Graduates of the A12 Chichester program Archives

Kari (June 2016)

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THE day after completing the Amazing 12, Karien Gladman took part in the World War Run in Dorking. She was a little apprehensive beforehand as during the Amazing 12 we hadn’t done a lot of the type of endurance work she had been used to. Kari therefore wasn’t entirely sure how her fitness would hold up.

I got a message from her. “Excellent race,” she said. “Loved the mud as always. I was so strong doing obstacles. Successfully completed several I would not have attempted before. Great feeling!”

Obviously, it wasn’t as bad as anticipated and further proof what the Amazing 12 can do for fitness as well as strength and physique and so many other aspects of our being.

But I wasn’t really surprised. What I noticed about Kari more than the strength gains and physical changes was the rise in her confidence. Here was a South African mother (of a grown-up son who recently graduated from university with a masters degree) in her mid-forties who was unsure of herself in the gym and, in particular, around weights. She’d tried CrossFit, but always favoured the workouts and movements that suited her strengths – mainly cardio.

Kari was described as a ‘plodder’. Now, though, she is anything but. Over the course of three months, I watched her blossom under the barbell. And this lady has real staying power!

“This experience has made a bigger impact on my life than I thought it would,” she said.

Kari considered it a survival-type experience as it was all so new and there was the diet to adhere to.

“The last week, especially, felt that way” she said. “The Amazing 12 worked me in many ways…discipline, determination, limited calories, spurring your team members on. And, and, and…I now realise it [the Amazing 12] was not just about the fitness.”

Kari got the results she was looking for and worked hard for it. “Thank you so much for this experience,” she said.

“I look exactly the way I want to look. My body is toned, my shoulders are not too big.”

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Kari had her moments of uncertainty and a few days when she was off-colour, but, generally, her consistency was her strong point.

“Although there were times when I wondered how this would work out for me, I knew I had to believe in you and the program and ride it out,” she said. “I am so much stronger now. I am believing in myself and my abilities so much more.”

And yet Kari has the potential to go much further. I took her as far as I could within 12 weeks – and the photos show clearly how she got leaner and more muscular – but, especially in the areas of strength, I feel we only scratched the surface.

“This has opened an Aladdin’s cave for me,” she said. “I love feeling strong. I am walking with my head held high.”

Kari seldom, if ever, complained. She’s the type of person you give instructions to and she tries her best, always attempting to maintain a calm exterior. And, as a coach, all I can ever ask for is that my students offer their best effort. She missed in total three days (because of work commitments) – two in week 4, one in week 9 – but was always devastated to have to do so.

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I remember one particular session when Kari suddenly realised – for the first time – that she actually had muscles. Tall and slender, Kari was smitten with her biceps. But I was seeing changes in her physique, strength, movement and performance throughout.

I recall how at the start she was finding it difficult to military press for reps with 12.5kgs (27.5lbs), yet by the end she was working with 27kgs (59.4lbs). Similarly, her bench press working weight went from 12.5kgs (27.5lbs) to 33kgs (72.6lbs). Kari’s back squat for multiple reps more than doubled – from 17k (37.5lbs) to 36k (79.2lbs). Best of all was her deadlift. We started with unbroken reps using 30k (66lbs) and finished at 72.5k (159.5lbs)!

Kari was a pleasure to work with and get to know. The above numbers underline her progress and successes. The photos illustrate all Kari’s hard work and what happens when effort, improved eating and intelligent training are all combined. Now she can feel immensely proud of her achievement, enjoy her new body, put it to use and, armed with more confidence, set about attacking the many other challenges on her bucket list.

How did she enjoy the program? “Loved it,” she said. “Loved it!”

Now she’s considering doing a six-week version of the program – usually reserved for those who have already done 12 – in the New Year.

*Do you want results like Kari’s and/or to transform your fitness, strength and physique? I’m looking for a few more committed individuals for the next wave, beginning on September 5 at Core Results Gym. Places are limited. If you would like to know more about the Amazing 12 Chichester program, please contact me at Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk.

Sue (June 2016)

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I REMEMBER clearly earlier this year returning from the gym having watched 43-year-old mum-of-two Sue Saunders work on her corrective exercises in her bid to return from shoulder surgery (May 2015). I said to my wife, “I can’t see Sue being ready [in time for the Amazing 12]”.

That was my judgement based on what I had seen to that point. The start of the Amazing 12 was only weeks away. But then something happened: Sue made miraculous progress. The shoulder loosened up and felt much better. Kudos to the team at Core Results for that. And, all of a sudden, Sue went from being a ‘No way’ to a ‘she’s ready’.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. Sue’s worked with me on the Amazing 12 as my photographer since I started. She had seen all my previous graduates. I’d also worked with Sue as a coach, so there was already a strong element of trust both ways.

