amazing 12 Chichester Archives

Weeks 9 & 10: Stress and resistance

THE Amazing 12 is a program designed to create transformation. At first glance it seems all about the photos and change in physical shape. But, delve deeper, and it’s about a lot more, as was the case with Reg, who recently completed an eight-week version of the program.

It boosts conditioning, optimises strength and can get people, otherwise stuck, functioning properly again. As Jemma, now at the end of week 10, will probably tell you, it can enhance the spirit, strengthen the mindset and increase confidence.

I’ve found, though, that it will work as well as you allow it to. Some people on the program are more resistant than others.

To resist is to create suffering. Take running a marathon, for example. If with every stride you are wishing the race is over, you will suffer. However, if you surrender to the process and stay in the moment, the whole experience – and your results – are likely to be considerably different and more enjoyable.

DECEIVING: Looks easy, but so many struggle with this crawling variation

Jemma had a lot of resistance to begin with – and it was hard – but I’ve watched her surrender – and flourish – as the weeks have gone by.

Fact is, if you drive with the brakes on, you can’t reach top speed.

There are now just two weeks remaining on my current wave. Two weeks to make the best of the transformation.

STRENGTH: Jade almost down to the ground

Jade this week decided to discontinue. She felt she was becoming too muscular and it was a look she wasn’t happy with.

It’s a shame as she was making outstanding progress with her strength in particular. But I have to respect her feelings and decision.

Jemma, however, is thriving. She’s definitely moving towards top speed. She signed up for the program because she wanted to become leaner as well as achieve other goals. Getting leaner is primarily about fat loss.

In some cases, though, when it comes to fat loss, it can be difficult to shift.

RESOLVE: Jemma’s become better at digging deep

You need to get the nutrition/diet right and nail the exercise/training/movement element.

We’ve heard the expression “You can’t out-train a bad diet” and it’s largely true. There will always be the odd exceptions – the individuals who can eat garbage and still look incredible. But that’s more to do with age and genetics than it is lifestyle. It won’t last forever.

As you get older and life becomes busier and inactivity begins to triumph over activity, shifts start to happen in the body.

Beyond the nutrition and training there is also recovery and sleep, which are vital and I have talked about previously.

For the best possible results you need to have all four working for you.

However, in some cases – and I have seen this quite a few times – when the eating and training is perfect or nearly spot-on, the fat still refuses to budge.

So what is this additional fifth factor?

It’s called STRESS.

You might think the opposite – that stress burns energy. But, on a metabolic level, it doesn’t have that effect.

DEPTH: Jemma couldn’t even squat properly when she started, but has improved immensely

As Dr. Jade Teta, who has worked with thousands of clients and specialises in metabolism and hormones as well as health and fitness, explains: “If you’re eating right, training well and still not shifting fat, there’s a high possibility stress – and too much of it – is the obstacle or cause.”

Stress is generally regarded as a ‘bad’ word, but it’s not always the enemy. Stress raises cortisol and our bodies need cortisol. But too much of it becomes problematic.

In the world of lifting weights and training, for example, stress is a crucial factor in bringing about change.

The key, however – just as with food, drink, exposure to sunlight and practically anything – is in THE DOSE!

It’s when stress or food consumption or being inactive or watching TV or being glued to your phone or worrying or being negative or feeling angry and irritated becomes excessive that problems begin.

BREATHING: Learning when and how can make all the difference

The trouble with stress is when it reaches the chronic stage. And, because we are all so different, how much we can tolerate will vary.

No matter who we are, though, the human body can withstand only so much and, often without warning, decides to down tools.

It’s as if the body is saying ‘you didn’t do anything about it, so now I will’. We don’t want to wait until we get to that point.

Every time you go to the gym and train, your body is being subjected to stress. This stress, when combined with adequate recovery to follow, is what brings about an adaptation and makes us stronger and/or fitter.

There’s a fine line, though, between pushing our bodies hard or challenging ourselves in order to create an adaptation response and doing it so often and beyond what we can cope with that something eventually snaps or breaks.

Getting the measure of how hard to train or how heavy to lift is a critical part of effecting change. The poison, as they say, is in the dose, which is why more is not always better.

We need to manage the stress rather than allow the stress to manage us. In the gym environment, that’s where having a coach can be particularly useful.

Stress, though, comes under many guises. It is around us all the time, as I have explained earlier. Many of us are under stress and don’t even realise it because our world is filled with stimulation.

Any time you resist life you are effectively fighting and in stress mode. Complaining, as I’ve written about in previous blogs, is an example of resisting.

So let’s go into more detail as to how this can derail fat loss. Dr. Teta calls our metabolism a “stress barometer” in so far as it is always trying to get us back into balance. When our bodies are out of balance is when the metabolism is kicked into action.

Our bodies are wired to deal with any stress as a starvation response. If your body thinks it is starving when under stress, it will try to bring you back into balance. It does this by making you hungrier, craving foods and diminishing your motivation to exercise.

Why? Because eating more and moving less enables you to store fat around the liver, giving the body easy access to fuel for when the next stress attack arrives.

As Dr. Teta explains, “if you want to know if your metabolism is under stress look for these signs: increased hunger; unpredictable energy; mood issues; cravings; sleep disruptions.”

I’d bet that the vast majority of us can identify with these characteristics. Our lives are filled with pressure in the work place and family life and general survival (paying bills etc). And if, when feeling hungry and faced with cravings, we then add to the mix poor food choices, we are doubling the stress attack.

When stress levels are high, we need to redress the balance.

So how do we do this?

Try to increase or introduce the following into your lifestyle: Exercise in the right amounts; play sports and games; walk daily – this is not just critical for activating the lymphatic system (which is a whole other subject), but great for relaxation; take time out to read books; have a massage; go to a sauna; spend time with animals; take hot baths; listen to music; meditate; have sex; laugh; spend time in nature and outdoors.

The Amazing 12 Chichester is a holistic training program that maximises in a specific time period changes to physical composition, strength and fitness by applying intelligent progressions and teaching good movement techniques. It focuses also on healthy and sustainable eating practices. But I try to take it further and address the other components in life that are required to enable us to function to the best of our ability. If you are interested in uncovering your full potential, can be committed to the program and want to be a part of the next wave, starting on September 18, or a future wave, email me at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk

Reg (July 2017)

JUST BEGINNING: the first stage of Reg’s transformation (Photos: Sue Saunders Photography)

TO make a significant and lasting change, you have to be a willing participant in the process. If you need to lose weight or body fat or have a desire to get fitter or want to overcome some form of addiction, no-one else can do the work for you.

Screaming at and pestering and forcing someone to change doesn’t work. At least not in the long term.

So when Reg first came to see me, it was with the full understanding of what he was taking on. His wife had bumped into Stacey Satta shortly after she’d completed the Amazing 12. They’d previously worked together and chatted about Stacey’s experience. Stacey passed on my details. Reg’s wife and I then began a conversation.

It was clear from the beginning this wasn’t going to be a typical Amazing 12 transformation. Reg, at 6ft 1in, is a big man. Lifestyle had directly contributed to him piling on the pounds. He had reached a whopping 25st.

Drinking and eating the wrong stuff had taken its toll. As a dentist of 24 years, Reg admitted he didn’t move a great deal during his working day. He was consuming two litres of Pepsi Max daily, drinking wine, eating large portions of food. Combine that with a lack of movement and, before you know it, your body changes shape and composition and begins to strain under the increased load.

Reg had a problem with his heel and, periodically, his knees. He had to miss a few sessions early on because of the pain, but Reg could feel how the addition of movement, training, healthier eating and drinking water to his daily routine was making him feel much better. From 40 training sessions, Reg missed five.

He admitted before starting: “The image I had of myself was not the true me. At home we don’t have any mirrors. They are only from the neck upwards.”

