Australian_Mens_Fitness_April_2017

“I

“I thought

I’d failed,

thatIwas

a f...-up,

that I’d let everyone

down—Iwantedto

redeem myself,” says

Peter, 40.

Things started to

go awry for him four

yearsago.Alicensed

builder working in

Sydney, he injured

his back on site and

became addicted to

pain-killing

medication.

Trappedina

downward spiral, he

was later caught

dealing drugs and

about the prison yard

trying to get a handle

onlifeagain.Itwas

there, while reading

aJackReachernovel,

that, he says, “the

switch flicked”. “I got

up and said: ‘No more.’”

He decided that

fitness and building a

bodyhecouldbeproud

of would be his path to

redemption — but doing

it behind bars without

agym,onfat-and

carb-heavyfood,would

take super-human

focus and discipline.

To get the requisite

amount of protein into

his body to build muscle

—30gpermeal—

Peter avoided what

hecalls“slopinabox”

prison fare, and spent

his $100 a week

allowanceonforty

185g tins of tuna and

rice, adding in a few

veggiesfromdinner.

Combined with power

walking—hewould

crank out 240 lengths

of the 25m-long yard

(6km)atatime—and

stair step-ups, the

weight began to drop

off him.

He overcame the

lack of equipment

by inventing his

own, filling a garbage

bagwithwaterand

attaching it to a

broom handle to

mimic a 15kg

dumbbell.Hewas

also reading Men’s

Fitness — the jail has

a subscription — and

after scrutinising our

workouts he began to

develop the idea of

becoming a physique

competitor.

Fo u r m o n t h s i n , h e

wasdownto85kg,a

loss of 18kg, but he

needed to stack on

bulk if he was to

achieve his aim.

To that end, he

astounded wardens

by walking lunges

the length of the yard

with an 80kg inmate

on his back and did

handstand pushups

one-handed.

“The screws had

neverseenanything

like it,” Peter says.

He also smashed

1,000 crunches every

second day.

Probably the most

difficult challenge

was resisting the

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TALEOFTHESCALE

PETERRYAN

AGE: 40

HEIGHT:185CM

WAS:113KG,

105CM WAIST

NOW:95KG,

85CM WAIST

Inside job

Despite being in prison, Peter Ryan has shed 18kg, dropped to 9% bodyfat

and built a ripped physique — all without equipment.

chemical temptations

within prison walls

— “there are more

drugs inside than

out,” he says — and

steering clear of

junk-eating inmates:

“all they do is eat

lollies and chocolate

all the time”.

He is now at 9%

bodyfat and totally

pumped for his

release, which is on

March 31. Already

he has entered a

body-building

competitiontotake

placeinMay.

“I want my kids to

seemeonstageand

for my family to be

proud of me,” Peter

says of his amazing

transformation. “I

want them to see I’m

a changed person.”

When he gets out

Peter will need every

ounce of willpower to

stay clean and keep

his body in shape — in

some ways it is easier

to focus on fitness

and nutrition inside

because there are

fewer distractions

—buthefeelsheis

up for the battle: “I am

stronger physically

andmentallythan

before,” says. “And

whatIhavewith

my transformation

isahealthy

obsession. I’m also

planning to work as

a carpenter again.”

Andhe’sdead

keen to join a gym.

“I really want to see

howmuchIcan

bench press and

deadlift. I’ve been

able to squat a 130kg

guyonmyshoulders

in prison.”■

42 MEN’S FITNESS APRIL 2017

given a two-and a

half year non-parole

sentence at South

Coast Correctional

Centre in Nowra on

the NSW south coast.

He lost his successful

business — he had

employed 12 people

— his marriage

collapsed and he was

separatedfromhis

two young children.

“I had done a real

jobonmyself,”he

says.“Iwasshattered.

My whole world had

caved in.”

Forced to detox in

jail, Peter ballooned

to 113kg and moped

“I want my kids to see me on

stage and for my family to be

proudofme—Iwantthemto

see I’m a changed person.”

● Game Changers Inspiration