Ben - 9 months
The photos speak for themselves. I couldn’t have asked more from Ben and he did us both SO proud. Absolutely incredible dedication and an insane result to match!
"Jay's knowledge and attention to detail really helped to push me and make sure I achieved the goals I set out for. I ended up lighter and leaner than I've been in decades."
He confided in me that his biggest pitfall with previous attempts to shape up was changing tack with nutrition before he had time to really bulk up, then dropping 1,000 calories at a time to lean out.
I outlined my recommended strategy for a bulk and cut programme, stressing the importance of keeping to the nutrition plan even when things felt uncomfortable. He was all in.
We undertook a structured 4-month bulk phase featuring 5 hard workouts per week and pushing calories up every few weeks in line with his weight gain. The plan then was to implement an aggressive 3-month cut phase, but he decided to sign onto my client photoshoot which gave us 5-months to get his features super sharp without dropping calories too aggresively. It also allowed for a mid-timeline re-feed week for metabolic and hormonal reset (and sanity!).
His cut leant heavily on a downward tapering nutrition plan, high-intensity high-recovery training, plus strict step goals and zone 2 cardio to reveal all that new lean muscle.
During the bulk his calories peaked at 4,100 daily.
During the cut we tapered his calories down to 2,000.
In the final week he went all-in following a strict peak-week plan to drop water weight and replenish glycogen stores in the muscles for that perfect photoshoot physique. Safe to say he nailed it!
Kate - 2 years
When we first started Kate was…
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Unsure how to use the gym equipment
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Feeling weak and unhealthy
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Sedentary and stressed from over-working
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Time-poor and eating whatever was fast and convenient
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Low in self-confidence, often feeling anxious
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Struggling with sciatica
"I originally intended to work with Jay for a couple of months to improve my confidence in the gym... two years on, that 'short-term' arrangement has been the catalyst for significant changes in my life."
Let’s get one thing straight… yes, Kate's 30kg weight loss is phenomenal and she looks like a dang athlete… but the weight loss is actually the least interesting thing about this journey. In the last two years Kate has undertaken a full lifestyle transformation and the best bits are things you simply can’t see in pictures.
Kate told me she first reached out because my profile seemed “less macho and intimidating” than some of the PTs around. We laugh about this now, because all she wants to do these days is “out-lift the men!” Training is now the highlight of Kate’s week and believe me she’s built some serious strength in the last two years:
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Deadlift 120kg
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Squat 105kg
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Bench 50kg
Initially hesitant to track nutrition, she worried it might be a time-consuming and restrictive approach to eating, but after plenty of reassurances that tracking isn't forever but is an important part of the education process, she was soon messaging me to say how liberating it was to understand her pitfalls and finally be able to manage her weight autonomously.
I’ve now cycled Kate through many training and nutrition plans to suit her changing needs, finishing with a challenging build and cut phase with body builder-style workouts and a gruelling peak weak protocol to get her into the shape of her life ahead of the photoshoot pictured here.
She’s now an absolute gym-pro (or should that be gym-bro?!). She is strong and healthy, nourished, keeping active throughout the week and loving the process. Her stress is in check, her sciatica is managed, and my personal favourite is the change in her confidence - the woman I met two years ago doesn’t exist anymore. In her place is a beacon of strength and resilience and I know she can achieve anything she puts her mind to.
Josh - 1 year
"Life at 300lbs almost wasn't worth living."
In the course of a year Josh has lost 77lbs (5.5 stone), significantly improved his strength and health markers, and now happily lives out his weekends hiking some of the best peaks in England, a long-awaited dream of his!
When we first spoke, Josh told me that he’d always been on the bigger side as a result of poor diet choices and a sedentary lifestyle, something which Covid only made worse. At nearly 300lbs, his confidence was rock bottom, he felt he had a diminished quality of life and with a history of diabetes in the family he knew he needed to make some big changes to his lifestyle before it was too late.
Fast forward one year and Josh’s relationship with food is completely different. He’s learned to love cooking and now understands what to eat to control his weight and fuel his body whilst allowing room for some indulgences. He’s earned his “gym bro” status consistently pushing his limits in the weights room 3 times a week (and enjoying it!), incorporating cardio into his weekly routine and heading out onto the trails most weekends for hikes he never even conceived of doing. For the first time in years, he even felt confident enough to hit the sauna with his friends, and felt really great about his body.
