Health scare prompts transformation: The Brendan Dickson fitcess story
My name is Brendan Dickson and just before my 25th birthday I had a heart attack as a result of an 80% blockage in one of the arteries of my heart. The news was hard to take, and I knew I would have to make massive changes in my life if I was going to survive. I tried to switch to a plant based diet at first, but I was horribly unsatisfied and often cheated. I gave up alcohol—for a month. I hated that this was happening, hated the idea of changing the way I lived and was worried that I would not have the strength to make the necessary changes to survive.
After six months of failed attempts in a variety of endeavors, I began lifting weights. I was extremely weak when I started; unable to bench press 95lbs for more than a single rep. My friend Logan brought me with him to the gym and showed me as much as he could. Week by week, I began to get stronger and stronger in the gym. I was surprised and excited, and before I knew it, I had dropped from 318lbs to 292lbs. I was very excited and I started to think I had found a way to fight back!
I started working out at the Fit4Less on Central Ave. in Windsor, ON in 2015 and with the diet advice and encouragement from some friendly gym goers (who looked way better than I did) I was able to drop from the 290s down to 265lbs. By the time I was about to turn 30, I had stalled out at 260lbs. I remember thinking that this was the best I would ever look, and thought maybe I was done. I was working as a subcontracted telecommunications technician at the time when I met a customer, Chris, who was a personal trainer. We talked about our favorite bodybuilders and powerlifters and he convinced me to come and train with him; promising a free session if I would try.
After a week of working out with Chris, I was 258lbs. I had finally broken into the 250’s. After six months of working with Chris, I was 209lbs. I couldn’t believe it. I lived on my own, I worked overtime for months on end, I dieted, I trained, I did everything I was supposed to do, and I came away with a new body.
I stopped employing Chris as my trainer after 6 months with him. I took control of my own training and worked for a year on my own; developing my body with the knowledge I had learned over my years of lifting. I made solid progress and became very interested in competing in Men’s Bodybuilding. I had a clean bill of health and had been taken off all medication by my cardiologist. I employed my friend and mentor Jesse to prep me for my first contest, and to date I have never looked better or been happier.
Life is about choices; we make choices every day. I chose to eat frozen pizzas and be sedentary for years. The result was a heart attack. Then I made another choice: I chose to take control of my life forever.