Basically, Reg thought he was slimmer than he actually was.

But one day Reg was out shopping, saw a full-length reflection of himself and was shocked. “I know I am overweight,” he conceded.

PROGRESSING: every session he gets better

When we first talked, I made it clear this was going to be a long-term project. Although Reg wanted to sign up for the eight-week program, I knew he’d need more. So did Reg.

But he had a family holiday planned and we went into the eight-week program with the mindset of it being just the beginning of a grander transformation. This was the first phase.

Reg, 49 and the father of three children, was unhappy with his physical appearance. Moving was difficult. Breathing was even challenging at times. Going up steps was taxing. Yet he was up for the job.

DETERMINED: Reg has the drive to succeed

Reversing years of neglect doesn’t happen in a few weeks, though. You take it a day at a time. Slowly, you replace unhealthy practices with healthier ones. It took a lot of courage for Reg to enter a gym from scratch, expose the truth of his condition and even take off his shirt to be photographed.

It shows, though, how committed Reg was. As someone who comes from a family five generations deep in the medical profession, he knew his health had to improve. “Getting fit [again] will allow me to do more things,” he said.

Reg hadn’t even returned to his native Ghana for years – decades – because of his weight! The last time he saw his mother, Reg weighed 17st. “She was so aghast when she saw a picture of me recently,” he said.

When he came to England in 1990, Reg weighed about 13-14st. He was 18st when he got married in 1997.

REPETITION: perfect practice makes perfect

Prior to the Amazing 12 (8), Reg hadn’t trained for three years. He played golf regularly – and to a good standard – but hadn’t done any other kind of exercise.

He wanted to lose weight, get fitter and gain leaner muscle mass. But there were obviously concerns.

Would he be able to stick to the diet, find the time to train each day, be consistent in his training, be fit enough, handle training with other people?

BENCHING: Reg on the final day of the program

We did a week of training before we officially started. I wanted to show Reg the movements and see how well he could move his body.

Reg trained mostly evenings – at a time when he’d usually be reaching for food – although several times we started early in the morning; whatever was needed to get the job done.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Reg’s grip is wider than recommended, but as he loses weight his form will get better

Reg was obviously strong and powerful. But he was panting hard from any kind of prolonged exercise of a slightly higher intensity. He’d bide his time going from one movement to another, doing what he could to manufacture extra recovery.

Steadily, though, we progressed. Reg was always in good spirits and great company for those he trained alongside. You couldn’t meet a more likeable man. He tried hard, always.

HIS NEMESIS: Reg’s love and hate affair with crawling

I got him doing things he hadn’t done since he was probably a baby – like crawling. This he found harder than anything else – and it was only the warm-up!

The first time we tried, I had him crawl forwards about six feet and then backwards. He just about made it forwards and couldn’t reverse at all!

Fast forward eight weeks and Reg progressed to a 30m crawl without stopping. The look of amazement on his face was priceless. He made it back about a quarter of the way before needing to stop.

He lost about 2st in weight overall, but most of it fell off his lower body which is why the comparison photos don’t look dramatically different. His trousers were all hanging loose. His legs no longer fill his jeans.

But this eight-week stint wasn’t so much about a transformation of body shape. Reg’s transformation was more about what you CANNOT see in the photos. It was about starting a man on a journey to get himself healthier, stronger, fitter and leaner.

POWERHOUSE: lots of raw strength in this man (Photo: Sue Saunders Photography)

Body fat will disappear over time – with commitment and consistency to training, diet and improved lifestyle. The loss of two stone from the body of a 25st man is less noticeable than on an individual half his weight or less.

But beneath the cloak of excess fat is a strong body waiting to come out. If Reg keeps going, as he says he will, his full transformation will be revealed.

SKY IS THE LIMIT: Reg keeps working towards his goal

The greatest pride I have from watching and training Reg is in how he now moves so much easier, how he recovers from prolonged bouts of more intense exercise far better and the weights that he found to be a struggle to move about four weeks into the program are significantly lighter than what he was lifting relatively effortlessly at the finish.

In the first weeks, he had trouble bench-pressing 32.5kg for multiple reps, yet finished with nearly 70kg, which was nowhere near his limit. He also had difficulty strictly shoulder-pressing 15kg for reps in the beginning, yet increased his working weight to nearly 40kg in two months.

THE PROWLER: Reg starts to move with more bounce

Fitness-wise, I had him push the prowler up and down the gym 10 times as fast he could at week 1 and then again in week 7. His time dropped from 4 mins 32 seconds to 2 mins 51 seconds and, if I’m honest, there was more in the tank. A week later he even started jogging with it!

Those are just a few examples, but Reg’s transformation was, for me, a dramatic and inspiring one for more reasons than I have already stated.

This is a story of a man with the odds stacked against him. A man who could very easily look at the task before him and be overwhelmed by the enormity of the mission, but instead chose to take it on with the mindset of ‘I’ll get it done no matter how long it takes’ and ‘I have to do this because the alternative is much worse’.

Reg’s attitude was excellent, his spirit strong, his laugh infectious, his commitment first class and, with us both being sports nuts and Liverpool FC supporters, his company super-enjoyable.

The intention now is for Reg to resume the program in September, this time for 10 weeks, but he will have the experience of knowing the movements, recognising his abilities, understanding the diet and his body will be better conditioned.

If you are seeking results, need guidance on lifting, training and nutrition and ready to make the commitment to make that happen, send a message to Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk for further details on the Amazing 12. The next wave begins on September 18. Places will be limited.

Weeks 7&8: What does your vision look like?

SLAMMING: with the ball and sledgehammer

THE question of ‘what do you do when you are finished?’ to an Amazing 12 graduate is about as standard as the ‘where do you get your protein from?’ query to a non-meat-eater.

Jemma tells me that she is often asked what happens when the Amazing 12 Chichester is over for her.

It’s a question I have written about in previous blogs and continues to – and probably always will – surface. Obviously, people are curious to know what is the next step beyond the Amazing 12. It’s a valid question.

Jemma and I joke that her answer should be, “Well, I thought I’d go back to doing no exercise, drinking alcohol and eating whatever I liked.”

Clearly, Jemma has no intention of doing that.

In fact, she said to me this week: “I don’t want to stop [the A12]. I love it.”

Jemma is clear on what she doesn’t want to do, but uncertain as to how to continue moving forwards in her training.

A starting point, though, is to have a vision. That’s what is driving Jemma right now. It doesn’t have a time frame. It’s a goal and a mental impression of where and how she wants to be. The Amazing 12 is a vehicle towards that goal.

When the Amazing 12 finishes, the task is then to continue making progress towards the end goal, in whatever shape and form that may be, and that could mean enlisting the assistance or expertise of whoever can help, if need be.

Without a vision, though, you won’t know where are you heading?

Jemma’s vision is to regain her body, confidence and the strength she’s always had but just hasn’t ever realised it. The clearer and more defined her vision, the greater her chances of succeeding. If the vision she now has fades, she may lose impetus or motivation. If her vision changes, she may take a different direction.

But my point is: first find your vision. Make that your focus. Use your vision to drive you onwards and leapfrog all the bumps and obstacles that come your way. Be committed to the vision.

BIG LEAPS: Catriona started with no lifting experience

Catriona succeeded in her goal to learn how to lift weights and now she wants to maintain the physique she has built.

She and Reg have finished their eight-week stints. Jemma and Jade are now into week 9.

Catriona continued to train with me and Reg returned to action after a 10-day break.

In just over a week of inactivity, big Reg could feel the difference. “My God, I’m glad I decided to train,” he said. “I needed that.”

But now he’s off on holiday and that can be a pivotal time. It’s good to get rest and allow your body to recover after a long training stint. Sometimes, though, too much rest can lead to laziness, a loss of motivation and deviation from healthy eating habits. Before you know it, you could be back to Square One.