His confidence is shining bright. When we first started training together Josh was so nervous and would sometimes struggle to even look me in the eye. Nowadays he arrives for training with great chat up his sleeve, throws himself into lifting with fantastic form and energy, and has absolutely no problem ribbing me if he finds something I say funny!
Claire - 22 Weeks
Dropped 23lbs, built lean muscle, improved balance and coordination, and gained a whole lot of confidence along the way!
Claire had worked with personal trainers in the past but was looking for a new challenge that would not only shift the needle but also help her to fall in love with the process. She wanted a good education on both nutrition and lifting with proper technique, a structured plan to keep her accountable, and the right balance of carrot and stick to motivate her.
Claire's nutrition plan was centred around a sustainable calorie deficit with high protein and wiggle room for indulgences. Her training was a mixture of heavy lifting and conditioning, 2-3 times per week, following 2 progressive programmes for 10-weeks at a time. Claire is now functionally strong, drastically down on body fat, and her mobility has improved tenfold.
But the best part? She now genuinely looks forward to her training sessions and her confidence in her own abilities has shot through the roof. I hardly recognise the girl that walked through the door 22 weeks ago!
Neil - 6 Weeks
Neil’s knock-out transformation has boiled down to the effective execution of 3 core pillars:
1️⃣ - Regular strength training following a progressive programme
2️⃣ - Learning to lift with good form to maximise the effectiveness of movements
3️⃣ - Increasing calories with a focus on protein to facilitate the growth of new muscle tissue
“I've attempted this many times over the years and this is the first time that I've finally felt like it’s working… [I] can’t quite believe it.”
Neil reached out to me with clear goals - to gain mass and sculpt a muscular physique 💪
Neil had been the same weight for most of his adult life and had attempted to build muscle in the past but with little success. As a keen runner, his cardiac fitness was already in a great place but he was lacking the knowledge and consistency to effectively build out his physique in the gym. It was time for a change.
Over the six weeks, Neil was able to commit to training with me twice per week, plus 1-2 additional sessions on his own. I educated him on the What’s the How’s and the Why’s of the exercises I’d selected for his training, to help him squeeze every last drop out of the movements. We also completed a full nutritional review where it soon became clear that his active lifestyle demanded a higher caloric intake than he was accustomed to.
He has followed the plan to an absolute T and is living proof that you can make big changes in a short space of time with the right attitude, education and a little determination.
Adele - 8 Weeks
Adele came to me in January 2022 being brand new to all things exercise and nutrition, looking to tone up and improve her posture. She is a busy mum to two little ones and wanted to take two hours a week out of her schedule to focus on herself and become healthier, leaner and stronger.
In just 8 short weeks of focused weightlifting and educated eating she did exactly that. Not only did she absolutely smash her fitness goals, losing 13lbs and rapidly building up her strength to hit some impressive PBs, she also clued up on the nutrient profiles of the foods she likes to eat and now makes smarter food choices to fuel her body and give it the goodness it deserves.
Adele isn't one to do things by halves and so every single session she showed up for herself, gave it her all and is proof that hard work and consistency pays off. I am so proud of how far she's come in such a short space of time and I hope her progress encourages anyone who needs a little nudge to take that first step, to get started and become a happier, healthier you.
Iain - 24 Weeks
Iain and I have been working together for 6 months to increase his strength and build a leaner and more muscular physique. It's safe to say he has been putting the work in and look at the results so far - WOW!
Iain already had experience working with PTs over the last few years so his base level of fitness was in a fairly good place, but his session plans were changing all the time and his progress had slowed right down. Over the last 6 months we've been focusing on progressive overload, sticking to the same two weekly sessions for 8-weeks at a time to allow him to drill down on form, get really good at a select number of exercises and nudge up his weights and reps each week to keep his body adapting.
As a former professional chef, rich food is at the centre of Iain's lifestyle and that wasn't about to change any time soon - nor should it need to. Iain has been able to make a modest reduction in his calories without too much trouble and has been getting his steps in with morning walks and weekend hikes, to allow him to continue enjoying all of the foods he loves whilst still losing weight.
Iain is one of the most hard working clients I've had the pleasure of working with. Each week it's Iain versus Iain and he continues to push himself out of his comfort zone to hit new PBs and build the body he wants. In the last 8 weeks alone, we've added another 17.5kg to his barbell bench press - talk about motivation!
"Jay takes the time to understand you and your lifestyle and tailors her programmes to match. The nutrition advice is also spot on. It's not like being at a bootcamp, more like having a cheerleader in your corner each time you go to the gym!"
- Graeme