How Weight Training Got Super-Fit Lisa Even Fitter

A super-fit business owner took her health, fitness, and physique to the next level at Ultimate Performance.

Lisa had always been fit and done every form of training going – but it wasn’t until she joined UP that she unlocked her true strength potential.

The 49-year-old, who had been a keen runner until a back injury forced her to stop, says that lifting weights has got her in incredible shape both physically and mentally.

When she came to UP, she says she was burnt out and depleted from her many roles – from running her central Manchester PR and digital marketing business to being a mother of two teenaged children.

But working with UP’s world-class personal trainers, who revolutionised her diet and training, has got her feeling strong, fit and more energised than ever.

“I’ve lost weight, I’ve got muscle tone I didn’t get by running, my skin’s better, my hair’s better, and I feel more youthful than I did probably five years ago,” she says.

“I feel physically and emotionally much stronger, work’s better, my relationships with my kids, friends and work team are better and I’ve got so much energy and focus.

“I think that’s because my diet is so good and I am training hard three times a week, working as hard as I possibly can each time. I’m challenged every single time I come, and I leave feeling I’ve progressed in each session, which is great for my confidence.”

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Lisa says that training with UP has even helped her business too.

“My team has said they’ve seen a big difference in me at work. I’ve got much more energy and feel more creative and engaged – basically much happier within myself. The business has really expanded in the time I’ve been training so it’s proved that I can take that time out of work for me to train and not feel guilty about it!”

For Lisa, it was just as much about the challenge of getting stronger as it was losing weight or building muscle.

She says she feels in possibly the best shape of her life and she’s lifting more weight that people half her age.

“There are people in here that are 20 years younger than me but there just doesn’t feel like that age difference at all.

“It doesn’t matter even if you’re 50, you can still train as hard as someone who’s 25 and still get the same results.”

Lisa has explained her UP journey in depth and how it has changed her life as well as the lives of her two children and close friends…

Read more inspiring body transformations story right here on our Real Results page.

What made you start personal training at UP?

The reason I joined UP was that I saw a client of mine who I’d not seen for about a month and when I saw him he looked incredible – he looked like a different person actually – and said he felt better than he had for years.

He told me all about UP, and at that time I was feeling that I wanted a kick-start and try something new. I felt pretty run down and I had some injuries that I couldn’t get on top of. I’ve always been very active, but I had been running a lot, but I had back problems which were causing me a lot of pain, making exercising a challenge. He suggested that I give UP a try. I had an initial consultation and joined immediately.

What would have been the main obstacle for you joining UP?

The thing that probably would have stopped me joining UP and doing personal training so intensively was the belief that I didn’t have enough time available.

I have a really busy life; I run a business, I have two teenage kids and lots of interests outside of work, so I’ve got a lot of time pressures.

What did you want to achieve with your training programme at UP?

I think the reason I started with UP was that I was looking for something new; I was looking for a shift in my life. I had become quite depleted because of the different roles I have in my life. I realised that I was giving a lot to other people and forgetting about myself. I think I was running on empty a little bit.

I also really like a challenge, so when I saw some of the photographs, I was obviously impressed. But to me it wasn’t so much the aesthetics of that, it was that you could set yourself a challenge and achieve tangible results.

To me, it was as much about the positive journey of going through that training and nutrition programme and the support around that, as it was about building muscle and losing weight.

What did you find as a result of your UP Personal Training?

I found that through my training with UP I’ve become a much more confident and open person. I think when I joined, although on the face of it I was ‘together’, there were a lot of issues and pressures that I had been struggling with for a while and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

It has been great to set out on a journey and feel yourself getting stronger and more confident. At UP I am also surrounded by really amazing people – the trainers and also other clients here, many who have become friends and new business contacts. Chris, my trainer, has been absolutely fantastic and a big support to me. Every time I’ve come into the gym I’ve felt like I’m part of a family and they’ve shared and acknowledged my success. Seeing what I can do physically has helped me emotionally too.

Achieving training goals in the gym – and being supported by everyone in the UP community – has helped me to make better decisions generally and has given my clarity about what is important in life. And it’s created time for me. The training is intense so it’s really not possible for your mind to be on anything else!

What would be the key benefits of training with UP be?

I have so much more energy, optimism and drive. I feel happy pretty much all the time now.

Also, interestingly, my life has really expanded in the time I’ve been training. I feel very at ease with myself due to the confidence I’ve gained through training with UP and being surrounded by hugely positive people. Lots of opportunities have presented themselves from a business point of view, but also socially and personally, so it’s been a great experience.

Chris, my trainer, has been fantastic. When I first started I had some injuries, so we did some rehabilitation work around that. He really worked with me to make sure I got stronger without injuring myself any further.

After we sorted those issues out he has really pushed me beyond what I thought I was going to be able to do. It does really hurt– but in a good way!

Read more inspiring body transformations story right here on our Real Results page.

How would you describe your training sessions and the intensity?

The training intensity here is high – much higher than I’ve experienced with other PTs at other gyms.

But they don’t take risks and your training programme takes into account any physical limitations you may have. I’ve worked with trainers before who I have got injured with, and that’s one of the things I was nervous about starting here.

Of course it can be painful when you’re exercising – and some days are worse than others, where you think ‘this is not going to be physically possible’ but it always is!!

When I was told I was going to be doing chin-ups I wondered how that was going to happen! But we started and I learnt the technique and got better. And now, to be able to do that with a weight, is just incredible and it makes me feel so proud, and I think ‘if I can do that, I can literally do anything.’

How have you benefitted on an educational level?