NATURAL STRENGTH: Reg deadlifts 100kg like it’s nothing

Reg, though, has a vision, which is to get himself closer to 18st from the 25st he started at. That vision is what spurs him on.

Week 8 was a particularly good one for Jemma, having missed her first session (during week 7). She was annoyed about that, because she wanted to finish the 12 weeks without skipping a single workout.

But these things happen and it’s not worth beating yourself up over. Jemma moved on and quickly.

UP AND DOWN: Jade’s gaining fitness and strength, but finding the eating a challenge

For Jade, who hasn’t missed any, it’s been an up-and-down couple of weeks. She’s been battling with the nutritional side of things and admitted to me she’s strayed several times from the plan. Also, with the training there are clearly some days she prefers more than others.

It happens. Some people find the eating guidelines hard to follow and some do not. Catriona strolled through. Jemma had some issues to begin with but now admits, after getting into her stride, “it’s not complicated and there are loads of options. I now find it quite easy.”

With the training, though, I often say it’s usually the movement and training your least enjoy that you need to do the most.

TECHNIQUE: Jade and Catriona holding form

Let’s remember what the Amazing 12 is: a program designed to bring about the best possible results in a given time period.

Sometimes the training can be a hard slog or deeply challenging – mentally as well as physically – which is a necessary part of making improvement and bringing about adaptation. You just don’t want to go there too often.

The real examination is to see how you respond in situations like that. Do you rise to it or shrink away from it?

Jade’s least favourite day happens to be the one Jemma likes best. And while the program feels like it is sailing by for Jemma, Jade feels as though it’s dragging. That’s just how it is. We’re all different.

In spite of her moments of impatience and missing eating certain foods, Jade’s making progress. There aren’t too many people on this program – men or women – knocking out 65 chin-ups in 15 minutes at this stage. In most of her lifts, she is well ahead of the curve.

But Jade can be difficult to please (which she admits) – except for when you play Country and Western music during training! She can be quite tough on herself. I keep reminding her that results come from being patient and following the script – precisely what she finds difficult to do.

DRIVE: Jemma’s focus and commitment is paying off

Jemma’s been on the ball and, to be honest, I’m staggered by how her fitness and strength has improved. She has also dropped more than 1 1/2st in weight.

“I want to give it everything I have,” she said. “I don’t want to finish this and be left thinking ‘what if?’ I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and don’t want to let myself or anyone else down.”

The question you want to ask yourself is ‘have I done everything possible to give myself the best chance of achieving the results I was after?’

As you can tell, attitude plays a big part in success. And on programs like the Amazing 12 – and challenging circumstances in life – your attitude is pivotal.

To spice up the training I added a little competition into the mix. At Core Results this month there has been a gym challenge that involves pulling a sled up and down the gym six times for a given time. It’s a 50k load for ladies and 70k for men. I decided to incorporate it into the program.

Jade, unsurprisingly, has notched up one of the best times and Jemma, incredibly, isn’t far behind!

But to give Jemma’s accomplishment some context, the first time she tried (at the end of week 7), her time was 2:18. Four days later she did it in 1:37 – a difference of 41 seconds!

In fact, everything is beginning to look easier for Jemma even though it should be tougher. Why? Because she’s getting stronger and her mental resolve has shifted.

GRAFT: Catriona, typically, working hard

Catriona also made huge improvement with the sled time from 2:25 to 2:09 to 2:04 – which is 21 seconds in a week!

When I compare Jemma now with the girl who started two months ago, I see someone not only leaner, but more confident and positive and undoubtedly better conditioned.

What makes Jemma trainable, in spite of her propensity for complaining (which I addressed a few weeks ago and, admittedly, has reduced), is that she’s open to learning and making changes.

Jemma takes it in. She gives it a go. She doesn’t always get it first time. She doesn’t always remember. But she is willing.

As I heard someone say this week, “You’re either in or in your way”. Which are you?

The next wave of the Amazing 12 Chichester begins on September 18 at Core Results. Do you want a life-altering challenge? Have you got the commitment to see it through? Are you after results from your training? Do you want to learn about how to eat to get leaner? You’ve seen the results the Amazing 12 can deliver. Make your application today. Places are limited. Send all messages to: Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk

Catriona (July 2017)

THE EVIDENCE: eight weeks of graft and dedication (Photos: Sue Saunders Photography)

AS a doctor of more than 20 years, Catriona knows how the body works. She understands the importance of health. She came to me in the spring after plucking up the courage to finally sample the world of weight training.

Until then, the Scottish 50-year-old mother of two had preferred to do cardio as her chosen form of exercise – and lots of it.

Weight-lifting and weight-training seemed too intimidating. Going to a gym was a scary proposition, as was having personal training sessions.

Catriona, being someone who likes to be good at what she’s doing, knew she’d be out of her comfort zone using weights and wrestling with frustrating periods trying to learn new techniques.

She’d heard about the Amazing 12 several years ago through her husband, who I used to coach. It took her that long to decide the time was right for a change.

Catriona admitted to me she was unsure of her abilities to do the movements in the program. We were, effectively, starting from scratch.

“I avoid doing the things I can’t do,” she had told me. “I don’t want to look stupid.”

But the tipping point came when she noticed how some people who do nothing but cardio – as she was doing – took on a scrawny and skin-and-bones look, which didn’t appeal to her.

RAISING THE BAR: Catriona achieved a physique in eight weeks that years of cardio could not

So she set out to become stronger and acquire some muscles. I’m talking and about lean muscle, not big, bulky muscles.

Catriona was, admittedly, already in impressive shape. Her aim was to put on weight rather than to lose it. She wanted to become fitter and stronger. I remember looking at her when she had her ‘before’ photos taken and thinking how Catriona already had a terrific figure and what the Amazing 12 (or 8 in her case) could do for her.

“I’d like to improve my core and upper body,” she had told me. “I’d like to have some muscles and be more toned.”

It was important, too, that she didn’t get injured.

Other concerns were how she’d feel having to avoid a glass of wine or two each night with a meal. The longest she’d go without was about two-three days. It was something she enjoyed.

However, Catriona was genuinely amazed by how she had no craving at all for wine during her eight weeks on the program and, even when it was over, she didn’t feel the urge for a drink.

PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE: Every session is an opportunity to improve

Just as importantly, perhaps, Catriona has started to look at her training differently. She’s realised the importance of lifting weights and not overcooking the cardio.

“I wanted to incorporate weights into my regular exercise regime but had never used them before and needed the confidence to do it,” she said.

Understanding that Catriona was a beginner, I handled her carefully. As she said, confidence is what she needed. Push too hard, too soon and confidence can get irreversibly damaged.

EYE OF THE TIGER: committed to getting the best results possible

That’s not to say we didn’t have some testing moments. There were many of them. But Catriona was great to work with. She understood all I was explaining. More importantly, she acted upon my advice. She didn’t complain hardly at all.

“I feel empowered as I have challenged myself to do something new and achieved it,” she said.

As you can see from the photos, Catriona achieved some outstanding results. There was a clear bounce in her step.

Not long after finishing her transformation, Catriona went to the gym in Cardiff, where she used to live. “So many people said I had changed,” she said. “I’m really happy with myself.”

PERFECTIONIST: Catriona doesn’t like to ‘fail’ at anything

I recall her saying during the final training session just before the photo shoot, “It’s unbelievable. It does make your abs look better. I’ve never had abs in my life.”

To get those results just meant following the program. Truth be told, Catriona admitted to me several times how she sneaked in extra cardio sessions when I told her not to – some habits are hard to break and temptations more difficult to avoid than others.

From a dietary perspective, though, Catriona said she had no difficulties. She told me one day, “It’s simple. You just follow the instructions.”

