A WORK IN PROGRESS: end of the program, but the beginning of the road
TWO days after completing the Amazing 12 Chichester, Ian Barnett, 46, headed off to the Greek islands for a well-earned break with his three daughters and wife.
Shortly after returning, I had him in the gym again. Though he was refreshed, Ian admitted he was a little overstuffed with Greek bread.
I was about to put him through his paces at Core Results as I had done a week before he started the Amazing 12 – to see what strength gains, if any, had been achieved.
The obvious difference is that prior to the Amazing 12, Ian had been inactive for a number of years. Post-Amazing 12, he’d just completed three months training, turning up at the gym with me five days each week and doing some additional work by himself.
He did some calisthenic-type training while away on holiday, but hadn’t touched a weight in over a week.
Still, I was pretty confident he’d shine a positive light on his Amazing 12 efforts.
I wasn’t to be disappointed.
LEANED OUT: now it’s about keeping the momentum going
For example, his back squat went from a wobbly 70kg for two reps to 95kg. His deadlift best for two reps upped from 95kg to 120kg. His bench press improved from 62.5kg to 85kg. He could complete two chin-ups before he started, but now was able to do seven.
As a measure of his fitness, I had him run the prowler, a sort of heavy metal pushing device, up and down the gym 10 times without stopping. This we did in week 1 (2:52), again at week 6 (2:15) and then afterwards (2:01). That’s nearly a one-minute improvement in three months!
Those are the athletic achievements. But weighing in at 101.3kg (223lbs or 15st 12 3/4lbs) back in February, Ian wanted to shift some weight and, more specifically, the excess body fat that had accumulated from years of inactivity and a desk job lifestyle.
By the start of the final week that weight had dropped to 97.2kg (213 3/4lbs or 15st 3 3/4lbs). On the finishing session, Ian was down to 93kg (206lbs or 14st 10lbs), which is what he weighed on his wedding day over five years ago, but his body composition is now more muscular.
His body fat percentage had gone from 25.4% to 22.4% (week 8) to 20.7%. His body fat mass dropped from 4st to 3st 2 1/4lbs.
Ian’s metabolic age started at 51, went down to 41 at week 8 and then 36 by completion. Visceral fat went from 12 to 10 to 9, which is just below what is regarded as safe.
STRONGER: but Ian hasn’t reached his physical potential
“My results are incredible,” he admitted. “I may not have an Olympic swimmer’s physique – and, to be honest, from my starting point that was probably a bit ambitious – but I look more athletic.
“I feel so much more energised and want to improve from here. The internal results of visceral fat, body fat percentage and the changes in metabolic age were the best improvements.”
Even from week 1, Ian was revelling in the fact that this (doing the Amazing 12) was even possible. When we first discussed it and Ian saw the two advertised training times, he dismissed his participation. But I went back to him. We met for a cup of tea one chilly morning with no strings attached to see if there was a way to just find an opening for some training.
It was very clear to me that Ian wanted a change. But, being a father and business owner, it didn’t feel straightforward. However, where there’s a will there is a way. Ian proved that.
“I wanted to do the Amazing 12 to get back into shape,” he said. “It had been lingering for a while that I needed to do something.
“I’d looked at other personal training locally. But I felt your approach and the results I had seen, gave me the best chance of making the change I needed.”
HARD AT IT: those early-morning sessions
His journey was remarkably smooth sailing. There were some minor hitches. Ian had already committed, pre-A12, to a number of work-related courses that resulted in him missing some sessions, but, like Sue Crabtree, he wanted to make up for it and signed up for an extra week.
In total, Ian attended 89% of the gym sessions, which was even more impressive given we usually started at 6am and trained during what was a rather bitter British winter.
Commitment wasn’t a problem.
“Turning up for the training was easy,” he said. “We had structure, which suited home and work lives, and it was easy to stick to.”
As early as week 3, Ian was noticing the difference the program was making to his fitness. He would go cycling with friends some weekends and his body was excelling where usually he would struggle.
IN THE BAG: Ian was never out of his depth
Most mornings he’d walk in with a smile on his face. On the few days he didn’t – usually because he hadn’t slept enough – Ian would still walk out feeling better in himself.