“Although I have trained with weights in the past, I have done mostly just cardio and swimming for years. I still do that too but my focus is on weights now and the benefits are obvious.

“As well as training regularly and intensively, I’ve also learned that you have to look after yourself and take the time to rest and stretch and rebuild after those sessions. That’s made a huge difference, and I’m much more supple than I was before.

“From a nutrition point of view, I’ve always eaten pretty healthily but I am so much more aware of what to eat and when, and I eat more regularly than I used to – and definitely more protein than ever before!

“We eat better at home now – I plan meals every day rather than winging it on the way home from work! My kids have got involved too so I am not making different meals for everyone every night and we all feel better for it.

I’ve lost weight, I’ve toned up, my skin’s better, my hair’s better, and I feel more youthful than I did probably five years ago.

Having a family and running a business, how has this journey influenced the people around you?

One of the things I was concerned about at the start was having to take time out of the office to train.

I told the team what I was going to do – and being in the same building as us that was a major bonus. I’ve had huge backing from them. They’ve really seen a big difference in me in the workplace too. I just feel happier and have more energy. The business has grown significantly during the time I’ve been with UP too and that’s down to our great team and I believe feeling so positive has had a major impact on this. I’ve been happier to take on risks and new opportunities which have benefited us.

My kids have shown an interest too and they say I am happier these days. My son called me ‘hench’, recently which I took as a compliment. I don’t get many. He’s nearly 18, and I think he’s quite proud of me – he’s quietly impressed with the chin-ups!

My son plays football and both he and my daughter, who is 16, now go to a gym near home regularly. She’s a very healthy eater. My son still has a leaning towards white food, which I am still trying to wean him off but he is impressed with the amount of steak and chicken that’s now in the house!

I am a huge ambassador of UP – a number of my friends and clients have joined UP on the back of seeing how much it’s made a difference to me and they’re having both through group and personal training here.

Can you describe how you were feeling physically and mentally before coming to UP?

My friends saw a change in me within a month and wanted to know what I was doing. Somebody thought I had had ‘something done’!

I felt very quickly that I’d found a new family, and that might sound a bit evangelical, but everyone here was so supportive about the journey I was going on. Chris, my trainer, said ‘we’re a bit like your hairdresser sometimes; we’re not just PTs, we’re psychological coaches.’ You can tell them as much or as little as you want, but they will support you through that journey.

How do you feel now looking back?

When I walked in to UP, I was probably in need of a new focus and a re-boot – and I needed to find a new challenge.

I did want to do something for me in which I could see tangible benefits both physically and mentally.

I really felt it changed me quite quickly. I feel very happy within my own skin.

I feel less concerned about people’s opinions of me. I still feel it’s very important to support and to care for people, and I’ll always do that, but I’ve recognised that you have to take some time to care for yourself as well.

What would you say to people who fear that this type of training will make them too masculine or that they’re not young enough to join a gym?

Before I joined UP, I was doing a lot of running. Then over a period of time, I was getting more and more problems with my back which was causing significant pain.

I realised I needed to change what I was doing. I had done weight training about 10 years ago and had recently read more about the age-defying benefits! A lot of people think the older they get, the less weight they can lift. I’ve been amazed about the weights I am using and how strong I have got.

For me, it’s a perfect way of training, because I’ve been able to lose weight and build muscle, and actually, I feel physically stronger, and I have fewer aches and pains than I did when I was running.

What was your motivation through your journey?

My motivation throughout the whole process was the fact I always came out of the gym smiling and feeling like I could do anything.

I always looked forward to coming in, but when I leave the gym I feel incredible.

The endorphins I get out of the exercise but also the actual environment, the community spirit, and just the pure enthusiasm of the team here is infectious.

So even when I went beyond my initial training programme, there was absolutely no way I was going to give up and leave UP.

Is weight lifting a stress reliever for people who have busy lives and professional jobs?

I think weightlifting absolutely makes you feel powerful; it makes you feel confident, and I think the effects of having done that really intense hour in the gym has great repercussions all day.

I think it’s the best gift you can give yourself. I’ve recommended lots of people to come to UP; equally busy people, very burned-out people who thought they were ‘too old to train’ – and I badgered them to come. They are all now hooked!

They have said that they have more energy and nothing would actually stop them from coming and making that appointment, even though they’re incredibly busy people.

Is there anything you’d change if you could do it all over again?

I wish I had come earlier! And not been worried at all about the age thing – I had a preconception that UP was going to be full of young, pumped-up people, and in fact, there’s a mix of everybody. There are people in here that are 20 years younger than me but there just doesn’t feel like that age difference at all.

It doesn’t matter even if you’re 50; you can still train as hard as someone who’s 25 and still get the same results.

One of the great things about weight training and UP is that age is irrelevant. You can be lifting as much as the person next to you who is 25, and often more, which feels great.

What is next for you?

More UP, a sprint triathlon relay and I think I am doing the swim. I would never have even considered that six months ago.

I’m looking at things like Tough Mudder; I might leave Iron Man until I’ve hit the 50th birthday! Exercise will always be a big part of my life.

Would you recommend UP and why?

I would absolutely recommend UP. It has changed my life. It has changed the lives of the people that I have encouraged to join UP.

I feel physically better, work’s better, my relationship with my friends and my kids is better, and that’s because I come here and do the best I can possibly do at each session. I’m challenged every single time I come into the gym and I always leave feeling stronger and proud of what I’ve done, which is an absolutely fantastic feeling.

If you’re inspired by Lisa’s story and are ready to achieve your own body transformation with UP, simply enquire on the form below and tell us your fitness goals.

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