For some this is easier than for others. While Catriona admits she has difficulty following her own advice, she at least took mine.

“The diet reduced my weight and also body fat,” she said. “It was relatively easy for me.”

POSITIVE: Catriona realised how important a part your mindset plays

The hard bits were some of the lifts. In fact, in her first session back after the shoot, Catriona had, by her reckoning, a wobbly session, especially with deadlifts. It nearly reduced her to tears. This had more to do with feeling like she had failed than hurting herself.

Weight-training can challenge us in unexpected ways. And that’s not a bad thing.

Catriona sent me a message a few days later, admitting: “Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough!”

I try to cultivate a positive mindset and Catriona took that on board, difficult as it was at times. For example, she explained: “Told to do 10 reps but only manage 7 – at the beginning of the course I would think I’d failed if I didn’t complete the 10. Now I think, fantastic, 7 is better than 2! I try to think of the positives.”

In previous posts I’ve highlighted some of the progress Catriona has made, like taking her time for a challenge pushing the Prowler on week 1 from 3:30 to 2:50 on week 7. For a short time trial that requires all-out effort, that’s a massive improvement.

I remember when Catriona came to see me at Core Results Gym prior to starting. We went through some of the program and she could barely squat to any depth. I had to contemplate alternatives, but instead stuck with the back squat and, steadily, she made great improvement, finishing after eight weeks at 80% bodyweight for high reps and with much-improved form.

LEAN MACHINE: Catriona discovered the benefits of lifting weights and acquiring stronger muscles

Similarly, Catriona’s bench press went from 17.5kg to 28kg, her deadlift from 40kg (using blocks) to 65kg for reps and, using a lat pulldown machine, she went from 17.5kg to being able to do a controlled chin-up, something she’d never done previously and without us ever attempting one during the program.

I couldn’t have hoped for a more committed individual. Typically, this and nutrition are the toughest challenges on the program, but commitment was never a factor with Catriona.

She was in practically every day, punctual and smiling and ready for action. She skipped a few sessions, but for reasons that were unavoidable and never because she didn’t fancy training.

HAPPY CUSTOMER: Catriona described the experience as ‘fantastic’

For her the final week was the toughest. “The weights were heavier and the diet stricter,” she said. “But I still enjoyed it.”

In terms of satisfaction, Catriona summed it up like this: “Amazing, fantastic, unbelievable!”

She added: “I think the whole experience was excellent. If you’re thinking of doing it, just do it.”

If you’re ready to take Catriona’s advice, have commitment and want to know more about the next wave of the Amazing 12 Chichester, starting September 18, drop me a line at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk

Week 7/5: Measuring progress – the hard evidence

I’VE seen it happen again and again on this program. Changes. Physical and mental.

Take Reg – all 25st of him. When he first walked through the door, he moved uneasily. He was carrying a heavy load – a load he had got tired of lugging around and needed to ditch. His movement was laboured.

So where do I often start? I get my clients crawling. Some like it and some do not. But I have them do it, because it’s basic and effective. It resets the body. It boosts the brain. It’s good for co-ordination, core stability etc. That’s why children first learn to crawl before walking and running. It develops their motor skills, strength and balance.

Seriously, Reg could hardly crawl more than five paces forwards. In reverse, he couldn’t move – at all!

BENCHMARK: Reg is lifting and moving so much better than when he started

But now, at the end of seven weeks on an eight-week version of the Amazing 12 Chichester at Core Results Gym, he can cover 30ft in one go without stopping. It’s a clear, measurable display of progress.

I use the prowler a lot as well. For those unfamiliar with this bit of kit, it’s a type of metal, weighted sled. You push it. It taxes you. You feel it and sometimes hard. But it can work wonders – IF you get the dose right.

So I had Reg cover 10 lengths of the gym with the prowler in the first week, his instructions being to give it his best and not stop. But he did stop…several times. It took him 4 mins 32 seconds. His legs hurt. He was breathing hard, a reminder of how lacking in condition he was. “My God,” he said repeatedly.

Roll on seven weeks and at about 7am with the sun shining. “Let’s do it again, Reg,” I said to him. “I’m curious to see how long it takes.”

FEEL THE FORCE: working hard under the dusk sky

Reg had been moving so much better that I felt he and I both needed to know the difference.

Here’s the outcome: Reg marched that thing up and down. He could probably have gone quicker were he able to run. But he paced it evenly and didn’t stop. His time: 2 mins 51 secs!

The same day, but in the evening, I did the same to Jemma. She was dreading it. It was steamy and, of course, Jemma hates sweating. We’d done a full workout. She said she was feeling tired, that her legs ached as she’d done some sprints that morning. I’ve heard it all before.

THREE PEAKS: coming to the top of the deadlift

I tried to encourage her to believe in herself. Then I walked over to the prowler and uttered those words: “Let’s do it.”

Filled with nervousness, Jemma’s head spiralled into the usual chaos and doubt. Once she realised it was happening, she had to focus. “Just do your best,” I said. “I’m just curious to see how you do.” Then I added, “You know it’s going to be better. You’re fitter, stronger, lighter and faster. Just pace yourself.” She did.

First time she did it, Jemma bombed. She stopped frequently, utterly spent, hands hurting, legs burning, mind racing. You name it, she had it. Her untrained body got it done in 4 mins 16 secs.

GOT IT: Jemma nails her technique with the sledgehammer

So how did she do in the re-run – and bear in mind this was only five weeks later? Her time was 2 mins 30 secs!

Jemma almost burst into tears. She was that delighted and shocked and emotional and surprised and thrilled.

What’s even better is that she could – and will – go faster before we finish the program in another seven weeks.

FINDING HER SPEED: Jemma goes into another gear

In five weeks Jemma has lost a stone in weight, but much more has gone on.

“My muscle tone has improved,” she said. “I feel better in my clothes. I don’t feel hungry hardly at all. I feel less stressed and have had only one anxiety attack since I started [compared to what used to be at least weekly].

“I’m more aware of the choices I am now making and how organised I have been. I feel more cheerful and don’t feel the need to drink alcohol. My mental block on my pain barrier has improved and I’m more able to deal with pushing through for more reps.”

TWIST AND LUNGE: The blonde doctor blazing through the circuits

Like Reg, Catriona is entering the final week. I took her through a tough circuit session this week and thought, at 50 and all bronzed, that she looked like some sports bikini athlete. Catriona didn’t stop.

I asked her later that day what changes she had noticed and, still too tired to elaborate, she texted me, “I have abs.” This was followed by, “not a very deep answer, but I’ve been striving to find them for years!!”

HEATING AND HITTING: Banging the tyre in the sun

Catriona was fit and lean before she started the program. Now she’s fitter, leaner, stronger and has muscles she didn’t know existed.

I gave her the prowler challenge, too. At the finish, as she was lying on the floor, I asked, “how do you think you did?”

“Slower,” came her reply.

GRAND SLAM: Great way to finish the early-morning session

In fact, she’d reduced her best time from 3 mins 30 on day 2 to 2 mins 50 seconds – an improvement of 40 seconds!

Naturally, she was delighted.

Jade, on the other hand, is tougher to please. She’s one of the fittest people I’ve had start the program. Having trained and played sport for years, getting her results was always going to be more challenging.

LITTLE AND LARGE: Jade may be smaller, but packs a punch

She wants to be lean above all else. She’d sacrifice strength gains for being leaner. I notice changes already. It’s obvious to me she is becoming leaner and stronger and fitter. But Jade’s a little fixated with the scales – the scales of doom that send out a false representation of what’s really happening to our bodies and yet we still rely on them as a marker for progress.

“I’ve not seen too much physically yet,” she said. “I haven’t noticed it apart from a few inches off my waist.”

