While Kris was one of the most well-known names on the international bodybuilding circuit as Editor at Large of Bodybuilding.com and the creator of the Dramatic Transformation Principle (DTP), he gained widespread fame in India recently when it emerged that he had helped Hrithik Roshan transform his body for his upcoming movie Krrish 3. He did so using the DTP technique which lasts only for 12 weeks. Since then Hrithik's been gushing about his new fitness guru and even personally launched the Indian version of Kris' book The Bodybuilding.com: Guide to Your Best Body. Here's an excerpt from his book where Kris discusses his youth, losing track of his life, going back to school to master the human body and finally emerging as one of the foremost bodybuilding gurus in the world.
You're probably wondering who I am. My name is Kris Gethin, and first and foremost, I am a person who lives and breathes fitness. I take pride in my health, and I am driven to keep my body in top form because it is the hub from which all other parts of life extend. I am here because my role at Bodybuilding.com has given me inside access to truly incredible people who have inspired me and who continue to redefine the limits of human possibility I am here as their ambassador and as the messenger who comes bearing the blueprint for personal change.
Before we get to their stories, though, I want to tell you a little about my own transformation. I was born and raised in Wales in the United Kingdom. I lived on a farm and learned early on about the value of a strong work ethic (and the equally important value of a strong back, arms, and legs). I tried lifting weights here and there, but in my early teenage years what I really fell in love with was motocross (for the uninitiated, it's like cross-country motorcycle racing). I loved the sport so much that I did just about everything I could to keep my weight down for it, because the lighter you are, the faster you go. I was into riding BMX bikes, running, cardio, and swimming. I have asthma, which held me back a lot, but it didn't stop me from doing what I loved. It was around that time that I started buying all the bodybuilding magazines I could get my hands on. I would flip through the pages and stare at the pictures in disbelief I looked at those guys as real-life superheroes. I was so inspired by their level of fitness that it helped me work harder on my own body.
A few years down the road my love for extreme sports led me to a group of extreme athletes. I discovered that they were intense people in every way pushing the limits on the racecourse as well as in the bars and on the party circuit. Before I knew it my social network had shaped me into a different person with different priorities from the ones I had always had. I knew it was time for a change, and I also knew that I had to get out of my social group to make the change transformational and lasting. This triggered a new direction for me, and I went back to school to study international health and sports therapy, which eventually led to my touring the world as a health and fitness expert on a cruise line.
I spent years working with individuals and small groups as a personal trainer and even ran my own gym for a while. I loved connecting with people and motivating them toward their fitness goals, but I wanted to find a vehicle for reaching and connecting with more people.
That's when I started writing and photographing images for fitness magazines; I figured this way my work could connect with thousands of people instead of just a few at a time. I began interacting with more people in the fitness world, and it was a thrill to discover that my research, knowledge, and experience were reaching a growing number of people on a consistent basis. I moved to Los Angeles, California, because I figured it would give me the chance to bump shoulders with some of the biggest names in fitness. But subconsciously I was still searching for the right group culture fit and I didn't find it until I made my way to Bodybuilding.com.
The best part of the discovery was not just that my work ethic and goals had found their perfect match, but that within the site there existed BodySpace, a community filled with some of the most solid, driven, and motivating people I would ever meet; I discovered there what I had been missing in Wales and Los Angeles: a steady and inspirational group of like-minded people who would check out my work, look to me for knowledge, and fuel my own drive to be at the top of my game. It's been a win-win relationship ever since.
I'm sure you have a story similar to my own one filled with experiences that shaped your future as they were filtered through the influence of your friends, family, or other social group. For me, the major turning points in my life were those that involved these outside influences leaving my group of friends in Wales probably saved my life, just as discovering the BodySpace community helped change my life from good to great. The people who surround us our friends, families, classmates, co-workers, neighbours, and even the person driving in the car next to us can greatly influence our choices and behaviours on a large or incredibly small level. These influences are really the foundation from which all transformational change can happen.
Now that you know a little about my story, I'd like you to start writing the next, better chapter of your own life. Your journey will begin from the inside out, starting with the thoughts in your head and working its way to the muscles in your body and the food on your plate. I will guide you down the most powerful and proven path to change, which will be supplemented by the motivational discoveries and success stories of the BodySpace community members who have paved the way for you. Also read other excerpts from the book - 'Tips to lose belly fat', 'How Hrithik transformed his body' and 'Exercises for Toned Legs'.
The Bodybuilding.com: Guide to Your Best Body is authored by Kris Gethin and published by Simon & Schuster (2013). It can be purchased online on Flipkart. Watch this space for more excerpts from the book. Read about the launch of the Indian edition of the book here.
