I’m not going to lie to you – this is no walk in the park. My food bill near doubled, I ate myself into a coma most evenings and there were times when a 6am alarm call, as a vicious wind battered the house, seemed like the end of the world. But here’s the thing. If you can endure the ‘suffering’, dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the cause and heed the advice of your personal trainers, you will notice a massive difference.
In 3 months, that goal that seemed like a long shot becomes very achievable. And fear not, it really isn’t all doom and gloom. As you appreciate the changes to your health, shape and strength, you will enjoy sessions more and more. There is an extra motivation surge as you witness progression.
AIM
Goal: Lean Gain / Mini Cut
Now I’m not a naturally rotund man, so therefore wasn’t embarking on this 3-month challenge with the aim of shifting 18 stone in the hope that some muscles may join me at the end of the journey. I was already in ok-ish shape – I wasn’t going to be asked to model Calvin Klein boxers, but I wasn’t going to be asked to model for Jacamo either. I go to the gym once/twice a week and play tennis when the weather allows – so very infrequently. I also opt to walk or cycle short distances rather than deploy my Oyster card. But I by no means had abs to challenge the likes of Peter Andre or Craig David.
Every January, as the depressing slogan ‘New Year, New You’ is thrown around with gay abandon, various publications showcase how exercise can transform you from a laughing stock into a manifestation of God’s finest work. But we all know the tricks employed. Yes, they are undoubtedly in better shape, but in the pre photo they look ill, their skin is bad, beard unkempt, and general demeanour sad, whereas the post photo has been done in a studio under kind lighting, a make-up artist is on set, fake tan used, a better haircut, chest waxed, professional photographer – the whole shebang.
Well not here (mainly because there is no way I was being allowed to grace the front cover of our luxury magazine) – apart from, I admit, the getting rid of some rogue tummy hair to show definition. Other than that wee bit of manscaping, photos throughout were taken every 3 weeks in the same spot of the Matt Roberts Kensington gym, under the same room lighting, with an iPhone – no make-up or silly business. Just a man standing in front of another man and taking his top off. Hence the quality is rather poor – but real.
My aim was to enhance tone and conformation, while learning more about the relationship between my diet and body changes. The latter in particular was of huge interest, as we’re constantly spoon-fed sporadic advice about we should or shouldn’t eat if we want to avoid sudden death: no carbs, no fat, only vegetables, no bacon, lots of bacon, no alcohol, etc. If we were to take them all to heel we’d wind eating nothing but gulps of oxygen.
My weight change over 12 weeks
MATT ROBERTS
So, why Matt Roberts? Simple, if they’re good enough for the PM, they’re more than good enough for a humble online editor. They also carry a reputation for being the most chic gyms in London, which I can wholly attest. Only members under the guidance of personal trainers can workout in the gym, meaning that there are never more than 10 people there at any one time. No rush hour queuing for machines, no unwanted testosterone or sweat-soaked mats. Everything is very personal and inviting.
Over the course of 12 weeks the gym becomes your local watering hole and you’ll see more of your personal trainers than you will close family. But don’t worry about that: the two PTs you’ll be answering to – Luke and Ben – are stellar blokes, incredibly understanding and patient. Their advice is available around the clock – we set up a Whatsapp group – and when they said they wanted to hear from me, they were being genuine.
The next step was to download the app, My Fitness Pal. With a quick scan of a barcode I entered everything that passed through my mouth, shaping a daily algorithm of my macros and calories. This information was then monitored by Ben and Luke, who altered the intake of carbs, protein and fat depending on my weekly goals. In return, I weighed myself every morning to help them plan my nutritional goals.
With the induction done, in late October, we got started.
FIRST QUARTER
Weight: 80.2kg, Nutritional target:, • Week 1: Cals 2800, Protein 200g, Carbs 340g, Fat 70g, • Week 2: 2800, 200g, 340g, 70g, • Week 3: 2885, 200g, 350g, 75g
I’d only done 3 sets of calf raises, but the following morning I was rendered useless from the knee down. Remember that agonising stiffness after playing sport at school for the first time on returning from a long summer holiday? It was like that, only worse – my legs honestly felt as if they’d been run over by a herd of Cape buffalo.
The first thing that really struck me in the first 3 weeks was how wrong I’d been doing weights before. There were exercises, with light weights or using my body weight, that I didn’t know existed.
I wasn’t lifting the heaviest weights I could manage, but rather building high repetitions. We used lower weights, working to 8-12 reps and repeating for four sets, while super-setting with another exercise. The programme was a whole body push/pull routine, on alternate days. I’m not going to bore you with the exact exercises, although in every session I exerted my arms, chest, back, shoulders and legs. So everything was worked 4 times a week.
The food element was hard. As someone who’s never eaten a huge amount for lunch – the result of a sedentary office work life – suddenly doubling/tripling my calorie intake, and adding a massive amount of carbs to the diet was a shock to the system. And boy did I get bored of porridge. I was having to eat when I simply wasn’t hungry, but the aim was to bulk, giving my body the reserves to build muscle while training intensively 4 days a week. Luckily My Fitness Pal gives plenty of recommendations of what to cook to hit your targets without having to be restricted to bland food.
