You see him now—6'0", about 185 pounds of dense muscle, and a body fat percentage that usually hovers around the single digits—and it’s hard to imagine Will Tennyson as anything other than a fitness machine. But the Will Tennyson before and after story isn't just a standard "I hit the gym for six months" glow-up. It was a decade-long grind involving a massive 135-pound weight loss, a brush with disordered eating, and a total overhaul of how he views a dinner plate.
Most people recognize Will from his viral YouTube challenges where he eats like a 700-pound man or tries the world's most dangerous pre-workouts. Honestly, though, his real value lies in the fact that he was once the kid who felt invisible because of his size. He wasn't just "a little chubby." At his heaviest in 11th grade, he tipped the scales at roughly 270 pounds.
The Turning Point: Pizza and a Lollipop
There's usually a "snap" moment for everyone who undergoes a radical change. For Will, it happened at a local pizza shop. He was out with friends, just being a normal teenager, when the shop owner handed out free lollipops to everyone in the group—except for him. The owner looked at Will and basically implied he’d had enough sugar. His friends laughed.
It felt like a punch in the gut. That humiliation became the fuel.
In the beginning, his weight loss was anything but "expert-led." He did what most of us do when we’re desperate: he stopped eating. He’d skip meals and pound the treadmill for hours. Sure, he lost 30 pounds fast, but he was miserable. By the time he dropped a total of 135 pounds, he didn't look like an athlete. He looked malnourished. He was thin, but he had no energy and his stamina for hockey—a sport he loved—completely vanished.
Moving From Weight Loss to Muscle Building
The "after" we see today didn't happen until Will’s father stepped in. His dad, John Tennyson, was a pro football player in the CFL, so he knew a thing or two about real strength. He saw his son getting smaller but not healthier and introduced him to resistance training in their basement.
This is where the transformation actually got interesting. Will didn't just stay thin; he started to understand hypertrophy. But he fell into the classic trap: overtraining. He was training seven days a week, thinking more was always better. It wasn't until he discovered the Kinobody philosophy—specifically the idea of a three-day-a-week split—that his body finally had the recovery time to actually grow.
The Evolution of the Tennyson Split
If you look at his training now, it’s much more calculated. He usually follows an Upper/Lower split, hitting each muscle group twice a week. It’s a mix of heavy compound movements (squats, RDLs, incline presses) and high-rep accessory work.
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He’s a big advocate for "10,000 steps a day," which sounds like a cliché fitness tip, but for someone with his history of weight issues, it’s the secret sauce for keeping his metabolism humming without needing to do soul-crushing HIIT sessions every morning.
The Mental Game: "I Starved Myself Until I Fainted"
We need to talk about the dark side of the Will Tennyson before and after narrative. In his more recent content, Will has been incredibly open about the fact that he struggled with a serious eating disorder during his transition from "fat kid" to "fitness guy."
He became so obsessed with being lean that he’d fast for extreme periods. He once admitted to starving himself until he actually fainted. It’s a common story in the fitness world that often gets swept under the rug in favor of "hustle" culture. Will’s "after" is as much a mental recovery as it is a physical one. He moved from restrictive eating to a "volume eating" approach—loading up on high-volume, low-calorie foods (hello, massive salads and anabolic ice cream) so he can feel full while staying shredded.
Stats: Then vs. Now
- Peak Weight: ~270 lbs (11th Grade)
- Lowest Weight: ~135 lbs (Malnourished phase)
- Current "Walk-around" Weight: ~181–185 lbs
- Height: 6'0"
- Body Fat: Usually between 8% and 12%
Why His Story Actually Matters
The fitness industry is full of "fake natties" and people who have been ripped since they were twelve. Will is different because he remembers what it’s like to have your thighs rub together when you walk. He knows the anxiety of going to a pool party when you aren't happy with your reflection.
He eventually took it to the professional level, earning his pro card in natural bodybuilding. It was a full-circle moment, especially getting to share that win with his mother, who is also a fitness influencer.
How to Apply the Tennyson Method to Your Own Life
If you’re looking at his transformation and wondering how to start your own, don't just copy his 10,000-calorie cheat days. Focus on the boring stuff that actually worked for him over a decade.
Prioritize Progressive Overload Don't just go to the gym and "move weight." Keep a log. If you did 100 pounds for 8 reps last week, try for 9 reps this week. Will’s physique is built on years of small, incremental wins on compound lifts.
Find Your "Sustainable" Lean Will looks great at 8% body fat, but he’s also admitted it can make him feel like garbage. For most people, staying between 12% and 15% is much more realistic for long-term health and mood.
Embrace Volume Eating If you have a big appetite, don't try to live on tiny portions of chicken and rice. Use Will’s trick of "bulking" up meals with leafy greens, cauliflower rice, and egg whites. It tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating a feast.
Walk Everywhere Stop overthinking cardio. If you hit 10k steps every single day, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to stay in a caloric deficit without feeling like you’re doing "work."
The most important takeaway from the Will Tennyson before and after journey is patience. It took him years to fix his relationship with food and even longer to build the muscle mass he has now. There are no shortcuts, just a lot of consistent days in the basement.