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From Excuses to Early Mornings: How Carter Irvin Transformed With HIIT 100

What started as a moment of frustration in the gym turned into a complete physical and mental transformation.

From Excuses to Early Mornings: How Carter Irvin Transformed With HIIT 100
Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD
Updated October 16, 2025

When Carter Irvin walked into his gym on September 3rd, he wasn’t expecting his life to change. 

But when he saw that the HIIT 100 Challenge had just gone live on JimStoppani.com , something clicked. “You need to do this,” he told himself. “You’re stuck. You keep switching plans and have nothing to show for it. Give it your all.”

Up to that point, Carter had started plenty of Jim Stoppani programs but had only finished one. Since 2020, he’d been trapped in a cycle of yo-yoing fitness habits—“comfortable” routines that left him further from the person he wanted to be. 

That morning, he hit his breaking point, which led to more self-talk: “I don’t even recognize you anymore. But the real Carter is in there somewhere. I’m going to find him.”

Finding Grit at 3:50 a.m.

From Day 1 of HIIT 100 , Carter realized the only way forward was through discipline. To fit the workouts around family life, he started waking up at 3:50 a.m. every day. 

“I wasn’t going to shortchange myself,” he says. “Because just as important as turning my life around, I was determined to be a good husband and father.”

The first few days were brutal. But soon, those early mornings became his edge. Walking back into the house at 5:50 a.m., drenched in sweat and full of energy, made him feel unstoppable. 

“Having a wife and kids wasn’t going to be an excuse to skip the gym,” he says. “It became my reason.”

Before long, the HIIT 100 workouts became much more managable. “After the first week, it wasn’t suffering the way it felt the first few days,” Carter says. “I looked forward to dominating my day. Every night when my head hit the pillow, I was exhausted, but it felt good. I knew I had given it my all.”

The Diet Reset

With training locked in, Carter tackled his nutrition. “I’d look for any excuse to derail my diet,” he admits. 

So he built structure. Every day started with a scoop of Tahitian Vanilla Bean Pro JYM or Pre JYM Plus mixed with orange juice, followed by Post JYM Recovery Matrix and Post JYM fast-digesting carbs after training. He kept calories in check, sometimes skipping lunch entirely to maintain his deficit. 

“I wanted to give my body the right nutrients around my workouts, but I needed to stay disciplined,” he says.

Evenings became family time—dinner, homework, bedtime. No beers, no video games, no wasted time scrolling. “No one’s ever done anything great without sacrificing what’s comfortable,” Carter says. “That short-term pain became long-term pride.”

The Real Carter Returns

By October, Carter’s transformation was visible to everyone around him. When he showed up to a Highland Games competition, his friends were stunned. “Damn, look at you,” one said. Another added, “It’s working—you’re looking meaty!”

Carter had found himself again: “Someone full of love, determination, and grit,” he says. “I don’t shy away from challenges anymore. I embrace the pain because I know it’s developing me.”

His message to anyone on the fence is this: “You can do anything hard for six weeks. By week two or three, it won’t feel as hard—and by week six, you’ll be hungry for your next challenge. Get after it.”

 


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