REAL LIFE

MAX MUSCLE 'SAVED MY LIFE'

By: Maria Kang

Robin Decker was losing the battle to anorexia and a painful past. But with max muscle’s help, she is now a rising star.

Everyone has a story. Some people gained weight because they were called fat in elementary. Some became complacent during college or lost motivation after having kids. Then there are the minor few who can resonate with the turbulent story of Robin Decker.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Robin, 33, was an active child who enjoyed sports. While she was never classified as overweight, her negative body image escalated when she was teased for her muscular build at the young age of 8. That distinct memory marks the beginning of her life long battle with anorexia. “I began counting calories and trying to get skinny. And, even though I’ve recovered from the cycle of starvation, it always stays with me. Anorexia never goes away,” confided Robin. Her parents’ divorce and constant moving created an unstable external and internal environment for her.

At 5-foot-4, Robin’s weight would at times stand healthy at 125 pounds or plummet dangerously to 97 pounds. While in middle school, she got pregnant. Robin’s choices, which led to her battles with anorexia and promiscuity, were plagued by deep-seeded past issues she had never recovered from. Privately, she followed the genetic path of a mother who not only suffered from an eating disorder, but also dealt with a personal history of sexual abuse. Like her mother, Robin found herself victim to her father’s sexual abuse and as a result developed self-hatred and extreme insecurity. “My addiction to being intimate with others was because I always related sex with love,” she said.

After the abuse was reported to the Children, Youth and Families department of New Mexico when Robin was only 14 years old, she and her son were removed from her father’s home. After filing for legal emancipation, she was able to rent an apartment, get a job and finish her education at an alternative high school. Robin gave birth to her second son at age 16, but she still managed to receive a scholarship to the University of New Mexico. Her college education was cut short however when she had her third son at age 19 and was working as a full-time mother and student.

After her mother passed in 2005, Robin’s anorexia worsened. She began hiding her frail body under mountains of clothing while still exercising and not eating enough. One day she decided to visit the Albuquerque Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, a store Jesus Quiroz owned.

“What happened to you?” blurted Jesus at his first glimpse of a deteriorating Robin. He remembered her years ago as the fit woman in the gym with 30 pounds of extra muscle. He honestly told her, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you look like sh#t…you need to eat something.” That day he made her try a MaxPro shake and a protein bar. When she began dropping by three times a week, he would deceive her into eating more by feeding her shakes and more protein bars.

She not only began eating more, but she also began following a natural, whole-foods diet. She consumed whole grains, lean meats, egg whites, a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and flaxseed. She also enjoyed extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil and flax seed oil.

She began taking supplements to help improve her overall diet and energy levels. For energy for workouts she took D4, for better sleep she took Somatomax, for muscle soreness and recovery she took Max Glutamine and for extra protein she relied on High 5 and Max Gourmet. She also took Max EFAs, CLAs and joint supplementation.

After her diet and supplementation were on point, Robin started working with Max Muscle employee, Ambros Gonzales, who helped her develop a healthy nutrition and workout plan. After months of progress, both Jesus and Ambros started seeing Robin’s potential to compete in figure competitions. While competing seemed appealing, Robin didn’t want to go back to obsessing with the number on the scale. She was advised to throw it away, and so she did, and moved forward.

She began focusing on putting on weight in November of 2008 and by June 2009 she was on stage. “In the past, I was so skinny I hid my body under clothing. I had so much shame. I didn’t want anyone to see me and that’s why getting on stage was a huge triumph for me,” recalls Robin. She stepped on stage with a lean 8.5 percent body fat and finished 2nd in the novice figure short class at the OCB Bodybuilding Southwest Nat-ural Classic.

Today, she maintains her physique by training intensely five to six days a week focusing on strength training for four days and cardio three to four days per week. Her four sons, Christopher, Justin, Cody and Aidan, are all proud of their beautiful and fit mother.

“Max Muscle saved my life,” Robin exclaims. “I’m excited. While the tendency to find fault physically never goes away, I love my muscles. I’m strong and I’m respected because I have a body only people who work hard for can achieve.”

Robin said her plan now is to finish a degree in Psychology and Nutrition/Dietetics so she can help people recover from eating disorders and so she can continue being a positive, fit role model. MS&F