20kg.
Read: What happens at CrossFit?
Diane Vierira Teles of CrossFit 360Vida advises that "the scale may not be the best measure for results in this type of training since it involves quite a bit of strength work which builds muscle," but Brandon is enthusiastic and feels confident about seeing results and sculpting his body.
Read: CrossFit: the sport of fitness
Brandon will attend two CrossFit 360Vida sessions per week and will share his progress with Health24 weekly.
After his first introductory session, he writes:
Fat Like Me?
It was over a year ago that I wrote about the similarities between Julius Malema and I, and our battles with the bulge.
In that article I was hopeful that, between powdery meal replacements and moderate exercise, I would emerge on the other side of winter 2013 a (smaller and sexier) shadow of the man I was. . . Alas, since then it seems that (not so young) Jules and I have both thrown in the towel, and caution to the wind as we jumped head first into buckets of KFC, barrels of beer, and crates of Johnny Walker.
I now weigh roughly 120kg, which is about ten more than March last year when I embarked on my failed crusade to greatness.
Allow that to sink in brothers and sisters. 120 kilos of the freshest wobbly mass... mostly hanging around my waist and face.
In fact if I could describe my body type to you it would be “an egg on toothpicks”.
Read: Pick a sport that sculpts your body the way you dream
Without offending anyone I have calves like Gandhi, thighs as thick as Bakkies Botha’s biceps and no ass to speak of whatsoever. Really – it’s a wonder my wife, Leila, finds me remotely attractive at all.
That may explain all the bottles of champagne in our house but that’s another story for another day.
Above my toothpicks is the rest of my so-called body. My stomach is white, round and getting dangerously close to blocking the view to my, well, you know. I have multiple chins, the number of which fluctuates depending on the angle of the light and how far away from me you are standing.
I have cheeks that some friends like to squeeze.
Add a rapidly greying mop of hair and I truly am one beaut of a man. “You have such a lucky wife” I can hear the ladies reading this say in unison.
So you get the picture?
I am so out of shape I bet Khulubuse Zuma would take pity on me, if he ever took pity on anyone, that is. My jeans are wide enough to cover an army tank, my shirts have many XXXs before the “L” and I wouldn’t be able to run down a one-legged burglar if I had to.
But all that, hopefully, is about to change.
Because I have the self-discipline of an EFF member I have signed up to the CrossFit 360 Vida studio in Fourways, Johannesburg. Over the next few months I will keep a diary and share my experiences with you as I aim to go from 120 to sub-century territory.
In the days that I’m not doing CrossFit I will cycle on the stationary bike I have at home – the one I often hang jackets over after getting home from the pub.
Read: Why you should start cycling
It’s going to be difficult, I may fail a few times and, chances are, I may complain like a disgruntled right-wing activist on occasion but I will share it all with you – the good, the bad and the fugly.
Hold thumbs for me please gentle readers, rumour has it it’s going to hurt.
Read more:
Is CrossFitting during pregnancy dangerous?
How to train like a fitness model
Dieting and exercise best together
Read: From 105kg to bikini model
To do this, Brandon Faber from Johannesburg has joined CrossFit 360Vida and has successfully completed two introductory training sessions. He plans to persevere through the pain for three months after which he hopes to have shed 20kg.
Read: What happens at CrossFit?
Diane Vierira Teles of CrossFit 360Vida advises that "the scale may not be the best measure for results in this type of training since it involves quite a bit of strength work which builds muscle," but Brandon is enthusiastic and feels confident about seeing results and sculpting his body.
Read: CrossFit: the sport of fitness
Brandon will attend two CrossFit 360Vida sessions per week and will share his progress with Health24 weekly.
After his first introductory session, he writes:
Fat Like Me?
It was over a year ago that I wrote about the similarities between Julius Malema and I, and our battles with the bulge.
In that article I was hopeful that, between powdery meal replacements and moderate exercise, I would emerge on the other side of winter 2013 a (smaller and sexier) shadow of the man I was. . . Alas, since then it seems that (not so young) Jules and I have both thrown in the towel, and caution to the wind as we jumped head first into buckets of KFC, barrels of beer, and crates of Johnny Walker.
I now weigh roughly 120kg, which is about ten more than March last year when I embarked on my failed crusade to greatness.
Allow that to sink in brothers and sisters. 120 kilos of the freshest wobbly mass... mostly hanging around my waist and face.
In fact if I could describe my body type to you it would be “an egg on toothpicks”.
Read: Pick a sport that sculpts your body the way you dream
Without offending anyone I have calves like Gandhi, thighs as thick as Bakkies Botha’s biceps and no ass to speak of whatsoever. Really – it’s a wonder my wife, Leila, finds me remotely attractive at all.
That may explain all the bottles of champagne in our house but that’s another story for another day.
Above my toothpicks is the rest of my so-called body. My stomach is white, round and getting dangerously close to blocking the view to my, well, you know. I have multiple chins, the number of which fluctuates depending on the angle of the light and how far away from me you are standing.
I have cheeks that some friends like to squeeze.
Add a rapidly greying mop of hair and I truly am one beaut of a man. “You have such a lucky wife” I can hear the ladies reading this say in unison.
So you get the picture?
I am so out of shape I bet Khulubuse Zuma would take pity on me, if he ever took pity on anyone, that is. My jeans are wide enough to cover an army tank, my shirts have many XXXs before the “L” and I wouldn’t be able to run down a one-legged burglar if I had to.
But all that, hopefully, is about to change.
Because I have the self-discipline of an EFF member I have signed up to the CrossFit 360 Vida studio in Fourways, Johannesburg. Over the next few months I will keep a diary and share my experiences with you as I aim to go from 120 to sub-century territory.
In the days that I’m not doing CrossFit I will cycle on the stationary bike I have at home – the one I often hang jackets over after getting home from the pub.
Read: Why you should start cycling
It’s going to be difficult, I may fail a few times and, chances are, I may complain like a disgruntled right-wing activist on occasion but I will share it all with you – the good, the bad and the fugly.
Hold thumbs for me please gentle readers, rumour has it it’s going to hurt.
Read more:
Is CrossFitting during pregnancy dangerous?
How to train like a fitness model
Dieting and exercise best together
