New father James chiselled his dad-bod into a magnificent physique in under 12 weeks
“Without U.P., I definitely wouldn't have been able to get to where I am now in 11 weeks. It's the whole package, right?”
James had no idea that the arrival of his twins would send him on an 18-month hiatus from fitness.
He’s always been fit – running and cycling, but becoming a father and balancing work took over his life.
As the babies turned into toddlers, he decided it was time to get back onto the exercise wagon.
But 41-year-old James wanted to make sure he did it right.
His office was right above Ultimate Performance – so he knew all too well the kind of transformations that could be achieved.
Wanting to rediscover his fitness and challenge himself, he started his own transformation journey.
Find out how James undid 18 months of an unhealthy and stressful lifestyle in just 11 weeks.
What was your general diet and lifestyle like before U.P.?
Me and my partner recently had two more children. For the last 18 months, I've basically been doing no exercise at all. I really wanted to get back into it. I started doing cardio early this year, but still felt pretty weak.
I'm pretty diet aware. We eat healthily at home, but I would binge every night on chocolate or sweets.
Exercise is something that I've done throughout my life except recently, of course. I enjoy exercise, but it's limited to cycling and running.
So no weights and no conditioning at all, really.
What changed when you joined U.P.?
I think there were a couple of things. One is accountability.
My trainer did an excellent job of keeping me accountable. There's also financial accountability. You don't want to waste your time or other people's time.
There's no point in doing it if you're not committed. So that's what made the difference.
I'd go home every night and eat 0% Greek yoghurt and blueberries instead of Rocky Road bars.
What are the main things you’ve taken away from U.P. regarding nutrition?
One of the things I would take away about diet is the macros, specifically around having a better understanding of my base level of calories.
The biggest thing for me is the amount of protein I need to consume. And obviously, eating fewer carbs and fat.
But the biggest thing for me is just that balance of ensuring protein leads with every meal.
What have you learnt from U.P. that will help you train by yourself in the future?
Definitely form and technique in the gym, and how to do everything correctly. That's the one takeaway for me.
Without U.P., I definitely wouldn't have been able to get to where I am now in 11 weeks. It's the whole package.
The entire combination of the personal training, the accountability, for me, the proximity to where I work. So, it means that I've been able to keep every session.
The process is 24/7; it is not just what’s happening in the gym; there is so much that is outside the gym.
You have the U.P. app – how would you say your communication has been with your trainer?
So, my communication with my trainer, has been seamless.
He's done a very good job keeping me on track. He messaged me all the time, whether during the week or the weekends. He's up very early and quite often messages me before 5am, which is insane.
I don't know what I was expecting, but I probably hadn't appreciated there'd be that relationship in that way from a communication perspective.
What would you say to someone thinking about signing up?
Do I think people should sign up for U.P.? 100%!
I've told everyone that I loved it and that they should definitely consider it.
It's obviously a big financial and time commitment. But the key thing, in anything, is commitment.
But there's no point in not being committed to doing this, and I mean that with your diet and the sessions and even outside of that because you're not going to see the results, really.
But if you're prepared to do that, it's an awesome journey.
I think they should definitely do it.
