Diet plans, training routines, workouts and advice to help you make a big change to your body composition, whether you’re hoping to lose fat, build muscle, or both. Just remember that a healthy lifestyle is something you have to put in place for the long-term. A short-term transformation project can be a great way to get started.

Even if you want to make a significant change to the way you look and feel, you may be put off by the common misconception that the journey there is going to be horrible. In fact, you may deliberately make it as gruelling as possible because you think that’s the only way to get results. In fact, the approach that’s most likely to succeed is one that makes life as simple and painless as possible. Follow these tips from the experts at New Body Plan for a better chance of success. Take it away guys.

1. Don’t Dive In

If your gym membership card has been gathering dust, the worst thing you can do is launch into a regime that would make an Olympic weightlifter wince. Your aim with your first week of workouts should be to make them challenging but enjoyable. You want to leave feeling motivated and like you want to come back again next week. So blow the cobwebs away, get back in the groove and adopt a progressive plan that gets harder as you get fitter.

2. Keep Your Diet Simple

If you’re confused about what you should or shouldn’t eat then we don’t blame you. There’s so much poor and conflicting information out there. Here’s what you need to know in the simplest terms possible: try to eat a variety of fresh food. Variety is key because then you’ll be getting the range of macronutrients and micronutrients that your body needs. Of course, this isn’t everything you need to know about healthy eating, but the point is that eating well is simpler than a lot of people would have you believe.

The other thing we’d suggest you do is control your portion size, because being in a small calorie deficit (ie burning slightly more than you consume) is the key to successful and sustainable fat loss. If you’re in a calorie surplus, you’re likely to gain weight and if you’re in a substantial deficit, you’ll lose weight, but you’ll also be miserable.

3. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Let’s say you’re following an eight-week plan. It would be unrealistic to think that you’re going to sail through those 56 days on a wave of healthy eating glory. The chances are that you’ll have nutritional slip-ups. And you know what? If that happens, it’s no big deal. We’re not saying we want it to happen, but the world won’t come to an end if the lure of the delivery app is too much and you order a pizza. In the event that does happen, the best thing you can do is refocus, remind yourself why you started and make sure your next gym session is a belter. And maybe delete the food delivery app.

See related 

• The Ultimate Body Transformation Plan
• A Fat-Loss Meal Plan That Doesn’t Sacrifice Flavour

4. Don’t Rely On Willpower

If you want to transform your body you need superhuman willpower, right? Actually, you’re better off arranging your life so that you don’t need much willpower. Let’s look at booze. If you want to lose fat, reducing your alcohol intake is one of the simplest ways to make an impact because booze contains lots of calories (about 200 in a pint of lager) but very few nutrients. If you keep a few cold beers in the fridge then every time you open the fridge door you’ll be greeted by the tempting sight of a bottle, but if it isn’t there then you won’t get tempted and you won’t need to draw on your willpower reserves.

The same goes for motivation. When you’re running late in the morning, it’s easy to head out of the door without searching around for your gym kit. But if it is packed and ready to go the night before, it’s easy to take with you. It’s simple to make these small adjustments, and it means you can save your effort for the gym floor.

5. Don’t Be Your Own Coach

Your job is to lift the weights. Let someone else worry about the exercises. There are a couple of reasons why you should follow a plan written by someone else. First, if you write your own plans you’ll always tend to favour the exercises you’re good at, rather than the ones that will have the biggest impact on your body shape. Worse, if you wing it and don’t follow a plan at all then your training will be aimless and you’ll drift through visits to the gym. You won’t make progress and, sooner or later, you’ll give up. The lesson: always follow a plan.

If you want to get a complete fat loss transformation programme, visit New Body Plan and use code coach20 at checkout to get £20 off

If you want to build your best ever body, your first step is to find the perfect plan to help you realise your goal. Because with the best will in the world, embarking on a mission to build a bigger, stronger or leaner physique is doomed to fail without a smart and detailed blueprint that will get you to where you want to be in the fastest possible time.

The New Body Plan Plus programme is just that: an eight-week training programme tailored to your body-composition goal – whether that’s losing body fat or building lean muscle mass – with extra training time dedicated to those muscle groups you most want to improve. It also includes a supporting eight-week meal planner, with recipes, so you can eat the right foods at the right time for faster progress.

