Chichester gym Archives -

Stacey (April 2017)

IT’S a minor miracle Stacey Satta finished the Amazing 12 Chichester program or managed to attend 92% of the gym sessions or did the extra training I prescribed her or got the incredible results that she did.

For years, Stacey, 37, has got by on minimal amounts of sleep. I’m talking literally a few hours here and there.

Somehow she looks fantastic for it.

Also, eight months ago she became a mum and her sleeping got worse. Prior to giving birth (by C-section) she hadn’t done any training for months. By her own admission, she basically sat around eating what she liked and put on weight, took it easy and that became her life pattern.

So when she decided to do the Amazing 12, I had to be sure she was ready – that her body was ready, that her mind was ready.

The sleep was always going to be an issue. Stacey worries a lot. And as sleep is a vital component in helping the body recover and grow and allowing the brain to replenish, I couldn’t be certain how Stacey would fare day after day for three months.

Sleep also is a massive cog in the wheel that drives fat loss. That Stacey was able to go from 10st 2lbs (before the program started) down to 8st 10lbs at the end is a grand success. She hadn’t been under 9st since her teenage days!

Even better was how she went from 26% body fat at week four to 21% at the finish. I’d confidently say that with a better sleeping protocol her results would have been even more spectacular.

A few snippets of Stacey’s training journey

She did the Amazing 12 with her husband Adriano. They would work out separately at Core Results Gym. Only once – in the final week – did they co-train.

So while one looked after baby Leo, the other would go to the gym. Then they’d hand him over. That’s pretty much how it worked.

Instead of saying, “we can’t do it with a young baby,” Stacey and Adriano found a way. They really wanted to do this.

I’ve trained the pair of them on and off for several years. Stacey used to get a lot of migraines (still does) and that would make her miss training. This was another concern. But her attendance and commitment was first class. More often than not when she came in looking spaced out from a lack of sleep and said ‘I’m not feeling great today’, I’d just tell her to do her best, but inside I was always thinking ‘Stacey seems to perform better whenever she says that’.

Stacey must also be one of the few people I’ve ever coached who can maintain a great grin even when she’s up against it. I’ll take that any day.

She didn’t just transform the way she looked physically, but just as importantly – if not more so – Stacey grew stronger and fitter.

Less than a year on since her wedding day

She sent me a photo of herself pregnant on her wedding day last year so I could compare it with how she now looks. It’s extraordinary.

When I think back to the first week of training it seems almost laughable. She was struggling to move 15kg for reps on her bench press, but eventually reached 40kg for multiples, which was more than her previous 3-rep maximum.

Similarly, when I had her shoulder press with 8.5kg, she found it hard and I recall the moment when, flabbergasted, she said “I’m really shocked at how weak I have become”.

But the Amazing 12 did wonders for her shoulder strength and at the end she was pressing 30kg for multiple repetitions, again better than her previous 3-rep best.

Stacey’s always had an excellent squat and though it was also challenging to begin with, her body grew stronger. In the final week I had her warming up with a back squat weight equal to her previous best for three reps. She put the bar back in the rack and said, “I felt I could have done more.”

Stacey worked hard for those muscles (photo: Sue Saunders Photography)

In terms of conditioning, Stacey’s first effort with the prowler, which is one implement I used to measure conditioning improvement, was an agonising 4 minutes 8 seconds. Stacey was able to bring that down to 2 minutes 30 seconds and, in the future, wants to go below two minutes which I have no doubt she can.

And then there were the chin-ups, which she’d never been able to do, not even in her CrossFit days two years ago. But in the final week I asked her to go for it. She gave me an unsure glance and then pulled herself over – not once, but, over 15 minutes, nearly 40 times!

“I was totally amazed,” said Stacey. “I could hardly believe my own strength!”

When I think back to before Christmas, when I sat down to talk to Stacey about doing the program, her priority then was to regain her fitness. “I’m not as bothered about my appearance,” she said. “It’s a bonus if I look good at the end.”

Also, Stacey had never previously stuck to a clean-eating diet. She loves chocolate cakes, biscuits and sugary stuff. That was her biggest concern going into the A12. But the results speak for themselves.

