ROSS LAURENCE

Programme: Strength & Conditioning

Ross came to us looking to get in shape for the following summer. “After training for 7 months I’m now in better shape than I’ve ever been,” he pronounced. “When I came to the gym, saw what they had, I knew it was the right environment for me.”

Ross wanted to achieve low body fat levels which would require him to lose around 20kg. We set this as his target.

FAT

-53lbs

MUSCLE

+7lbs

BODY FAT%

34% to 12%

ACHIEVED IN

7 months

THE BEGINNING

The first activity in his programme was our ‘Set up for Success’ induction. This comprised:

Taking measurements and photographs to benchmark Ross’s starting point.
Benchmarking his daily calorie expenditure.
Setting a goal. Ross wanted to get to around 10-12% body fat. This was a tough target.

Setting an initial level for his calorie intake. We cut calories and assumed a calorie burn from exercise.
Providing coaching on food intake. This included food theory and diet construction.
Constructing an exercise programme consisting of weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

THE JOURNEY

We keep a constant dialogue with clients to enable them to get the most from the programme. With Ross, we made the following observations and took the following actions:

Ross was disciplined from day one. His weight reduced as expected.
Ross’s former injuries influenced the choice of exercises and a trapped nerve prevented him from training at full throttle for 3 weeks. We worked around any issues and he was able to keep training.
The only blip in Ross’s progress came, understandably, at Christmas.

THE PROGRAMME

The exercise programme had the following elements:

Cardiovascular exercise to

Strengthen his heart, lungs and vascular system.
Improve his ability to burn fat as a fuel.
Improve his health markers and resting heart rate.
Burn some extra calories.

Weight training to

Enable him to build muscle whilst losing weight.
Provide a metabolic and hormonal cascade of beneficial effects.
Build a balanced muscular physique and improved V-taper.

“…the nutrition, training and cardio built all as one, was very simple with Life Force Fitness. They planned it all out for me, I didn’t have to think, which is great for me because I have a million other things I’m doing at the same time”

THE RESULTS

BEFORE

AFTER

Health markers

Ross’s health markers improved considerably. His blood sugar went from 10 (diabetic) to 5.5 (normal); His diastolic blood pressure went from 98 to 76 and his waist to hip ratio went from 1.02 (obese) to 0.88 (normal).

Weight loss

Ross lost 19.4kg in 7 months. He lost 53lbs of fat and gained 7lbs of muscle. His body fat % improved from 34% to 12% and his body type improved from Obesity Class 3 to Muscular.

Strength gains

Ross’s strength peaked about 5 months into the programme, before he got a trapped nerve that affected not only his strength but also which lifts he was able to perform. Here are some of Ross’s lifts at his peak.

Walking lunge: 2 lengths of the studio with 50kg on his back
Leg press: 3 sets of 12 at 265kg.
Rope upright row: 10 reps with the entire stack.
Deadlift 1 rep max: 140kg
Bench press 1 rep max: 102kg.

SUMMARY

Ross had challenges along the way, such as a sore hip and a trapped nerve that affected his ability to train. But he had great determination and discipline and we worked round his niggles to keep him on track. So at the end of the programme he was in the best shape of his life. He did come back, as he said he would, and now we are working towards a new goal.

“It’s been great fun, I’ve smashed it and I’ll be back!”

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