A two-week sample of the Muscle plan, which was used by Joe Warner to build a cover model body, is below. Pair it with this high-protein, muscle-building diet plan to help you add lean size fast.

How To Build Muscle FAQ

I’ve tried to add muscle in the past but failed. How did you get the results you wanted?

The most important part of any body transformation challenge is to have a plan. Without one, all the motivation and determination in the world won’t be enough to deliver the results you want. Once you have a challenging but achievable plan you can fully commit yourself to your muscle-building mission to start making gains and build more and more confidence in your plan and your abilities.

Where do most people go wrong when trying to build muscle?

There are two main reasons that people struggle to add muscle. The first is that they don’t train hard enough or smart enough. To coax your muscles into growing you need to push them to get to a point where they’re pumped with blood and burning with fatigue. It sounds horrible, but it’s one of the most satisfying feelings you can get in a gym.

The second is people lift too heavy. That might sound strange considering I’ve just said you need to train hard, but there has to be a compromise between lifting as heavy as you can while maintaining perfect form and doing each rep in a slow and controlled fashion to work as many muscle fibres as possible. That’s what causes the muscle pump and burn.

What about eating for muscle?

When your main training aim is to build muscle, your diet is just as important as when you want to lose fat. You need to consume enough protein to repair your damaged muscle fibres so they grow back bigger and stronger, as well as fats, which are essential for keeping your muscle-building hormone levels high. And if you are naturally lean, you will benefit from eating more carbs around your training sessions to fuel and then refuel your muscles, so more of the protein you eat can be used solely for laying down new muscle tissue.

The Training Plan Explained

Explaining the two-week muscle-building block that allows you to build all-over muscle as well as add size to individual muscle groups.

Split

In this two-week training block the workouts follow a pattern. The first session of both weeks is a “push” workout, which hits your chest, shoulders and triceps. The second is a “pull” session, which targets your back and biceps. The third session works your legs, while the fourth and final workout targets the muscle group you most want to make bigger and more defined – your abs, arms or chest. Train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday to give yourself maximum recovery time.

Structure

Every workout in this two-week block is made up of six different exercises, which you’ll perform as straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, sticking to the tempo and rest periods detailed, and then move on to do all the sets and reps of exercise 2, and so on until you finish all the reps of the final set of exercise 6. This approach will fully test your muscles to improve your strength levels, while also creating the ideal stimulus for your body to start adding lean muscle mass.

Progression

The second week of this block is similar to the first week in that it follows the same muscle-group split – push, pull, legs, then a body-part specific session – in order, for your four weekly sessions. The moves are also the same and in the same order, but with one major difference: to help you add size faster you’ll do an extra two reps in every set of the first two moves of each session, and then do a full extra set for the other four moves. Try to lift slightly heavier weights for each move in the second week.

Tempo

Alongside the sets, reps and rest period details for each exercise you’ll see a column marked “tempo”, which is a four-digit number. Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep, and the number is the time in seconds you take to lower and lift the weight, and pause at the top and bottom. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you lower the bar to your chest in two seconds, with no pause at the bottom, then lift the bar in one second, with no pause at the top. X means you should do the move explosively.

Specialisation

For the fourth sessions of both weeks you choose which muscle group you train. There are three options: abs, arms or chest. Pick just one. These muscle-group goal workouts use straight sets like the other three weekly sessions, so do the exercises in order as instructed to add serious size to your chosen muscle fast. In the second week, as with the other three sessions, do two extra reps per set of the first two moves, then a full extra set of the next four moves to train both harder and smarter.

How To Warm Up

When you’re looking to build serious muscle you’re going to be pushing hard in the gym, and the workouts below are going to test your body to its limits. That means it’s imperative that you devote some time to warming up before you start.

By warming up we don’t mean a short, slow walk on the treadmill while you check your phone. We mean a thorough, workout-specific warm-up that targets the muscles you’re about to use.

Start with this seven-move weights warm-up routine, which will wake up muscles all over the body so they’re ready for the next stage of the warm-up, which is some workout-specific exercises. The simplest way to do this is to run through the exercises in the workout you’re about to do using a very light weight – lifting just the bar for barbell moves is a good example of this – or no weight at all.

