Annie’s ‘strong not skinny’ transformation gives her amazing abs in 11 weeks

My mental and physical strength feel like they’re at their peak. People in your life will notice it. They’ll notice that you’re smiling more and that you’re more confident.

‘Strong not skinny’ is exactly how 28-year-old Annie feels after her impressive 11-week transformation program.

She’s gone from zero weight training experience to sculpting amazing abs and deadlifting 1.5x her body weight in less than three months with Ultimate Performance.

For years, Annie had focused on cardio training to compete in figure skating, hockey, and cross-country training.

But she knew she’d neglected her muscles, and she wanted to get strong.

Starting a transformation program at U.P. was never about losing lots of weight.

It was about setting herself up for the future: learning the art of weight training to improve her strength and body composition so she can enjoy better ‘healthspan’ and longevity as she ages.

Less than three months in, Annie has tripled her pull-up numbers, she’s lost 8lbs of fat, and she’s able to make the right food choices thanks to U.P.’s 360-degree approach.

It’s the way she feels that’s perhaps the biggest change – strong, confident, disciplined and powerful.

Here’s how Annie did it in her own words…

How did you feel about your body, health, and overall wellbeing before starting at Ultimate Performance?

I had always grown up playing sports. I played tennis, soccer, and field hockey, but never really spent a lot of time doing resistance training.

One of the biggest things I noticed after my collegiate years was that cardio only gets you so far, and building muscle is super important for maintaining longevity, health span, protecting your body, and protecting your bones.

It was something I actually noticed a significant deficiency in, even going to boutique fitness classes or studios where you’re doing a bit of resistance training with cardio or even things like Pilates.

I had this athlete’s mindset that I could do anything, but when you realize you can’t hold certain positions, or you don’t have the same core strength or muscular stamina, it’s a big eye-opening moment. I realized I needed to build both strength and muscle, and on a more personal and perhaps aesthetic side, I wanted to show that muscle and have it defined.

My big goal coming into U.P. was starting from zero in resistance training and making sure I was building muscle, not only to perform optimally day-to-day but also in my fitness goals and general health span.

How do you feel now after going through your transformation with U.P.?

Now I feel amazing. It’s been about three months since I started, and I’ve never felt more energized. I’m excited to wake up and come to U.P. at eight in the morning. I’ve never slept better in my entire life. My Whoop band tells me I’m getting practically a 100% sleep score very consistently, which is awesome. I had horrible sleep hygiene before, so my body, my mind, my mental and physical strength feel like they’re at their peak, and I know they’re only going to keep growing as I continue this journey. A lot of it comes down to the mental fortitude and physical discipline that gets instilled in you throughout the U.P. journey.

How has the success of your transformation carried over into other aspects of your life?

My U.P. transformation goes far beyond the walls of this gym. The entire experience has been about building mental fortitude and physical discipline, which carries over into everything. Whether I’m working hard in the gym, making progress in my career, or maintaining relationships outside the gym with friends and family, all of these smaller disciplinary habits have carried over into my work ethic at work, how attentive and present I am for people in my life.

Generally, I’m much happier, feel really confident in my skin, and feel really fulfilled in what I’m doing at U.P., and that spills over into everything I do.

What do you enjoy most about training at U.P.?

My favourite part about U.P. is definitely my trainer and the 360 experience that U.P. really brings. I’ve trained a lot in the past with coaches and trainers at different gyms, but the experience here is truly unrivalled. It’s a big physical investment in yourself, and you have to show up every day, and your trainer is there for you.

Everything from staying on track with your diet to making sure things are working for you is part of the experience. For example, partway through my journey, I was struggling to maintain balance between calorie expenditure and physical activity. We found ways to work around what would be the right balance.

Being able to reach out to my trainer about a social event or restaurant where I want to enjoy something without going off track, that degree of personal attention is not something everyone has. Feeling empowered throughout the entire experience, whether hitting PRs in the gym or just feeling good in your body after a session, the experience here is priceless. You can’t find trainers like the ones at U.P.

Can you describe the experience of doing a photoshoot and how it feels to look back over those pictures?

Looking back at what I’ve accomplished, especially at the photoshoot, is mesmerizing. It’s truly amazing to see what you’re capable of doing here at U.P..

Coming into this, I saw all the body transformation photos and wanted to achieve that look. But there’s a part of you that wonders if it’s physically possible, especially if you’ve never looked like that in your entire life.

Now, seeing all the work that was put into it, inside and outside the gym, it’s amazing. I’ve never felt better, and never felt more confident. I really love where I’ve gotten to, and it’s only the beginning. I’m excited to continue growing here and building my performance.

How valuable has your transformation been at U.P.?

My time at U.P. is priceless. I would recommend it to anybody who’s thought about improving their health, wellness, or fitness journey.

Investing in yourself is the best thing you could possibly do for your health, and the best thing you could do for your lifespan. Fitness was a part of what I did, but it wasn’t something I spent a lot of time thinking about. Now, it’s perhaps one of the most important parts of my life because it touches everything from work ethic to health, to wellness. It’s really core to who I am now. The whole experience is something I’ll never let go of.

What goals do you want to achieve now?

Now that I’ve achieved the first part of my transformation, which was really getting leaner, building definition, and reaching a baseline of minimal fat, the next part is probably the most exciting.

Now, it’s about how I hit personal records. How do I get to 10 unassisted pull-ups? It’s about how do I get to weighted pull-ups, deadlifting twice my body weight, or bench pressing my whole body weight. These are achievements I want to get to for myself. This is only the beginning.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your time here?

I don’t know what to say without sounding like a broken record, but I think everybody should at some point in their life, have an experience like the one I had here at U.P.

It’s not only an aesthetic thing that people can enjoy for themselves and look back on, but also just the entire experience, like I said, bleeds into so many other parts of your life.

People in your life will notice it. They’ll notice that you’re smiling more, that you’re more confident, and you’ll feel a lot more confident and just your best self every day.

Don’t waste years guessing. Learn the art of training and nutrition that works for you as an individual from world-class experts, like Annie did. Enquire about your own personal training program today.

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