Anna, thanks for taking the time to be with us here today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, my name is Anna. I am 34 years old. I enjoy working out, riding my bike, and hiking.

I am in the field of physical therapy and enjoy rehabilitating athletes. I learned the hard way to listen to my body when I herniated a disc and had back surgery in 2009. This injury left me with permanent weakness in my left leg. My main goal now is training smarter and becoming a better all around athlete.

Could you tell us a little bit about your training history and background?

I was a gymnast in high school. I continued to work out to maintain my level of fitness after that, but I didn’t really have a purpose or a goal with my workouts. I would just do total body workouts and maybe run a little.

I got into cycling because it was one of the few activities that didn’t cause me back pain. I always wanted to regain the strength I had as a gymnast. I tried different things like cross-fit style workouts and black box training.

One of the reasons I was so excited about the BPA is because I had someone to tell me how, when, and what to do. I needed structure with my training and you came along at just the right time.

Trust me – I do this for a living and I like having someone tell me what to do, too!

What did your training look like heading into the Bulletproof Athlete program? And why did you think it would be a good fit?

Going into the BPA program I was taking it easy with working out and just focusing on my core because I was having back pain. I would wake up with back pain and my muscles would be so tight on the left side that I would be crooked.

I was actually studying and going through your Complete Core Fitness program when I saw the announcement for the BPA. I was excited to see that the program would rebuild me from the ground up. I knew that was exactly what I needed!

Tell us about the program itself – which program did you follow, and what did you like about it?

After looking at all the different programs, I wanted a challenge so I picked the Monster.

I liked the focus on the posterior chain. I liked the way the warm up was set up. It not only loosened you up, worked on mobility and increased heart rate, but also attended to problem areas/weaknesses if there were any.

I loved the progression of the exercises from phase 1 to phase 4. Each phase builds and prepares you for the next. Having a back injury that was exactly what I needed! I didn’t wake up with back pain or muscle spasms 1 time during the whole workout!!!!! Thank you Mike!!!

Along those same lines, were any of the nutrition and/or recovery challenges difficult for you?

A lot of the things in the nutrition and recovery I was already doing. I have been following the Paleo diet for about 3 years. I did have to cut back on my portions though. A couple of things I had to work on were drinking more water, stretching, and learning how to breathe.

You obviously made some great changes – you were picked the third place winner for our BPA contest!

Could you tell us a little bit about the progress you made on the program, as well as how you’re feeling now after completing it?

With the way the exercises build on one another I was able to deadlift and back squat without back pain which I was very excited about. I had pain with back squats before I started the BPA and I didn’t even think of trying a deadlift.

Of course with my left leg being weaker I could only go as heavy as it would let me with good form. I finished the program in February and I am still pain free!

Last but not least, hindsight is always 20/20. Did you make any mistakes along the way? And if so, how would you troubleshoot those in the future?

I was highly motivated and focused throughout the BPA program with the workouts and the nutrition and not skipping anything.

However, I think during the last phase I should have consumed more calories. Going into the last phase I was definitely adding muscle but then I suddenly dropped weight. Phase 4 of the Monster was a grind, but not eating enough made it even harder.

At the time I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn’t see it. I was just happy to see my abs :). When I took my after shots is when I really noticed how skinny I had gotten. I would definitely eat more in phase 4 next time.

Thanks again for taking the time to be with us here today, Anna. Any final thoughts?

I can’t thank you enough! From head to toe I’m as strong as I’ve ever been!

Its been several months since finishing the program and I’m still pain free! You have designed a great program. I consider myself a success story and I am sure there will be many more!

I know thats a lot of exclamation points but thats how I feel about the BPA!!! Way to go Mike!

If you’d like to learn more about how Bulletproof Athlete can help you get leaner, stronger and more athletic, please go to the Bulletproof Athlete site right now!