Spend five to ten minutes running through that and you’ll hit the first set of your workout primed for success, rather than risking injury and underperforming in your first few sets.

Workout 1: Push Session

The session starts with two compound moves to get your chest, shoulders and triceps working hard. Fully straighten your arms at the tops of moves 1 and 2, and move through a full range of motion. For the next four moves, stick to the 2011 tempo, with the final “1” being a one-second squeeze-and-hold in the end position to recruit more muscle fibres.

Workout 2: Pull Session

For all six moves, ensure your posture is perfect with your chest up and abs tight before starting a set. This puts your body in the right position to allow your back and biceps muscles to do the heavy lifting safely, and minimises momentum which will switch off your muscles. Keep to the tempo for maximum muscular time under tension.

Workout 3: Legs Session

For your front squats keep your chest up, elbows high and core engaged so you can lift heavy but safely to hit your quads, glues and hamstrings. Moving through the session, focus on how the working muscle “feels” as you move through each rep, because this will forge stronger mind-to-muscle connections and lead to quicker gains.

Workout 4: Specialisation Session

How to pick your specialisation: Do one of the following sessions as your fourth workout of the week. Simply choose the body part you most want to develop. In the second week, as with the other three sessions, do two extra reps per set of the first two moves, then a full extra set of the next four moves to train both harder and smarter.

Option 1: Abs

Option 2: Arms

Option 3: Chest

Muscle-Building Tips

Follow these tried-and-tested tips to pack on size quickly.

Feel the tension

For every rep of every set of every exercise, think about the muscle you’re working and lift at a controlled tempo rather than swinging the weight around. You may need to lift a lighter weight to achieve this. That’s fine. All that matters is you lift in the way that stimulates the maximum number of muscle fibres, because that’s what makes them grow.

Stay in the zone

If you want to listen to music in the gym switch, your phone to airplane mode so you aren’t tempted to check your emails or social media or to take any phone calls. You’ve got the rest of the day to get on with work or check the news, and the more focused you are each time you step into the gym, the quicker you’ll get the results you want.

Don’t skimp on sleep

Sleep is the third pillar, along with training and nutrition, that determines how quickly you add muscle. Aim for eight hours of good-quality sleep every night, which means lowering your caffeine intake and limiting time spent in front of your TV, laptop or phone in the hour before bed. Doing so will significantly increase your chances of falling asleep faster – and then staying asleep for longer – to give your mind and muscles the maximum amount of rest, recovery and recuperation.

Earlier this year I completed an eight-week body transformation that saw me go from overweight 37-year-old to becoming a cover model. I used the New Body Plan, and if you follow it then I’m confident that you’ll experience a similarly dramatic change to the way you look and feel.

There is, however, one extra element that will determine the outcome of your efforts. You see, it’s not just the exercises you perform that count – it’s the way that you perform them that will have the biggest impact on the result you achieve. To ensure that you get the results you’re looking for, try to implement the following 16 tips every time you train. It may take a bit of adjustment at the start, and you may also find that you end up lifting less than expected – but, funnily enough, that’s probably a sign that you’re lifting properly.

1. Have a plan

If you walk into the gym without knowing exactly what you want to achieve from the session then there’s no chance whatsoever that you’ll have a productive workout. At best you’ll crank out a few biceps curls before wandering around for a quarter of an hour and then hitting the shower. Make sure you’ve got a workout programme to follow – you won’t waste your training time and you’ll achieve your goals faster.

2. Use mental cues

Your overall goal should be to perform every rep as well as you can. One way of helping yourself get focused before the start of a set is to use a verbal or physical cue to tell your brain, “right, time to go to work”. You could say the word “strong” to yourself. Or you could quickly tense your muscles. See what works for you.

3. Create a pre-set routine

To take that idea a step further, you could create a pre-set routine. This might involve something along the lines of purposefully planting your feet, taking three deep breaths and visualising the first rep before you get the weights in place. You’ll find that this will have a positive impact on your session.

4. Turn up the volume

Training to your favourite music is the quickest and easiest way to ramp up your results, so put together a playlist of your top tunes – ideally those that get your head nodding and feet tapping. Multiple studies have found that music lowers the rate of perceived exertion (or RPE), which in essence means hard exercise feels easier than it would without your own session soundtrack.

