8 Week Transformation
Every year I make the same new years resolution to become fitter, healthier achieve more. Well this year the plan was to do the Paris Marathon, but also be the strongest I have been for any of the marathons I have done (London, Brighton and now Paris). I ran the marathon at the massive weight of 10stone 3. This was the first time in my life I had ever been in double figures for my weight. I knew that this would be my last marathon I intend to run as I have a ‘bad knee’- I tore my ACL and although I did run the marathon I felt this would be the last one as I do not want to get injured again.
So completing the Paris Marathon was a success. Done. Check. So what next? I like to have goals to hit. So this is where the 8 week transformation begun. I wanted to see how ‘ripped’ I could get and the best way to start is to make the goal real.
To make the goal real and to really make me stick to it I enrolled the help of both Alex and Martin from The Strength and Conditioning Institute and signed up to their 8 week transformation program.
I have always done my own programming and nutrition but being objective and taking a step back and looking at what you really need to be doing instead of what you enjoy doing is very difficult. Also this takes a big stress out of my life not having to do my own planning, and as you see from my other blogs I like to reduce stress as much as possible.
Alex and I first discussed training and we decided to mix things up and go for more power/ strength based exercises and do a program whereby I had certain numbers to hit each session based on my One Rep Max (1RM) so we booked that 1RM testing session in for the following week. The nutrition side was the easy side for me as Alex had based it around something we had learnt about earlier in the year, so he gave me my marco numbers, made sure I was happy and off I went. The beginning of my 8 week transformation.
The one rep max testing came and was possibly one of my favourite days, pure strength day. The marathon running behind me, lets see what I can lift!
Bench Press
Box Squat
Fat Grip Trap Bar Deadlift
These where to make the basis of my workouts. 4 workouts a week, roughly 45 minutes long and no cardio. What dreams are made of!
Week 1 – 5 reps 3 sets, 65% of 1RM, 75% 1RM, last set 85% 1RM as many as possible.
Week 2 – 3 reps, 3 sets, 70%, 80%, last set 90% as many as possible.
Week3 – 3 sets, 5 reps 75%, 3 reps 85%, and last set 95% as many as possible.
Week 4- de-load week drop the weight but same program and Alex worked out my new predicted One Rep Maxes.
The predicted One Rep Maxes are worked out using a formula of the weight and how many reps you did at that weight. Now having Alex or Martin spot me on all my last lifts was a great comfort knowing I would not get squashed, however they are great at getting you to push that much more, when my mind wants to give in, one of them would bark ‘One More! that was easy’ so the bar goes up and down again and again. Goes to show your body can do more and don’t let the mind cheat you out of those extra reps.
Weeks 5 through to 8 had the same sort of weight training approach although Alex kindly changed two strength sessions to 2 hypertrophy sessions. These where giant sets for one day upper and one day lower. But they where not just any giant sets they where giant sets for 30 minutes continuous with no rest. I have to admit these where hard but I enjoyed them just as much as all the other strength sessions.
Throughout the whole 8 weeks Alex had control of my numbers for my nutrition. We would have a weigh in and Alex would say you’ve gained weight lift your shirt up lets make sure its not fat, or you’ve lost weight lets make sure you haven’t lost muscle. But each time I was on point just by following his instruction. Every so often Alex would change the numbers and each time my muscle would increase and Body fat would drop, even when Alex gave me my re-feed my body had adapted that well I just looked leaner.
I finished the 8 week transformation and am so happy with the results, but its not just an 8 week transformation I intend to carry on pushing the limits to see how much I can change also Alex and Martin still give me great advice and motivation I know that anything could happen.
So here are the Results!