There were so many times I noted at the end of training in my scribbled pencil “good session”.
Ian gave everything of himself. He had the support of his wife, which is always a fantastic help.
As Ian said to me at the start of week 9, “My wife’s happier, kids are happier. I’m getting a real buzz. I’m happier. And my clothes are fitting differently!”
I challenged Ian little by little with every session and he consistently rose to it.
“I really enjoyed the training,” he admitted. “Even, in retrospect, leg days [which he dreaded at the time]. We were also able to incorporate the [punch]bag work and chin-ups as a slight change. But I never found the training boring – it is what it needs to be. I like that anyway.
CONFIDENT: a new man, father and husband
“The feeling of lifting weights, of feeling stronger and fitter was great.”
Typically, at some point there is a blip or a setback. But Ian continued to grow in strength and fitness.
Even the nutrition side of things were embraced wholeheartedly, impressive considering Ian doesn’t like vegetables!
“The diet was good and obviously integral to the process,” he said. “It articulated probably what I already knew, but the portion sizing and staying away from processed food was the message that resonated the most.”
BACK IN CHARGE: now Ian knows he has better control over his physical future
There are three phases to the Amazing 12 diet and Ian found the final part, which lasted only a week, the toughest. For phase 2, he managed it by being organised.
At the end of 12 weeks I got him as fit and strong as I could for that period of time without breaking him. But he still has more to come.
That’s why he wants to continue training and he’s also bought into the understanding that lifting weights and training smartly is a vital part of growing older and remaining healthy.
“I enjoy feeling strong and looking stronger,” he said to me in week 10. By the final week he admitted he was fitter and stronger than he was on his wedding day 14 years ago. “And I wasn’t expecting to get as fit as I did,” he added.
And then I unleashed him on some chin-ups, which Ian was eager to try, and he knocked them out without much bother, nailing 42 in 15 minutes the first time we tried and then nearly 50 the time after. Given that before we started the A12, Ian managed only two -maximum! – that was pretty good going.
“I felt more confident and recognise my ability to work towards a goal,” he said. “That’s much more fun [for me] when applied to working the body. I am now trying to apply it to my work, too – organisation, structure, goals etc.
“To anyone thinking of doing it, I’d say ‘go for it!’ It was a brilliant experience all-round.”
TRIMMER: much leaner and stronger, but what you can’t see is the new inner steel (Photo: Sue Saunders Photography)
SUE CRABTREE is an amazing lady. I mean that.
I’ll tell you why in the paragraphs to come.
She’d never done any proper weight-lifting previously and yet took a chance on the Amazing 12 Chichester, committing to a program that demanded she would have to train five days a week in the gym and extra days by herself.
“If you want something badly enough, you will find the time and commitment to train,” she said.
LEARNING TO SKIP: just one of many skills Sue improved
So committed was Sue, 48, that when she had to miss several days training to help her mother – who had to go into hospital during week 9 – she forked out for an extra week to make up for it.
She had never worked with me before although she had provided nutritional advice to one of my previous Amazing 12 graduates, Rich Evans, and that’s how she first heard about the program.
Sue’s certainly not scared of muscles, as some women are. In fact, that’s what she was after. She wanted to become strong and proudly declared it.
“I just didn’t have the knowledge or drive to know how to do it,” she said.
TRAIN WITH A SMILE: even when she wasn’t feeling great
Sue, a native of South Africa, had to also deal with a lot of negativity – people doubting her, questioning her, undermining her.
She was told she was “too old” and that she’s “too busy” before the program started. And during it she heard people say she “was looking tired” and “should rest” and that “this type of exercise is not good for me”.
But when she was bench-pressing a heavy weight, Sue would smile to herself, with all the naysayers in mind, and think, ‘look at me, guys. I’m doing this despite your predictions’.
She was very open and honest with me (which I respect) because there were days Sue didn’t feel on her A-game and just wanted to curl up by herself at home. But she pushed herself into the gym at Core Results and got on with it.
There were days when she felt depressed and down, but she still got on with it.
GAVE IT EVERYTHING: sometimes the harder it got, the more Sue liked it
There were many, many days when the weights were pushing her hard, metaphorically, but she soldiered on. Never complained. In fact, she sort of liked it.
