Jack Stephen always had an imposing presence. No matter what room he entered, people would stop what they were doing to marvel at his towering six-foot-eight-inch height.
“Imagine a life where you literally look down on everyone. I have a clear view of crowded concerts, and I can reach items on high shelves with great ease,” Jack says, adding that most people assume he’s good at playing basketball.
While he relished the attention, his thin body was sapping his self-confidence. For a long time, he couldn’t gain weight, no matter how hard he tried. He had given up on getting in shape until a friend challenged him to try going to the gym.
when BDLife He goes for an interview at the Workhouse gym in Nairobi, and his pecs look “pumped up” and well-shaped, almost like a bodybuilder at the peak of his career.
The 38-year-old IT professional’s arms display impressive vascular strength thanks to his barbell bicep curls. And when he warms up at the end of the day’s workout, his abs are on display.
Stephen’s increased body size is a reward for a rigorous training regime.
“Would you believe me when I say I hadn’t exercised in my entire life until a year and a half ago? I discovered the gym at 36,” says Jack. BDLife.
In a year and a half, Jack’s transformation was remarkable.
“Because of my current physique, few people believe me when I say I’ve only been working out for a short time. Building muscle takes years if done right. That’s why many don’t think my journey has been that short. But then again, they’ve never met me in my skinny form,” he says.
By his thirty-sixth birthday, Jack had come to accept his thin appearance. He believed he was born to live and die thin. He was content and happy until a friend said something to him that made him think more about what he wanted.
“I was eating a lot – well, at least that’s what I thought at the time – and I always wondered why I wasn’t gaining more size or noticing any change. That’s why I had a hard time believing a friend of mine when he said that because I was tall, I could easily gain more size and get a fit and toned body,” says Jack.
His friend advised him to increase the amount of food (calories) he was eating and to train with him for two months to see how much he improved.
“With weight training, I found myself increasing my meal intake from three meals because I was so active and my body needed more fuel to function,” explains Jack.
In the third month of his training, he enrolled in a nutrition study.
“I was curious about my body, how much I was eating, and why it was initially so hard for me to gain weight. But what I realized was that I had a higher metabolic rate, which meant I couldn’t gain weight because I was running at a caloric deficit,” he says.
Currently, Jack eats between six and eight meals a day depending on the day’s activities.
“Most days, I wake up at 5.30am, eat three eggs, and then have another meal, which is a combination of ashwagandha (an herb used to enhance physical performance), bananas, and milk. I use this combination before a workout because ashwagandha is good for boosting testosterone, thus ensuring strength,” he explains.
Before heading to the gym, take a creatine supplement with Himalayan salt.
He eats his third meal of the day at around 9 a.m., after a two-hour workout session.
“Then I have two eggs and about 100g of sweet potato. Between 11.30am and noon I have another meal, which could be minced meat and/or chicken with rice,” Jack adds, saying the meal is meant to fuel his body until 3pm, when he sits down for his fifth meal.
“Rice is my main source of carbohydrates. Most of the time, I eat rice with fish or beef. I am very careful about the amount of food I eat to ensure I eat the right amount. For every meal I eat rice, I eat 200 grams. For protein, it is between 200 and 250 grams per meal,” he says.
From 3 p.m., Jack snacks mainly on nuts, Greek yogurt, and fruit until 7 p.m.
“Some people think of it as a snack. Maybe it is, I don’t know. My last meal of the day is usually potatoes, maybe with beef, fish or chicken. You rarely find me eating ugali. I know that for someone who is skinny and trying to gain weight, it would be good because it is high in carbohydrates, but it tends to make you feel tired because the body spends a lot of energy and time processing it. It also lacks essential nutritional value in my opinion. Try eating ugali for dinner and you will wake up feeling like you lack the energy to push you through the day,” Jack argues.
At his thinnest, he weighed 71 kilograms. Last week, he stepped on the scale again and found that he weighed 84 kilograms.
“My goal is to reach 180 pounds of lean muscle, then I can start incorporating cardio into my workout plan. Right now, because I’m gaining a lot of muscle, cardio isn’t ideal for me,” he says.