Roy goes from gym beginner to muscle-bound physique athlete

“The best personal trainers don’t just help their clients become fitter; they transform their clients’ lives. I think U.P. has changed my life so I am very grateful.”

Roy has gone from being a complete gym beginner to a muscle-bound athlete to achieve his goal of competing in a physique contest.

He’d originally started training at Ultimate Performance as a gym novice just to get fitter and lose some fat.

Because even though he didn’t drink or smoke, and he followed a vegetarian diet, the 36-year-old lawyer knew his health wasn’t where he wanted it to be.

His goal was to become a better version of himself...and once he saw the results, he was hooked.

Roy came back for a second program at Ultimate Performance to prepare for a Men’s Physique competition...and the results have been incredible.

He’s halved his body fat to carve out a defined and muscular physique, and he’s packed on almost 7kg of lean body mass.

Roy explains the transformation journey he’s been on and what he’s learned here...

What was it that motivated you to take that first step to join U.P.?

I signed up for U.P. two years ago. At that time, I think I generally, I just wanted to get fit. I felt like I wanted to challenge myself and become a better version of myself. I felt I was stagnating and so that's why I decided to sign up. I recently came back to U.P. again around five months ago because I signed up for Men's Physique Competition and so I came back for a second time.

What training have you done in the past and how does it compare to U.P.?

Before I came to U.P., I didn't really have formal training or guidance. I mean, I was generally fit in the sense that I ran. I would run half marathons, I played basketball, but I didn't really have a proper training background in the gym. And so when I came to U.P., I kind of learned everything from scratch from my trainer and from there that was really the first time that I was exposed to proper gym training.

What was your diet and lifestyle like before up and now?

So I have been a vegetarian since I was young. I don't smoke or drink. But even then, I would say that before I came to U.P., I feel like my diet and lifestyle were not really very healthy. And I see that now because with the benefit of hindsight after everything that I've gone through in U.P.

I know that at the time, I just ate whenever I was hungry. I didn't really monitor what I ate and I didn't understand how to track my macronutrients (macros). I didn’t know what my protein target or macros were, how many cups of certain foods I should eat, et cetera. And so I only learned all of that when I joined U.P. And then they have all the apps and my trainer taught me how to monitor my calorie intake and my macros. So it's completely different since I joined. I monitor everything that I eat, so that's the big difference.

What was your motivation throughout the whole experience?

The first time I joined, I think it was really just to become fitter, stronger, and leaner without a fixed target in mind. But this time, when I came back, it was because I joined the Men’s Physique competition. And so that was the focus right from the start.

So since I started four or five months ago, my trainer and I planned the training that we would go through months in advance.

So there was a small bulk and then we trained different body parts every session – chest, back, shoulders, legs – so it was a very structured program. And then after that, there was a second phase where we switched up the training. This time the goal was to win something in the competition

What is the magic ingredient to success at U.P?

I think you have to be disciplined. You have to be motivated with the things that you eat, your diet, and then your training. Obviously, it helps a lot when you have a good trainer who is there to guide you and teach you. And then at the end of the day, you can't really cheat yourself. You push yourself in the gym. You can't just eat whatever you like. And I think it helps when you are crystal clear in your mind about what is your objective and what is your goal. So once you're very clear about what you want to achieve – whether it is to be a better person for your family or you just want to feel better and look better – the other things will fall in place. You are happy. You are in a routine. So once you're very clear about that, it becomes much easier.