“Not once did I turn up to training and leave feeling worse,” she said. “I always felt incredible [after training]. Those odd days I turned up not feeling 100 per cent turned out to be my best training days.”
In the beginning, Sue didn’t know what she was doing, though. Her concentration was all over the shop. She couldn’t find any consistency to her movement.
But that’s all brilliant. Really. It’s brilliant because Sue persevered and overcame it all.
She injured herself, too, but came through that. Lessons were learned every step of the way. Some were learned the hard way.
MUSCLES: a new proud owner
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Sue’s a tough woman to keep down. She’s resilient and determined.
When she had to skip training for a few days because of injury, it was always reluctantly. In all she attended 87% of the possible sessions.
Before starting the program, I showed Sue the movements and tested her strength. To give you some example of her strength improvements, she went from a 2-rep maximum on the bench press with 31.5k, to multiple sets of 3 with 38k.
Her incline bench press went from 7k for reps of 10 to 12.5k. Sue’s back squat went from a tough 37.5k for two reps to 50k for two as a warm-up. Her deadlift increased from a 2-rep 50k to six reps with 57.5k. Her shoulder press shot up from a challenging five reps with 12k to sets of three with 27k!
THE ROPES: often they were a battle
She also wanted to do the Amazing 12 to send out a message to all women with menopause that it need not intrude on life.
It was only after a few weeks that Sue’s attention switched from muscles to mindset, though, and how what she was feeling was as beneficial, if not more so, to her thinking as it was her body. That was a revelation.
Going into the Amazing 12, Sue had been an avid runner. Any other types of training (boot camps and circuits) always had that cardio element to it. She was used to getting on with it and letting her mind wander freely.
Typically, Sue was always in going-the-distance mode where the emphasis was on completion rather than the method.
BEAMING: transformed from the inside out
“I rush around with my job and I used to treat being busy as a badge of honour,” she admitted.
“But you cannot rush lifting weights or else you get injured. It taught me to slow down and smell the roses.”
I love that quote because it shows me how Sue has become so much more mindful than when she started, that she fully understands the meaning of it in a gym-training context.
“I’d rather do one great deadlift than five very bad ones,” she said. “I had to learn to stop thinking about the past and the future. It was about focusing on now.
“When I am lifting weights, I am in the moment. I am focusing on the muscle group and how I am feeling (well most of the time).
GRIT: change doesn’t come easily and Sue had to dig deep on occasions
“Completing the A12 has made me mentally and physically stronger. I can feel it in my day-to-day job.”
Yet Sue used to routinely apologise, thinking she had been hard work for me to coach, but really she wasn’t. I enjoyed every minute.
However, there were times when she felt her body wasn’t changing much even though I could clearly see it was.
“Every now and then I would just focus on the weight loss and give myself a hard time,” she admitted.
“But right from the start I didn’t want it to be about weight loss. I wanted to gain muscle and get strong. I’m very pleased with the results.”
LOOKING THE PART: oozing confidence at the end of the program
She dropped nearly 5kgs in weight and nearly 2% body fat. “Great readings,” she said. “It’s all about eating well and exercise.
“Anyone can be skinny, but it takes a lot more to get strong. I’m very proud I didn’t get a ‘hormone belly’ because I am going through menopause.
“I am so proud that, thanks to the Amazing 12, I took control of my body and steered it into a fantastic new direction.”
Armed with her new body and lifting knowledge, Sue has every intention to continue building on her success.
Interestingly, her greatest challenges on the program came with the nutrition side, although she found the eating plan “very easy”.
I’ll let Sue explain: “despite being a nutritionist, I still learned from the Amazing 12 diet that my portions were too big and I was snacking out of habit rather than necessity,” she said.
PLEASURE: this movement was one of Sue’s favourites
It was during the last week that Sue felt her energy levels dip, which can happen and she found tough.
“But it [the strategy] worked,” she said. “I did what Claude asked me to do. I thought, ‘just shut up and follow it exactly’.
“I got some weird enjoyment of pushing my body through training when I felt so tired. I really had to get my mind to focus and be strong. I enjoyed that feeling of having a strong mind.”