“You’ve been amazing, Claude,” she said in appreciation, which is nice. “We couldn’t have got to where we have without your support and guidance.”

But, as I’ve said before, though, I can guide, but the participant still has to do the work. Stacey followed instructions, came to train and stuck to the eating plan. She’s now going to join my ladies lifting classes on a Sunday morning and continue training with me so we can continue to build on her progress.

If you want results like Stacey’s and to be a part of my next or a future Amazing 12 Chichester, send me an email to Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk. My next wave, over eight weeks, begins on May 8. I’m going to do another, over 12 weeks, in September.

Regain your health, strength and vitality in eight weeks!

ARE you no longer feeling comfortable in your own body? Have years of poor choices taken a toll on your health? Do you need to do something about it and get into shape, but you don’t know how?

Or maybe you struggle with motivating yourself and need a challenge – something that will give you focus, help you knuckle down and bring about the results you deserve?

Perhaps it’s too easy to cut corners when you are calling the shots. It’s too simple to not get up to run or go to the gym. You want to be held accountable.

Or do you desperately feel the need to shift excess body fat, change a poor diet, but don’t know what you should be doing or eating? Do you need some guidance?

You’ve heard that lifting weights is one of the best ways to drop body fat and get stronger. You’d be absolutely right. It gives you muscles and having muscles is like having fat-burners. Muscles and lifting weights are also essential for good health. But you don’t know how to lift well or safely? You want to be taught properly and have someone watch your technique and guide you carefully?

Even if you know how to lift weights, just picking up barbells and dumbbells isn’t necessarily going to do the trick.

For example, if you know how to drive, have a car and want to get from England to Germany, a map would be handy. Without it, reaching your destination could take forever. You may even never get there. Training without a program – and especially one that works – is pretty much the like being in a car without a map or compass.

The Amazing 12 is a map for getting into shape and regaining your health and vitality. That’s why I’m offering an eight-week version of this program, starting in May.

To participate, you need to be willing to train with me five days a week on consecutive days for eight weeks. That’s all.

I say ‘That’s all’, because two months isn’t a long time for what you’ll get in return. It’s nothing to get back ownership and control of your body. It’s nothing in exchange for being able to move better and be healthier. I’m offering a way for you to whip yourself into shape for summer and make your results the beginning for the health and body you deserve.

What I need from you is two things: commitment and consistency. Be committed enough to turn up every day – regardless of how you feel – and train as I ask, to eat the foods I advise you to consume in the quantities I recommend.

There are no tricks involved. It’s just an intelligent way of training combined with a smart, sensible and healthy way of eating. But, when combined with effort and commitment, it works and works brilliantly.

You’ll not just feel like the person you were always supposed to be – but got derailed by lifestyle choices – but you’ll most likely be stronger, fitter, feel more confident and have the knowledge and skills to better take care of yourself.

You’ll become an asset to yourself, your family, your work, your friends…

You will be fending off illness, ageing, lethargy, inefficiency.

But how much do you want it? That’s the real question. How much do you want that change?

Think about what the future holds on your present path and what the future would hold from two months solid commitment and the platform that would provide.

Believe you can do it? Contact me. I’m looking to hear from committed individuals. My pledge is that I’m prepared to give all I have in experience, knowledge and teaching to help those who want to help themselves.

To register or find out more, send an email to Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk

Week 12: Box clever – be the architect, not the spectator

Nearly done…but what’s next for Stacey and Jamie?

BOXING used to be my sport. I spent years – decades, in fact – around boxers and observing them. I saw the very best and the worst.

Most boxers train sometimes up to 12 weeks or more to be in the best possible condition. Then, when their contest is over, some don’t go near a gym until their next fight is scheduled, while the smart ones – and the ones who tend to have the longest shelf life – tick over, keep their weight down and are always in a place from which it doesn’t require drastic work to be ready for action.

Life’s the same. Many of us visit the gym or exercise in bursts. We apply ourselves only for special occasions. Our weight and body fat fluctuates and, consequently, our health stumbles along.

Resting between sets, Stacey and Adriano

But who wouldn’t want to function at their best and feel and look good all the time? The benefits are boundless. But it takes effort, consistency and application.

