Alex builds a muscular new body to chase his scuba diving dream at 42

When I came here, I was in the worst shape of my life. After six weeks, I felt like a different person. I felt motivated. I wanted to get out of bed in the morning, I wanted to get back to work, which I hadn't done for a while.

Despite his love for bodybuilding and an eagerness to train hard, Alex was a million miles away from having the body he wanted.

He couldn’t make any visible improvements, no matter how hard he tried.

The 42-year-old conceded that 'hundreds' of hurdles had obstructed him in the past.

Injuries, too much alcohol, mental cloudiness, and a lack of consistency were all to blame, he said.

Now, with his sights set on becoming a scuba diver, Alex wanted to have one last push to get in shape.

He believed working with a U.P. personal trainer would help him develop the ‘muscle-packed’ upper body that had eluded him for years, but more importantly, instil some vital discipline into him.

And he was proven right…

After heading off to South America, Alex has qualified as a professional scuba diver.

During the six-month course, he found himself leaning on all the lessons he’d learnt from his U.P. trainer on training with intensity and going ‘all in’.

He looks great, he feels great, and the brain fog that used to impair his thinking power at work has vanished.

Alex explains the steps he took to achieve his look, below…

What was it that made you put your health in the hands of Ultimate Performance?

I've always loved working out, but I've never had the full confidence, knowledge or consistency. I'd been following U.P. on social media for a while, so I wanted to work with the best and with people who knew what they were doing. I needed a volume of information that would enable me to go forward on my own.

What were the biggest obstacles you'd encountered prior to embarking on your fitness journey with U.P.?

There were hundreds of things. The two biggest ones were injuries and life events. Getting drunk in my twenties, missing two training sessions, then thinking that's the end of it and watching any progress I'd made disappear down the drain.

Consistency is the main thing. There's a reason that consistency doesn't exist, and you've got to find out what that is.

What were your initial thoughts when you signed up with U.P.?

It was quite daunting, but seeing the transformations and what's been achieved by average people like me that's the big thing about U.P.

How has the knowledge and expertise of your trainers at U.P. helped in terms of diet and nutrition?

Ultimately, I always knew what was necessary, without really knowing, if that makes sense. I knew that you had to eat clean, but I didn't really understand the depths of the macros, which I've learned here. I can now tell you how to get 20g of protein and 50g of carbs. There's no way I would've known otherwise, and I just know intrinsically now.

Once you'd got into the groove, how soon did you notice results, both physically and mentally?

Mentally was the biggest one. I love bodybuilding, so I've always been in and out of shape. I played football, so I've been in good shape and then out of shape. I've always been like that, but when I came in, I was in the worst shape I've been in. I didn't realise how out of shape I was mentally, either.

After six weeks, I felt like a different person. I felt motivated. I wanted to get out of bed in the morning; I was feeling quicker, feeling like I wanted to get back to work, which I hadn't done for a while.

You had a break around six months into your program. Can you tell us a bit about that?

It was the reason why I started at U.P.

And I wouldn't have been able to do it if it hadn't been for you. I trained to become a professional scuba diver for personal growth more than anything else. I took all the knowledge that I'd attained at U.P. with me. You can't really train when you're going into the depths of water, but it reminds you of the intensity that's required. I personally find it difficult to get that intensity when working out alone, but it was great having the knowledge and knowing what I needed to do. I was able to cope, I'll be in good shape for the rest of my life, but it's having that extra 10% which gives you more confidence. I knew what I was doing.

How did you feel after resuming your experience with U.P.?

It wasn't a slow start. I got right back in the groove. I think the only difficulty with starting up again is that I lost some strength, and I'd lost some conditioning, but the knowledge was still there. The movements were still there, and psychologically I was prepared for it.

From 'A' to 'B', how would you evaluate your experience with U.P.?

In order to get down to the 10% body fat that we got to, I needed to be 100% on absolutely everything. I needed a focus, and I'm very goal-orientated in that respect. By doing that, I lost 6kg or 7kg in six weeks just because we had a focus. So, I would say, 'yes', I've absolutely enjoyed it.