I’ll be honest, though. I wasn’t sure until the final day how satisfied Sue was going to be despite many gym onlookers commenting to me on how well she had done. As mentioned earlier, she was wrestling with some demons.
“But I’d tell anyone thinking about it to just go for it. You won’t look back. It’s not about the six-pack or pushing the heaviest weights. It’s about you.
“The Amazing 12 fits around the individual and makes you the best you can possibly be [in 12 weeks]. I’ve got strong arms, but my mind is so much stronger. Who knew that lifting weights could do this?”
WORTH IT: the toughest climbs are the most memorable
Better still, Sue feels she has control of her life.
“I know the Amazing 12 is a program, but I do believe Claude made it unique,” she said.
“His outlook on life is a great motivator and I am going to miss our chats in between the rests.
“I have learnt a lot from Claude on how to exercise properly, but also so much more mentally. Thank you, Claude, for your patience and sharing your passion of exercise with me.”
BEFORE the final day of training of week 7 of the Amazing 12 Chichester, Ian Barnett entered the Core Results gym at the usual time, just before 6am. I could tell by the look on his face, he wasn’t his usual breezy self, but by no means grumpy.
Normally, he’s up for the challenge – ready for whatever I throw at him with his ‘I’ll-do-my-best’ attitude. But this day was a rarity. Ian, a father of three girls, wasn’t quite feeling ‘it’.
THE GRIND: Sue fighting for every rep
Nutritionist Sue Crabtree went through an entire week (week 6) feeling off-colour. She’s amazed how Ian seldom has days like that.
We’re all different. That’s an important factor to consider and one reason why comparisons are often pointless.
On those days when our biorythms (for want of a better expression) are low, everything can feel unpredictable. But Sue, for example, had her best week in terms of performance when she felt at her lowest.
COMFORTABLE: Ian showing much-improved form with his deadlift
And I told Ian how on many occasions I’ve had clients come in not feeling up for the job and somewhat mentally defeated, yet go on to have their finest workouts.
That’s pretty much how it transpired for Ian that day. Once he started warming up and the blood began to flow, he was ready to go.
LOVE-HATE: Ian’s relationship with this particular drill
In fact, the entire week (7), Ian was solid. Very solid. He put in a good shift every time. He never complained.
Even after he’d taken a seat for several minutes to recover from a little concoction I put together for him involving the punchbag, which is doing wonders for his conditioning, Ian still grinned and said, “I love it.”
Sue’s similar. She gets on with it despite the entire week being a grind for her. She’s had to fight for practically every rep and has shown me how much grit she possesses.
Ian’s still at a stage where he’s eating up the weights. But the time will come when he will have to dig even deeper. I believe in him, though. The first six weeks have got him ready for what’s to come.
I half-anticipated that Sue would moan at how challenging it’s become, but, almost with a smile on her face, she responded in the opposite fashion.
GETTING READY: prep work for her next session
“I like it,” she said. “It [the increased weight] is good. It shows I’m progressing.”
Ian’s developing well also, but a few days off for a long weekend at the end of week 6 served as a timely reminder of how easy it is to slip into decline – staying up late, watching movies, eating too much.
This is the real challenge that awaits every graduate of this program. To keep the momentum going, you have to continue with the good habits.
IN THE BAG: another circuit complete
When he returned after that weekend, Ian was itching to train again. It took him a few sessions to get back into the training loop. He’s determined to build on the work he’s already put into the Amazing 12.
Unquestionably, Ian’s fitness has improved dramatically. He went out cycling again over a weekend with friends and was once more impressed by his stamina.
“I can see why athletes do strength training,” he said. “I’m delighted with the results I’m having so far.”
GETTING THE HINGE: technically, Sue is so much better than when she started
Sue’s in the same camp. “I feel so empowered and I can only put it down to weight-lifting,” she said.
“This [lifting weights] is so addictive. I wish I could do it full-time.”
There’s still a long way to go and the back end of the Amazing 12 is where the serious development occurs. But it doesn’t come easily.
It’s important to keep that mind, otherwise it comes as a shock. Remember also that the challenging moments are nearly always the times that produce the greatest growth.
Sue admitted during her back squats this week, “I felt scared.”