That’s what is required to complete the Amazing 12 in its entirety. The final week of the Amazing 12 is a bit like the countdown to a big fight, culminating in a workout and a photoshoot just like a boxer has to be ready for the weigh-in and then the contest.

There are more parallels between the life of a boxer and an Amazing 12 graduate. After the Amazing 12 do you switch off until it’s necessary to go into a gym or exercise again? Or do you continue training – to be ready for life and all that it throws at you – and maintain or improve the physique you have created?

I know which I would choose. I know which I did pick after I completed my first Amazing 12 more than two years ago. And, to be honest, it doesn’t require much work to remain in shape – but you need to be disciplined (make the right choices) and consistent (turn up to put in the work).

Picking up the pace, Ben and Stacey in the final week

Food and diet plays an essential part, of course. Ponder this, because it is true: every molecule of food we consume has an impact on our genetic expression – meaning it affects the way our genes perform.

I’ve made choices that support a healthy body. That’s always been my priority.

Why? Because health matters – not only to me, but to my wife, my children, my clients, my world, my aspirations, my desires, my bank balance, my friends, my enjoyment of life…

Why would I not choose health over pain, discomfort, sluggishness, premature ageing, limitation, low self-esteem, unhappiness?

No walk in the park: getting into shape and being healthy requires more than just exercise

I’m thankful I made that choice many years ago. I don’t feel as if I’ve missed out on anything. Quite the contrary. Being healthy and able has allowed me to take advantage of the opportunities that have come my way.

I remember as a child loving sweets and chocolates and spooning sugar straight out of the sugar bowl and drinking Coca Cola and eating hamburgers and Pizza from fast food restaurants and loads of biscuits and fish and chips. But somewhere along the road I made a choice – an informed choice.

I’m trying to push home the point that there’s nothing that sets me apart except the choices I have made. Those choices have a massive impact on the outcome of our lives.

We can either be the architect in our lives or a spectator. You choose.

COMMITMENT: Jamie and Stacey showing up for more curls

The five people I’ve put through the Amazing 12 Chichester the past 12 weeks now have an important decision to make: build upon what they have created and developed or revert to a perhaps more convenient, less disciplined lifestyle.

But I know that what comes with the former choice is more growth, a greater assurance of well-being, the freedom that is having better odds at being able to function every day with energy, strength and confidence.

The world of convenience has its place, but largely it is responsible for enticing many, many people in the opposite direction to where they would rather be.

With the A12 over, there is going to be a shift in accountability. It’s going to be easy to slip into the old patterns of eating and living that are so problematic in our world today.

PROGRESS: Just 12 weeks ago Ben had no idea how to squat properly

I’m hoping they have learned and experienced enough about themselves, the importance of choices and planning ahead to be able to shape a lifestyle that involves an effective and healthy balance of movement, training and eating.

Ben says he’s determined to continue training, that he’s going to sign up at a gym and workout with a friend three days a week. He’s more aware about food intake to know what’s healthier and what is not. The challenge is to make the right choices and do it consistently.

From just one week eating exactly as I told him, he has noticed a difference. Over the 12 weeks, he’s realised which foods don’t sit well with him and which ones do. He’s learned to drink more water daily and that he doesn’t need sugar in his tea and coffee.

STRONGER: Adriano’s done better than he did two years ago

For Adriano, Stacey and Jo, we’ve all discussed a training plan moving forwards. They all have more in the locker and are keen to progress.

And for Jamie – my wife and second time around the Amazing 12 – she succeeded in her goal to get stronger, fitter and leaner.

She comes from the US, where a life of fast food, type-2 diabetes and meds is now becoming the norm. Jamie is living proof that it doesn’t have to be.

AT LAST: the elusive chin-up is finally conquered…many times over

A vegan, mum of two and yoga teacher, she’s the only one doing the program on a plant-based diet.

Yet her strength has increased quite dramatically. This week Jamie, as well as Ben and Stacey, hit a goal of getting her first chin-up. None of them could do one before we started. All of them were able to do multiple chin-ups and with reasonable ease, too.

That’s just one example of the strength improvements accomplished in the past 12 weeks. I’ll go into more detail in future blogs.