Sue had talked about the Amazing 12 with her father shortly before he passed away. This gave the challenge added significance. Naturally, she was concerned about the shoulder flaring up or not being up to the task. She had other concerns also: finding the time; devoting fewer hours to her photographic business; the impact on family life; coping with the sense of guilt from focusing on herself; not wanting to let anyone down.

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Her husband told her to go for it. Her two children were supportive from the get-go. We scheduled some time in the gym for me to take her through some movements to test out her body and there didn’t seem any problems. I gave her the green light. Sue then made the decision to proceed.

She didn’t know precisely what she was letting herself in for, but knew she wanted to do it. I reassured her that the intention was – and always is – to enable her to become stronger, fitter and in better shape without causing injury. This program is adaptable.

As you can see from the photos, Sue did staggeringly well. Look at the photos and realise the difference in weight lost between the start and finish was only 3lbs, yet the transformation and increase in strength was impressive.

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It wasn’t smooth sailing – and something like this seldom is. However, Sue missed only one day of training and she was gutted about that. She really wanted to be ever-present.

This was an adventure and all adventures, almost by definition, are lined with uncertainty, moments of joy and times when you have to dig incredibly deep and feel close to the edge of your comfort zone. Sue had several of those moments. The key is to keep going – and she did. There was never any question of that. Hopefully, I can coax her to explain in her own words in due course how the experience felt and what she gained from it.

There were some specific goals she had which were overcome. For example, her previous best deadlift (for one rep) was 82.5kg, yet by week 7 Sue was knocking out reps with 80kgs. By the finish, she had nailed 92.5kgs for multiple reps without putting down the bar.

Five days after her photo shoot I got her back in the gym and we did some strength-testing (above). She managed a single-rep deadlift of 102.5kgs (225.5lbs)!

To say Sue became stronger is an understatement. I remember the first day I ever trained her shoulders (going back a few years) and her grimacing as she pressed overhead a 7.5kgs bar with 1.25kg plates dangling on either side. To show how far she has come, by the end of the A12 she was shoulder-pressing for reps and sets with 16kgs dumbbells in each hand – and with more comfort than she is even aware of.

I watched her display tremendous grit to better her squatting with a weight that had left her stumped the first time we tried it. Her fitness levels soared as well. I recall Sue saying one day how amazed she was by the speed with which she was able to recover from day to day without ever feeling sore.

In the strength-test session, Sue hit 60kgs (bodyweight) for one rep on her bench press and did a chin-up from a dead-hang (arms straight) with 14kgs attached. As a fitness test, I had her do a 10-length challenge with an empty prowler after five weeks of training. She recorded a time of 2mins 45 secs. When we retested at the end of the program, her time was down to 2mins 27 secs for the same distance. Clear improvement!

I can’t deny Sue was challenging to coach, but I mean that in the nicest possible way. Sue undoubtedly helped me to grow as a person and coach. She asked questions every day. That’s just how she is – wanting and needing to comprehend the hows and whys for everything. She kept me on my toes. In return, I enjoyed encouraging her to challenge her perceived limits and prevail.

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Initially, strength was her focus in order to regain the confidence to use her body as she could pre-injury, but then her attention switched to body shape and wanting to get an elusive six-pack, drop body fat, feel confident and lean enough in her body to wear shorts again and achieve a physique that reflected how hard an effort she had made.

I had to keep reassuring her that the program will deliver if you stick with it. It’s only normal when you haven’t been somewhere to ask or wonder what is around the next corner. Then we hit the final week – the peaking stage – where preparation is everything. Sue continued to display great strength. She knocked out 45 quality chin-ups in fairly short time in one particular session and told me on a scale of 1-10 for difficulty (with 10 being tremendously hard) that it felt like only a 5 or 6!

Sue’s an extraordinary and multi-skilled lady. She juggles a lot of balls. She’s a perfectionist. She also confesses to not liking change. But she’s also very funny, determined, committed and delivered results which exemplify what the Amazing 12 is all about.

I’m proud of her and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her to write this chapter in her life. I hope enough of my philosophy has rubbed off on Sue to help her recognise this as the beginning and not the end and that with the right mindset and patience she has the potential to continue taking on and conquering any challenges she dares to set for herself.