HITTING THE MARK: Jade’s on course to reaching high standards

She said she felt tired and heavy in the legs all the time. On the plus side, she was happy with making more time for herself and enjoying being able to train every day.

“I’ve enjoyed being a bit more selfish in regards to doing things for me, making sure I have time to train and putting myself first more often than I usually do.”

I’m still super-confident Jade will take a different view of her results come the end and that she’ll be doing pull-ups and plenty of them (which is what she also wants). She’s missing her comfort foods, but sticking to the nutrition. If she keeps it up, she’ll get impressive results. She’s just impatient and shining her attention on what she feels is missing without noticing the wonders of what is going on with her body. Sound familiar?

Her strength is already at a level where few women I’ve coached on the program have reached in 12 weeks. And while she maintains she’s not got much endurance or bothered too greatly about becoming strong, Jade’s working harder now during the longer workouts and keeping up a good pace.

When I had Jade re-take the prowler test, she knew she had to approach it differently and she did. Her time went from 2 mins 28 in week 1 (when she shot off too quickly) to 2 mins 3 seconds at the end of week 5.

And remember, the better the athlete the smaller the changes are likely to be. For Usain Bolt, a difference of 0.01 seconds to his sprint time is as significant as, say, two seconds over the same distance for a sprinter in school.

MIX AND MATCH: Four individuals with different starting points, body types and technical abilities

You can’t argue with the the times and other feats of strength I have logged and will write about later. The ‘after’ photos always reveal the extent of composition changes.

But in terms of satisfaction, regardless of what I say or the evidence I provide or how the photos look, the individual has the choice where to cast their attention.

The formula for happiness and contentment is fairly straightforward: be grateful for and appreciate what you have rather than yearn for what you do not. By the same token, appreciate what you have achieved more than what you failed to achieve. The decision is yours.

The next wave of the Amazing 12 Chichester will begin at Core Results on September 18, 2017. I’m taking applications. If you want to see results and are committed, drop me a line at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk for more information.

Week 6/4: What exactly is success?

MOST of us think of success in terms of victory or completion or getting something right or doing well.

That’s totally understandable. That’s how most of us are raised or conditioned to think of success or what we are exposed to seeing. That’s how we tend to use the word.

There isn’t really a right or wrong answer to what it means. Each person has their own definition of success.

John Wooden, the great American basketball coach, coined his own understanding. “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to be the best of which you are capable.”

Jemma and Jade, who this week completed week 4 of the Amazing 12 Chichester at Core Results Gym, both said that to them success meant “doing their best”. Jade added that, for her, being successful meant being happy.

And yet sometimes when Jade does her best, she doesn’t feel happy, because she feels she should have achieved more. Catriona, now at the end of week 6 of 8, often feels the same.

I would argue that for most of us success is defined more by the outcome than it is the process.

Each week teaching the Amazing 12, I deal with reactions and responses to effort that result in disappointment as well as joy and satisfaction.

Success is just a moment in time.

Professor Sarah Lewis said, “We thrive not when we’ve done it all, but when we still have more to do.”

In simpler terms, the journey is more important and rewarding than the ending.

In the context of the Amazing 12, the goal for some is to just reach the end of the program. For others it is to cherish each stage and moment or to hit certain targets that they have determined to be important, while some, like Reg, will consider the Amazing 12 as a part of a grander objective.

Successes, though, can be big or small. They can come every minute, hour, week, month or year.

SOLID FORM: Jade squatting low, keeping her torso upright

And while we see failure as the opposite of success, can failure actually be a success? Isn’t success and failure only a relative term?

After all, we tend to learn more from our errors than when things run smoothly. I’m not suggesting we try to fail, but if mistakes and struggles have great value, shouldn’t we also celebrate setbacks as successes?

I have heard it said that “the choices we make under pressure define our character.” Character is something we should all endeavour to develop.

Character is what keeps us strong when everything around us is falling apart or chaotic or difficult. Character is what enables us to be resolute in the face of a storm of opposition. Reputation is what you are perceived to be, whereas character is who you really are. You can only reveal your true character by exposing yourself to arduous and testing circumstances.

In terms of the Amazing 12 and strength and fitness training, one’s character will come under examination in order to improve and usually when we are being challenged.

To those who dislike or resist change, understand that there is no progress without change.

FOCUS: Jemma’s in the zone with these lunges

In week one, Jemma, for instance, would get uncomfortable whenever she felt her muscles burn or if a weight felt or looked too heavy. Those were character-testing moments.

But now, four weeks into the program, I can see the changes in her. I notice how she’s got more inner steel when the going gets tough. She grits her teeth instead of panicking. She embraces her strength instead of conceding she is weak.

I got an excited text from her near the end of the week. She’d been running in the morning. I told her to try to complete her course without stopping. When she tried it in the first week she had to stop eight times and found it tiring. But now she’s able to do it non-stop.

“I’m so thrilled,” she wrote.

In the four weeks since she started, Jemma has lost nearly a stone in weight. She’s noticed her body firming up, that she can run better and faster, that her recovery from exercise is improving. “It’s mad how much stronger I have become,” she said.

She hasn’t missed a day of training, though sometimes her mind is elsewhere. Concentration and focus are areas I try to work on with her in every session.

PERSEVERENCE: It took Jemma a while to get the hang of this, but she did

She gets anxious and stressed a lot, but the training always seems to help. “I’d much rather do this [Amazing 12] than just work out in a regular gym,” she said.

Making progress is a success for Jemma. “I would say putting in as much effort as you possibly can and knowing you’ve done your best to achieve results,” is how she defined it. “And if you have a goal, then reaching it is a success, too.”

But how we frame our goals and achievements will make all the difference. For example, Jemma felt as if she had struggled with one movement last week as she didn’t do as well as she had wanted. Then I revealed to her that, in fact, she’d completed more reps and lifted a heavier weight than a few days earlier on the same movement. In the space of one second she went from feeling like a failure to a success just by altering the perspective.

Jemma also expressed how she wanted to get as strong or as lean as some of the other girls who have done the Amazing 12. But then she felt disappointed at the prospect of it not being possible. She decided for herself what success and failure would mean. Most of us do.

I answered her in the same way I do everyone else: You can only be the best and strongest version of yourself.

Jade, like Jemma, has been ever-present since week one. She’s now a third of the way through. She found defining success to be a tough question in spite of the fact she’s achieved quite a lot in athletic terms.

“Success is having a goal and completing it,” she said. “I want to be the best I can be.”

But what is being your best?

Jade admits she can be lazy. She told me before she started the program that she wants to “better herself” and “more of a push”.

Being ‘our best’ is relative to a given time frame. It could be for one game or a season or over a number of years or a lifetime. It needs to be quantified.

I would suggest that being the best you can be is striving for mastery, because mastery is rarely achieved.

By setting an objective that cannot be achieved it means you keep working and practicing and refining and there is no end game – unless you give up, in which case you definitely won’t succeed.

When there is an end game, it means that you stop. Then what? Who wants to stop when the value is all in the process?

RINGING THE CHANGES: A long, but steady journey ahead for Reg to get back into shape

Reg has understood from the beginning that the solution to losing weight and regaining his fitness isn’t a quick fix.

His aim is to get down to 18st from 25st. At his peak, Reg hit 26st. He stands 6ft 1in. “I may have to do this [Amazing 12] three times!” he said. “I’m looking at about a year [of training and eating well].”

Working out each evening has helped him. “It’s usually a time when I would get hungry and eat,” he said. Instead, Reg is training, building muscle, moving his body and developing his fitness.

Sometimes it is more about introducing more good habits into your lifestyle than it is removing the bad ones.

Reg had to miss one session this week. He hurt his knee playing golf. But the next day, he and Jemma put in a good shift.

POWERHOUSE: you can see why Reg has a strong drive to his golf game

“Once you’ve done a session it feels good,” said Reg as we finished with some sledgehammering on to a tyre.