I was encouraging her to squat deeper by placing a box behind her as a depth target. But she was going just shy, fearing she wouldn’t get back up. Mind games. That’s all it was. I knew she had it in her.
“The mind is so powerful,” she said.
We have conversations about it throughout training every week. I know that with Sue, as with most people, the only limit to her potential is the thought in her head.
NICE PLANK: Sue keeping her body rigid for these push-ups
As soon as I said I wouldn’t recognise or count any squat that failed to touch the box, Sue squatted to the required depth!
There’s already a world of difference between her now and when she started – physically, technically and mentally.
Sue is vowing to stay focused. “I’ve worked too hard to get this far,” she assured me. “I’m loving the weight-training and each week I get to challenge myself.”
Setting a challenge is what this program is all about. However, make it too hard and you risk injury and/or discouragement. When it’s too simple, there’s the possibility of boredom or a lack of motivation.
What I like about the Amazing 12 is that it seems to get the balance just right.
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Sue going from strength to strength
YOU’VE got to want it. I’m talking about change, specifically, but it also applies to many things, like being healthy and fit.
In the vast majority of cases you cannot force change. It won’t last. Forcing will usually be met with resistance. Then you have a fight on your hands and resentment follows.
IN THE BAG: another session over for Ian
Change, therefore, has to start with the individual. It has to come from within the individual. And, as a coach, I’m there to help that person along.
The moment they stop wanting/desiring it (change), it’s effectively over. I can’t run the race for them, so to speak. I can’t push them uphill either.
Take Sue Crabtree and Ian Barnett, now at the end of week 5 of the Amazing 12 Chichester. Sue signed up because she wanted to get stronger, but she certainly didn’t need to. I’ve written it this way to differentiate between wants and needs.
For Ian it was different. While carrying extra timber (as he likes to put it), he probably needed to start some exercise regimen and make alterations to his diet, but the process could only begin when he decided it was time.
GETTING TO GRIPS: Sue’s improving her technique by the week
When I look at my regular clients – the ones who come week in and week out – I see individuals who want to be there and value what training can offer them.
For the more sporadic trainers it’s a case of having to when their shape or health begins to get out of control. Or they just don’t see exercise as being a valuable enough component to their well-being.
However, the latter group tend to yo-yo, whereas the first group are consistent.
COMMITTED: No stopping Ian now
But you can trick yourself into wanting to train – if you can find the right bait. Find something – anything – about your training that you love. The wanting will come if the motivating factor is strong enough.
It could be the way your muscles feel afterwards or the people at the gym or the time to yourself or that each training session takes you closer to your goal or staying in shape or how it makes you better than you were the day before or that it will make you look and feel younger or that the consequences of doing nothing will come back to sting you later in life or it makes you feel great.
PRACTICE: correct repetitions lead to improvement
Get creative (though remain honest) because I understand not everyone enjoys training, but I often ask why? What’s their thought or story or experience about exercise or training that deters them?
Ian wants to be the sort of father who can play actively with his children and be around for them as they grow older. As a conscientious parent, that’s enough driving force to keep him going on the Amazing 12. He’s doing it for himself, but also his family. He’s setting a standard, being a positive role model. He’s trying to reclaim the body he should have in his mid-40s. He’s on a mission to stop and reverse the inevitable decline that comes from neglect and sitting for hours at a desk each day. He’s looking at this as the first stop on his ticket to a better and healthier future.
GRIMACE: battling through the tough sets
Luckily, he’s enjoying the training so far. He is seeing and feeling the differences to his physique. He is noticing how much better he is moving. That certainly helps keep his dedication levels high.
But Ian may not be enjoying getting up at 5.23am each morning to drive to the Core Results gym and if he thought only about the wake-up time and losing sleep and how cold it is outside at that time, for how long do you think he’s going to remain committed?
RING MASTER: Ian holding it together as he cranks out the reps
Shifting his attention to how the workouts make him feel, the start it gives him to his day, how it puts him in a more positive frame of mind, gets him closer to his goal of shifting body fat etc makes getting out from under the duvet far easier.
At the end of week 4 Ian went cycling with a group of friends. He said he was “astonished” by how much easier the ride was and when he hit the hills, which are normally tough, he had more strength and energy in his legs.
