Tell us a little bit about yourself and your everyday life.
My name is Mert Özyildirim, I am 23 years old and have been a dual student at Kraftmanufaktur and YPSI since April. Like every one of Wolfgang's clients, my day probably starts with a glass of water, a squeeze of lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan salt. After a high-protein and high-fat breakfast, I go to the Planet Eater Gym for my first MMA training session. Around noon, the second unit starts with strength training in the Kraftmanufaktur. Besides studying, I am also a professional MMA fighter and part of the Planet Eater team. ( Mert's fight record here )
How did you come across the Before'n'After program?
The Before'n'After program has become part of my work through the dual study program. In order to be able to understand them better, I started the self-experiment and very quickly achieved success with Wolfgang's plans.
Which sport did you do before the Before'n'After program?
I train martial arts six times a week. The Before'n'After program then helped me to increase my strength in my actual sport and thus make me a better fighter.
What motivated you to start and follow the program?
In MMA, the more complete, overall technically better fighter wins, but the base and strength is a big part of it is not to be underestimated. I quickly noticed that I was more efficient in training and that even after a hard week I had just as much energy on Fridays as on Mondays, which motivated me to keep going.
How did your sleep develop during the program?
Since I had a lot of action during the day, the evening was usually the part of the day that I reserved for myself. So I usually went to bed between midnight and 1 a.m. and woke up the next morning with a hangover. Thanks to the Before'n'After program and the regular bedtime (approx. 10:30 p.m.) I woke up on my own every morning between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m..
How did your energy level develop during the program?
The energy improved a lot during the program. Be it waking up in the morning, sparring or strength training, afterwards I could always give 100% and was never exhausted.
What was the biggest change for you?
The biggest change was sleep. Going to bed so early was very unusual for me. The adjustment took time, but now going to bed late is no longer an option for me.
What's your favorite breakfast?
My favorite breakfast is probably, like most customers of Turkish descent, sucuk with egg.
How often and for how long did you train?
The strength units lasted about 45 min -1 h for 4 times a week, which was very important for me, because due to the large range of movements in MMA, I have to invest more time in learning and improving the technique.
What is your favorite exercise?
Squats and pull-ups, because I was able to achieve great success here very quickly.
Have you also done endurance training to lose fat?
Once a week I did the modified strongman training at the Kraftmanufaktur with my strength coach, friend and trainer Goran Sirovina. However, this is more fitness than endurance training.
What is the reaction of your environment to the change in the last few weeks/months?
I got a lot of positive feedback, be it from people who just saw the picture or from sparring partners I've known for years.
And what happens now?
The program will of course remain a part of my life. Even fitter is even better.
Image: In 6 weeks he reduced his body weight from 76.8 to 75.0 kg, reduced his body fat percentage from 16.0% to 3.8% and thus gained 7.7 kg of lean mass. All key figures, skin folds and pictures here.