Matt Roberts PTs: “The aim in the first 3 weeks was to establish a maintenance. Patrick would have been under-eating for the level of output expected, especially on certain food groups. Carbs were kept high, as they’re a very good source of fuel for your training, and help to retain muscle. Fat level means you could have food you enjoyed still. It’s not about giving foods up, but creating a balance. The aim was for him to gain 2lb a week.”
SECOND QUARTER
Weight: 82kg, Nutritional target:, • Week 4: Cals 2885, Protein 200g, Carbs 350g, Fat 75g, • Week 5: 2885, 200g, 350g, 75g, • Week 6: 3000, 200g, 375g, 75-80g
There was an immediate improvement in body shape. The influx of carbs was certainly having its bulking effect – mainly on my face. Definition and shape in my arms were more obvious, and most notably my lats were growing in strength.
It is important to understand that everyone is different – there are no rules. People’s bodies respond in different ways to a change in diet. My two housemates are perfect examples: one does no exercise and has a diet that his mother would be ashamed of, yet he has not an inch of fat on him, while the other has to take a lot of exercise to keep the weight off him, despite being a healthy eater and a keen sportsman. Therefore, a sweeping mantra for what to eat when training is as much use as a chocolate teapot – it various hugely from person to person. The diet plan is also geared up to make it as easy as possible, rather than a list of the foods you have to wave goodbye to.
I cut out foods that I simply didn’t need – the crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks, etc. But what is important is that at not point was this made mandatory. If you want to eat chocolate and crisps, you simply need to make alternations elsewhere in your diet to ensure you hit your protein and carbohydrate targets.
Matt Roberts PTs: “The average intake for the first 3 weeks was slighter lower than the target we set, so we upped the calories – these decisions were made on Patrick’s weight and conformation. This will differ from individual clients depending on how they respond to the calories and food levels. We upped the volume of the training, and therefore upped the carbs to fuel this.”
THIRD QUARTER
Weight: 84kg, Nutritional target:, • Week 7: Cals 3300, Protein 200g, Carbs 450g, Fat 75-80g, • Week 8: 3300, 200g, 450g, 75-80g, • Week 9: 3300, 200g, 450g, 75-80g
Undoubtedly the hardest 3 weeks – made ever more difficult by falling across Christmas and New Year, when mince pies and Yule log are stuffed into one’s face every evening.
The joy of having a personal trainer on hand every session is that you finish sets you want to stop, and finish sessions you want to bail on. During many sessions, especially the early morning ones, had I been alone I would have considered throwing in the towel, but such is their motivation, and your will to please, you stick at it and feel great for it when the hour is over.
Matt Roberts PTs: “Big calories jump these weeks, as we wanted to get as much out of his metabolism as possible for the final push. He was still staying lean, so we had plenty of room to work with. Reps went up as well, so carbs did too.”
FOURTH QUARTER
Weight: 85kg, Nutritional target:, • Week 10: Cals 2000, Protein 200g, Carbs 200, Fat 50g, • Week 11: 2000, 200g, 200, 50g, • Week 12: 1650, 200g, 100, 50g
With 3 weeks remaining, it was time to strip back the diet. The aim was to remove the bulk built up over the past 9 weeks, revealing the muscle underneath. Having acclimatised my body to 3,300 calories a day, going down to 2,000 overnight was an abrupt change, and my stomach cried for lunch each day.
My conformation improved rapidly, and my strength from the first week was patent. In my first session, for example, I had tried to do a set of pull-ups. I managed one, before limply hanging off the bar like a dying sloth. In my final session, I was able to do 20.
Matt Roberts PTs: “We brought the fat down and cut the carbs in half, but kept the protein high to retain the muscle. The aim now was to keep the strength while reducing the intake. Intensity remained the same. The energy balance is vital to get right – making sure you can train to a good level – which is why we never eliminate food groups altogether.”
End Weight: 82.5kg
The end result
COULD I HAVE DONE MORE?
Yes, undoubtedly. I certainly missed my calories a few times when bulking – due to time more than anything else – and although significantly reduced, I could have drunk less alcohol, but it was Christmas and I’m only human.
Before and after
DO I RECOMMEND IT?
There’s no beating around the bush when it comes to the price: at £3,500 it is an investment. But on reflection, it is wholly worth this price for 3 reasons. The first is that you are paying for the best training and nutritional advice there is – these guys are absolute professionals in every sense of the word. Secondly, such a large investment will force you to take it seriously, attend all of your 48 sessions and remain motivated. As a result, and thirdly, after 12 weeks you will be a far better version of yourself, with or without chest hair.
Sign onto the T12 programme today via Matt Roberts. Or call 020 7581 9199.
The course is also available as an online coaching programme, for £750 – the PTs will coach you online and monitor your progress through the similar trackers.
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