But it underlines that this program is not just about ‘the look’. Even Jo, who found it hard to change her diet, achieved tremendous strength and fitness results.

I will then be planning ahead how to help some of them continue to improve through personal training sessions. And I shall be focusing on my next wave, which will be over EIGHT WEEKS and starting in May. It is hard work and requires devotion and commitment, but the rewards are exceptional for those who stick to it. The most challenging paths are always the ones which teach and improve us the most.

Do you want results? Are you prepared to challenge yourself to get them? Are you ready to make a commitment? Contact me at Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk for more information and details or any questions you may have.

Week 6: Get off your phones!

I HAVE conversations with my 10-year-old son about what life was like growing up without electronic devices and he looks at me in disbelief, like “how could you have existed like that?”

The phone-dependency in the gym is somewhat similar. Yes, believe it or not, there were days when people went to the gym without a phone and you never saw one for the duration of a class or training session and our accomplishments were not broadcast all over social media.

This week in my Amazing 12 Chichester class at Core Results gym, I had to impose a restriction on mobile phones.

In truth, I saw it coming a long time ago. I should have insisted on it from the beginning. For any other coaches out there reading this, I’d strongly suggest you do so.

Paying the price for breaking the phone restriction

Also, it’s mainly the men – Adriano and Ben – rather than the ladies, Stacey and Jo, who are the culprits.

When I saw the use of phones getting in the way of training and maximising performance, it was time to clamp down. I could see concentration slipping.

With six weeks gone and my group making progress, I don’t want anything to get in the way.

In the gym they are all doing very well. Outside of it there are tweaks here and there still needed – mainly with regards to following the food guidelines. But, slowly, we are getting there.

As of the end of week 5, Stacey had lost 9lbs (from the beginning) and is steadily dropping body fat. She was only 3lbs more than what she weighed pre-pregnancy – close to achieving one of her goals and we’re only halfway. Jo, too, has dropped body fat, is changing shape and was down 11lbs in weight from day 1.

Working hard, Ben digs deep towards the end of the week

Weight isn’t so much the issue, though – as I explained in my Week 4 blog. For the guys, most noticeable in Ben has been his strength gains and in Adriano improved fitness.

With that progress in mind, I didn’t want any curve balls. So it was time to tackle the most pressing problem this week – the use of phones.

Instead of talking to one another or focusing on recovery or assessing their form or mentally preparing themselves for the next set or grabbing some water or stretching or just hanging out by yourself to steady your heartrate or thinking, between sets the phones would come out…and then they would be lost in the world of either surfing the web or sending text messages. There’s no place for it in the Amazing 12 or any other program.

If someone comes to me for the best results – and is paying for it – then my job is to deliver. Phones in class get in the way. They hinder focus and, as a result, performance.

I’ve been guilty of it myself, so know exactly how it undermines the quality of training. Now, unless I need my phone for filming (for technique) or as a stopwatch or to monitor my heartrate, I put it away.

Imagine if, as the coach, I spent my time checking messages and texting and scrolling through pages when I should be observing, offering advice and making sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to? My clients would demand their money back.

The addictive nature of phones causes a dopamine (pleasure) rush that means the person on the phone simply can’t put it down. You then lose track of time.

“I understand why you insisted on it [the restriction],” said Ben. “But it’s really hard [to stop]”.

When you are training to set timed intervals and need to be prepared properly for your next rep and/or set – mentally and physically – having phones around simply doesn’t work.

You could also be training really well and then receive a message on your phone that causes stress or concern and your workout instantly takes a nosedive. I’ve seen that happen countless times.

Ben and Adriano both improving in fitness and strength

So, for those of you who lead busy lives and spend all day attached to your phones, you need time to detach yourselves. Make your gym time that time.

I recall reading an article several years ago about the importance of time spent alone in the weight room and how that was a vital quality in strength development. Why? Because lifting well and getting stronger wasn’t just about going heavy, but also making time to recover and being patient, which often meant walking around or sitting down and waiting. Certain personality types (like myself) find that much easier than others. The impatient ones can’t do it.

If you require or have wired yourself to need continual stimulation, it’s going to be tough to ignore the phone. But all the more reason to do it, because it’s probably not happening anywhere else in your life.