While Reg’s knee is his problem, Catriona is hindered by an old shoulder injury, leaving one side clearly weaker than the other.

It doesn’t cause her pain, but it is the weakest link in her chain and the Amazing 12 has exposed it to the point that she maybe now realises the importance of addressing it.

In reality, Catriona can only be as strong as that shoulder allows. As the body is all connected, you can’t take the shoulder out of the equation.

Her list of definitions for success included “believing that you can” and “overcoming fear” and “learning something new each day” and “not giving up” and “celebrating small victories” and “understanding you control your own destiny”.

PROGRESS: At week one Catriona could barely squat with any depth

Those are all positive and valuable. But I want to put it out there that success can be in everything and I mean everything.

I’ve alluded to how we learn the most from when things don’t go according to plan or when we are enduring hardship.

When we switch our attention to how we can benefit from ALL experiences, success is around us continually. You just need to recognise it.

Winston Churchill captured it best for me. “Success,” he said, “is the ability to move from one failure to another with enthusiasm.”

The next wave of the Amazing 12 will begin in September. This isn’t a program just to improve strength, conditioning, body composition and technique. There is so much more. It will challenge the way you think, prepare, plan and live. If you want to be considered for the program or to find out more, please send me an email at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk

Week 5/3: The curse of expectations

ANOTHER ONE IN THE BAG: a tough, but progressive week

IT doesn’t matter what I say or how often I write about and explain it, people will have expectations of what they want to happen and what they can achieve and how quickly.

Impatience and unrealistic expectations almost go hand in hand.

But you have to ask, why are so many of us that way?

William Shakespeare once wrote, “Expectations are the root of all heartache.”

From my experience, not only are these expectations often unreasonable, they are one of the primary causes of disappointment, failure and the decision to quit.

I’ve had it in practically every wave of the Amazing 12 Chichester I have run. And the craziest part of all is that the expectations are self-determined.

Imagine that – you become the source of your own disappointment!

For example, Jemma, who along with Jade has now finished week 3, might say to me, “my scales show I’ve put on weight this week.” I’ll reply, “Are you trying to lose weight or lose inches and fat?”

She’ll say, “Inches and fat.”

I’ll typically respond with, “So why are you paying any attention to the scales?”

It’s the same when it comes to movements or exercises that are difficult or challenging. To master or gain competency in a movement isn’t going to happen overnight. It requires time, patience and practice and more practice. To want – and expect – it to happen any quicker is unrealistic and, most importantly, skipping the best part of any skill development, which is in the process of learning and mastering.

STEADY IMPROVEMENT: in form, fitness and body shape for Jemma and Reg

Reg and Jemma both admitted they’d invested heavily in getting out of shape, which is a process in itself. For years Reg has been drinking almost seven bottles of wine per week, litres of Pepsi Max daily (and before that fruit juices on a large scale), overeating and not moving enough. Jemma said she was drinking up to two bottles of champagne weekly, eating chocolate, drinking wine etc.

It soon adds up, as they eventually realised. And then they reached a point where they wanted and needed to do something about it, but the task seemed huge and kept being delayed. Finally, they each took action and signed up for something like the Amazing 12.

But to think the excess is going to disappear instantly isn’t realistic. And if you’ve neglected the movement of your body for long periods and have a static job, your body is going to need re-training in how to function optimally. It takes time.

This week I had a rare bout of stomach illness that knocked me sideways for the best part of six days during which I didn’t train at all and moved little. But it reminded me in a short time – because my body felt awful – how crucial it is to move.

Once I recovered, though, I didn’t go back immediately to what I was eating and lifting before. It was an integrative process.

Similarly, someone who is not fit (aerobically and anaerobically) isn’t going to develop magical fitness in only a few sessions. The best and lasting results come steadily and are hard-earned.

Progress can be impeded many ways: by rushing or not pushing hard enough or trying too hard all the time or being deflated by successes you deem to be too small or slow. Getting the balance right is key, which is why a coach is useful to those who can’t manage that fine line well by themselves.

Reg and Jemma both admitted they couldn’t (at this stage) do this by themselves. They need guidance.

Inevitably, when you get a group training together there will be situations where one or the other excels in a given task.

But comparing yourself to others is another disaster area.

“Why is she looking lean and I am not?” or “why are they lifting big weights and I’m not?” or “they got all their reps and I didn’t”.

No wonder it is said that “comparison is the thief of joy”.

There are fewer better ways to throw yourself off your game than to become preoccupied with what everyone else is doing.

On the Amazing 12, everyone is on their own, personal journey – or at least they should be. While the program fits everyone, it’s not identical for everyone.

If you’ve had a lifetime of comparing yourself or setting unrealistic expectations, it’s not going to change overnight.

Like a body that’s been allowed to get out of shape, you have to work on your thinking and the patterns of your thinking to get it into shape, too.

I try to make it clear that everyone is unique – and I mean it. Our bodies are all different. Things like long and short limbs are genetic and cannot be changed. While some of us can naturally move fast or are more adept at going steadily for longer or are stronger physically, we can improve our strength, speed and endurance.

Some of us will lose weight or body fat fast and others will do so slowly. We are all physiologically different, which is why comparisons often don’t serve us well.

The universal objective, though, is to improve towards our intended goal, not to be upset or feel derailed by becoming envious of the progress others are making.

The Amazing 12 program is about making you the best version of yourself – not the best version of someone else or your imagination. And I certainly don’t have the ability to make someone with short legs develop long legs or vice versa.

My current group of four training at Core Results Gym all bring something different – and positive – to the table. Catriona has endurance. She’s focused and doesn’t slacken. She wants to be the best she can be. She even had to whip a few of the others into line this week with a call of “stop complaining!”

Catriona, like Reg at the end of week 5, is happy that she’s shed 4kg and flattened her tummy, something she’s never been able to do from years and bucket-loads of cardio.

Jade has natural athletic ability. She’s competitive, got good technique and is dynamic and strong. Jemma is enthusiastic and committed. She’s so into the program. Big Reg is a mood-enhancer. Everything’s so jovial around Reg. He brings laughter to the group. He’s realistic about where he is. He does his absolute best and is strong.

This week had, for the first time, all four training in the same session. Jemma, who’s complained of tiredness a lot this week, was concerned she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Jade and Catriona. But keeping up is not what it’s about. Instead, use others who may be quicker or better to improve your performance, as Jade and Catriona often do.

GOT TO START SOMEWHERE: Reg’s bulk makes it hard for him to grip any narrower

Reg has had to step up his game since being joined by Jemma and, for one day each week, Jade. But he’s become much fitter for it and everyone has noticed.

Jemma’s eagerness for change often gets the better of her, though. She’s already made great strides and there’s nothing wrong with wanting improvement, which is why everyone is on the program, but it’s how we go about it that matters.

And, as you can probably tell from most of my previous blogs, it’s what goes on in our heads that gets in the way of what our bodies can deliver. I’m continually reminding the group of what they have achieved rather than what they failed to achieve. So far, in a short time, it’s considerable for them all.

My advice to anyone training – and especially on the Amazing 12 – is take each day as it comes and use it as a stepping stone. Do your best. Don’t label your sessions as good or bad. Don’t go home and look at yourself in the mirror 10 times every day. Don’t keep stepping on your scales to torture yourself.

Turn up, follow the program, eat the right foods, be patient, experience the journey with all its ups and downs and try to be better than the day before. That’s how the best results occur.

Remember this: “Peace begins when expectations end.”

My next wave of the Amazing 12 is going to start in September (exact date to be determined). I’m already accepting applications. For more information, please contact me at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk

Week 3/1: Choose wisely

ALL SMILES: a sweaty night for Jade, Reg and Jemma

YOU have a choice. In every instant and every moment, you have a choice. Hopelessness is the feeling you get when you believe there is an absence of choice. The reality is that a choice, however limited, always exists.