5. Plant your feet

At the start of a set it’s well worth pressing your feet into the ground because it will fire up the muscles of your legs, glutes and core to help create a solid and stable base. Get an even stronger foundation by imagining you’re screwing your heels down to get all those small but crucial stabilising muscles fully activated.

6. Set up to be stable

Before you lift, always brace your core by taking a breath and contracting your abs. It also makes sense to recruit your glutes to give your entire body more stability and make it more able to perform the lift.

7. Think about the muscle

This is another old-school bodybuilder technique. You’ve probably heard of the mind-muscle connection, and it’s real – studies have shown that thinking about the muscle you’re trying to target will have a positive impact on the effectiveness of your session.

8. Squeeze the antagonist muscle

The antagonist muscle is the one on the opposite side to the target muscle. So, if you’re training your biceps (the front of your upper arms), the antagonist is the triceps (the back of your upper arms). Before you start each rep, squeeze the antagonist muscle to ensure you use a full range of motion and also send the right signals from brain to muscle to maximise muscle fibre recruitment.

9. Squeeze the bar

Squeezing the weight before you lift will send a signal to your brain to recruit muscle fibres and help you move the load. It will also help to get your mind focused so you can put maximum effort into the exercise.

10. Make the first rep count

You will always be comparatively fresh at the start of each set, so it’s easy to switch off for the first couple of reps. Remember, the way you perform the first rep will determine the quality of your set.

See related 

• Here’s How This Man Lost 10Kg Of Fat in Eight Weeks
• The Weight-Loss Workouts Which Helped This Man Shed 2.5kg Of Fat In Two Weeks
• Diet Tips From The Man Who Lost 10kg Of Fat In Eight Weeks

11. Squeeze the target muscle

You may not end up looking like a bodybuilder but you can borrow some of the big guys’ techniques. At the top of each rep, squeeze the target muscle so that you feel it properly contract. The better the contraction, the better the outcome.

12. Control the eccentric

The eccentric (lowering) phase of a lift is important because it’s an opportunity to expose your muscle to stress in its strongest part of the lift. Take the bench press, for example: if you drop the bar to your chest rather than controlling the lowering phase of the lift, you’re missing out on a huge proportion of the exercise’s potential benefit.

13. Don’t use momentum

If you swing the weights around, you aren’t properly applying tension to the target muscle. And it’s the application of tension, rather than the number on the weight, that really matters. Using momentum might help to grow your ego but it won’t do much for your muscles.

14. Keep tension on the muscle

Rather than jolting your joints and locking out on every rep, aim to maintain tension in the muscle by keeping a softness in your joints, particularly during machine and isolation moves. For heavy compound lifts, such as deadlifts, squats and bench presses, it is safer to lock out each rep.

15. Get your breathing sorted

Breathing properly will ensure that you are strong and stable in the key parts of a rep. Take a breath before you do a rep and exhale as you complete the rep, then take another breath and repeat the cycle.

16. Make every rep look the same

Each and every rep should take roughly the same time, and you should always be in control of the weight. The exception is the final couple of reps of each set, which you may have to fight for.

Last year I watched my colleague Jon Lipsey go from clinically overweight to cover model using the New Body Plan we developed. Towards the end of his eight-week training plan, I joined him in his sessions and started dropping body fat, but I wasn’t lean. Seven years ago I was. After a 12-week plan under the guidance of Ultimate Performance founder Nick Mitchell I was shredded. But then, I’d just turned 30 and age was on my side. Now, staring 40 in the face, I wanted to find out how much of a factor age is in building a bigger, stronger and leaner body – because if I could do it so can you, regardless of your age. The good news for all of us is that it’s never too late to get into the shape of your life, as long as you remember this: it’s not just about training hard. It’s about training smart.

In your 20s you can get away with murder. Too many pints last night? That won’t stop you smashing chest day in the morning. You recover from anything faster, even on less sleep.

But as your early 30s give way to your almost-40s, life comes at a greater cost. Work is harder and more stressful but you’ve got less energy to deal with it. Family and friends need more of your time, which is already at a premium. And you can do a tough workout on a Monday and still be feeling the effects at the weekend.

