July Client of the Month: Sam
Sam came to Ultimate Performance Hong Kong with the modest goal of losing a bit of weight, but 11 weeks later he left with a mind-blowing physique he could barely believe.
Managing director Sam had not done any formal training since his school days.
He wanted to improve his functional fitness, build some strength and lose a little weight when he started his transformation at U.P. Hong Kong.
Eleven weeks later and 43-year-old Sam is in the best shape of his life.
I didn’t have massive expectations coming in, it was really about getting some results.
I knew I would have some time on my hands to see if I could get a bit fitter.
How were you feeling before you started your transformation?
I was mentally tired and physically fatigued. It had been many, many years since I had felt like I was in any kind of good physical shape.
How quickly did you notice the results?
I think the results really started being visible and noticeable two or three weeks into the program.
I still remember that first week, it was really about getting over how hard the workout sessions were.
But as I got used to it, as I got into it, definitely after a couple of weeks, I started to see the weight drop, and importantly I started seeing my energy levels becoming very different.
Just cutting out a lot of the sugars and things I’d been putting into my body, really changed my ability to focus and gave me a very steady energy level that I previously hadn’t had before.
What have been the biggest changes you’ve experienced?
The biggest changes are really just how lean I’ve gotten.
Obviously there’s a build up of muscle mass, but over the course of my transformation process, just the ability to lose weight and get lean has been the biggest change.
What are other benefits you’ve experienced at U.P. with your transformation?
I think one of the biggest changes has been that because of the structure and nature of the workout regime and the diet, I’ve got a lot more organised and I’m procrastinating a little bit less in things I’m doing.
I would say it’s put a lot more discipline around the things I do outside of work. I think oftentimes many of us can be very disciplined and diligent in our approach to our professional life, and be a little bit lazier in our personal life, but having to really go through this transformation process has made me a lot more disciplined in my personal life.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned about training and nutrition?
Just the discipline. That’s been very important. Obviously seeing results helps.
But the discipline to really commit to not just the diet, but also the workout routine.
I rediscovered my ability to push beyond my limits. This has helped me in my professional life as well.
What is the key to your transformation and what really worked for you?
I would say, three things come to mind. You can call it the ‘three Cs’:
Commitment - just really being committed has really been important.
Conviction - really believing the results are going to be there.
But really holding all that together is the coaching. So, the relationship with the trainer has been incredibly important.
So the commitment to really follow through, the conviction to really believe the results are possible, and then the coaching and really working with the trainer to ensure that it’s all being held together.
There are going to be moments when your commitment and conviction wavers, and I think that’s when the relationship and working with the right trainer is incredibly important.
What training have you done in the past and how does it compare to U.P.?
I really haven’t done any formal training since my school days. So this my real first introduction to a disciplined regime of training.
When you saw the results wall, did you think this was possible?
I remember looking at the results wall and the first comment I made was ‘I really don’t need to look like that. I just need to lose a bit of weight and become a bit stronger.’
So, I guess it’s a long way of saying I didn’t really believe I could get that kind of transformation.
The graph below displays both Sam's weight and body fat percentage, and shows just how lean he has become after 11 weeks.
"U.P. Transform" is U.P.'s exclusive body composition analysis tool, and is available to all clients undergoing one-to-one personal training, online personal training, or those training under LiveUP.
U.P. Transform is used to accurately track meaningful body data in a way that allows us to determine real-world changes in body fat and muscle mass, and to formulate specific strategies based on real science, not vague speculation.
What is the magic ingredient to success?
I don’t think there’s magic ingredient to success. I think everyone is going to progress at a different pace depending on the body that they have.
But if there’s commitment, there’s discipline, and if you’re willing to work at it, the results are there.
I was just talking to my wife about this just this morning. There are a lot of things where luck comes into play, and there are a lot of things where accidents can happen, but this is one of these things where if you actually put the work in and you’re disciplined about your diet, you do get the results.
Would you recommend U.P.?
I would 100% recommend U.P. just purely based on the results I’ve gotten.
My trainer was awesome and he really invested a lot of time in my transformation.
I can’t imagine any other gym would have trainers that invest as much time as my trainer did in my transformation.
I probably texted and spoke to my trainer more than my wife during my transformation!
