What's Your "Y"
Transformation Interview with Coach Brett McCord
Tell us about your journey.
In July of 2016 I stepped on the scale and saw 280 pounds and I knew I had to make a change. Eating was the activity that made me happy and working out was the activity that made me angry, sad and embarrassed. I was always uncomfortable and I always felt that people only viewed me as the fat kid. I remember growing up playing sports and being the last kid always to finish every conditioning drill, the kid who would pass out after running half a mile, the kid who couldn’t complete a push-up. I didn’t like leaving the house because I didn’t like doing activities that showcased how out of shape I was.
I made a promise to myself that I would never weigh that much again.
I decided it was time to turn my unhealthy lifestyle around and be proud of the person I saw in the mirror.
Fast forward 5 years: I am 190 pounds eager to help any person who has ever felt the way I did growing up. If anyone has any insecurity about their body or has any fitness goal they want to achieve but have never been able too, I want to help them because I know the exact struggles they have been through.
Who has been your main source of motivation over the years?
I have been my own source of motivation over the years. Looking at old pictures of myself and knowing how sad and how much I disliked myself when I was that big makes me motivated to never get back to being that person.
What is the biggest mental challenge you've had to face in your sport and how have you conquered that?
The biggest mental challenge I had to face through it all was not understanding time. In the beginning when I didn’t start seeing results it really freaked me out. But 5 years later and knowing how much I changed and how much my body changed helps me realize to never freak out if I don’t see any differences in my body. It will all happen over time.
Describe your recovery strategies. How do you know if those recovery strategies are working?
My recovery strategies have been so different over the years. When I first started losing weight I really only focused on losing fat and never even thought about gaining muscle. Once I was happy with my body from a weight loss standpoint I knew it was time to start adding weight lifting into my life and that’s where YOLKED comes in.
YOLKED helped me so much when I first started lifting. I heard all these things about protein and creatine to take after you lift. But YOLKED was different and I started seeing insane results in my body immediately. If it wasn’t for YOLKED I’m not sure I would ever be confident in the way my muscles have evolved.
What's Your "Y"? What keeps you going and training as hard as you do?
It may be a little repetitive but looking at old pictures and knowing the place I was in when I was 280 pounds is my “Y”. I never want to be that person again, I hated that person and I love the person I am today.
Favorite motivational quote.
Tough times don’t last, tough people do.
"YOLKED helped me so much when I first started lifting. I started seeing insane results in my body immediately. If it wasn’t for YOLKED I’m not sure I would ever be confident in the way my muscles have evolved."