Are you are a working professional who has a busy schedule, and struggles to work out consistently? Do you want to improve your physique, feel confident, and take control of your health and fitness? Here's the story of how Alan, a 35 year old accounting manager in Vancouver was able to accomplish all of that in just 3 months with the help of a personal trainer.
Alan is a 35 year old middle-aged Asian man who works in an accounting firm in downtown Vancouver. He works 5 days a week and has a busy work schedule. He has been trying to get fit by himself by following some simple exercise programs online. The program he followed was not bad, the problem was, he had no idea what he was doing. Most online programs give a lot in terms of exercise selection, but tell little in terms of proper technique and execution. As a result, he was not able to get the results he wanted. Frustrated, he sough out a personal trainer who was able to guide him and help him reach his fitness goals.
He came to our gym in Richmond, B.C, and after a Personal Training Consultation, he decided to commit to his fitness. After the consultation, we developed a training, nutrition, and cardio program that aligned with his fitness goal and lifestyle.
Alan's Objective
Alan's goal was simple. He wanted to look leaner, and more muscular.
Starting Point
Prior to starting with BLK BOX, Alan was doing the following
Training - Unstructured resistance training 3 times per week
Cardio - Whenever he had time
Diet - Because of his work hours, he ate out most of the time.
Starting Body-weight - 82 kg
Starting Waist Measure - 36 Inches
Initial Changes
In order to look lean and muscular, Alan had to clean up his diet. As a typical working professional, Alan spent long hours sitting at a desk working and grabbed the quickest and tastiest option at the food court. Without fixing his nutrition, any effort placed on training or cardio would be dampened.
Step 1 - Research
Before recommending a meal plan, we had to understand how Alan was currently eating. Asking clients to make sudden drastic changes to their eating habits usually backfires. The goal was making slow and steady adjustments until we achieved something that was sustainable.
Alan's nutrition plan was split into 3 main categories.
Vegetables - Any vegetables that would be part of Alan's diet is considered a win.
Proteins - For protein, we divided our proteins into two tiers. This gave Alan more flexibility and variation, which is key when it comes to a sustainable diet.
Tier 1 (Low Fat, less tasty)
Tier 2 (High Fat, Generally more tasty)
Extra Lean Ground Turkey, Chicken breast
Chicken Thighs, Steak
Fish - Tilapia, Cod
Salmon
Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates are extremely important especially to an individual participating in resistance training. They approach is not avoidance but moderation.
Step 2 - Find Time To Meal Prep
Once we had a nutrition plan for Alan, the next step is to make sure he could actually follow through and prepare the meals. The biggest challenge is usually meal prepping and not eating the food itself. It doesn't matter how amazing the meal plan is if you don't actually prepare it. In order to make sure Alan consistently had enough time to meal prep, we asked him to skip breakfast and use the time to prepare meals instead. Skipping breakfast isn't the ideal, but it guaranteed Alan always had time to meal prep.
Step 3 - Have A Fixed Eating Schedule
We asked Alan to set a fixed schedule for eating. One meal at lunch, two snacks, and a meal after work.
Step 4 - Evaluate
We ask Alan to rate his diet daily from a scale from Perfect to Bad. If the nutrition plan is sustainable, with a bit of discipline, Alan should be able to adhere to the plan. If the ratings are mostly bad, we then take a look at factors might be causing the non adherence, for example: food combination, meal timing, lack of variety, stress.
Step 5 - Constant Adjustment
No nutrition plan is perfect without constant adjustment. By closely monitoring Alan's progress, and making adjustments to improve his adherence, eventually we reach a point where his nutrition plan becomes something that he can sustain for years to come.
The Blueprint
Hard work and consistency is key. There is no magic formula to success. Some clients have the false expectation that once they sign up for Personal Training, they will automatically get the results they want without putting in the work. Fortunately, Alan understood what it took. He was an extremely motivated individual and was willing to put in extra hours even outside his personal training sessions to practice what he learned in the sessions.
In order to ensure Alan's success, we divided our coaching efforts into three categories.
Motivation + Accountability
Motivation inspires action, and accountability nurtures consistency. Leading by example, verbal encouragement, and effective goal setting are all strategies we use to motivate our clients and keep them accountable to their fitness.
Nutrition
A motivated client is a client that will put in the time to meal prep and make sure they don't skimp on their diet. Spending the time and effort to create a truly sustainable meal plan is crucial for success.
Training
Alan did Personal Training three times a week. We structured his workout around the main compound movements. Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Row, Military Press, Pull Up. Alan's training program was split into several phases, each phase leading into the next. We also focused on proper technique, and progressive overload. On his own time, Alan would practice the compound movements by himself at a lighter intensity which we highly recommend.
The Coaching Advantage
The main benefit of Personal Training is having a customized blueprint to fitness success without the need for trial and error. Another benefit is always having someone to motivate you and keep you accountable. By using a personal trainer, Alan was able direct all his focus on only the things that would help him get results, and stay consistent despite his busy life.
The Return On Investment
After 90 days these were Alan's results:
Training - Mastery of the compound barbell movements with a substantial knowledge of accessory exercises, training techniques, stretching & mobility drills.
Cardio - 25 minutes every single day.
Diet - A sustainable eating style supplemented with two cheat meals per week!
Calories: 2100
Proteins: 200 grams
Fats: 60 grams
Carbohydrate: 190 grams
Breakfast - Whole Eggs + Extra Lean Ground Turkey + Mixed Veggies
Snack - Whey Protein Isolate + Milk
Lunch - Tier 1 Protein + Rice + Veggies
Dinner - Tier 2 Protein + Rice + Veggies
Supplements - Multivitamin, Fish Oil, 1.5 g Glucosamine, 5 g Creatine Monohydrate, Whey Protein Powder.
Body Weight - 77 kg
Waist Measure - 32 Inches
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