As we get older it’s easy to assume that our best days are behind us, but don’t despair. Because the reality is it’s never too late to make huge changes to how you look, feel and perform. If you, like me, can see 30 receding into the distance in your rearview mirror, my training programme should be just right for you. It’ll help you add lean muscle and strip away fat to transform your body, while also rejuvenating your energy levels, sending your motivation levels soaring and getting back on top of every area of your life.

If you’re under 30 you can do the plan too, but be warned – you’ll need a whole new wardrobe after you bust through all your shirts Hulk-style.

How I Built A Better Body

The eight-week programme I used was formed of four two-week blocks. Each block had a different body-part split and session structure because regular changes to the key training variables – exercise selection and order, sets, reps, tempo, rest and weight – keeps training physically and mentally stimulating to fast-track your results. 

I did four workouts a week. The first three hit all my major muscle groups, while the final workout was dedicated to just one muscle group – the one I most wanted to make bigger. For the first half of the plan I dedicated these specialisation sessions to my arms; for the second half it was my back which, after years of bench pressing, needed bringing up to speed.

Try This Two-Week Training Plan

Try this two-week muscle-building block that allows you to select specific sessions to add size to individual muscle groups.

Split In this two-week training block the workouts follow this pattern: the first session of both weeks is a “push” workout, which hits your chest, shoulders and triceps. The second is a “pull” session, which targets your back and biceps. The third session works your legs, while the fourth and final workout targets the muscle group you most want to make bigger and more defined – your abs, arms or chest. Train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday to give yourself maximum recovery time.

Structure Every workout in this two-week block is made up of six different exercises, which you’ll perform as straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, sticking to the tempo and rest periods detailed, and then move on to do all the sets and reps of exercise 2, and so on until you finish all the reps of the final set of exercise 6. This approach will fully test your muscles to improve your strength levels, while also creating the ideal stimulus for your body to start adding lean muscle mass.

Progression The second week of this block is similar to the first week in that it follows the same muscle-group split – push, pull, legs, then body-part specific session – in order, for your four weekly sessions. The moves are also the same and in the same order, but with one major difference: to help you add size faster you’ll do a extra two reps in every set of the first two moves of each session, and then do a full extra set for the other four moves. Try to lift slightly heavier weights for each move in the second week.

Tempo Listed alongside the sets, reps and rest period details below the name of each exercise you’ll see a column marked “tempo”, which is a four-digit number. Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep of an exercise, and the four-digit number is the time in seconds you take to lower and lift the weight, and pause at the top and bottom. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you lower the bar to your chest in two seconds, with no pause at the bottom, then lift the bar in one second, with no pause at the top.

Specialisation For the fourth sessions of both weeks you choose which muscle group you train. There are three options: abs, arms or chest. Pick just one. These muscle-group goal workouts use straight sets like the other three weekly sessions, so do the exercises in order as instructed to add serious size to your chosen muscle fast. In the second week, as with the other three sessions, do two extra reps per set of the first two moves, then a full extra set of the next four moves to train both harder and smarter.

Smart Training Tips For Faster Results

Training smarter begins with scheduling your weekly workouts. I planned mine for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and then Saturday or Sunday. This schedule strategy gives you the maximum amount of recovery time between workouts, giving your body enough time to repair and rebuild your muscles stronger so you can push yourself harder every time you train. And getting the first session of each week under your belt on a Monday is a really positive start to the week, and massively increases your chances of completing the other three sessions.

Weights

For the best muscle-building results each set must last between 40 and 70 seconds, which means you need to use the right weight to let you hit a target of eight to 12 reps at a slow, controlled tempo. Leave your ego at the door and select a weight that is heavy enough to fatigue the muscles thoroughly but not so heavy that you can’t do all the reps or maintain correct form.

Tension

Swinging weights around is a waste of time and leads to injury, not results. Learning to properly contract and apply tension to the working muscle has a huge impact on your capacity to build muscle, and burn fat. Before each set think about the muscle you’re going to work, then lift at a controlled pace so it’s your muscles that move the weight, not momentum.

Focus

A training diary is essential for focused workouts. Ahead of each session write down that day’s workout plan, including sets, reps, tempo, rest and weight, then fill it in as you go. You can include other key info too, such as pre- and post-workout nutrition, energy and performance levels out of ten, and what went well or didn’t go to plan. This should help you tweak the variables for better performance in future sessions.

