My life is completely different. I’ve got no pain at all, I’m amazed by it.
Matt had never been so heavy in his whole life.
And just months before his wedding, he’d piled on weight at the worst possible time.
He was desperate to exercise and get in shape, but a slipped disc in his back pegged him back. Just sitting behind his desk at work was uncomfortable, he said.
Matt reached out to Ultimate Performance after his doctor told him that strengthening his core could help to ease his pain.
The results in just 13 weeks will blow your mind. Find out how he lost 10kg, rediscovered his confidence before his wedding and is now living completely pain-free…
What was it that motivated you to partner with U.P.?
I have my wedding coming up this summer, and I’ve always been in reasonably good shape through my early twenties. But after I had a knee reconstruction and hurt my back rowing and playing rugby, I fell out of shape and reached around 108kg.
I wanted to get back to where I was when I was 21, but I wasn’t sure if it was possible.
I hadn’t been able to train successfully without either hurting my knee or back. Every time I made any progress, I quickly found myself back at square one. I reached the heaviest I’d ever been this Christmas just gone, and I knew I needed to get down to a good weight for my wedding.
Just tell us a little bit more about the injuries that were affecting you.
I’d played rugby since I was a kid and my form in the gym was probably quite poor, on exercises like deadlifts. I then started rowing at a good level for four years, which was placing a constant load on my lower back. So, the pain got worse and worse through that.
I found out that a disc in my back had basically worn out and was placing pressure on a nerve. I’d been to see my doctor about it to get to the bottom of the problem, because I couldn’t really do anything. It was holding me back, but the last thing they wanted to do was operate.
He told me “if you really focus and strengthen your core, you might be able to manage the pain. If you don’t, then you’re always going to struggle with it”.
How was your injury affecting your physical and mental health?
After I stopped rowing and doing core work, everything just kind of fell apart. It got to the point where I couldn’t even sleep or sit comfortably at work. I couldn’t really do anything properly. I wasn’t as happy as I used to be, because I’d always been in some sort of shape.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but it brought me down. I was grumpy, short-tempered and felt like I had no energy because I was so unfit. I set up my own gym during Covid, but I hurt my back after a few weeks.
I felt like I was caught in a vicious cycle, and I thought I was going to have to accept the pain and manage my decline.
Following your transformation program, how do you feel now?
Perfect, no pain at all. I’m amazed by it to be fair. I’ve had to make sure I’ve been disciplined with my core exercises every morning so I can train properly, but I feel great.
The sessions I did with my trainer were tailored right from the start, so I didn’t aggravate anything in my back. I now feel better than I did five years ago. I’m running again, cycling comfortably, and lifting weights without pain – which I didn’t think would ever happen again.
I’m now building muscle in my back and feel strong again, which I’ve always avoided because I’d just hurt myself.
How much has your life improved now that you’re free of pain?
My life is completely different, I feel like I haven’t got any injuries at all. I’m now going running three or four times a week – I’ve not been able to do that for years. There have been times over the last month or so when I’ve had to move pots in the garden which weighed 20kg or 30kg, and it’s been no problem. I’ve managed to pick them up and put them down quite easily.
I’m just feeling like my old self again now. I didn’t realise how much injuries would drag me down, I couldn’t train or do the things that I wanted. I realised that it was crucial I had a coach who taught me how to train properly. I had trained myself, but I wasn’t successful in any way. I achieved some results, but not without either injuring myself or losing track of my diet.
Finally, summarise your whole experience in the time that you worked with your trainer?
10 out of 10. I wasn’t sure initially, but I knew I wasn’t going to get worse results than when I trained on my own. Honestly, it’s been a thousand times better than anything I could have achieved on my own. Everyone from work, my friends, my family have all said to me “what’s happened since Christmas?” It’s a big confidence boost when people notice the changes that you’ve made.
Ultimately, the main reason I came to U.P. was to feel good about myself for my wedding. I didn’t want to worry about fitting into my suit when the day came around. Looking at my progress, I can’t believe it’s taken me just 13 weeks. It hasn’t been some training camp in the desert – it’s been a real-life plan.
There are few things more frustrating than injuries that keep you away from 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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