Holding on to thoughts like this can help us through any sticking points we may encounter. But if we instead think about our favourite sugary foods that we are giving up or aches and pains we feel or the late night TV program we are sacrificing, the potential for being derailed increases significantly.
THE SET-UP: so important, especially with the back squat
Sue had a particularly rough week on week 5, not that you would have noticed from her performances in the gym, mind you. But she told me that, mentally and physically, her moods were low and that she couldn’t have felt worse – that she wanted to go home and keep herself to herself. Yet she still came to the gym and, remarkably, put in her best week of training so far.
How she did it was by changing her focus. I’m impressed with that type of commitment and her improvements are beginning to show. I’m not necessarily talking just aesthetics, but more so Sue’s lifting techniques, breathing and concentration, which, to me at least, is equally if not more vital.
LIGHTER: Sue looking for more speed on the prowler
The better her technique, focus and breathing becomes, the more weight she will be able to lift and, consequently, her body will change and adapt faster.
Thankfully, Ian and Sue don’t require a lot of motivating. They are, for now, all in. But not all my clients are this way. And often it’s down to where you place and hold your thoughts.
WORKING with people interests, fascinates and motivates me. No day is ever the same. No person is the same. It’s challenging, but satisfying.
Essentially, I’m in the gym to teach and guide. But I’m also the student. I’m always a student, because I don’t know everything there is to know.
It’s a mutual existence. With every client I put through the Amazing 12 Chichester program, I discover new things about myself, how to coach, human psychology, techniques, formulas, people’s strengths and weaknesses…
SHAPING UP: steady progress from Sue
Sue Crabtree and Ian Barnett have completed three weeks. That’s a quarter of the program gone already.
Twelve weeks may seem like a long time to some. But it flies by. And, probably because you are nearing the finish and want to squeeze every ounce out of the program, the final six weeks seem to always pass in the flash.
It still feels like early days for these two, but it’s not. I see changes. Sue’s keeping an eye on Ian even though they train at different hours. She’s noticed how his face has altered and his upper body, too.
GROWING: Sue’s confidence is on the up
Sue’s observed how her shoulders have taken on an appearance she’s never seen before. Best of all, though, she’s walking around with confidence. Yes, real confidence.
“I don’t know what it is,” she said. “But lifting weights has really made me confident in my body.”
There’s genuine surprise in her voice as she says it. I’m not surprised. I see it all the time. But to hear it from a one-time weight-training skeptic is somewhat satisfying.
IMPROVING HER SKIP: a chance to warm-up and practice at the same time
That’s not all. Whilst we’re in confession mode, Sue also told me how surprised she is by the way weight-lifting has made her more mindful.
“It really is,” she said. “You really do have to be more mindful. It’s amazing.”
There’s a saying: ‘Where focus goes, energy flows.’ You need your energy when lifting weights and you need it to be channelled in the right direction. If your head is somewhere else, you could be in trouble. You won’t perform. The connection between mind and body is weaker. Sue’s learning this. She’s open-minded, though, and that’s essential.
She added, “Mentally, I feel brilliant.”
Oh yeah, I shouldn’t forget how she’s come to understand also the importance of breathing – not just breathing, but WHEN and HOW.
STRENGTH: Ian’s continuing to develop
Ian’s reporting similar feedback. Even though he does the early-morning shift (mostly 6am) and is dripping sweat while most of you are still tucked in bed, he walks out of Core Results gym with a wry smile on his face, the sort of look that comes with getting your day off to a great start and leading with a sense of accomplishment.
This week I played around a little with Ian’s program. It was at his request, to be honest, because, as someone who’s done some martial arts, Ian asked for some boxing and I obliged, without compromising the essence of the Amazing 12.
AGONY AND ECSTACY: often real joy is hard-earned
It’s made training a tad tougher for him. He’s been breathing harder, but it’s going to accelerate his fitness levels.
“It feels like hell doing it, but, I must admit, I feel brilliant afterwards,” Ian confessed.
As you can probably tell, the process is one of ups and downs. You get good days and then there are tough days. There are workouts and movements you like and there are ones you do not. That’s how it is in the gym. That’s how making progress works.
If you don’t understand or realise that, it can feel alarming, so I try to explain the process as much as I can.