Workout 1: Push

1 Dumbbell bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight and the weights touch over the middle of your chest. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control. Don’t “bounce” the weights at the bottom of a rep to help initiate the next one. Instead keep each rep smooth and controlled.

2 Dumbbell overhead hammer press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Shoulders, triceps

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing each other. Keeping your chest up and abs engaged, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight and the weights touch above your head. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position.

3 Dumbbell lateral raise

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Side shoulders

Stand tall with your chest up, abs braced and feet hip-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with your palms facing one another. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to the sides, no higher than shoulder height. As the weights approach shoulder height, rotate your wrists slightly so that your little fingers are pointing straight up – this will contract your side delts harder. Pause and hold this top position for a second, then lower the weights under complete control.

4 Low-cable cross-over

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, front shoulders

Stand in the middle of a cable machine with a split stance, holding a handle attached to the low pulleys in each hand with your hands back and behind your body. Keeping your arms straight, your chest up and your abs braced, raise both your hands and cross them in front of your body at chest height. At this top position, squeeze your chest hard by twisting your wrists so your palms and forearms are facing the ceiling, and hold this position for a second. Slowly lower your hands back to the start position under complete control.

5 Cable rope overhead triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Triceps

Stand tall with your back to a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, holding a double rope handle attached to the low pulley in both hands behind your head. Lean forwards slightly from your hips, but keep your chest up and your back straight. Keeping your elbows locked in position either side of your head and pointing straight up, press your hands up and forwards to straighten your arms. When your arms are fully straight, pause and flex your triceps for one second. Slowly return your hands to the start position, then squeeze your biceps hard before starting the next rep.

6 Cable rope triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Biceps

Stand tall in front of a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, using both hands to hold a double rope handle attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down until your arms are fully straight. Hold this bottom position and flex your triceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. When you return to the top position, squeeze your biceps.

See related :

• How To Build Muscle: Use This Gym Training Plan
• The Best Workout Plan To Transform Your Body
• How To Build Muscle Naturally
• The Tried-And-Tested Muscle-Building Workout

Workout 2: Pull

1 Lat pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Lats, biceps, forearms

Adjust the machine so you’re sitting with your knees secured, holding the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, squeezing your biceps and back hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

2 Wide-grip seated row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Upper back, biceps

Position yourself on the machine with your feet against the foot rest, holding a bar cable attachment in both hands with a wide grip. Keeping your chest up, back straight and core braced, row your hands in towards your body, leading with your elbows. Once your hands are by your body, pause for a second and squeeze your back and biceps muscles hard, then reverse the move back to the start position.

3 EZ-bar preacher curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Biceps, forearms

Sit or stand at a preacher bench, holding an EZ-bar with an underhand grip. Keeping your upper arms and elbows on the bench, curl the bar up towards your chin until your forearms are vertical. Pause in this top position for one second, squeezing your biceps hard. Lower the bar slowly and under complete control, fully straightening your arms at the bottom.

4 EZ-bar upright row

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Upper back, biceps, shoulders

Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with an overhand shoulder-width grip. Keeping your chest up, row the bar upwards towards your chin, leading with your elbows. Pause and hold for one second in this top position, then slowly lower the bar until your arms are straight.

5 Cable bar biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Biceps, forearms

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, holding a bar attached to the low pulley with an underhand grip. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the bar up until your hands are at chin height. Pause and hold this top position and squeeze your biceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. At the bottom position, flex your triceps.

6 Cable face pull

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Upper back, rear shoulders

Stand tall in front of a cable machine holding a double-rope handle in both hands, with thumbs closest to you. Keeping your chest up and abs engaged, stand so that there is tension in the cable when your arms are straight. Bring your hands up and to the sides of your head, so your hands end up above your head with your elbows bent at roughly 90°. Pause and hold this top position for one second, squeezing your upper back and rear delts, then reverse the movement to the start position.

Workout 3: Legs

1 Front squat

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Hold the bar across the front of your shoulders, either holding it in your hands with your elbows forwards and upper arms parallel to the ground, or with your arms bent and crossed and your fingers resting on the opposite shoulder. Stand with your feet at least hip-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outwards. Keeping your elbows and chest up and core engaged, squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. From this bottom position, drive through your heels, pushing your knees out to the sides, to stand back up to the start position.

