Justin spent eight years grinding away in the gym, but he wasn’t getting the results that his hard work deserved.
Powerlifting training, fat loss diets, and prowler pushes – 49-year-old Justin threw everything into getting the body he wanted with a string of trainers.
But it was only when he put his goals in the hands of the experts at Ultimate Performance that things really started to change.
Training with real focus and intensity three times a week and a diet built to match his goals really worked to transform his body.
Justin not only lost 11kg and forged impressive strength, but he learned the right way to train and eat for results too.
He believes it has been the best investment in his health he could have made after eight years of trying to achieve his goals.
“I feel good. My mood is a lot better, and I’m a lot happier. I look great in a mirror.
“But it’s funny because I’ve done this for myself; I haven’t done it for anybody else or to look good at the beach.
“It’s given me more energy, more motivation, and it has improved a lot of aspects of my life. I’ll tell you another thing; it actually rubs off on your friends. They seem to want to all get in on the act, and it seems to have had a good rub-off effect on people.”
Here Justin explains what was holding him back all those years, how his training style changed to transform his body, and what he learned along the way at Ultimate Performance.
What motivated you to sign up for a transformation at Ultimate Performance?
My business partner looked at it. We’ve both done something similar before. We both realised we’d put on a bit of weight, but mine was more of the case that I was already working out, yet seeing no results. I was already training the three main lifts; squats, deadlifts and so on, but really I wasn’t doing them well. I wasn’t getting the results that I wanted.
I was probably two stone heavier than I am now. I looked alright in a t-shirt, but I was not in the best physical shape when looking in the mirror. So, I wanted to change that, and that’s one of the motivations for signing up to U.P.
What bad habits or lifestyle choices led you to gain weight?
It was just my physicality. I wasn’t happy with it, so I wanted to change that. I’ve done a similar program, where I shed the weight, I was lean, and then I struggled to put weight on. When I did put weight on, it was fat weight and not the look I wanted. So that was the main reason. Lockdown affected me slightly, but it was more my bad diet.
What was your training and nutrition like before, and what changed when you started at Ultimate Performance?
I was eating more bread, I would have the odd McDonald’s now and again with the kids, and I was generally just letting things slip. I was doing less cardio work.
This program has really shown me how to keep up with the high intensity of weight training, rather than taking a big break after lifting one set and repeating in this fashion.
I now have the physique that I wanted.
Different personal trainers train in different ways. The previous trainers I’ve worked with were more into powerlifting. If you look at powerlifters, it’s all about bulking up. Back then, I could lift a heavy weight, but what’s surprising is I still can still lift heavy weights in my current lean state. The difference is that I was fat and could lift lots back then, whereas, at this weight, I’m leaner but can still lift the same – and probably more!
You have done a transformation previously – how did that differ from working with the team at Ultimate Performance?
My previous transformation was similar in the sense of using the prowler, focusing on fat loss and working hard. They took my body fat measurements, but they never kept it up. They would do that for the first couple of weeks and then just move on.
The U.P. diet app and the diet plan the trainers give you offers that help and assistance, which has been key – this has been the big thing.
Diet is the main thing, and I’m now confident enough to probably go off and do it myself.
What were your initial thoughts when you received your personalised diet plan?
The difference is the diet app. I was surprised with what I was eating before – I’d be having protein four or five times a day, but I’ve realised I wasn’t eating enough without eating vegetables. In my mind, I thought I was eating enough, and it’s now apparent I just wasn’t.
I had in my mind ‘protein, protein, protein’. Fillet steaks, tuna in a can – all of these things throughout the day – it was five or six sources of protein. You think you’ve eaten enough, but it shows you your real daily intake when you get the U.P. diet app.
How has your training performance improved since you started working with your trainer?
The main difference is the weight. What I can lift now is more than I have lifted before. I used to have a one-rep max, let’s say 155kg. But now, after my U.P. transformation, I’m pumping out three sets of eight of the same weight. I wouldn’t have attempted that at home.
How quickly did you start to see results at Ultimate Performance?
Probably after two weeks, but after four weeks, I definitely shed most of the weight and fat, and everything since has been changing.
Out of the total transformation, I’ve been on holiday for probably six weeks. My trainer gave me a training program whilst away, so my trainer and I could manage it together during that time.
My trainer checked in with me whilst I was away to make sure I was alright, to make sure I was following the diet plan, and getting my training in and doing what training I could with the equipment I had at the different hotels. It was challenging, but I do think I did well with that.
When you first signed up, what were your expectations and did you have a specific goal in mind?
So, the PARQ I filled out before joining asked me what I wanted to get out of this transformation. Looking back, I think I have ticked all the boxes of what I asked to achieve. It was to improve my physique; get leaner and more defined.
I’ve definitely got that. I’ve got to where I wanted it to be, and now, I want to go beyond that, hit the next target, and push where I want to get to.
What are your main takeaways and learning points from your journey?
I’m confident now with the diet plan and the workouts, all drafted within the app. I could continue somewhere else and do it myself, but I look forward to always returning to U.P. to maintain my physique now and again.
Do you feel like you got a return on your investment at Ultimate Performance?
The money may be a lot, although maybe for eight years, I’ve been working out at the gym and mostly copying what other people do. I tried training with a personal trainer somewhere else who gave me a good base, but now I’m really confident on my lifting technique and the diet plan thanks to U.P.
So it now feels like I’ve been educated, and it will stick with me, in comparison to the eight years of not really understanding it properly. The investment really for a short space of time is well worth it.
At U.P., they’re very good at marrying up the trainers with a person, so that you’re working with a trainer that would suit you. If you’re a beginner or intermediate, they’ll find a trainer that suits your needs – a really good fit. I think it’s an important point and I’m really pleased with the trainer I’ve got!
- 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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