Focused on the job, Ben and Adriano side by side

Adriano, who was the first to break the restriction (and everyone got penalised as a result), admitted, “If the phone is there, in front of me, I will pick it up. It’s the temptation.”

Simple solution. Either don’t bring it or put it away before class and look at it afterwards.

With six weeks to go, let’s see what difference it makes. I genuinely believe it will.

Think the Amazing 12 could be for you? Want to know more about what it entails and if you are a suitable candidate? Contact me – Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk – to find out more and for details of the next wave that I am planning in May 2017.

Week 5: It’s all a confidence trick

BESIDES muscles, strength, stability, flexibility, mobility, cardiovascular fitness and health (and I could go on), there’s something incredibly important that the right type of training offers: confidence.

I see it with my four Amazing 12 Chichester candidates every day as we train at Core Results and I notice it each Sunday when I work with the ladies in my two morning weight-lifting groups.

In conversation, I hear it expressed a lot how “when I was younger I never thought twice about…but now…”

As adults, we overthink things and, consequently, feel fearful and doubtful, all of which leads to a lack of confidence. As children, we just got on with it.

But it’s seldom a case of ‘I can’t’. More often, especially when fear kicks in, the reality is ‘I won’t’.

The Amazing 12 is about delivering confidence, enabling you to achieve what you thought you could not.

Sue Saunders, who graduated with me last year, is a classic example. Hindered by a shoulder injury, she had surgery and then wasn’t sure it would withstand the type of training that the Amazing 12 demands. Guess what? It did – for 12 weeks – and she became impressively strong and looked every ounce of it.

Last workout of the week, Adriano is stepping on the gas

When you reach the end of the Amazing 12, which is an accomplishment in itself, there should be a sense of pride from the discipline, motivation and consistency it takes to apply oneself towards a goal and stick with it.

But it requires confidence, too, because along the way there are going to be doubts and you need to find the ‘yes I can’ inside of you…over and over again. Overcoming doubt requires courage. From courage we become stronger.

Our limits often reside in our heads and not our bodies. Paul McIlroy’s philosophy is NOT to keep testing your limits.

Push your limits too frequently and you will find them. Avoid your limits intelligently and you can continue to grow. Most of the great minds in strength training understand this.

Hence the saying, ‘the body achieves what the mind believes’. I know each of my quartet has inside them much more strength than they believe they possess. I can only convince them by enabling them. The Amazing 12 program slowly reveals to them to what they are capable of.

Take Jo, for example. I’ve worked with her on and off for several years. During that time she’s always struggled with push-ups. It’s actually one of her least favourite movements.

Last weekend she was out on the town in Brighton with friends – on a night off from training, of course. A few drinks were shared (and allowed) and, being a little more relaxed I suspect, Jo ended up in a push-up challenge with some guy and, for want of a better expression, whipped his behind.

So there’s an example of when thinking doesn’t interfere with doing. I’m not suggesting we fuel ourselves with alcohol to remove any fears and hit our PRs (much to the disappointment of many, I am sure). But you get the point, I hope.

The reality is we each have within us untapped strength. We just haven’t learned how to skilfully and easefully release it. The Amazing 12 does that.

Stacey (above) is someone else I have worked with for several years. But even in her prime she was unable to do an unassisted pull-up. I’ve set myself the challenge of changing that.

Ben, too, can’t do a pull-up or chin-up but wants to – desperately. He’s never trained before doing the Amazing 12. But I’m confident he will achieve it.

The Amazing 12 has a method. It’s to get you from point A, where you start, to point B, your goal, in the most effective and smartest manner.

Adriano getting stronger in the back squat

What I really enjoy about the Amazing 12 is how strength and confidence creeps up on you. My clients become stronger without even realising by how much (and, in truth, I give away only as much as I need to). Patience is required.

Jo, who has both strength and technique, practising the deadlift

Week after week they are making progress. Ben’s not yet missed a session. Jo’s got more bounce in her step though had to miss one class this week through illness, Adriano’s on par with where he was when he first did it two years ago (in spite of a week off in Africa for work a few weeks back) and in Stacey I can see improvements to her form and overall strength and conditioning as she bids to regain her swagger after having a baby six months ago.

