Dr. Halid Shokunbi is more more than meets the eye. He’s a Chicago native and a doctor of Physical Therapy that helps busy people lose weight & get healthy. But it wasn’t always like that for Dr. Halid. You couldn’t always wash your clothes on his rippled abs. But his story of triumph is one of sheer determination. Here’s his story in his own words:
“My fitness story started off like many others,” explains Dr. Halid on his website. “I played a lot of sports pretty much all my life, but in 2009, I started taking weight training seriously. I ran into trouble when I started ignoring the minor aches and pains I began experiencing.”
“Instead of resting and rehabbing, I made a mistake many people do; I worked through the pain. As a physical therapist, I knew better, but I loved lifting. After doing this for a few months, I reached a point where my body was just broken down.”
“I had Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendinitis, minor hernia, shoulder sprain, partially torn triceps tendon, and a severe wrist sprain.”
“Eventually I could not work out without pain, so, I stopped lifting. I stopped being active. I stopped caring about my diet. I was frustrated and defeated.”
“I ate whatever I could get my hands on. Slowly but surely, I began gaining body fat. By the end of 2011 I reached a point where I could not deny that I was fat.”
“I had a reputation of being fit and active. I was ashamed of what I had become. So, I decided to get in my best-ever shape. That is when I decided to enter the $100K Transformation Challenge on Bodybuilding.com.”
“I wanted my transformation to be an example to others, showing them that you can make a change naturally and without extreme strategies… Mission accomplished!”
Since winning the contest, I have fully adopted the fitness lifestyle. This is my passion. I hope, given the opportunity, we can work together to reach your individual fitness goals. If you want more than a trainer, look no further than #DrHalidFit!
So how did he do it?
I started with cardio twice per week, then three, and so on. I was doing cardio 4-5 times per week toward the last half of the contest. I also increased the duration of cardio. I aimed to burn 400-500 calories, or go for 45 minutes. I’d usually hit the calorie goal before time ran out.
On rest days, that’s all I did—rest. I didn’t work out or anything. I used music to keep myself motivated on the days I didn’t want to be there, or had a long day at work. I have some nice headphones with deep bass. I put on my jams and it gets me pumped. The music keeps me going. As long as I have my music and my MP3 player, I’m good.
Halid’s Training Regimen
– Lift the heaviest weight that still allows you to complete the rep goal for each set.
– Rest 2-3 minutes between regular sets.
– Increase weight as you decrease reps.
Hypertrophy Circuit note:
– 1 set of 12-18 reps for each exercise
– Perform each exercise consecutively once for 1 round
– 3 rounds with 60-90 seconds rest between rounds
“My view of myself definitely changed. I realized I have an incredible amount of determination and drive inside of me. I never knew it existed. I figure, I’m just a regular dude, so if it it’s inside of me, then it’s inside of everyone.”
To achieve your fitness goals, you need to build endurance, strength, flexibility, and more. Halid built every aspect of fitness by starting slow, developing a champion’s work ethic, and never giving up.