Mum Sarah feels stronger than ever at 43 after her 16-week transformation

Turning 43, mum-of-one Sarah wanted to get back to the fitness she’d enjoyed in her twenties and thirties.

Despite staying active with pole fitness and regular training, she never felt as strong as she once did and the hard work she put into her exercise regime wasn’t showing.

Determined to get back to her best, she came back to Ultimate Performance with a mission: get stronger, transform her figure, and feel powerful in her body again.

With a pole fitness photoshoot coming up and a family holiday on the horizon, it motivated her to throw herself full into the process.

Over 16 weeks and 32 training sessions, she built visible muscle definition in her abs, improved her athleticism for pole fitness, and regained a level of confidence that radiates at home, in the studio, and on social media.

Here, Sarah shares exactly how she reignited her strength, overcame her training plateau, and became a role model for her son and the women who follow her.

What made you decide to start with U.P. again?

“Now being in my early 40s, last time I did a transformation at U.P. I was in my early to mid-30s. So I wanted to get back up to my sort of peak performance and peak strength. I wanted to have more energy again and I now do my pole fitness, so I wanted something that would complement the upper body strength needed for that.”

What motivated you to stay consistent during the process?

“I think it’s having those end goals, so I’ve got a shoot with U.P. I’ve got my pole shoot which coincides a week before with my U.P. shoot. I’ve also got holiday after that, so that’s always a good goal. And I think because I’ve done this before, it’s knowing that consistency is key and sticking to it. I know that I will get the results that I want.”

What was your diet and lifestyle like before rejoining U.P.?

“I was healthy generally, but I think I’d fallen into bad habits again, so whether that is like on a weekend, having a treat or going to a social event and not being mindful of what I was eating or drinking. Not that alcohol intake’s ever been high, but just really tweaking those things with yourself and again being mindful. I was calorie tracking but it wasn’t perfect.”

 Looking back at your ‘before’ photos, how did you feel about your physique at the time?

“I was still training consistently and doing pole and trying to watch what I was eating, but actually now looking back at the pictures I could tell that I was working really hard, but I wasn’t getting any leaner and I wasn’t building any muscle and I wasn’t feeling my strength or my energy increase. So I knew that’s another reason why I wanted to start with U.P. again, because I knew that with your guidance I’d be able to get to that point and actually put in the hard work and see results rather than putting in all this hard work and not getting anything from it.”

What was the difference in training with U.P. versus training on your own?

“You say that, but I think training on my own, I think I’d fallen into bad habits where I pushed myself to a certain point and then sort of go ‘OK, well that’s enough now’, and so not increasing the weights. I think I probably got to a point where my body had gone, ‘Well, we’re used to this now. So it’s not a challenge’. So although I was being consistent in the training, I wasn’t actually, especially now I come back training with U.P., the difference in how much I can push myself compared to what I was doing on my own. I think it must have been that.”

How quickly did you start noticing results?

“I’d say within the first couple of weeks I started to feel better. I think I found the first few sessions really tough again. I used to go home and just lie on the grass for half an hour to recover. But after that, once my endurance started building, I then very quickly noticed changes. It was subtle things like clothes feeling a bit looser, just feeling like I was sleeping a bit better and just having that a bit more energy in the day, and not feeling as sluggish.”

What progress have you seen with your pole fitness since starting?

“With pole specifically, I have really noticed how the endurance really helps because when you’re on the pole for quite a long time, that’s key because you’re holding your body weight up and it takes a lot of strength and endurance. I’ve been able to do some pole moves that I couldn’t do before that I can now hold for much longer, so I’ve noticed things like that. Also like you said, I’m now lighter than I was, so that as well, built in with the strength, has made a visible difference to my pole. It’s perfect with the shoot as well, that’s perfect timing because there’s now tricks that I wanted to do that I can do now.”

How has the process affected your confidence?

“I think probably just a confidence thing again and also that knowing that I can do it.  I know that I’ve been consistent, I know that by being consistent I’ve made these improvements that I wanted to make, and then that in itself gives you confidence to be able to train on your own as well as here and to just keep it going.”

How do you feel now when you look at your physique?

“I can see muscle definition again, which I really like. As a woman, I think we are told it’s not feminine to have muscle, but I think it’s really inspiring, for me personally but for other people as well to say, ‘oh my God, you’re strong!’ I like to feel and look strong, so I like that I’ve got muscle definition back. One thing that we’ve said throughout this, as a woman I tend to hold my weight around my hips, thighs, bum, and stomach, and that’s been the last thing that’s gradually gone from top to bottom. I’m really liking that definition around my waist, and around my abs.”

Has being a role model for others been part of your motivation?

“Yeah, definitely. I think with my social media and the stuff that I do now, I have a lot of women that follow me and previous to this were like we love your confidence, but for this that for me has to be authentic and genuine and this goes hand in hand with that. I think confident, fit, strong.” 

How would you summarise your experience and results?

“I’d say it’s 100% worth it. I’d say that I’ve hit my goals and more. I think it’s just that I’ve got to a point where I’m now in the zone with it and know that I can push myself further, so it’s about challenging yourself further. It’s completely changed my lifestyle and my life again, and in terms of where that takes me and the opportunities that gives me, like I say with pole, I’m going to start teaching. Again, being a role model for my little boy, for him to see mum’s eating healthily and going to the gym and that’s just part of a normal routine. It’s not something that is a punishment or something that I’m being made to do, it’s a choice. Yeah, 100% worth it, definitely.”

What were some of your proudest physical achievements in the gym?

“One of my goals was pull-ups and I couldn’t do one to begin with and now we’re on three. We’re aiming for five, that’s where I want to be, but I’m really happy that I’m strong enough now to do 3. With push-ups, I think I managed one to begin with and now I can do 10, which I’m really pleased with. Actually looking back at the videos of those, I’m really proud of myself for that. That feels like a real sort of ‘well done me’ moment.”

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