Prior to starting five weeks ago, Stacey hadn’t lifted a weight (in the gym) for more than a year and felt as unfit as she’d ever been.

Jo and Stacey focusing on the task at hand

Confidence is crucial for someone like Jo, who’s had issues with low self-esteem. But I know she likes lifting weights and she’s good at it. Getting her to be consistent – because that will make the most difference – is the challenge.

Back when she was 16, Jo gained a black belt in Kyokushinkai karate, where she had to take a five-hour test that included 60 push-ups and 100 sit-ups.

“I can’t imagine how I did it,” she told me. “But I did. I liked the routine of it.”

I like to think Jo will look back on the Amazing 12 in the same way and use it – and a stronger body and mind – to propel her forwards to take on new challenges.

Need a boost to your training or a lifestyle overhaul? Want to learn about diet and combine it with safe and effective training in order to get the results you’ve always wanted? Why not consider or sign up for the next wave of the Amazing 12 Chichester? Send me a message to Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk for more details

Braver, freer and stronger

SSP_3326 — The end product…after 12 weeks training

EARLY in 2016 I made the decision to dedicate 12 weeks of my life to getting as fit as I possibly could and in April I embarked on The Amazing 12 program run by Claude Abrams at Core Results by Intelligent Strength, Chichester.

For three months I trained five days per week, sometimes twice a day, adopted a strict eating regime and, under Claude’s careful guidance, built my body into the kind of machine that I’d previously only thought possible of elite athletes.

The incredible results that the Amazing 12 gets from regular people like me is now getting noticed all over the world and, yes, amazing is the only word for it.

But for me, it was what happened afterwards that I’m truly grateful for because the Amazing 12 gave me so much more than muscle.

Before A12 I was grieving. I’d recently lost my dad and felt adrift without him. He was my rock, my safe place and my moral compass. I never made a big decision without consulting him. Without him there, suddenly I was the grown up and it scared the bejesus out of me.

I have always been a worrier. I hate admitting that because it’s the thing I dislike most about myself. I am strong-willed and forthright and don’t mess about, but I worry underneath. I get anxious and fret. My dad used to be my safety net… he’d catch all my worries.

In the past, I’ve primarily used one method to deal with worry – avoidance. I found my comfort zones and stuck to them. I think a lot of people do this, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. We tend to stick to what we know even when it isn’t working.

To undertake my A12 training, I had to completely and utterly trust someone else with my health and fitness. That was a tough one for starters (because, like most worriers, I try to minimise anxiety by retaining control). I then had to unlearn pretty much everything I’d ever learnt about how to how to eat and train.

So 25 years of mental conditioning needed to go. Basically my comfort zones were a dot on the horizon.

To say the A12 tested my metal is the mother of all understatements. I worried, I doubted, I questioned, I stressed and, for good measure, I worried some more.

But after all that, I stepped up to the bar and lifted the damn weight.

Double kettlebell front squats are not for the faint-hearted

Did the worry go away? No, most of the time I was terrified! But I did it anyway. And that’s the single most important thing I learned: that you can be afraid and do it anyway.

You don’t need to be confident in order to try: you grow confident by trying.

I have spent a large chunk of my adult life resisting change but in the months following the completion of my A12 program, I have changed my job, put my house on the market and cut my hair (this may not seem radical but I’ve been growing it for over a decade. Believe me, it’s BIG!)

I have been able to do all this because the A12 taught me that the things that scare me the most are usually the things most worth doing.

To complete the A12 I had to embrace change, put aside my doubts and push myself through a multitude of fears.

The Amazing 12 challenged my perceived limitations on every level and as a result I am braver, freer and stronger, inside as well as out.

Although I am proud of my physical achievements, that is the real A12 legacy for me. I know I can change and I know I can handle it and that feels good.

Sue websize (1) — Sue Saunders, Amazing 12 Chichester graduate

Before A12 I would say that I ‘don’t do change’ because I never felt ready. It took a 100kg deadlift to make me realise I’m as ready as I’ll ever be! I think my dad would be proud.

