3RD PLACE // Devin Cartwright
Lost 27.1 lbs.
I Haven't Hit My Ceiling Yet
Enter Devin:
Man, I surprise myself each and every year with how far I can push the limits.
Just when I thought there was no way I could possibly bring a better overall package than I did last year, I fucking smoked it, and I feel damn good all the way around. The hardest part is picking which photos to select.
This is my 7th or 8th year doing this contest, and every year the results get better.
Getting older? That shit is just a number. I control how I look, how I feel, and how I perform each and every day.
That’s what this contest has given me. A reason to keep leveling up. A date on the calendar to chase something I haven’t yet touched or achieved.
People who know me always ask, “Are you going to keep doing this until you win?”
My answer? I’m going to do this every year I’m alive and able.
Why wouldn’t I want to keep getting into the best shape of my life year after year? Why wouldn’t I want my life to keep improving in all aspects? Why wouldn’t I want my kids to see what discipline and a healthy lifestyle actually look like?
So fuck yes, I’m going to do this until I can’t do it anymore because it’s so much more than physical appearance.
This year, I knew I had to bring it all to the table if I was going to beat last year, and I did just that.
Every morning, my alarm went off at 3:20 a.m. I got to the gym at 4:00 a.m., completed a Get Stacked/Golden Era Swole workout, smoked my abs, and finished the morning with at least 30 minutes of incline walking.
After work, I headed back to the gym to knock out my lunges and spend 20 minutes in the sauna.
Splitting it into two sessions changed everything for me. No rushing, just execution.
What really helped me get through the extra incline work, lunges, and sauna time were the AF Minicasts and listening to The Bible audiobook.
This year, my diet and actually listening to my body made the biggest difference.
For the first four weeks of the contest, I was basically doing a fasted carnivore-style diet. Then I got sick, felt like shit, and was completely run down.
So I switched back to the holy grail lifestyle: AF101.
I should have never messed around with anything else. Once I got back to the roots, it was like I was shot out of a cannon.
Comparing my InBody scans from last year to this year, not only did my physical appearance improve, but my muscle mass increased in all quartiles while dropping more than 27 lbs and getting my body fat percentage back below 6%.
I’m getting blood work done later this week, and I’m excited to see how it compares to the start of the contest and last year.
What makes this contest even more meaningful are the people around me.
When others start looking up to you, asking questions, and following your lead, it creates a different level of accountability.
I’ve got guys at my gym and people I work with getting involved and excited for next year’s contest. Being able to inspire that kind of change in someone else is awesome.
All of that outside stuff is great, but what makes my entire day is seeing my 2½-year-old son get excited about “working out.”
I have a small setup at home, and my little guy always comes up to me, grabs my hand, and says, “Work, Daddy, work,” meaning he wants to go work out with me.
It’s the best thing ever.
I can’t wait to bring him, his little sister, and any future kids up around this lifestyle and community.
At such a young age, it’s already ingrained in his head that this is what normal looks like, and I love that.
My kids and wife are my world.
This contest, this lifestyle, Max Effort Muscle, CoryG—it all adds to that. It makes life fuller, stronger, better, and more exciting.
So yeah, I’m here for the long run.
Next dates on the calendar: Disney with the kids at the end of April, Muscle Island in June, and my entire family going on vacation in July (gotta make sure my brother isn’t the only jacked Cartwright).
Already thinking about how to level up again next year.
See you all at Muscle Island. ✌🏼
3rd Place // 2026 #IWANTABZ
3RD PLACE // Devin Cartwright
Lost 27.1 lbs.
I Haven't Hit My Ceiling Yet
Enter Devin:
Man, I surprise myself each and every year with how far I can push the limits.
Just when I thought there was no way I could possibly bring a better overall package than I did last year, I fucking smoked it, and I feel damn good all the way around. The hardest part is picking which photos to select.
This is my 7th or 8th year doing this contest, and every year the results get better.
Getting older? That shit is just a number. I control how I look, how I feel, and how I perform each and every day.
That’s what this contest has given me. A reason to keep leveling up. A date on the calendar to chase something I haven’t yet touched or achieved.
People who know me always ask, “Are you going to keep doing this until you win?”
My answer? I’m going to do this every year I’m alive and able.
Why wouldn’t I want to keep getting into the best shape of my life year after year? Why wouldn’t I want my life to keep improving in all aspects? Why wouldn’t I want my kids to see what discipline and a healthy lifestyle actually look like?
So fuck yes, I’m going to do this until I can’t do it anymore because it’s so much more than physical appearance.
This year, I knew I had to bring it all to the table if I was going to beat last year, and I did just that.
Every morning, my alarm went off at 3:20 a.m. I got to the gym at 4:00 a.m., completed a Get Stacked/Golden Era Swole workout, smoked my abs, and finished the morning with at least 30 minutes of incline walking.
After work, I headed back to the gym to knock out my lunges and spend 20 minutes in the sauna.
Splitting it into two sessions changed everything for me. No rushing, just execution.
What really helped me get through the extra incline work, lunges, and sauna time were the AF Minicasts and listening to The Bible audiobook.
This year, my diet and actually listening to my body made the biggest difference.
For the first four weeks of the contest, I was basically doing a fasted carnivore-style diet. Then I got sick, felt like shit, and was completely run down.
So I switched back to the holy grail lifestyle: AF101.
I should have never messed around with anything else. Once I got back to the roots, it was like I was shot out of a cannon.
Comparing my InBody scans from last year to this year, not only did my physical appearance improve, but my muscle mass increased in all quartiles while dropping more than 27 lbs and getting my body fat percentage back below 6%.
I’m getting blood work done later this week, and I’m excited to see how it compares to the start of the contest and last year.
What makes this contest even more meaningful are the people around me.
When others start looking up to you, asking questions, and following your lead, it creates a different level of accountability.
I’ve got guys at my gym and people I work with getting involved and excited for next year’s contest. Being able to inspire that kind of change in someone else is awesome.
All of that outside stuff is great, but what makes my entire day is seeing my 2½-year-old son get excited about “working out.”
I have a small setup at home, and my little guy always comes up to me, grabs my hand, and says, “Work, Daddy, work,” meaning he wants to go work out with me.
It’s the best thing ever.
I can’t wait to bring him, his little sister, and any future kids up around this lifestyle and community.
At such a young age, it’s already ingrained in his head that this is what normal looks like, and I love that.
My kids and wife are my world.
This contest, this lifestyle, Max Effort Muscle, CoryG—it all adds to that. It makes life fuller, stronger, better, and more exciting.
So yeah, I’m here for the long run.
Next dates on the calendar: Disney with the kids at the end of April, Muscle Island in June, and my entire family going on vacation in July (gotta make sure my brother isn’t the only jacked Cartwright).
Already thinking about how to level up again next year.
See you all at Muscle Island. ✌🏼