From Catwalk to Chronic Pain: How Will Jardell Reclaimed His Life and Athleticism

For years, Will Jardell lived the life of an elite performer. As a model and a reality television personality—most notably remembered for his tenure on America’s Next Top Model—Jardell’s career necessitated a high level of physical conditioning. For a man who spent his youth dancing and competing in sports, "fit" was not just a personal goal; it was a professional requirement. He moved through life with the confidence of someone who had complete command over his body.

However, in November 2021, that command vanished overnight. What began as a routine Thanksgiving period concluded with a terrifying physical shutdown that would leave the 35-year-old struggling to walk, trapped in a cycle of chronic pain, and facing a mental health battle that many high-achieving athletes rarely discuss publicly.

The Morning That Changed Everything: A Medical Mystery

The transition from peak physical health to debilitating agony was instantaneous. Jardell recalls waking up the morning after Thanksgiving in 2021 with his back "insanely stuck." The mobility he had relied upon for his entire career had evaporated, leaving him immobile and desperate for answers.

"I woke up and couldn’t walk," Jardell tells Muscle & Fitness. "My back was just stuck, which really caused me to not be able to be active for almost a year."

What followed was a harrowing twelve months of uncertainty. Jardell spent the year navigating a labyrinth of medical appointments, diagnostic tests, and sedentary isolation. He was eventually diagnosed with lower back arthritis at just 34 years old—a condition typically associated with aging, not the prime of a professional model.

The diagnosis, however, was only the beginning of a two-year struggle to find effective treatment. "I really dove deep… but it is genetic in my family," Jardell explains. Despite the identification of the root cause, he found that standard interventions—chiropractic adjustments, steroid injections, acupuncture, and consistent massage therapy—offered little more than temporary, superficial relief. "I had tried everything," he says. "And everybody was like, ‘Do you feel better?’ And I was like, ‘Honestly, no.’"

The Cascading Effects: Mental and Physical Decline

The loss of his ability to exercise triggered a domino effect. For someone whose identity was so closely tied to movement and performance, the forced sedentary lifestyle was catastrophic.

"I was working out all the time, and then all of a sudden we have a full stop," Jardell reflects. "It really impacted those endorphins that you get from being physically active, just shutting them off. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t do any of the things that really brought me joy."

The absence of physical activity led to a rapid decline in his metabolic health and psychological state. Jardell, who had maintained a lean, athletic frame for decades, watched as his weight climbed by 40 pounds, peaking at 250 pounds—a figure he never expected to see on his scale. This physical transformation was not just a matter of aesthetics; it was a symptom of a larger, systemic health crisis.

Subsequent blood work revealed that his cholesterol levels were elevated, serving as a jarring wake-up call. Jardell realized that he could no longer simply "manage the pain." He needed a comprehensive, lifestyle-altering strategy that addressed his spinal health, his metabolic markers, and his mental well-being simultaneously.

A New Strategy: The Road to Recovery

Right around his 35th birthday, Jardell reached a turning point. He realized that aging was not an excuse to accept chronic pain, but a signal to change his approach. He enlisted the expertise of coach Chris Evans and the team at Transform Fitness to help him navigate a comeback.

The partnership was rooted in a fundamental shift in philosophy. Instead of focusing solely on weight loss, the goal became building a resilient, functional body. Jardell understood that strength was his best defense against the arthritis that had plagued his spine.

"I got kind of scared about aging," Jardell admits. "One of the things that’s important to me is strength and feeling stronger, because I know that when I am stronger, it does help with my pain and my alignment of my spine."

The Training Protocol

Under Evans’ guidance, Jardell implemented a rigorous, six-day-a-week training schedule. The plan was designed to balance high-intensity cardiovascular work with targeted resistance training:

• Strength Training: Three days per week dedicated to building foundational strength. Jardell notes that while he initially struggled to prioritize upper-body work, he eventually embraced the necessity of chest and arm exercises to create a balanced physique.
• Cardiovascular Conditioning: Two days per week at Orange Theory to maintain metabolic efficiency.
• Core and Alignment: Weekly sessions at Solid Core, focusing on deep, rotational movements that stabilize the spine and alleviate pressure on the lower back.

"I love to squat," says Jardell. "I have some really strong legs—that’s the dancer in me. I had to force myself to like doing arm and chest exercises, but I started to love them more because they were consistently on my plan."

Nutritional Rewiring: The Vegetarian Dilemma

One of the most significant hurdles in Jardell’s recovery was his long-standing vegetarian diet. While he had relied on comfort foods during his sedentary year, he realized that to fuel his new training intensity, he needed to overhaul his nutrition.

"A challenge for me is that I am vegetarian," Jardell notes. "In those years where I was gaining weight, it was hard to find food that was high in protein and not comfort food."

To bridge the protein gap and support muscle recovery, Jardell made a difficult but necessary decision: he reintroduced fish into his diet. This "nutritional flexibility" allowed him to significantly boost his protein intake, which proved to be the missing piece in his body composition puzzle. By prioritizing lean proteins and reducing calorie-dense, low-nutrient carbohydrates, Jardell began to see the results of his hard work manifest on the scale and in the mirror.

Implications and Lessons Learned

Since November 2025, Jardell has successfully lost 30 pounds, dropped one shirt size, and reduced his pant size by three increments. While he is still roughly 10 pounds away from his pre-diagnosis weight, he is no longer fixated on the number on the scale.

"I know that I’m gaining muscle," he explains. "I’ve hit a spot where the weight that I’m at, I still see that fat loss, but I’m also gaining that muscle in return. I’m really proud of where I’m at right now."

The Philosophy of the "One Body"

Jardell’s journey serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of proactive health management. His experience highlights several critical lessons for those dealing with chronic pain:

1. Don’t Ignore the Data: When pain persists, a full-body blood panel and a comprehensive medical approach are essential to understanding the root cause.
2. Strength is Medicine: For those with chronic back pain, targeted core and posterior chain strengthening, performed under professional supervision, is often the most effective form of long-term relief.
3. Consistency Over Perfection: Jardell’s success came from being a "good student"—committing to the plan, even when he didn’t feel like it, and trusting the process.
4. Adaptability is Key: Whether it’s changing your diet or trying a new modality of exercise, being willing to pivot when your current strategy isn’t working is vital.

As Jardell looks toward the future, he emphasizes that the investment in one’s body is the most significant commitment a person can make. "You only have one body. You only have the facility that you’ve been blessed with," he concludes. "When you commit to working out, you are committing to yourself. There are so many cascading effects that the commitment is worth it tenfold. Protecting your one body… the rewards are endless."

Will Jardell’s transformation is not merely a story of weight loss; it is a story of reclaiming agency. By moving from a state of passive suffering to active, intentional recovery, he has proven that even in the face of chronic, genetic health issues, the human body is capable of profound resilience when supported by the right plan and the right mindset.