*Want to be the next candidate for the Amazing 12 Chichester? I am taking applications for the wave beginning September 4 at Core Results, Chichester. Contact me at Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk

Jon (April 2016)

I HAD to debate whether to even include Jon Waites’ second round of the Amazing 12. It’s not because of the results (you can be the judge of that). It’s because he effectively only completed nine weeks. So, if I am honest, it was more like the Amazing 9 than the Amazing 12.

Jon’s a busy man. A father of two who runs his own business, Jon quite often at short notice had to shoot off to London from West Sussex, meaning he skipped quite a few sessions – 14 to be precise! Ouch!

That’s all a bit frustrating. My intention is always to get the best results possible. Luckily for me, Jon always responds well to the program (well, who doesn’t?) He trains hard, too – within the parameters of my instructions.

This second Amazing 12 transformation was definitely different to and more challenging than the first. Jon was training with his girlfriend, Jo (below), rather than by himself and out of his garage as opposed to a gym. We made it work. I brought over dumbbells and kettlebells. Jon had some of his own equipment. It was dusty. Often it was cold, especially at the start of the year and when we rearranged our training sessions for 6am! But you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

So you should look at his photos through the lens that says with three weeks extra training his results would have been more spectacular. Continuity in this program is so important. You miss sessions and you lose momentum and the opportunity to maximise the effects of the training. Jon also skipped quite a few days at a crucial time – week 11 – and I wasn’t sure he was even going to finish because he had so much going on away from the gym.

But he had come so far it would have been deeply disappointing had he not made it across the finish line.

Thankfully, he did.

As you can see, Jon was in fairly good shape to begin with. It shows that this program works on the experienced as well as complete beginners (check out Jo Smith’s transformation for evidence of that). Jon got strong. He was banging out reps on the incline bench with 37kgs dumbbells in each hand and made gains in other areas. But, for obvious reasons, I wouldn’t say I got him as strong as when we first trained. Had we not missed so many days it would have been another story. But he was still strong enough, for example, to hammer out around 50 chin-ups in short time with 7kgs strapped to his waist.

Jon’s Amazing 12 transformations were almost exactly a year apart. He is already hinting at doing a third. Some people can’t get enough of it. And there’s a reason for that. It works: it gets you strong; it gets you fit; it gets you in shape.

Thanks, as ever, to my trusty photographer, Sue Saunders, who is currently going through the program herself.

I should make a point here of mentioning the photos and that we had to use a black backdrop for the finishing pictures as we switched venues. Sue and I work hard to ensure the comparable images are as authentic as possible.

I got a text from Jon the next day expressing his thanks and saying he was very pleased with the results. If my customers are happy then I am happy.

Jo (April 2016)

HOW do you take a 32-year-old mother of two with a full-time job who has never trained before and in 12 weeks turn her into an athlete?

That’s pretty much what happened with Jo Smith. She had never lifted weights or been a member of any gym or played sports. I took her through two private sessions before we started training – to show her the movements and give her some basic tuition. The rest we had to learn and improve while on the job.

Fortunately, Jo is a good learner. Sometimes it can be easier with raw beginners because they don’t have bad habits that are difficult to break. To some extent that was the case with Jo. But when I think back to the start and how she didn’t know how to engage the right muscles at the right time, it makes her progress all the more staggering.

In the beginning I had her bench-pressing with only 9.5k on a bar. By the end she was doing reps, albeit tough ones, with 42k! That’s a massive increase in strength. Her back squat and deadlift more than doubled during the same period. With more training, it will only continue to improve.

Already she’s talking about doing another round!

Jo started with what could be termed a slender ‘mum’s body’ and finished looking like she’s been working out her entire life!

Every day after I’d finish my Amazing 12 coaching session in the garage gym we used, I would reverse my car on the gravel drive to turn around. As I did so, Jo would walk back to the house.

I can’t remember when precisely, but there came a point when I suddenly noticed how her physique had taken on an entirely new appearance.

She committed herself to the program so well and, to the best of my knowledge, followed all the instructions I gave her.

I got her into the best shape and condition possible within three months. But, because Jo’s never really tested herself physically, there is a lot of untapped potential. This, believe it or not, is just the start.

Jo’s since taken up kite-surfing and cycling.

North London girl Jo was a good student. As the weeks went by, I could see her fitness soaring. Where she had previously faltered, Jo just kept on going, like an energiser bunny.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were some sticky patches, like when she felt sore (common if you’re working muscles that haven’t been taxed in a long time) and one time when she pulled something in her chest. But we found ways to continue without making the situation worse. Jo always brought a good attitude to our sessions, though. I couldn’t have asked for more.