You choose what goes into your mouth to feed your body. You choose how little or how much to move your body each day. You choose in what form you move your body. You choose how to fill your day and what to prioritise. You choose who to listen to and believe and who not to.

Yes, you choose practically everything, even when it seems like you do not.

ON THE PROWL: Jemma’s finding her feet in the first week

Recognising, accepting and understanding you have a choice can often make a significant difference and in many cases, become a breakthrough moment.

It gives you ownership of your circumstances, be it good or bad. Some of us, of course, don’t want that ownership, so we will fight to hold on to the belief that we don’t have a choice. It’s easier, because we can blame something or someone else.

But once you have ownership, you can do many things and begin to create change.

If your beliefs are too rigid then it’s harder to allow change to happen. Some of our beliefs are so ingrained that they’ve become patterns of behaviour – default actions – and we don’t even realise it.

To have an inflexible mind, though, can create an inflexible body. I should know. My mind may be more flexible now than ever before (as an adult), but I spent years on the other side, thinking something was a certain way and adamantly defending it.

You cannot learn with a closed mind. As late martial arts legend Bruce Lee once said, “The usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness.”

How does all this relate to the Amazing 12? I shall explain.

HARD WORK: the best lessons often come from the hardest challenges

Every situation, especially the challenging ones, are opportunities for learning and growth. In the Amazing 12 those opportunities are plenty. But we have to choose whether to use them to help us rise or let them leave us defeated and deflated.

We also choose:

•What’s most important in your life.

•To give up or continue.

•To give your best or worst.

•To be positive or negative.

•To be open-minded or closed-minded.

•To learn new things or stick with what you know.

•To do what you are good at or work on what is your weakest link or makes you most uncomfortable.

•To fix a problem or let it continue.

•To go to bed early and be rested or stay up late.

•To tell the truth or lie.

•To be honest with yourself or to lie to yourself.

•To investigate what you are told or just believe everything.

•To trust or not to trust.

•To step out of your comfort zone or remain within it.

•To be committed or not be committed.

I could go on. Most, if not all, the above choices relate to the Amazing 12 Chichester and the journey my foursome are on at the Core Results Gym.

LEAP OF FAITH: Catriona’s challenged herself by taking on a program like this

I’m now at the end of week 3 of the Amazing 8 for Catriona and Reg, while Jemma and Jade have completed week 1 of the Amazing 12.

I see progress in them all the time. But do they recognise their own progress? Do they prefer to reflect on what they did not achieve rather than what they did achieve? It, again, comes down to choice.

“I can’t believe how much stronger I have become in just five days,” said Jemma following the final session of her opening week.

“I can really see my progress,” said Catriona after one workout.

It’s certainly been a fun and interesting week. The groups have become larger. The personalities are so different. The strengths, weaknesses and levels of experience and expertise are varied. How they choose to respond to my instructions varies. How they choose to react to their own efforts and results is fascinatingly contrasting.

They all made a choice when signing up for the program, taking a decision, for whatever motive, to create change.

Some will resist the training and nutrition protocols more than others.

MOTIVATED: working together has spurred them on

Jemma, 29, a combination of enthusiasm and anxiety, is often concerned about if she has done a movement properly or projects difficulty before she has attempted a task. She doesn’t want to let anyone down. Her lack of confidence at times affects her concentration. But I look forward to witnessing the change as her confidence improves.

Already I’ve noticed it. Even after one week she’s stepping up to the bar and getting on with a movement without giving me those am-I-doing-it-right? glances.

Jemma wants to be good and, like Catriona, is impatient about it. Jemma, almost excitedly, is already thinking ahead to the end of the 12 weeks and the results she may achieve, but I try to bring her back into the present. That’s where everyone’s focus needs to be for the best results and the most satisfaction.

BATTLE: Jade has no love affair with cardio

For Jade, who’s a PT, good athlete and footballer, I see how she fights with herself to do her absolute best. She sets high standards. Maybe even unreasonably so and often feels disappointed if she doesn’t reach the target she has set for herself.

Catriona is similar. It makes me chuckle to see Catriona get annoyed with herself. I don’t mean that in a nasty way. I just know it’s self-inflicted and, eventually, Catriona will be at peace with it.

Jade, the youngest of the group at 22, dislikes cardio. Catriona loves cardio. Jemma hates to sweat. Catriona loves to sweat. Jade’s a sprinter-type, so doesn’t relish multiple reps (which is why it will be good for her to do them).

Big Reg, who is already talking about doing the 12-week program in September, doesn’t complain. “No matter what we’re doing, I know I just have to get on with it,” he said.

EARNING THEIR STRIPES: progress comes from putting in the time and practice

“The program is phenomenal. It’s incredible how your muscles are able to quickly adapt.”

Reg has already lost the best part of a stone in weight. Even if something’s a struggle, he gives his best effort. He is moving so much better, even though this week, working in pairs or small groups, Reg found it tougher going. The girls are driving him on. Having a training partner has a way of providing extra motivation.

Sometimes, though, if someone doesn’t achieve the number of reps I ask them to shoot for, they might label themselves (in their thoughts) ‘a failure’. Or they may think they are not doing well enough.

So I find myself a lot of the time trying to keep the boat steady, so to speak – to manage all those self-depreciating thoughts and stop them from spreading.

GOOD FORM: Catriona’s been working on her deadlift

They are all very encouraging of each other, but often not enough to themselves.

For me to get results – both immediate and lasting – I try to help identify the areas which are holding someone back. Often, though, it’s in our heads. Our bodies will respond to the training – if our heads/thoughts don’t get in the way.

Training doesn’t just apply to the body. “One can’t build physical strength without mental strength.”

WARM-UP: nothing better than some crawling

Therefore, choose what serves you best, not what works against you. That requires training, too.

Bruce Lee also said: “The mind is a fertile garden – it will grow anything you wish to plant – beautiful flowers or weeds. And it is with successful, healthy thoughts or negative ones that will, like weeds, strangle and crowd the others.

“Don’t allow negative thoughts to enter your mind, for they are the weeds that strangle confidence.”

Choose wisely.

Week 2: Rome wasn’t built in a day

RETURN: It’s been a while since Reg has deadlifted

WHEN things seem impossible or insurmountable, what do you do? How do you respond?

For some the reaction is to dig in deeper and fight. For others it’s to abandon ship.

It’s easy to quit or not get started. The only guaranteed way to fail at anything is to give up. And the best way to not achieve anything is to not attempt it in the first place.

If you stay in or enter the race, you always have a chance, so to speak. When people quit at something, quite often it’s at a critical time – when they are about to reach an important turning point. They just don’t know it. So always hang in there.

The next time things feel or get hard, ask yourself why you started in the first place.

A great example is David Goggins, an ultra distance runner I have mentioned in previous blogs. He posted a story on his Instagram feed this week that made me think about Reg and Catriona, now at the end of week 2 of an 8-week Amazing 12 Chichester program at Core Results.

Goggins used to be a huge, heavy guy and was recalling the day when he decided he was going to become a Navy Seal. But first he had to lose the extra weight he was carrying (106lbs in two months).

With all the will in the world, he stepped out of his house to go for a three-mile run at 6am. He made it a quarter of a mile down the road and then, with his head hung low, lungs aching and feeling like a failure, walked back home.

If you know anything about Goggins, he’s a man who embraces every challenge in life and uses it to create a stronger version of himself. He’s one of the greatest competitors on the planet. He doesn’t quit at anything. But he wasn’t born that way.

SLOWLY DOES IT: Reg back under the bar squatting

When I see Reg walk into the gym each day, he’s practically shuffling. Part of the reason for that this week was down to the soreness in his legs from our first squat and deadlift workout (pretty common response when you’ve not worked a particular body part for a while).

