Actor Graeme builds Tom Hardy ‘Warrior’ physique at 45

I had no idea that at the age of 45 I would be in better shape than any other time in my life. This is beyond what I’ve had in the past. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the process.

Actor Graeme thought he’d left it too late to get in shape.

He’d accepted his goal of looking like Tom Hardy in Warrior like was unlikely at 45.

The on-stage star had worked out before in his twenties and thirties – and got some great results – but he couldn’t stay in shape. That’s what frustrated him most.

Graeme now had a full-time job and was rehearsing for several acting roles, so he didn’t have much time to play with.

He wanted to look good, and it bothered him that he wasn’t in shape. So, he came to Ultimate Performance to see what he could achieve with the proper training, diet, and discipline.

Fast forward 15 weeks, and without a doubt, he has achieved his goals.

Graeme says his body transformation has been nothing short of a miracle – and he can confidently say he’s in better shape now than when he exercised religiously in his teenage years.

We interviewed Graeme while he explained how he achieved these results in just 15 weeks…

What motivated you to start your fitness journey with Ultimate Performance? 

I have a history of weight training on and off, and my body is used to exercise, but it’s also used to having weeks or months off. My busy work life meant that there wasn’t time to exercise, but my body was missing it, my mind was missing it, yet the will to do it wasn’t there. It was eating away at me, and I needed to get to the bottom of how to train properly and maintain it.

I’ve been in decent shape in the past, but I hadn’t really been able to maintain it. Life was selfish; I was busy professionally, but I was at a low point physically. That’s when I saw an advert for U.P. in Men’s Health magazine, and I saw the transformation testimonial. What interested me was not just the body transformation but how to maintain it.  

There was a need to learn how to weight training properly and, crucially, learn how to maintain it and become wiser about what I’m doing, both by diet and by exercise. It was just a periscope moment where you put your head above the water, look around, and see where you’re at. I didn’t like where I was, but I knew where I wanted to be. I needed someone to take me there with a no-nonsense approach and get results.  

I came to U.P., and I have not regretted a single moment from day one through here, which is not the end for me. 

This is the beginning of the next phase. The training programme at U.P. has been structured, it’s been clear, there’s a lot to take on board, but it’s broken down. You have to have the will to drive it forward as a client.  

You mentioned that you had been in good shape previously, but you had been unable to maintain your physique. What was the cause of that yo-yoing process? 

I’ve always had a sense of what I could achieve physically, but I’ve been limited by genetics, a lack of knowledge in terms of diet, and not knowing how to make the most of my time. There’s been a lot of effort that has been misplaced, and when you’re not able to achieve what you think you can, it can become dispiriting.

The inefficiency of time and effort you’re putting in means that it costs you too much in other areas of your life. Therefore, you do a cost-benefit analysis and realise that you can’t reach your goal without it causing detriment to the other aspects of your life.  

I’ve had body transformations in the past. I’ve had mates who know how to achieve it, but they don’t have to explain it. I’ve happily gone along with them. I’ve been delighted for a month or so, but almost as quickly, it’s melting away. What I was looking for here was a complete lifestyle change to enhance what I’m doing.

During the transformation process at U.P., I was given the tools to be efficient. I have been given the knowledge to maintain the new lifestyle, which is crucial, and it’s enhancing other areas of my life.  

What has impressed you the most about your experience with U.P.? 

What has impressed me the most is what has been achieved in the timeframe given. I came in with a mandate and said, look, this is what I want to achieve. This is the timescale I need to achieve it by. Can we do this? You said, ‘yes’, and we went to it.

I had to put a lot of effort in, but that can’t happen without a personal trainer who is at the top of their game. The trainers at U.P. know what they’re doing, they know how to explain it to you, they get to know you, and they get the best from you.  

The more I was giving to the U.P. team, the more you were giving me, and the better the results were. It is a partnership.

I’ve trained with people before; I’ve trained alongside people who know their stuff, but they don’t know how to impart that knowledge in an efficient way. We were in at the beginning or the end of the day in terms of where we meet up, but they’re touch points. The rest of it you take with you all the way through the week. 

That’s when you crank the handle a bit more, the information’s imparted, and then the rest of it is done outside of the gym, but the support is there all the time.  

There’s a lot of self-accountability, a lot of self-drive, motivation and discipline involved throughout these transformations. How have you dealt with that?

There are two key ingredients. Firstly, it’s the will and the determination of the person coming through the door saying, ‘help me out’. The other key ingredient is the person at the other side of the door saying, ‘yes’.

From day one, it was two very similar minds working towards a goal. I was utterly determined to achieve what I needed to achieve. I needed to be careful when I started this process that I was doing it with the right team, the right individual, the right organisation.

I was told that it was going to be the best investment I have made. I was told that I will not regret this investment and I certainly haven’t. It is an investment because I can take away this information and become self-sufficient.

I do want to continue this process because A, I know it works, and B, I’m interested to see how far I can take this process. It’s not about becoming a professional athlete; it’s about how I can maximise what U.P. has helped me build and having that mental clarity.

It was a very committed approach.

You wanted to get the ‘Tom Hardy from Warrior’ look. I think you said “If I get there I’ll be amazed, and then in total, you’ve lost 33lbs. Talk to me about that…

I’m an actor and every actor has a decent range of casting. One aspect of my cast-ability is fitness, but the physical dynamism has been lacking. When you get older these things tail off a bit, but it was time to take stock and accept that this was a part of my personality that I had neglected.

I knew deep down what I felt capable of doing, I just didn’t know whether I’d left it too long. I knew my body would respond positively, but I had no idea that at the age of 45, nearly 46, I would be in better shape than at any other time in my life.

This is beyond what I’ve had in the past. Within 15 weeks, to lose 33lbs of body fat whilst maintaining, if not slightly building, my existing muscle mass, I didn’t think it was physically possible.

Not only have I achieved that, but I’ve done that with a full-time job and rehearsing for theatre outside of that. It is a phenomenal achievement which cannot be done without the most structured, careful, professional approach from people who know what they’re doing.

It’s a partnership that’s enabled me to achieve what I have while still being able to balance a professional life, a social life, and other commitments as well. The fact that I was able to balance the job with this training in that period of time is nothing short of a miracle.

The process has absolutely blown me away, and I cannot recommend U.P. highly enough. 

If serious about getting in good shape Graeme is proof that never too late. Start training with U.P. now, and you could have the results you want in 12 weeks or less.  

Like these results? Send us your details in the form below to receive information about our programs