She had to skip a few workouts – six to be precise – through either illness or work-related issues beyond her control, but approached the program with the right mentality, doing everything I asked and never wanting to cut corners. Jo always felt disappointed whenever she missed training.

We got there in the end and the photos tell the story. I am proud of her achievement.

“I always had a flat tummy,” she said. “But never abs. Now I don’t need to suck in my stomach anymore.”

“I loved it [the training]. I’m very happy with the results.”

Kathy (Sept 2015)

KATHY GREEN is no ordinary 61-year-old woman. A native of Vancouver, Canada, she represented and captained her country at the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a volleyball player. She was on the rowing team to go to Moscow four years later until her country (amongst many) staged a boycott.

She reckons she peaked as a player around 1986, but by then had been competing at top level a long time and decided to retire.

Even today, she still regularly plays (and coaches) volleyball and tennis and had been doing CrossFit with me for 18 months before signing up for the Amazing 12.

When I first met her she couldn’t – and wouldn’t – squat below parallel for fear of it hurting her knees. And then she discovered that not only could she squat deep, but that it was, in fact, good for her.

When she started the A12 program, Kathy was coming off a period of inactivity after illness. Her personal bests before the layoff were as follows: shoulder press 35k for three reps; deadlift 100k for one rep; back squat 75k for three reps (but not deep). She couldn’t do a single pull-up or come even remotely close.

During her time doing CrossFit, Kathy’s body shape never changed much even though she moved better and her capacity for work increased.

I worked her hard on the A12, but always in accordance with the principles of Paul McIlroy’s program. Kathy, despite holding down a job as a solicitor, not being a great sleeper and often finishing her workouts at 10pm, didn’t miss a day of training. On some days she was plain exhausted. That’s commitment for you.

By the end, not only had Kathy shed 35lbs of bodyweight and was at her lightest in more than 13 years, but her strength had soared. I’m not a big fan of assisted pull-ups with a band, but for the sake of demonstrating her strength gains, I had Kathy retest it – and FOLLOWING a workout!

Kathy had never before managed a pull-up with anything less than a thick green and thin red band combined. She was astonished when she then proceeded to complete a STRICT chin-up using just a thin red band (for those who use bands this will be of more significant understanding, but take it from me that it is a BIG leap and one that many people struggle to achieve in years!)

Her shoulder press improved to the point that she was hitting close to 40 reps in a short period with her 3rm weight. Kathy was doing multiple reps with nearly 90% of her best deadlift weight and her back squat also improved to the point that she could hit high reps – and I mean HIGH – with 80% of what was her 3rm.

Kathy’s become a bit of an inspiration at the CrossFit gym where I trained her. She was back doing CrossFit and the week after finishing the A12 completed her first CrossFit workout at the RX (prescribed) weight.

She’s got a drive to win (that she has never lost from her competition days) and a zest for life. She is the proverbial energiser bunny and it was a pleasure to work with her – and listen to her compilation of eighties music every night – and unbelievably satisfying to see her achieve such great results.

Adriano (May 2015)

READING testimonials from other Amazing 12 graduates, it’s apparent how everyone has their own reasons for embarking on what is a unique and often intense, testing and enriching journey.

For me, as a coach, the pleasure isn’t just about seeing the transformation taking place and delivering the results my clients have paid and trusted in me to bring about.

I am only a part of the process – the guide, motivator and coach. But the client has to do all the graft. They have to find the discipline, focus and motivation to keep striving and working to achieve their goal, which is to become the best version of themselves from the stimulus the program provides.

I had my doubts before starting about whether Adriano could apply himself with the dedication required.

His attendance in CrossFit classes had been erratic, he worked in London and therefore had a long daily commute there and back and to say he was fond of Italian food was putting it mildly.

But, thankfully, he proved those reservations were totally misplaced. His discipline was extraordinary. It’s deeply rewarding for me to see how the A12 has provided a platform for him to continue his physical development.

But he has grown beyond the improved physique and strength gains. Mentally, this has given Adriano the confidence he was before lacking.

What many don’t know is that several years ago he had a serious fight with cancer, which he overcame, and, quite understandably, has shaped his attitude to life, which is to make the most of all the opportunities that come his way.

Adriano, 40, does a great job of it.

“Doing the Amazing 12 has been a very emotional journey to say the least,” he told me. “It clearly exposed my physical weaknesses and it has been a huge challenge to overcome the idea I had of myself.

“Mental toughness – that was the biggest challenge. I had to apply to myself a very tough discipline as I’m the sort of person that can get easily distracted.