I like most those moments when someone walks away from the weights and feels they’ve performed poorly and I reveal (by looking at my numbers) how well they have actually done. It happened with both Ian and Sue this week. Funny how instantly what seemed or felt like a disappointing effort can be turned on its head with a different perspective or some data.
It proves that satisfaction is a totally mental construct, a matter of how you choose to look at something.
FAVOURITE: Ian’s enjoying pulldowns right now
The best way to navigate the Amazing 12 is day by day, moment to moment and without conducting a deep enquiry into every repetition and training session.
“For me it’s about the journey,” said Sue, which sounded like music to my ears when she uttered those words.
To get the most out of the ‘journey’ requires the utmost presence. It reminded me of something I read this week about how there is nothing more important than what we are doing and experiencing in the moment.
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
I THINK Sue Crabtree, back on her second week of the Amazing 12 Chichester after missing a week through being ill, is beginning to see why I enjoy and value lifting weights so much.
“I’m finding that, mentally, it’s fantastic,” she admitted.
Of course, weight-lifting and training is also working us in the physical realm, but it’s the thinking and concentration side that most people overlook or sell short.
As she’s new to working with the steel, Sue’s realising just how “switched-on” you need to be. While that may be frustrating and taxing for some of us, for meit’s one of the attractions.
LEANER: Ian’s dropped half a stone so far
Ian Barnett, also on his second week of the Amazing 12, has done weight-training previously and, especially as he’s trying to regain his fitness, appreciates the value of what it can do for him.
He missed a few days this week – one because he had a work conference in London pre-booked and the other because he felt really rough (onset of a cold). But Ian was itching to get back in the gym at Core Results even though he felt below par. And by the end that early morning (6am) session, he felt much better for it.
Lifting weights and exercising can be like meditation from the point of view it requires – for the best results and, more importantly, to avoid injury – that you focus your attention on the one thing you’re doing.
ADJUSTMENT: better technique this week on battle ropes
As an always-on-the-go-type person, Sue’s having to adjust to the different pace of training with weights and the way it’s done on the Amazing 12.
Runners often like to allow their minds to roam when they are out covering the miles and that’s one of the joys of running. But in the gym, with a weight on your back or in your hands, you can’t afford to go off into dreamland or admire your surroundings. That’s when you can get hurt.
Weight-training is great for Sue, in my opinion, because I believe we should choose movements and types of training that are the opposite of or offset the way we tend to live our lives and complement the strengths we already have.
HEAVIER: getting stronger means increased challenges
If your life is fast-paced, stressed and hectic, go take a yoga class or, if you prefer the gym, pick movements that are slower, more deliberate and require patience. Do what you need and not what you want.
Technique-wise, I recognise how Sue’s starting to find her groove. It was all alien to her when she started. She admits that she’s someone who needs continual reminding (and I oblige), but, as the process of practice dictates, Sue’s requiring fewer pointers as the days go by. Her body is beginning to remember the new patterns.
As someone who has continually had some back pain, Sue declared she’s felt nothing since lifting weights except the feeling you get from working your muscles. She’s particularly pleased about that.
I’m noticing her becoming stronger, engaging her core muscles better and understanding what movements are challenging what muscle parts.
NEW GEAR: Ian turns on the turbo with the prowler
It’s the same for Ian. While he has a good grasp of technique, with Ian it’s a case of removing the rust.
“I thought about what you said last week,” he said. “Doing this [the Amazing 12] is a return to fitness for me, but making progress is the way to go [long-term].”
Ian has already shed half a stone. There’s definitely a difference in him and his appearance. He’s growing in strength and confidence. He already has his sights on a challenging cycle ride later this year.
IN THE ZONE: lazer-like focus from Ian
Progress is what the Amazing 12 is all about. And it is achieved through practice. Methodical practice. Intelligently-constructed practice. It’s not about being perfect. Perfection is the aspiration – the end of the rainbow that we try to find, but never can lay our hands on.
Perfection has an end date. Then what? Practice is infinite. Perfection can rouse in us a fear of failure. Practice encourages it.
So replace any frustration with patience and attention and dedication and trust.
