31-year-old Issa knew he needed expert help to make the drastic changes he wanted to his body.
Despite years of experience in the gym, he still had so many unanswered questions about weight training.
He’d spent years trying to build muscle, but always felt wide and heavy – never shaping up the way he really wanted to.
Working with an Ultimate Performance personal trainer during Ramadan, Issa has learnt invaluable lessons on getting in shape and built a slim, yet muscular physique.
Seventeen weeks of personal training have helped him lose 12kg of weight.
He credits his trainer’s simple approach for his success, going back to basic compound movements and eating in a calorie deficit to begin with.
Issa was impressed with the systematic approach of his trainer, who tracked every metric of his progress. He now feels full of ‘all-natural’ energy and even saw progress through Ramadan in a fasted state.
“Never in my life have I been so active. My mood has definitely improved.
“The changes have been drastic, this week alone I’ve socialised every single night, which I didn’t feel I had the energy to do before.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to make progress through Ramadan, but I did. I’ve found it interesting that I could get stronger in a fasted state.”
Here, Issa speaks about how he now has the knowledge to maintain his physique in the future, why U.P.’s ‘simple’ plan really works, and how the training environment at U.P. is so unique.
What was your motivation to partner with a U.P. personal trainer?
More than anything, it was about having accountability and someone there to ensure I was doing the right things in the gym.
I wanted to make sure I was lifting the right amount of weight and progressively overloading in my sessions, which I wasn’t sure about before I joined.
I also wanted to see a drastic change in the mirror. Although I wouldn’t say I was unhappy with my body, it definitely didn’t look good.
How did training with U.P. compare to your own training sessions?
There have been times in the past where for two months or so I put on a lot of muscle, but I was also eating a lot. I felt big and wide, but I was just really heavy. But then there have been times when I haven’t been as hungry, so I would just train for 20 minutes and cut my sessions short.
Training properly with an expert at U.P. has been eye-opening. It was cool to see how systematic my trainer was and how simple we kept it. I stuck to the basics and ate in a calorie deficit, which worked for me. I think I overcomplicated things training on my own.
What was your lifestyle like before you joined U.P.?
I have never been much of a coffee drinker, but I did rely on it on slow days. I think besides the pre-workout that I’ve been trying to take before our sessions, my caffeine intake has gone down completely. It’s just all-natural energy.
The changes have been drastic, this week alone I’ve socialised every single night, which I didn’t feel I had the energy to do before. After a long day at work, I just wanted to sit on the couch and relax. The difference is honestly night and day.
What benefits have you seen from your transformation, and what do your friends and family think about your progress?
Never in my life have I been so active. My mood has definitely improved and I’m having fewer arguments with my significant other! I’ve just had an overall lift in everything that I do. One of my friends asked me if I got taller the other day, which obviously I hadn’t – I was just standing a bit taller because I feel more confident about myself.
A lot of my friends and family hadn’t seen me for a while, so they were shocked. My younger brother, who was an athlete when he was younger and still trains now, can see the difference I’ve made to my body in the past few months. It was nice to hear his opinion because he’s very educated when it comes to working out. I’ve had a lot of people give me compliments which has been nice.
How did you find training through Ramadan?
I didn’t think I’d be able to make progress through Ramadan, but I did. I’ve found it interesting that I could get stronger in a fasted state. My trainer was great at helping me with my diet and training. I felt all my sessions were good and didn’t go to waste, so I saw some good results.
How did you find the environment at your U.P. gym?
It’s nice to step into a gym and an environment where you know everyone is working towards the same goal. Clients all have their own goals and everyone has a unified aim. Not once did I feel like I was being judged. In fact, I felt motivated seeing other people work hard. There’s a great community feel in the gym.
- We show you the best, we don't show you the worst.
- We show you people who follow the plans, not those who are all talk.
- We show you those who inspire even us with their commitment to their results.
- You cannot get results exactly like these. You are unique and that means you can only get your own best possible results.
- Your results are a function of time spent following the plan; your genetic response to the right exercise and diet program; how hard you train; how consistently you come to the gym; how disciplined you are with your diet; & your starting point.
- Oftentimes the lower your starting point (poor fitness, terrible body composition) the better your results.
- We cannot do the work for you and the results you see here are a testament to the work ethic of our clients.
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Our reputation is that we are the best trainers in the world for helping you to unlock your potential, & we can lead you to the door, give you the key, even turn the handle and push the door open, but we cannot walk through it for you.
In the end the result is down to you.
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