Louis became a fit father and feels 15 years younger with 16kg transformation

“It’s been incredible. People say I’ve de-aged 15 years. When I’m presenting in front of new people at work, there’s something about your appearance and confidence that makes you the best version of yourself.”

Louis was terrified of becoming the dad that couldn’t keep up with his son.

But his worst fear had now become a reality.

He was miles off the pace whenever he played football with his young boy, and his weight and high blood pressure were a genuine worry.

The 35-year-old couldn’t believe how bad things had become. Especially as a former track and field athlete.

So, he set himself a goal. He wanted to tell his doctor “Hey, I don’t need medication. I can improve my blood pressure without it.”

Now 29 weeks later and 16kg lighter – it’s mission accomplished.

Louis’ high blood pressure is a thing of the past, he’s darting around the football pitch with his son, and presenting at work is a whole lot easier with his newfound self-belief and confidence.

In fact, friends, family, and colleagues say he’s ‘de-aged’ 15 years.

Read Louis’ incredible story here and see how he transformed his body with just three hours in the gym every week.

Why did you join Ultimate Performance and why now at this time of your life?  

I joined for several reasons. My health had a bit of a wobble before Christmas, which gave me hypertension and a few other medical issues around my blood. And when I really considered what was going on in my life, I knew there was a bit of extra control I could take.

So, my physical awareness was a huge part of that.

Being a young father as well, I’d come up with every excuse not to do exercise. Watching him play football and run around, I didn’t want to be that dad who couldn’t keep up. So that was one of the biggest reasons I came along to U.P. in the beginning. 

Can you explain a little bit more about your blood pressure and how much of a concern that was? 

My blood pressure was super high. There are different stages of hypertension. The stats I got were 165 over 110, which was just super high. And that would peak even higher at times.

So, the doctors put me on types of medication and asked me to change different parts of my lifestyle. I thought I was a bit too young to rely on medication too much and I knew there was things I could do.

So, that was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to invest in personal training.  

How did you find the training at Ultimate Performance?  

When I started training with U.P. I soon realised I’d let myself go. I hadn’t invested in myself, I hadn’t taken it seriously. Now, I can honestly say I feel great.

You know, going to the beach, going on holiday, you lie to yourself a little bit sometimes that everything’s amazing. Then when you look back, you realise things weren’t great and your confidence was never where you really wanted it to be.   

What were your expectations and goals when you started here? 

When I first got here, I had a big goal. The big goal was to say to the doctor, “Hey, I don’t need medication.” I wanted to improve my blood pressure without. That was my ultimate goal. I didn’t care about having huge muscles. This wasn’t my focus. My goals were to work on my health and wellness.

I think I got maybe one or two weeks into it and through some lifestyle changes, I was able to achieve that. But there was so much more to do behind the scenes. I’m really glad I’ve continued the course and made those things happen. 

Could you talk about how you found training at U.P.? 

Starting training was an interesting experiment because I’ve been able to throw weights around most of my earlier life. I was able to do big lifts when I was doing track and field. And I guess in the years after that, I probably haven’t been able to do the things I thought I could do.

Coming to U.P. was a good realisation of where my fitness levels were. I’ve been really, really lucky. I’ve enjoyed the training a lot. I’ve enjoyed the environment of the gym, which is a huge thing.

People forget these things, you know, it’s all good being able to train again, but the environment of where you’re training and the culture and where you are make a huge difference in how much you buy into it.

So, coming here, I’ve been able to lift again and try new things like dips and deadlifts.  

Did you face obstacles or challenges throughout your transformation?  

Honestly, there were lots of challenges, which makes the whole journey so much more worthwhile.

One of the biggest obstacles was myself and my mental understanding of how to do this. I work 40 to 50 hours a week sometimes. I’m always working or doing things with my father.

I have so many things to do, with so many different people. The biggest challenge was where the hell am I going to get time to invest in my training regime, my food, and the rest of it?  

But realistically, because I’ve dedicated some time to fitness, I’ve seen how important it is to do these things. It’s made every other aspect of my life so much better. I take out an hour or so to train three times a week, and that’s benefitted me in so many ways.

When I’m with my son and we play football, I’m so much fitter. I’m running about and doing training sessions with him. My relationships with my partner, friends, and family are so much stronger because I’m dedicated towards something.

So those were big challenges. I was always thinking something’s going go wrong if I take these hours out. The funny story? Nothing breaks. Everything actually improved.  

What did you find improved the most during your time at U.P.?  

The first thing I noticed is the improvement in my appearance. I’ve definitely had to purchase a new wardrobe. I put clothes on that probably didn’t fit the same way they used to before. But that’s not a negative; it’s actually a positive problem to have.