“Doing CrossFit, I was struggling with feeling like I was mentally weak. Since I started last year [2014], I saw all these amazing people around me that during the hardest of workouts would go through and overcome pain and fatigue!

“In these 12 weeks doing the Amazing 12 I’ve learned so much about myself and my body. After my illness [non-Hodgkin Lymphoma], I become a bit self-conscious about it [my body].

“I must say I could never thank you enough for pushing me and giving me an opportunity even though you had your doubts!”

Jon (Apr 2015)

JON is father of two and busy business owner. He had been training fairly regularly before beginning the program.

It’s fair to have described him as strong. He’d come through the CrossFit fundamentals program, but had, on and off, been training for years. He has his own equipment at home and was certainly no newcomer to lifting or training.

I put this information in here because people believe if they have a busy work and family life it’s impossible to commit to a program such as this. Most days Jon trained twice, once by himself and also in the gym with me.

To say his body responded well is an understatement. Early on in the program he would get comments from other gym members noticing his gains. He said he’d never ever been able to see his stomach muscles. Now he can.

Of course, there’s more to the Amazing 12 than revealing a six-pack. By the end Jon didn’t just look so much stronger, but he was, in fact, stronger and fitter.

Work demands meant he was forced to skip a session here and there, which wasn’t ideal, but Jon wanted to sign-up for an extra week to make up for it and that’s what we did.

He lost about a stone in weight and piled on muscle, as you can see from the photos. We didn’t use any crazy diet drinks or do any crash dieting. His transformation was achieved all with healthy eating (whole foods) and intelligent training.

Jon started off with a 1rm of 90k in the bench press and by the finish was doing multiple reps with that weight. He’d always struggled with pull-ups, but at the end was doing multiple chin-ups with 8k attached. He was genuinely amazed at the change. His shoulders got super-strong, too. He finished doing multiple reps with more than 85% of his previous 1rm. His deadlift went from a not-very-pretty 155kg 1rm to doing multiple reps and sets with 130kgs. Fitness-wise, he was warming up with 500m rows at a pace most members of my gym would regard as an all-out sprint.

If Jon can make it happen, anyone can.

Jamie (March 2015)

THIS is my beautiful wife, Jamie Abrams after she completed the Amazing 12 Body Transformation Program. As you can see, she was in pretty good shape to begin with. But she was not a typical gym-goer or someone with a long history of lifting weights (three years, off and on, doing CrossFit).

At 35, a vegan for more than half her life and a yoga teacher of 15 years (currently at Balanced Wellness and LANO Yoga, she’s aways been flexibleand mobile. Now, though, she is stronger and more toned than ever.

On this program her deadlifting, squatting and overall strength improved dramatically. By the end she was doing sets of multiple deadlifts with a weight close to what was her previous best for one repetition when she started.

Her A12 journey was a challenging one, however, not only because she was juggling having to play mother to two children and manage her yoga teaching or that she wasn’t able to do any running, but after completing 10 weeks on the program Jamie then sustained a rib injury (not from training I should add). This forced her to rest for four weeks. Then I started her again on a six-week program.

Though the result of her hard work was evident, Jamie still looked at her final photos in disbelief (maybe because we didn’t have many mirrors in our home). I’m tremendously proud of her achievement and dedication.

She rigidly followed all my instructions and never skipped a session.
Yet until the end, Jamie still doubted what she could achieve and I kept reminding her to trust and believe in Paul McIlroy‘s system and experience that is this program.

Then during the final few days she not only saw the magic of the A12 unveiled, but also the manifestation of all her efforts.

Claude (Jan 2015)

THE longer you’ve been training, the harder it is to bring about any physical change. So in terms of the Amazing 12 Body Transformation program, which I am now running, I saw myself as a good test case: 35 years of continuous training – the last four doing CrossFit, aged 47, on a vegan diet and a naturally lean (difficult to bulk) body type.

I followed the program to the letter and enjoyed every second of it – so much so that I was already looking forward to doing it again. Coming from a boxing background, it suited my mentality: the ritual of building to a peak over a prolonged period (in this case 12 weeks) in a constructive, dedicated manner.

I felt so much stronger at the end than when I started, gaining just 3lbs. I was shoulder-pressing and bench-pressing multiple repetitions with weights I could lift only for one rep when I began and doing multiple chin-ups (40-plus) with weights attached, in a relatively short time.

Not that I ever doubted it, but I discovered first-hand that the program works.

This wasn’t only a transformative experience, but it became an education in strength training and understanding better how to best utilise nutrients to fuel and build our bodies.

There’s no trick photography involved. My intention from the start was to carry out the program as honestly as is possible and that will always be the case.