2 Romanian deadlift

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Hamstrings, glutes, core

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip just outside your thighs. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forwards from the hips and lower the bar down the front of your legs until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Reverse the movement back to the start and push your hips forwards at the top.

3 Leg extension

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Quads

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and shins against the padded bar. Lift the bar by raising your feet until both legs are fully straight. Hold this top position for one second, keeping as much tension on your quads as possible, then slowly lower back to the start position.

4 Hamstring curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Hamstrings

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and straight legs, with the padded bar against the back of your ankles, above your heel. Lower the bar by bending your knees and pulling your feet down underneath your body. Hold this bottom position for one second, keeping as much tension on your hamstrings as possible, then slowly raise your feet back to the start position.

5 Dumbbell lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1010 Rest 2min

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and your abs engaged, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Take a big step forwards with one foot, then lunge down until both knees are bent at right angles. Push off your front foot to return to the start. That’s one rep. Repeat, leading with your other leg. Continue, alternating your leading leg, until you have done all the reps.

6 Dumbbell step-up

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves

Stand tall with a raised platform or bench in front of you, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, step up onto the raised surface with one foot, then the other. Step back down, leading with the foot that stepped up first. Repeat, leading with the other foot, and step back down again. That’s one rep. Continue, alternating your leading foot, keeping your torso upright throughout the set.

Workout 4 (Option 1): Arms Specialisation

1 Close-grip bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Triceps, chest, front shoulders

Lie on a flat bench with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar with straight arms. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, lower the bar towards your chest under complete control. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully to the start position. Don’t “bounce” the bar on your chest at the bottom of a rep to help initiate the next one. Instead keep each rep smooth and controlled.

2 Underhand lat pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Biceps, lats, forearms

Adjust the machine so you’re sitting with your knees secured, holding the bar with a narrow underhand grip. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, squeezing your biceps and back hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

3 EZ-bar overhead triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 90sec

Targets Triceps

Stand tall with your chest up and abs braced, holding an EZ-bar above your head with straight arms. Keeping your elbows locked in position and pointing straight up, slowly lower the bar back and behind your head. Without letting your elbows move, press the bar back up to the start position.

4 EZ-bar biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 90sec

Targets Biceps

Stand tall with your chest up, abs braced and elbows by your sides, holding an EZ-bar using an underhand grip with your hands just outside your hips. Keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the bar up, stopping just before your forearms reach vertical. Pause in this top position for one second, squeezing your biceps hard. Slowly lower the bar back to the start position.

5 Cable bar triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 90sec

Targets Triceps

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, using both hands to hold a bar handle attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down until your arms are fully straight. Hold this position and flex your triceps. Return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point.

6 Cable bar biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 90sec

Targets Biceps

Stand tall in front of a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, holding a bar handle attached to the low pulley with an underhand grip. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the bar up until your hands are at chin height. Pause and hold this top position, squeezing your biceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. In the bottom position, flex your triceps.

Workout 4 (Option 2): Abs Specialisation

1 Kettlebell goblet squat

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Core, quads, glutes, hamstrings

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell at chest height with both hands, as you would hold a goblet. Keeping your chest up and back straight, initiate the move by bending your knees and pushing your hips backwards to squat down as low as you can. Keep your weight on your heels and press down through them to straighten your legs and return to the start position.

2 Kettlebell plank drag

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Core

Get into a straight-arm plank position with your body in a straight line from head to heels and a kettlebell positioned to one side of your body. Reach under your body with the hand on the opposite side to the bell, and drag it across to the other side. That’s one rep. Use the other hand to drag it back in the other direction, keeping your hips up and your entire core fully engaged throughout.

3 Gym ball weighted crunch reach

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper abs

Lie with your upper back on a gym ball, holding a dumbbell or weight plate in both hands with your arms straight. Use your abs to crunch upwards, keeping your arms straight and raising the weight as high as you can. Pause and hold this top position for one second, then slowly lower back to the start position.