*If you would like to become an Amazing 12 Chichester graduate, discover your super-human qualities like Sue and experience the transformative benefits of this program, the next wave begins on January 9, 2017. For more information and/or to apply, send an email to Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk

Week 11: Deadlifting, mindfulness and the impending finish line

WE have reached the stage in the Amazing 12 program where it is noticeably tougher. The deadlift, in particular, presented some challenges this week at Core Results. Sue felt as if she was nearing her limits. She pulled 92.5kgs off the ground repeatedly. That’s more than she has ever done. Kari did the same with 72.5kgs – way more than she has lifted before starting the program.

However, Kari’s form broke down during some of the sets. So we lowered the weight and practiced the technique with a lighter weight. This was a valuable experience and not a failure by any means. The deadlift may seem straightforward – and it is – but it can also be very technical and those fine details are essential when you begin asking your body to overcome heavier loads. To ask that question of a body that hasn’t been already primed is courting disaster. Body type and mobility make a difference to how easy it is to master the deadlift. But nothing beats practice and patience.

It got me thinking, because while we don’t do deadlifts too often on the program, we deadlift practically every day of our lives. Some of us realise it and some of us do not.

Whenever you take from the ground a weighted object you are effectively performing a deadlift. Mothers and fathers picking up their children are deadlifting. Labourers at work. Children at play…

It is not always enough to go to the gym. The gym is just the beginning. It’s how you lead your life that matters most. The gym is where you learn and refine the skill under supervision. Out in the world is where you get to put your gym skills and gym strength to use.

The time spent in the gym is relatively little. But if you do not apply what you learn you aren’t really changing much. If I train you to deadlift once per week and the rest of the week you lift objects from the ground with bad form, which movement pattern do you think will prevail?

If you workout every day, but spend the vast majority of your time seated or slumped at a desk or on a couch, what shape will your body adapt to?

I see all the time people lifting by using their backs and they complain about having a bad back. Figure that out.

Changing a movement pattern is tough in the beginning. It requires almost continual thought, devotion and concentration. Kari found it a little overwhelming at times trying to focus on all the components of the deadlift to be able to execute the movement well. But with practice comes change. She’s made tremendous progress from when we started.

Over time that which we once had to think hard about becomes second nature and a new pattern emerges.

The Amazing 12 tries to teach that. We’re honing skills and eating habits week in, week out. You get good at what you practice the most.

“I’m more mindful of my body now since starting the Amazing 12,” said Kari. “I’m more aware of how my core influences my posture and how important it is to engage core muscles when lifting.

“I have also learned to listen to my body and not push it to pieces – that it’s not just okay to have rest days, but crucial.”

For Sue the injury she sustained more than a year ago was enough to make her more conscious of how she moves day in and day out. “Once you’ve had an injury and been debilitated, you become more mindful,” she said.

“But coming from a place of injury and movement recovery, the Amazing 12 has given me back my confidence in the way I move. I no longer hold myself stiffly to protect my shoulder or worry about lower back pain when picking up something heavy.

“Lifting heavy weights teaches you to respect your body. I am proud of what my body has accomplished during these three months and I’m now confident of being ‘fit for purpose’.”

Next week Kari and Sue head towards the finish. It’s about getting them to peak for the photo shoot. The aim of the program is to achieve the best results possible – strength, fitness and shape – in 12 weeks. The photo shoot is just a way of illustrating the change in shape. But the real gains are made in strength (intelligent programming), fitness (conditioning work), technique (from practice), confidence (reaching the finish, overcoming challenges), health (eating better) and training knowledge (self-sufficiency).

“The 12 weeks have flown by quickly,” said Kari. “It’s unbelievable to think we have only one week left. I’m going to miss the training sessions. But I’m looking forward to building on what I have learned and to include more cardio in my training. My legs are craving a long run.

“I’m also looking forward to having a cleaner diet. I’m more mindful of nutrients and how to fuel my body. The Amazing 12 showed how head-strong and disciplined I can be when required. I was fortunate enough to share the experience with a lovely training buddy, too. She [Sue] is an inspiring lady.”

Sue has mixed feelings. “I will miss the training,” she admits. “I have loved it, despite it being tough at times and pushing me way out of my cautious comfort zone. I will miss the friendly banter and comradery of my training sessions with Kari and Claude.

