If on January 1st someone said that by October 1st at 45 years old I would have lost over 3 stone I would have thought it not possible. Having been doing my ‘own thing’ at the gym for 9 months before this programme and seeing little physical definition and cardio improvement I would have said it wasn’t possible for someone my age, with my working hours and two young children to reach such a goal. Then along came Jake. So, greatest achievement? In 9 months I turned from ‘fat’ dad to ‘fit’ dad. It’s only one letter difference but I’m more than happy with the transformation it actually meant, and seeing stomach muscles that I thought I’d lost 40 years earlier come back – is a pretty satisfying experience.
After 9 months doing my own program versus the same amount of time on this programme is no comparison. Results are there to be seen. Numbers don’t lie. 3 stone weight loss, 4 inches off the waist, and more than 10% reduction in body fat. 100% surpassed.
3 Lessons about strength training that JWPT has taught me:
- It’s just as much (if not more) about ‘how’ I used the weights and the equipment. Anyone can do almost ‘any’ exercise. But adding the control, the muscle lock-ins, and learning to squeeze at the top (as painful as it can be on rep 12 of 12), makes that all important link between raw effort and visible results.
- I learnt after the first 30 days that it’s better to do 5 reps correctly, than 10 reps in-correctly. When I first started, there was that temptation to push as much weight as possible in some vein macho attempt to believe I knew what I was doing. A case of ego outweighing ability. Being able to step back, slow down, and not let the ego take over made a world of difference to the results.
- Previously, without guidance, it was no more than 10 minutes on every machine I could find in the gym. Changing that to focused arms and shoulder groups; legs and abs; cardio and interval training built a complete programme. Having a plan and a timeline, and looking at this as a long-term project and not a short-term fix, delivered results just not possible before without guidance. How many times had I read in magazines that canned phrase “you can’t out-train a bad diet”? Too many to count. I found out that you can’t train in the gym 5 times a week and not change your diet. In fact, when I was ‘going it alone’ prior to this program I used to do just that. Hit the gym 3-4 times a week, then eat crisp and chocolate, bread and cereal throughout the day because I was ‘always’ hungry. At one point I was gaining weight – what’s the point of that? 9 months on from January 1st and I’m still not perfect, but I understand what to eat and when to eat, what alternative options are on restaurant menus to chips etc. It never felt like a diet, just healthy eating alternatives. And the truth is, I know how much effort I put in on the strength and cardio plans – why kill it off, or restrict the progress, with a bad diet?
My recommendation from this experience and the non-PT experience before it, is to set a target. A date you want to achieve something by. For me I had a 9-month plan to get in shape for the family beach holiday. To erase the image of the fat dad photograph taken on the same beach 2 years prior. Once I had the target set the plan was adjusted to deliver the best results possible in that window. You put in the effort and the plan (Jake’s planning) pays off. It’s quite simple actually. This program, this approach to fitness, strength training and nutrition – works. I am in the best physical shape of my life, literally. Without a doubt that statement would not have been true without this programme and a certain relentlessness for you to succeed from one Mr. Jake Wood – PT. Thank you.