Practice doesn’t just apply to technique. Sue, for example, likes to stay within her comfort zone. She called it “lazy”, I think I said she was “cautious”.
REPETITION: more opportunity to improve
Our mindset receives far more practice than our body. If your thoughts are not in alignment with your intentions, you are most likely impeding your own progress.
So I challenged Sue to move closer to the discomfort zone. The more you venture there, the less daunting it seems. Stay in the comfort zone – the part that’s really easy – and you can feel like you’ve been treading water for years. Nothing much changes.
The beauty of having a trainer is that he or she not only tells you what to do and, if competent, helps you to do it correctly, but holds you accountable. In addition, being on a program like the Amazing 12 means that, when executed properly, adaptations happen naturally.
As far as I’m concerned, as the coach, these two are warming well to the task. For me, it’s always more about the progress than perfection. If you are feeling daunted by a challenge, I encourage you to move towards and not away from it. Real growth comes from taking and completing those brave steps.
THERE are no bad experiences, only opportunities to learn and grow.
As a finance man, Ian Barnett understands fully the path of progress – that in the world of stocks and shares, for instance, there are many fluctuations and no guarantees.
In the gym, where he is making a comeback to fitness and investing in his strength and health on the Amazing 12, it is much the same. There will be fruitful days and there will be difficult days. It’s what is achieved over the long haul, not day to day, that counts most. The idea is to cover a lot of ground with small steps rather than boldly taking giant, often unattainable, leaps.
IN THE BAG: another session complete for Sue
Sue Crabtree, also on the Amazing 12 Chichester, discovered how this process is one of ups and downs also. This was her second week and she was struck off entirely with a cold that literally took her voice away.
When things don’t go to plan, you can do several things: wallow in your misery; give up entirely or pick yourself up and keep going.
So Sue, determined not to be outdone and to complete the program in its entirety, is going to extend her training by a week to make up for the lost days and give herself the best possible chance of maximising her results.
“I just don’t want to miss out on training as I’m loving it so much,” she said. “I don’t get sick often, but when I do, I go down hard.” This week she was hit hard.
SET-UP: Sue prepping her deadlift
Sue is on the mend, though, and ought to be back in the groove for week 3. She’s a nutritionist by profession, so I don’t have any concerns about her following instructions on what to eat and drink.
However, Sue is new to lifting weights – or at least the type of weight training I prescribe. Her previous experience was with light weights only and she found them dull to work with and got bored.
Before beginning the Amazing 12, I taught her and Ian the basics. Then we use the program to make improvements. Every session at Core Results is an opportunity to refine technique, learn and develop experience.
ON THE CRAWL: warm-up time
So while it could be better for Sue – and getting ill is one of those things you can’t legislate for – it’s going well for Ian.
He has been buzzing all week and feeling changes in his body, which is hardly surprising if you have been inactive a long time and begin training again (so long as the introduction isn’t severe).
As a father of three and business owner, the stumbling block to taking part on this program for Ian, 46, was finding time in his busy life.
Most mornings we are in the gym, ready to go, by 6am. And with the weather being as chilly as it has been, the early rising is an additional challenge.
MECHANICS: seeing if Ian’s squat has been affected by years at a desk job
However, on the final day of his first week, Ian said to me, “It’s freezing cold, 6am, but it’s so good we’re doing this. I didn’t think I’d be able to find the time, but I am.”
Anything is possible. Really.
Ian has found some of the training challenging this week. But when I pointed out to him the progress he had made in just a matter of days, he was blown away.
It’s not unusual, in the beginning, to make rapid strides. Ian used to do a fair amount of sport when he was younger, before work and a family took over. He’s put on about 2st (28lbs) since getting married five years ago. My job is not only to get him back into that type of condition, but go beyond.
RUNS TO GUNS: building some muscle
Sue, 48, wants to become strong. She’s a runner, though isn’t afraid of muscle.
“I know I have to change my exercise according to my body and age,” she said, meaning that she understands the need for having a stronger body.
I don’t doubt for a second that Sue and Ian have the commitment that’s needed to succeed. They also both have a maturity, realistic expectations and understandings of how the process works.
That’s a great starting point because, as I’ve said many times previously, one of the greatest impediments to making progress is a lack of patience.