“I am anxious about what happens next and where to go from here. Now I’ve climbed Everest [well, nearly], I like the view. I will, however, be glad to have more time to focus on other important things in my life. I’m looking forward to getting back to ‘normality’ in terms of my family and running my business.

“There is no doubt you have to make sacrifices for the Amazing 12 and that is why it is an accomplishment for those who undertake it. Nothing of real value is easy to come by after all.

“While I am sad the Amazing 12 is nearly over for me, I am happy I did what I set out to do and more. I have achieved something I didn’t think was possible a year ago and, what’s more, come this Friday I can eat cake!!”

*Do you think you can do the Amazing 12? Would you like to find out more? The next phase of the Amazing 12 Chichester begins on September 5 at Core Results. Contact Claude@intelligentstrength.co.uk for more information and/or to book a free consultation.

Week 10: And then there were two…

TWO weeks and only two students of the Amazing 12 Chichester now remain.

Ross chose to drop out (for personal reasons) at the beginning of the week. Sue and Kari have soldiered on.

We had some hot evenings and gritty challenges this week. But the ladies did incredibly well. Sue’s deadlift has reached 90kg for repetitions. She even sneaks in the occasional pull-up when I’m not looking and then grins at me mischievously because they now feel so easy to her. Kari, too, is deadlifting beyond what she has ever achieved previously and her strength increased in all the other movements.

I’m turning the screw a little more, not because it’s necessary, but more because they are now ready.

These final two weeks will, much like week 10, skip by quickly. From my experience, this stage is what brings about the most significant results.

With the end in sight, thoughts inevitably turn to ‘what’s next?’ In reality, it’s a question that should have been asked (and answered) long ago.

If you run a business, you’d want it to grow. You would need to know your projections for years to come. Try to view your body in the same way. How do you want it to perform and look one, three, five and 10 years or more from today?

As with any business, neglect your body, too, and it will crumble. Feed it, invest in it and strategically create ways to nurture and challenge it and it will grow and provide healthy returns.

So for Sue and Kari this is really just the beginning and not the end.

“I have loved and am loving every second,” said Kari. “I will say this again and again…I don’t want this to end.”

It’s been a rewarding process for me to see these two ladies genuinely thrive.

“The Amazing 12 is getting tough now,” admitted Kari. “But I’m still loving it and amazed by how far I can push my body. Lifting could potentially become my drug, thanks to you.”

But I asked them both to think ahead to what could become their next challenge or to what they’d like to achieve down the road.

“If money and time were no object, I would love to do another Amazing 12,” said Sue.

“It wouldn’t be for a while, but certainly soon enough to capitalise on the progress I have already made. I’d also love to learn to box. I have always fancied that.

“I’d like to train for and get a kettlebell certification and take up yoga or pilates to sort out my mobility issues.

“And then, when I’ve done all that, I’ll enter Ninja Warriors UK!”

Kari, who’s always been more of an endurance-based athlete, said she’d like to get to Base Camp Everest, climb Mount Kilimanjaro, complete the Marathon des Sables, do the Big 5 Marathon in South Africa.

“I’d also like to spend a month in Kenya with a Kenyan athlete and learn how to run properly,” she said.

“And now, having nearly completed the Amazing 12, I’d like to compete in a Body Fitness competition (in my wildest dreams still).”

In the week that Muhammad Ali, one of my heroes, died and was buried, I think it’s only fitting to think big, as Ali would have done, and to be fearless in your approach, as he always was. For if a young, skinny black kid from Kentucky could grow up in racially oppressive times to become the most famous sports figure in history, doesn’t it make all our dreams seem more achievable?

My parting note for the week comes not from Ali, but John Maxwell, a leadership guru, who said: “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”

Sounds almost exactly what the Amazing 12 is all about. But it can be applied to practically everything. The underlying message is that to make a difference you first need to get started, don’t give up and realise something is better than nothing.

*The Amazing 12 Chichester wave starts next on September 5 at Core Results Gym. Send an email to Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk for more details or to arrange a free assessment. Spaces are limited, so make contact early to avoid disappointment.