How Bjartur Gained 17.6 lbs of Muscles with 4 Weeks of Crossfit

Meet Bjartur..

My name is Bjartur Hafþórsson, I am a 20 year old Computer Science student from Iceland. I am currently 186 cm (6’1”) and 83 kg (183 lbs).

I was always a skinny kid, but up until 2012 I practiced soccer. After I quit I got lazy. I didn’t work out at all and last year I gained 7 kg (15 lbs) of fat from January to May. At that moment I decided enough was enough and signed up for a summer soccer division with my only goal being to lose the fat.

By the end of August, I had lost 10 kg (22 lbs) and was pretty happy with myself, but there was a problem. I felt both skinny and weak.

By the start of October, I had gained 3 kg of fat once more and decided I needed to take action, both to prevent further weight gain and to build up some muscle.

Being 75 kg (165 lbs) I signed up for a month-long novice class in CrossFit. There were 3 classes a week with a bit of homework. During that period my main focus was on doing the exercises correctly and learning the techniques behind them, rather than focusing on lifting the heaviest weights I could or doing as many push-ups as fast as I could.

I always did my absolute best though, and really pushed myself to my limits, but always trying to maintain the correct technique. I do admit that it was hard to stand there having a hard time lifting light weights while the girl standing next to me was lifting twice as much weight with ease.

I quickly realised that such things don’t matter though. I am doing this to get myself in shape, not to be better than someone else. Besides, we’ve all got to start somewhere.

After October I started working out about 5 times a week, sometimes in scheduled classes with a trainer and sometimes I went by myself.

When I went by myself I tried to work as much on my weaknesses as possible. By the end of December I started seeing a bit of progress here and there.

In January I added 1 exercise a week and have been working out 6 times a week since then. I decided to skip fast food and candy for the month and started taking protein and creatine as soon as my workouts were over. Ate healthier and overall felt better.

In February I started eating fast food and candy again but I am trying to keep it to a minimum. Getting regular sleep is something I am still working on as well. I still have a long way to go to get where I want to be, but I’m working on it.

What was your lifestyle like prior to your transformation?

I was lazy and hardly ever worked out. I was also very good at finding excuses for why I should starttomorrow instead of today. I always came up with something: “I‘ve got this big assignment I have to hand in next week.“, “I deserve a day off” & “I just don’t feel like it” we’re pretty common.

Where does your motivation come from? 

Honestly, it’s all about being able to do whatever whenever. If someone asks me if I want to join them for a run, or if someone needs help moving furniture, or if I simply feel like doing something specific at any time, I don’t want my body to stop me from doing that.

Of course I also want to feel good about myself and the body that I will live in for the rest of my life.

What Does your daily diet look like?

I must admit that my diet is rather bad, and so are my sleep patterns. I eat whatever I want whenever I want.

Fast food about 2-3 times a week and at least 100g of candy a day, though usually between 200 and 300g a day. I have very irregular sleep, usually staying up until 3 or 4 AM and sometimes not sleeping at all.

What workout routine has worked best for you?

Most of the time I simply show up at my CrossFit affiliate (CrossFit Reykjavík) and do a WOD.

The “WOD” is the “workout of the day.” Each day a new WOD is posted to CrossFit.com, and it’s part of a complete program designed to improve strength and conditioning.

The CrossFit.com program is characterized by three days of work before one day of rest, though athletes may alter this pattern. The WOD can be scaled (adjusted) to provide a suitable challenge for athletes at any level. (Source: https://www.crossfit.com/cf/faq)

When I don’t feel like doing a WOD I usually pick one weightlifting exercise that I do, and after that I do a mixture of exercises with my own bodyweight (Pull-ups, Sit-ups, Push-ups, Dips, etc).

How has your life changed since the transformation? Any noticeable difference in the quality of your life?

I have now gained around 8 kg (17.6 lbs) of muscle and burned off the small amount of fat I had on me. The last five months have taught me a lot about myself, and I must say, the it’s great for the self-confidence to see your own progress. Finally, being able to do a decent amount of proper pull-ups and push-ups is a great confidence boost.

Favorite Quote:

If I am to provide any tips, just remember: It’s all in your head. When you feel exhausted and think you’re absolutely done you can always squeeze out one more rep. Don’t be afraid to push your limits, don’t be afraid of what others might think of you, and most of all: Believe in yourself! The harsh truth is that if you don’t believe you can do it then you won’t do it. Everyone can though, the most common problem is that people want instant success. That’s not how this works, slow and steady wins the race.