Life Changing Journey

This ART 12 week programme shouldn’t be viewed upon as a short fire quick fix to get you in shape for a one time occasion. Yo yo ing your health and fitness isn’t good for you overall wellbeing, mind or body. Most often than not you will find the rebound from such methods leaves you in much worse off state than when you started. 

The aim of this programme is intended to yes transform but also change your life!  During this programme you will go through a journey of physical milestones using structured education on what your body actually needs in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle and a positive mindset to maintain your goals long after the 12 weeks have past.

Many people have successfully embarked on this journey of change, one of which being Tony who embraced the programme wholeheartedly and reaped the rewards in spades.  Below is his story…. 

“I began my journey back to health in January 2015. I hadn’t seriously exercised in over 10 years and was suffering for it. As well as being overweight, I had mobility problems caused by years of desk and laptop work, a cough that wouldn’t go away and was probably drinking too much. At the age of 47 I knew that if I didn’t do something about it soon, I wouldn’t get many more chances. So I joined a local gym, hired a personal trainer and made very good progress, getting my weight down from just under 95kg to 77kg and my Body Fat from 30% to about 17% by September 2015.

But I wanted to see if I could really excel in the last months of what was already an amazing year. Thanks to all the PT sessions I felt confident that I knew how to work safely and efficiently but I wanted to begin to work more independently. I researched the world of online personal training and came across Olly Foster’s website. The testimonials from clients on the Action Reaction Training programme were pretty impressive. I emailed Olly asking whether the programme would be suitable for me, as it mentioned a requirement for a year or more of weight training experience. He reassured me I would get some results and so I signed up for the 12 week plan.

After giving him some background information and key measurements, he sent my plan, with my target calories and macros for Phase 1. And so the hard work began. Previously I hadn’t trained more than 3 days a week and all of a sudden I was having to do 5 days. I didn’t know how I’d get on.

“as the weeks unfolded I learned so much about myself, nutrition and how to train”

Determined to get the best out of my investment I stuck to the plan, and as the weeks unfolded I learned so much about myself, nutrition and how to train. There was a great camaraderie in the Facebook group that all trainees belong to, and with members at various stages in their journey it inspired me to see their progress. In turn they cheered me on as I clocked up another week, marked with a gym selfie and a thumbs up.

Every two weeks, I measured myself, took new photos and sent them to Olly. He always replied promptly with encouragement and new calorie targets based on my progress. Having that feedback loop was very helpful and kept me engaged.

Along the way there were a number of victories. Among the many weight, body fat and strength milestones some stand out even now. For example, I’ve never been able to do pull-ups. When I saw them in the plan I doubted whether I could manage them. I found an assistance band at the gym, and used that to build my strength and mobility. It took me 8 weeks, but I finally managed to do full sets of pull ups without assistance and you can imagine how great that felt and still feels. And, of course, the guys in the Facebook group shared in my sense of achievement.

“I finally managed to do full sets of pull ups without assistance and you can imagine how great that felt and still feels”

Week by week, my strength improved and the fat continued to fall away. There were some days when I really didn’t think I could have a good workout, but each time I surprised myself by managing extra reps or increasing the weight.

By about week 8, I really started to get compliments from friends, family, colleagues and fellow gym users. One of the ‘alpha’ guys at the gym – tall, well built, very fit – started chatting to me as I sipped my post-workout shake one evening. Previously we’d only really nodded to each other so I was quite taken by surprise. He had been away for a few weeks on honeymoon and told me that he noticed how much leaner and stronger I was looking since he last saw me. He was curious as to what programme I was doing so I told him about ART. He was impressed, and very interested in signing up for himself (not that I could see that he needed to) and his wife. I was bursting with pride. Since then several other guys have asked me for details about ART and I know at least one will be starting in January when he returns from his holiday.

“It just goes to show – you never know who you’re inspiring.”

The last couple of weeks were extremely hard work. The training intensity increased and I had two big social occasions to navigate – the office Christmas Party (on a boat, with great food and a free bar) and a family 50th birthday. Such was my commitment to the ART programme (based on the results I was getting) that I chose not to break the abstinence that Olly asks of all ART participants, and discovered I could have a great time without drinking. Who would have thought it?

Week 12 soon rolled around and I was quite nervous on the last two days. The preparation for the final photos is quite demanding and specific and I was anxious to look my best. A friend was going to come and take my final pictures but was unable to due to sickness. So, after a pump-up routine, there I was in the disabled shower at the gym trying to get the best pictures I could. Having lost all that weight, my skin found it difficult to tighten up and the pre-photo preparation seemed to make things worse. But eventually I found a pose that I was happy with. And I know that once the skin recovers I’m going to look even better.

With the final photos and measurements taken and submitted, I took stock of just how far I’d come in 12 weeks.

“body fat was down 6% to just under 10%. I had lost another 7.8kg and, incredibly, my jeans waist is now 27”

According to my Skulpt AIM device, my body fat was down 6% to just under 10%. I had lost another 7.8kg and, incredibly, my jeans waist is now 27″. I started the year at 30% BF, just under 95kg weight and 36″ jeans.

I now have the perfect foundation on which to build some lean muscle, and that’s my plan for the next year. As well as losing the fat, Olly has taught me how to train hard and effectively, and the importance of good nutrition (though I still don’t eat Broccoli).

I had no idea what kind of result I would get, especially after the previous 9 months of cutting, but I’m so glad I finished the year this way. I finally have a six pack, a vein on each bicep and the “v” line on my lower abdomen. I never thought I’d be writing that!

So having read my story what’s stopping you?

If you’re prepared to follow the plan, put in the hard work, and be honest with Olly (and yourself) then you too will emerge from the 12 weeks transformed in not just in body, but also in mind and spirit.

Cheers,

Tony

If you have any questions about the plan then drop me an email, I will always respond to you: olly@action-reaction-training.com

Alternatively visit the WEBSITE for more details.

“I honestly couldn’t recommend this programme enough, it has completely changed my day-to-day life and overall happiness.” HOLLIE

“Best purchase of my entire life. I’m so happy with the physical results, but I’m even more happy about the way I feel mentally.” JUDE

Visit www.action-reaction-training.com to sign up to the 12 week body transformation programme.

Follow me on

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Twitter