Another thing I’ve noticed is an increase in my confidence. When I’m presenting or entering a room with people I’ve never met before, there’s something about it.

There’s something about your appearance and the confidence that comes from lifting heavier weights, controlling your food, and looking like the best version of yourself. It has really helped me in those situations.

Even when I’m talking with friends and partners, being in and around them, my confidence is much higher. And when I realise that people want to join me on this journey too, it’s not just myself who has gone through it, it’s also people who have seen positive changes in me.

I have family members who are like, “Wow, how did you do that? Give me your PT’s number. Give me their contact details.” Hopefully, they follow through because they’ve actually seen first-hand someone going from point A to point B.

It has been crazy and amazing at the same time. 

How you feel about yourself now that you’ve completed your transformation?  

You know what? I feel really good. This has been fantastic.

Not only have I gained foundational knowledge on how to eat and how to train, but I also feel good about myself.

In fact, it makes me think about the future and how I can maintain what I’ve achieved. The work I’ve put in now and how I can continue doing it. It’s the best way I could have gone from point A to point B, to be honest with you.

I know how to train, as I’ve mentioned before, and I know the exercises, but having a PT with me throughout this journey is something I could never do by myself.

They took me to a zone I could never reach on my own, and it has been the best way to get me on this journey. And it is a journey, you know. While some people may experience setbacks from time to time, the whole point of this is to learn a new way, receive support, and start the journey.

It couldn’t have been any better.  

What would you say has been the biggest learning experience?  

The biggest learning experience is to be vulnerable.

Drop your ego out the door, realistically, if you want to. If you want to snack and cheat, the rest of it, you’re just cheating on yourself. Stay invested in that process.

There’s no reason why you can’t take yourself from A to B with consistency. And I think when people look for the magic bullet and the magic pill, the raw answer is actually being consistent and honest with yourself.

From time to time, you may stumble, something might happen, you might have a meeting that throws you off, but as long as you remain consistent, you’ll be in a good place. That’s the learning I’m going to take going forward.

Yes, I’m going to train, I’m going to be able to lift heavy weights, but having consistency is what will carry me through the journey.

That’s one thing I’ll definitely take from my training experience, learning with yourself, learning with PTs, just being around the environment.

Be consistent to get your results. 

Would you recommend Ultimate Performance to other people who are serious about getting in shape?  

I’ve worked in fitness, I’ve worked in sports, I’ve worked in business, I’ve been everywhere.

The difference between Ultimate Performance and all the commercial stuff I’ve been around, and even the elite stuff I’ve been around, is that it brings the best together.

Now, in a commercial gym, sometimes there’s a nice environment from time to time, but you can be a bit of a number. And when you work in elite sport, you are the number and everyone focuses on you. Working with U.P. has shown me incredible results by combining the two.

They work with you as a PT, driving me like my elite coaches used to. They have the environment with the other PTs in the gym. They bring the culture as well. Everyone is super supportive.

You get to know people, people see you on your journey, and that’s an additional extrinsic motivator to keep on coming, to keep on doing it. Right.

The team at U.P. has built a beautiful culture that drives you more and more to deliver and perform and get to where you want to be. So, if it’s transformational for body and mental health, it’s the perfect place to be to drive you on that journey. 

How would you sum up your whole experience from day one to now? 

Genuinely, it’s been probably the best experience of my life.

I’ll keep it real. I’ve travelled, I’ve raced internationally. I was the only one in the group that didn’t go to the Olympics. I missed out on some amazing things in my career. And between May and today, and these last five, six months, it’s been insane.

I’m a very different human being from when I first started, not just physically, but in all facets of my life. You know, to the point where people were even offering to pay for sessions for me to get their feedback because they’ve seen the incredible changes happen within me.

On top of that, my business performance has gone through the roof. 

Plus, me and my boy, as I mentioned before, play way more football together, do way more active stuff.

I can take my top off when I go to a beach or a swimming pool and not feel embarrassed or have to be overly confident. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me most of the time.

But in truth, you kind of care, you do. Unfortunately, it’s just reality. Now, I can go and play football, run up and down.  

People say I’ve de-aged by 15 years. I’m never that old to de-age by 15 years.

When I say it’s been one of the best experiences of my life, I mean that. It has changed so much about me in such a short amount of time with dedication, consistency, all these things we’ve mentioned.

Look where we are today. It’s been a great experience.

Thank you for that. Genuinely.

It took Louis just a few months to fight back to good health and full fitness, transforming him into a lively father figure. It’s not easy, but it’s possible with a U.P. trainer in your corner.  

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