COLLETTE, a 36-year-old from a little coastal village called Amble in the north-east of England, commuted over 60 miles daily to train with Phil Earley at ITS Fitness in Newcastle five days per week.
Not only is the distance demanding enough, the route was awful and Phil says she spent probably more time in her car than the gym being put through her paces on the Amazing 12. And on top of that, Collette runs her own beauty business and works long hours!
Collette did it with a long-term (10 years) back problem that prevented her from performing any kind of hinge pattern (deadlifting, for instance, wasn’t possible) and hadn’t trained in five years going into the Amazing 12! That makes her results hugely impressive.
There’s more to her story that I can’t even divulge that would add to the enormity of her effort and drive to transform herself. She also got her results in eight weeks rather than the usual 12.
HOW about Lauren, only 4ft 11in, stubborn about her diet, inconsistent in her training and disappointed in her results and strength from previous training regimens? She’d had digestive issues, but didn’t want to make the necessary changes…until she did the Amazing 12 with Alydia Rose Bryant at Torque Strong in the US.
Lauren got leaner and stronger. Her digestive issues disappeared, her sleep became more normal, energy increased and her reliance on caffeine reduced.
“Seriously, ask anyone, I want the world to feel as great as I do,” she said at the end. “I exceeded my expectations and my mind and body are singing.”
Lauren lost 16lbs in bodyweight and 13.5in overall.
KRISTIN is a mother of four with a full-time job. She has now done the Amazing 12 twice with Gan Power in Ireland. Why twice? She enjoyed it so much that she came back for more. As you can see, Kristin achieved incredible physical results. Her strength more than matched her physique.
At the beginning, she was strong enough to do five chin-ups. By the finish she could do 11 strictly. Her strength in other lifts, like the back squat, deadlift, bench press and military press, all went up, too.
As Gan says, “She built a physique that would probably place her on the podium of a ladies physique content. Her hard work and dedication is reflected in her photos.”
Kristin said, “Having done the Amazing 12 last year, I knew exactly the results this program gets, so the decision to do it again was an easy one. While I never stopped going to the gym, I found myself going through the motions. Getting involved in the Amazing 12 group again brought back the fun, motivation and incentive I needed to work as hard as I could. I defy anyone to find another gym where you can reap so many rewards.”
CLAIRE is another of Gan Power’s female graduates. She admitted that the first time she turned up at the gym she was intimidated before she stepped in.
“I could see the hooks from the ceiling, music thumping and people focused, in the zone and everyone lifting weights,” she recalled.
Claire, a keen walker, runner and member of what we’d called a standard gym with treadmills and rowers, was out that night to enquire about the Amazing 12. She’d never lifted weights before – a complete novice, therefore.
“To say I was intimidated and petrified is an understatement,” she said.
Gan put her at ease and explained to her what was required on the Amazing 12. “I knew this was going to be serious,” she said. “I wanted results. I’d had enough of being the shape I was, not fitting into clothes or being able to buy particular styles because it didn’t suit me. I’d also been suffering with sciatica due to a slipped disc. I wanted to strengthen my core.
“I felt the A12 was the way to do it. It was time for change and once I had made that decision I knew my stubbornness would win out.”
Claire admitted she was a hopeless vegetable eater, so knew the diet would be a struggle. “I made every effort, though. The program was easy to get used to. Gan was picky about technique [as all A12 coaches should be]. Gan selected the weights and all I had to do was lift.”
Soon enough Claire started to enjoy it. By the halfway stage she had shifted a stone and felt as if she was gaining muscle.
Then Claire injured herself and got pains in her back. To cut a long story short, she was referred for surgery because her troublesome disc was sitting on a nerve. She felt devastated.
“I’m not a quitter,” she said. “Gan was so understanding and kept reassuring me I could finish the program another time.”
Determined not to put weight back on, Claire joined Slimming World while she couldn’t train. Gan stayed in contact with her. Eventually, Claire was given the green light to begin any training program she was doing prior to the injury.
So four months after surgery, Claire was back in the gym. Gan tinkered with the program to allow for her back injury. Claire was more focused than ever. She knew what she was up against. As food was her greatest worry, she got herself organised and batch-cooked everything she needed ahead of time. “This made life so much easier,” she said.
From start to finish (including the break due to surgery and recovery), Claire shed more than 3st (42lbs). “My body shape has changed. I eat some vegetables. I am way more conscious now of the food I consume. I am leaner, stronger and can even do a chin-up!”
Training on the A12 and at GP Fitness was as much a psychological as physical experience. “I had so many doubts, fears and much trepidation,” she admitted. “It was a long and winding road, but one that made me undoubtedly a stronger person both mentally and physically.”
Claire admits her back still gives her the odd twinge, but that her physio told her recently her back is in the best condition he had seen it in the two-and-a-half years he had known her. “That, in itself, made the journey worthwhile,” she said. “I can’t believe how far I have come. Now I feel amazing.”
ANN decided to take the Amazing 12 journey after winning a battle with cancer. At 57, she admitted, “I needed to get in shape and become strong and healthy.”
Having worked with Amazing 12 coach Amanda Hudson previously at the Pure Strength Studio in Mississippi, USA, Ann knew she was in good hands. “Ann was always dedicated,” said Amanda. “I knew what she was capable of.”
Over the three months of training, Ann dropped 20lbs in weight and two sizes around the waist (18in overall). Although her strength had been compromised from her cancer treatment, Ann soon overcame that. She more than doubled the weights she could lift in the bench press and shoulder press. She made big leaps in her back squat and deadlift also.
“The Amazing 12 was all about me,” she said. “It offered me all the things I needed to accomplish my goals [strength, health and shape]. I dedicated myself and received great rewards. It’s a way of life now. I achieved my goals without ever starving myself and one day each week I could eat whatever I wanted.
“Amanda has given me the improvements to my self-confidence and self-esteem to keep charging on and facing the challenges of life.”
Next step for Ann is another six weeks on the program. “It’s become a way of life now. I will do the six-week program and become more grounded in what I have learned.”
THE next round of the Amazing 12 Chichester begins at Core Results Gym on January 9, 2017. Do you have what it takes? Want to find out more details? Want to book your place? Send me a message at Claude@Intelligentstrength.co.uk