But it’s also because Reg is carrying a lot of baggage he needs to lose. The extra bodyweight tires him out quickly, especially with any kind of aerobic activity. Even walking upstairs. But it will get better.

What’s great to see in Reg is that he shows up every day (well, nearly, as he had to skip a session this week to play in a golf tournament), gives his best and, little by little, is making improvements in a very short time.

It’s when you see someone perform an action or movement more easily, with better form and a greater load that you know they are making progress.

CARDIO QUEEN: Catriona’s strength is endurance

I’m seeing the changes in Catriona, too. She’s someone who once never believed she’d be able to run far. Until she was 30, she did no training at all. And when she first started running, she, like Goggins, only made it halfway down the road before being out of puff.

In eight weeks, she lost 2st.

She went from a deconditioned starter to someone who (before the Amazing 12) was training every day and sometimes twice daily. She has energy to burn.

Taking that step into the world of lifting weights, though, was also a scary proposition, particularly for someone who generally avoided what she’s not good at.

ALL OUT: working hard with the battle ropes

“I’m loving the training,” she told me. “I can’t believe we’re already at the end of two weeks. I still get frustrated with myself [Catriona is impatient and a perfectionist], but I’m seeing and feeling the progress, which is nice.”

When working with Catriona, I’m often reminded of a film clip of a guy I once saw who used to be a paratrooper and badly damaged his legs following a jump. He was told he’d never walk again because he was wheelchair-bound.

But he refused to accept defeat. Every day, mostly through yoga to begin with, he tried to get moving. Every day, he would fail and fall flat on his face, literally. But he kept going. And then, as he began to lose the weight he had gained through inactivity, he regained strength and defied what all the experts had said.

His mantra was: “Just because you can’t do it today doesn’t mean you can’t do it tomorrow.”

That phrase has always stuck with me and I’m reminded of it when I see Catriona getting frustrated at her inability to nail a particular movement first time and Reg gasping for breath or straining to bend down to pick something off the ground.

I know the breakthrough is down the road. It’s a matter of time. Experience gives you patience.

LOOKING UP: Reg is improving with every workout

I know if Reg keeps showing up, working hard and following the eating advice I have given him, he will see results.

Reg and Catriona are already getting stronger and fitter. They are both determined and successful people. Next week they will be joined by two new starters doing a 12-week program.

What was hard for Reg in the first week is less difficult now. But they are at opposite ends of the spectrum: Catriona is aerobically super-charged and Reg isn’t…yet; Catriona is discovering her strength, while Reg, who used to play lots of sports when he was younger, is uncovering his.

The message for the week is…give it time and cultivate patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a strong, healthy body.

Week 1: Laying the foundations

CONTRAST: The lean runner and the golfing powerhouse

I’VE been coaching the Amazing 12 Chichester now for several years. You get all types on the program. Their starting condition and shape are different. Their goals are different. How they adapt and cope with the training is different. Their mindsets are different. What they find easy and struggle with is always different. That’s part of what makes my job interesting.

This week at Core Results I kicked off another wave, over eight weeks. I couldn’t have two more contrasting starters.

Reg, with his George Foremanesque stature, hasn’t done any form of physical training in three years and has a lot of weight and body fat to shift. Catriona is slender, a runner and no stranger to cardio classes, but has never done any weight-training before.

While Reg is naturally strong, he’s huffed and puffed his way through the first week when dealing with any kind of aerobic activity whereas Catriona is looking to increase her strength to go with the staying power (aerobic capacity) she already has. She likes the long, steady-type workouts.

Sometimes, when I tell her to rest/recover between sets, Catriona gives me that look of ‘really? What am I supposed to do?’

Runners, typically, just keep going. They’re not used to the weight-lifting and strength-building protocol. So it’s all going to be a learning experience.

It’s taken Catriona years, literally, to step into a weights gym. But she’s here now. She overcame one hurdle to begin this program. She will overcome many more before she is finished.

Learning that more isn’t necessarily better and that recovery is where the growth and change happens is another important lesson.

CHANGE: Reg going from no exercise to constructive training

For Reg it’s a case of getting moving again. He’s a dentist, works hard and, aside from being a fairly low handicap golfer, doesn’t do much in the form of exercise. His diet hasn’t been great. Up to two litres a day of Pepsi Max has taken its toll.

Reg, who turned 49 this week, knew he had to take action. This is the first step. He’s eating cleanly, drinking water instead of the fizzy stuff and now lifting weights. The process will take time. You don’t spend years getting out of shape and reverse the process overnight.

It’s about changing habits – living habits, training habits, thinking habits.

When these habits work against us, they begin to weigh us down. But it’s not always instantly noticeable. That’s why we continue…until we can’t.

As Samuel Johnson once wrote, “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”

But Reg is determined. He has accomplished a lot in life. So I have faith in him. He’s a big, hearty man with a personality to match. He weighs around 25st, but the immediate goal is to get down to 20st.

Reg is under no illusions that’s going to take patience, perseverance and, perhaps most importantly, adherence to healthy eating choices. He’s only doing eight weeks, but admits it’s going to take much longer. This is just the beginning. I hope he can last the distance. I keep reminding him that it’s a long process.

STRUGGLE: even fully extending his arms is proving difficult in the beginning

This first week calls for some readjustment to lifestyle and eating habits. It’s about laying the foundations. Reg has his family behind him for support. He gets up early (before 6am) to do some extra cardio I have assigned him. He’s working on getting his meals for the week prepared in advance.

But the extra pounds in bodyweight come at a cost. Reg’s already-suspect Achilles tendons and a knee started to ache and he had to sit out one workout this week. I thought it better he take a rest than push through with a sensitive injury of that type (I ruptured my Achilles many years ago).

In fairness to Reg, instead of crying off hurt, he still came into the gym to see if we could find a way around it.

Reg knows the weight doesn’t help him. He also knows that when the bulk comes off he’s going to probably feel and move much better. Plus his golf will probably improve.

Already there have been signs of progress. Put it this way: I had him crawl a short distance when we started. He could barely go forwards and not at all backwards. It left him exasperated.

“I’m going to beat this thing,” he said with determination as the sweat dripped off his head. By the last day this week he was going back and forth far easier. I could see the amazement on his face.

Catriona is all too knowledgeable about the effects of poor lifestyle choices. She’s been a doctor for over 20 years. Most of it [the illness] is self-inflicted.

CO-ORDINATED: coming to the top of the deadlift and dressed to match

Being a doctor who knows what’s best for her is partly what shoved Catriona into finally opting to lift weights. She runs a lot, but doesn’t want to be scrawny.

At 50, she’s already in great shape. But she wants the strength to go with it and to learn how to lift properly and safely.

Prior to starting the program, I gave Catriona a few taster sessions. When we did the squat and deadlift, she could barely do either very effectively. In a short time, she has already made progress. Her deadlift technique is 100% better.

She’s a quick learner, maybe because she dislikes not being good at something.

If you listened to Reg training, though, you’d think he was in a torture chamber, but that’s just how he is. The extra size gets in the way of him being able to move how he should. But I’m already noticing positive changes. We’re taking small steps towards a big goal.

It did make me laugh seeing him pick up the slam ball from the floor with one hand as though it were just a tennis ball. And I thought the ball was going to explode when he drove it into the ground. No wonder he can belt a golf ball!

The first week is now under their belts. It’s the primer before we apply the paint. Remember, the Amazing 12 is progressive. It’s an intelligent program design. No-one gets thrown in at the deep end.

Stay tuned to see how this pair continue. And in two weeks I have another pair starting on a 12-week program to join Catriona and Reg.

I’m now taking applications for my September wave of the Amazing 12. For more details send an email to Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk.