Recently married, working weekly night shifts, with a 6 month old baby at home; Dr F certainly had his plate full when entering the 1-1 program here at R5 Fitness.
In our initial consultation, Dr F confessed that since getting married his eating habits had got a little out of control. Too much fast food and eating out were his downfalls (Big fan of pizza - you and me both brother).
He was playing football regularly, and cycling to work, although fitness had began to dip since putting some extra timber on.
The goal - to instil healthy eating habits that can be followed even during busy weeks at work. Increase fitness levels for better performance during football matches. Have a great bod to show for it afterwards!
Part 1 - Increase flexibility.
After our first session together, it was clear that after years of working from a desk combined with football, Dr F's hamstrings and hips had tightened up to alarming level. This made basic movements like squats very tough.
Priority number one, loosen these area's up to not only move more efficiently but also prevent an inevitable hamstring pull.
We did this mainly through two forced stretches. 'Forced' meaning I get involved to promote a greater stretch within the muscle.
The first stretch is what a refer to as the 'TRX stretch'. Just the mention of those words will send a shiver down the spine of clients who have experienced this torture tactic.
Sitting upright, with their legs together and straight out in front, I face towards the client and wrap the TRX's around there back and underneath their armpits, whilst I grip a handle in each hand. I then begin very gently pulling their torso towards me, holding for approximately 2 mins. If done regularly (2-3x per week), I've found this to be one of the most effective ways to loosen the hamstrings.
The second stretch, aimed at loosening both hips and hamstrings, is a forced front split. The client will assume a kneeling lunge position, keeping the torso upright and forcing the hips forwards.
Once the maximum stretch has been achieved on the hips, I will then begin pulling the front foot forwards, widening the lunge position. The client will probably need something to balance on at this point (we usually use a stood up foam roller). We'll hold this stretch in its maximum position for approximately 1 minute to 90 seconds each side.
Part 2 - Food structure
Without going into too many of the finer details regarding macros/cals etc. The basic outline started at 3 meals per day, plus 1 snack. Lunch meals Monday to Friday had to be made up over the weekend. With occasional breakfast's and lunch being the same depending on night shifts for that week.
This structure usually gets moved around slightly as the clients work it into their weekly routine. But this worked a treat from day 1 to 90. At the 6 week mark we had no reason to mess with was what already working, so stuck with it to the end.
Part 3 - Training
With the goal being weight loss, sessions had to be increasing in intensity every week. We did this through conditioning circuits, a combination of resistance based exercises alongside explosive exercises.
One eye was always on shaping certain muscles. Dr F had also expressed a desire for a more rounded chest, so plenty of press ups, bench press and time spent on his hands supporting his own bodyweight. Both in a controlled and explosive fashion.
Circuits generally were well balanced in terms of muscles worked. CrossFit wod's would feature sporadically throughout the program which, as well as being incredibly tough, also adds an extra mental stimulus for clients.
Away from sessions Dr F played football twice a week and cycled to work most days. By all accounts a very active guy. But there were days when not much happened, maybe at a weekend or the occasional busy day at work. The goal on these days was still to hit at least 10,000 steps.
Results
In the 12 weeks Dr F was training here at our personal training studio in Sheffield, he managed to lose 10 lbs and 8% body fat.
Glancing at the picture, this transformation may appear to look as if more weight was lost, but I think that's a testament to the amount of muscle Dr F was able to build alongside the fat he lost.
Dr F's co-herance on the program was fantastic. And although he went away on a couple of weekend breaks, setting us back slightly, I'm really proud of what he achieved here.
Being an Arsenal FC fan meant I also had many laughs at his expense lol. Although if he was still training here now I'm sure I'd be hearing exactly the same about Liverpool FC (we've been absolutely shocking recently).
Massive well done Dr F! - all the best to you and your family.
Ryan
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