David Goggins looks unrecognisable as a 300lb exterminator before influencer transformed into gun-toting Navy Seal | The Sun
EX-Navy SEAL David Goggins has stunned his fans with his incredible transformation pictures after becoming obsessed with completing ultramarathons and fitness challenges.
The online star, 44, is the only member of the U.S. armed forces ever to complete training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger and Air Force Tactical Air Controller.
Even in his forties, his fitness rivals that of most Olympians as he holds a world record for completing more than 4,000 pull-ups in 17 hours.
After retiring from the armed forces, David became a motivational speaker and firefighter and now encourages people around the world to push themselves to the limit.
But David's transformation to a fitness fanatic had unusual beginnings and the influencer says he escaped an abusive home to turn his life around.
In before and after photos of the exercise-obsessed ex-serviceman, the extent of his transformation has left fans gobsmacked.
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He can be seen jumping from a plane, running a marathon in the hottest place on earth and showing off his bloody hands from pull-ups as he lives his life on the edge.
Last month, David was featured on The Joe Rogan experience, where Joe praised his commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
Joe previously said David has inspired him to get up and get active.
In one tweet, he said: "Woke up, watched this video from my brother David Goggins and now I’m ready to run through f****** walls! LET’S GO!! STAY HARD!!"
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Other celebrities have praised David for his tireless effort to improve himself.
Australian bodybuilder Zac Perna attempted to live and train like David for a day and was crushed at the end of it.
Zac said: ""That's crazy… I don't think any human other than David could do this and survive."
David's grit and work ethic came from humble beginnings when he was born in 1975.
He lived in Buffalo, New York with mum Jackie and dad Trunnis, spending his childhood working in his father's roller rink to help pay the bills.
His childhood wasn't easy: David lived in fear of his dad's violent alcoholism, resulting in he and his mother fleeing the home when he was young.
His tumultuous upbringing made David turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, and he developed a nervous stutter.
He ended up almost flunking out of school before he decided to turn his life around and join the Air Force.
David joined the armed forces shortly after graduating, but was honourably discharged after four years of service due to a health issue.
Defeated, he picked up work as an exterminator where after each shift he would "gorge himself" at Steak 'n Shake and 7-Eleven junk food.
For years in his early twenties, David struggled with asthma, a learning disability and low self-esteem, all while trying to survive on only £800 per month.
Depression caused David to balloon to a massive 300 pounds, until one day when he flipped on a television programme about Navy SEALs and their intense training.
He recalled: "The longer I watched, the more certain I became that there were answers buried in all that suffering."
Obsession took over, and David was desperate to join the elite force.
But he weighed far more than the weight limit for a soldier his height.
His luck changed when one recruiter agreed to take him on if he lost the excess weight in three months – an almost unattainable feat for any ordinary man.
This challenge sparked something in David: “I first realized that not all physical and mental limitations are real, and that I had a habit of giving up way too soon."
For three months, David lived on 800 calories per day and put himself through gruelling exercise regimes.
His food each day only consisted of a banana, rice, chicken, broccoli and a protein shake.
The motivation to lose weight and become a Navy SEAL kept him going, even as he had reality checks while struggling to run each day.
He eventually lost the 106 pounds and was accepted into the Navy SEAL training programme.
David often reflects back on his former self, and posted a side by side photo comparison of his transformation on his Instagram.
He said: "The misery experienced at every meal and every workout session was real. Feeling out of shape was utterly depressing.
David saw his fitness goals to the end, when he became the first Navy SEAL to pass Hell Week within the first year: a regime of 130 continuous hours of training.
He went on to serve as a Navy SEAL in the Iraq War, before retiring years later.
After retiring, David decided to embark on a new challenge: ultra running of long distances.
By running, he began raising money for the families of his fellow Navy SEALs who died in an Afghanistan military operation.
Yet no matter how many accomplishments he ticks off of his bucket list, David refuses to get comfortable or think he’s “made it.”
Though he's retired, engaged, living in Tennessee and working as a motivational speaker and wildland firefighter, he still works out everyday and challenges himself.
David now has a net worth of £3million, and has released two books: Can't Hurt Me in 2019 and sequel Never Finished in 2022.
He's engaged to his manager Jennifer Kish, and the two often post about David's extreme lifestyle to inspire others, even creating a new running challenge.
In 2020, The David Goggins challenge was created: a running craze aimed at people who are ultramarathon runners.
Also called the 4x4x48 challenge, the feat involves running four miles, every four hours, for 48 hours.
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This means, brave runners who take on the trial have to run four miles, 12 times, over a 48 hour period.
He gave this advice to his followers who want to change their lives as drastically as he did: "You can’t keep saying to yourself you will do it tomorrow, because there comes a time when tomorrow will be gone."
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