I’m a 34 year old male who loves remaining active, socialising with family and friends, and also whiskey. I’m a HUGE whiskey fan!
I would say that I have generally tried to remain active despite my desk based job. Along with my day job, I also run a business on the side which can be time consuming if I don’t carefully manage my time – therefore I am a big advocate for planning and preparation.
From a young age my asthma was terrible which ruled out of lots of sporting activities when at school. I was always the kid gasping for breath on the playground after running, say 50 meters! This was an emotional challenge, however things took a positive turn during my teens when I purchased my first set of dumbells and started Muay Thai at 15.
I have always been inspired by fitness and over the years I have tried various diets and training methods. These were short lived and were not sustainable. This also led to lots of injuries over the years which caused physical and emotional distress!
I wanted something that was a sustainable lifestyle solution as opposed to a blueprint 12 week crash course which you can easily find advertised all over social media.
I had been following RNT for a while, however it was only after seeing transformations of some very good friends I realised it was real and achievable!
At this point I decided to throw my hat in the ring and sign up for 6 months in the September intake. This was a crazy time for me as I had recently moved house, started a challenging project, got myself a puppy and signed up for RNT. Some thought I was crazy but I always welcome a challenge!
The process so far has covered a range of emotions to be honest because aside from training and diet, life gets in the way where you sometimes find yourself meandering through a minefield!
However from the outset the RNT team made the process very clear and what my targets were. These were all split into carefully calculated segments which made them achievable provided I was adhering to the plan.
The first 2 days of CTP were a challenge! I was ‘hangry’ all the time but this quickly passed thankfully as my body adjusted. The food preparation was definitely something that I had to adapt to, however some careful planning solved this!
Not long after joining RNT, my family and I were faced with something that really shook us to our very core. Both my nan and grandad were admitted to hospital, after several weeks we sadly lost our grandad. This was honestly the hardest thing I have ever endured and I genuinely didn’t know how to control my emotions. I spoke to the RNT team about this and they were great – they listened and were empathetic. Their positive words of encouragement really did help navigate me through this tragic period. I had to hone my attention on ticking the boxes; cooking my food, eating the right meals, not going off plan, training and getting my steps in. It all helped with my mental state and translated into a good physical state.
More recently lockdown threw a huge spanner in the works as the gyms closed. However RNT quickly solved this by providing effective home workouts that you could easily do using basic equipment and body weight. I was asked to train each set to failure which was awesome despite the fact that most lower body movements nearly led to several incidents where I nearly thre-up! Haha! I was pushed hard but I was glad for it. The increase in intensity and reduction in food was tough but it was temporary and was a key milestone for my goal. It got to a point where I could see abs and obliques – I was truly amazed!!!!
Results for me have been great. From day one I knew this was not an overnight change and it would be a process which I would need to heavily invest in.
I feel stronger and fitter than I have ever been before, the food has been great and the workouts have always been enjoyable. I now have a more chiselled jaw line, larger and defined arms and legs, and also abs!!
I am in consolidation and the increase in food has been favourable. I am looking fuller for sure but it feels like my muscles have soaked in the extra calories without targeting my stomach.
Using my physique goals and setting small achievable targets have certainly been helpful to me. The entire process has given me a new outlook on life especially with regards to planning and also taking time out of my day to get some well needed headspace which I would do when getting in steps. The podcasts have been extremely valuable and it has been beneficial listening to real people with real targets who achieve real results through the support and guidance of RNT. I’m so excited for the next steps in my fitness journey with RNT and the plan is to get in a photoshoot booked for early next year. For now I plan on packing on some well needed muscle.
