Kyle’s 13-week transformation turns the clock back 10 years

Kyle was still the fit, young twenty-something college athlete of old in his mind.

But 10 years had passed since then. The reality was that work and life had taken over for 32-year-old Post-Production Manager Kyle.

Back in his college days, he used to swim, run, bike and lift every day – he was in great shape.

But as he climbed the career ladder, his gym routine became sporadic, his fitness faded, and his diet was becoming increasingly unhealthy.

He wanted to change that. He had the fitness mindset still, but he wanted the body to match.

Working with the world-class team at Ultimate Performance helped him achieve that and more in a matter of weeks.

Now he’s lost 5kg of fat, gained lean muscle and turned the clock back 10 years.

“Going to U.P. is an experience that I would highly recommend. The facility is top-notch, as are the trainers.

“The program itself is a challenge, but you get out what you put in. In the first month alone, I dropped 5kg of fat and added muscle mass. Those results were far better than programs I have done in the past.”

Here Kyle talks about how he got back into healthy habits, rediscovered his love of fitness and mastered his diet to get the results he wanted.

What’s your fitness background?

I’ve worked out for many years, half my life, on and off. I swam from the age of five to 18 years old. I got into weights when I was in my late teens but fell off in my early twenties.

Were you working out before you started at Ultimate Performance?

More in my early twenties, then I fell off when I started working. It was sporadic. I might have had a good six-month stint, but I wasn’t really watching my diet.

I’d have a six-month stint of working out in a gym in L.A., and then I’d fall off for another six months to a year, and then come back to it. Then with the pandemic, I wasn’t really doing a whole lot. I’d bought the home weights set, but I didn’t use it a whole lot.

When did you realise you wanted to start focusing on fitness again?

I wanted to get back in shape. I had this idea of myself ‘oh yeah, I’m fit, I workout, I exercise a lot.’ But I really didn’t. I wanted that internal monologue of my real life to match that idea of myself.

If you do have a point [in your life] when you are super fit; I was swimming doubles in high school, I was lifting a lot in college, and I was very active. I had to walk, bike or skate everywhere. In my mind, I was still there, but 10 years go by, and it doesn’t seem like that long. I was very sedentary, I was eating a lot of junk food and not resembling how I still thought of myself – a really fit guy. I wasn’t really into that anymore.

How has your mindset changed since your transformation?

Before, my physical appearance wasn’t matching that mindset. It’s surreal, getting up in the morning and looking at myself in the mirror ‘oh woah! That’s crazy’. I’m still not used to it because it happened so quickly.

I feel more confident. I saw a co-worker yesterday for the first time in a year, and he said, “you look great”, and I was like “oh cool”. It feels nice. I notice a lot, and if I notice, I feel like other people receive you differently, too, which is nice and definitely noticeable. I like it.

How has it helped you prepare for triathlon training outside the gym?

Before U.P. I was very hesitant to even imagine myself doing a triathlon. My girlfriend does half Iron Man’s – she’s very active. I secretly wanted to start thinking about training to do a triathlon with her. As I progress in the program, thinking about things like diet, sleep, exercise – it extends to other areas in your life, so you’re like ‘maybe I can apply this to training for other things’.

Now I’ve started to do research on biking, I’ve actually started to run more on the program. I have always been a swimmer, so those two are sort of in the bag. I have a bike fitting, in which I will buy the shoes and get the pedals installed. I’m now a lot closer to starting that training and I can actually imagine myself now doing that, more than I did 12 weeks ago.

What was your diet like before Ultimate Performance, and how did that change?

My diet before U.P. was takeout at least 2-3 times per week. Going to restaurants and ordering whatever was on the menu and having a couple of drinks.

On the program, you have to think about the different macros. You have to think about what you’re eating and what you’re putting into your body.

After U.P., I don’t crave fried chicken anymore. I’ve realised it’s easier than I thought it was to eat healthily and enjoy the food. That is a change I’m looking forward to, eating healthy during the week and then at the weekend not really worrying about what I’m putting into myself. I have a more sustainable way of approaching diet.

What was it like working with your personal trainer, and how did he help you accomplish your goals?

My trainer is great. He is very encouraging. He is a motivating, fun person to work with. It’s been a really cool experience working with him and having someone there every day to hold you accountable or just check in.

I remember one time during the program, I was texting my trainer through the U.P. app, and I was like “dude, I can’t do it today, I feel like I’m going to go off the rails on this diet today”. We talked through it and found different ways to troubleshoot it and get through it. Having that was super helpful. I don’t think I would have been able to complete it with the consistency I have, without him.

What was the secret sauce to your transformation?

The secret sauce of the transformation is definitely diet. That is a huge thing. I’ve really learned on the program what ’empty calories’ mean. Recognising that not all calories are the same – i.e. a beer vs vegetables.

What have you liked most about training here?

I like the structured approach with training at U.P.

From the outside looking in, it is very intimidating. Although once you get into it, it’s a very supportive environment. It’s very comfortable; it’s not an intimidating thing to be on the inside. I like coming to the gym and working out, and meeting different people.

MAKE YOUR HEALTH AND LIFELONG WELLBEING A PRIORITY WITH ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE. FILL OUT THE ENQUIRY FORM BELOW…

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