4 Gym ball weighted Russian twist

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper abs, side abs

Lie with your upper back on a gym ball, holding a dumbbell or weight plate in both hands with your arms straight. Keeping your arms straight, rotate your torso to one side as far as you can go. Make sure your head follows the line of your arms. Reverse back to the start, then rotate to the other side. That’s one rep. Keep your abs engaged throughout.

5 Hanging knee raise

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Lower abs

Position yourself in the machine or hang from a bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip and straight legs. Brace your core and glutes and, with your feet together, draw your knees up towards your chest. Hold this position, then straighten your legs to return to the start position.

6 Hanging knee raise twist

Workout 4 (Option 3): Chest Specialisation

1 Incline dumbbell bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Lie on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight and the weights touch over the middle of your chest. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control. Don’t “bounce” the weights at the bottom of a rep to help initiate the next one. Instead keep each rep smooth and controlled.

2 Incline dumbbell flye

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, front shoulders

Lie on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand directly above your chest with straight arms and palms facing. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. With a slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights out to the sides until you feel a good stretch across your upper chest. Squeeze your chest muscles to raise the weights back to the start position.

3 Dumbbell pull-over

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, lats, front shoulders

Lie on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in both hands with straight arms above your chest. Keeping your body tight, your arms straight and your upper back on the bench, slowly lower the weight behind your head in a smooth arc until you feel a good stretch in your chest and lats. Raise the weight back to the start position, squeezing your chest and lats at the top.

4 High-cable cross-over

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, front shoulders

Stand tall with a split stance in the middle of a cable machine, holding a D-handle attached to the high pulley in each hand. Keeping your chest up, core braced and a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands down in a smooth arc to meet in front of your hips. Hold this bottom position for one second, squeezing your chest muscles hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

5 Cable straight-arm pull-down

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, lats, front shoulders

Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a straight-bar handle attached to the high pulley in both hands with an overhand grip and straight arms. Bend forwards slightly from the hips and, keeping your chest up, your abs braced and your arms straight, pull the bar down in a smooth arc so it hits your thighs. Hold this bottom position for one second, squeezing your chest and lats hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

6 Incline press-up

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 2min

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Get on all fours with your legs and arms straight, your hands under your shoulders on a box or platform, and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Raise your hips and brace your core to keep your entire body stable. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the platform, but don’t let them flare out – they should stay tight to your sides. Go as low as you can, then press back up to straighten your arms and return to the start position.

Two weeks is not a lot of time to lose a lot of weight, but if you’re committed you can start to make big changes to your body composition and, if you stick with it, the changes can be immense. Just ask the co-creator of The New Body Plan, Jon Lipsey, who took his own advice and used the training and nutrition plan to lose 10kg of fat in eight weeks. 

Below, you’ll find a two-week “block” of workouts from the New Body Plan Plus’s fat loss plan. Pair it with this fat-loss meal plan and recipe guide to help you shift your belly without giving up the foods you love. But before you get started, here’s Lipsey’s motivation to do and experience of the plan. 

What made you start the New Body Plan?

It was very simple. I was overweight and unhappy with how I looked and felt. My energy levels were low and my stress levels were high. That didn’t happen overnight. An increasing workload and a busy family life made me feel like I didn’t have time to train. I also saw a topless picture of myself on holiday that and I was like “is that what I look like?” Until then I’d been kidding myself that I was in all right shape.

Had you ever done anything like it before?

Never. I had never trained with the intention of improving my body composition and I’d never had anything resembling a six-pack. In my 20s I’d done a few races, and then I got into strength training, but before I started the New Body Plan I hadn’t trained seriously for about five years.

Why hadn’t you done anything like this before?

If I’m brutally honest, fear. Fear of failure. I always doubted my ability to stick to a plan. And then I doubted that, if I did stick to it, I’d see any meaningful results so I nearly talked myself out of doing it before I even started. I realise now that it was just my mind that was holding me back.

Why did it work?

First, because it’s based on some really sound training and nutritional principles – concepts that are proven to get results. The other big thing is that it’s a plan that has been designed to be used in the real world. So it’s realistic about the time you have to spend training and it involves a sustainable way of eating, rather than one that makes you feel hungry and miserable. It has also been designed to be progressive, so as you get fitter, it gets more challenging. The idea is that you should look forward to, rather than dread, your next training session.

What’s your advice for anyone who wants to change the way they look and feel?

The first thing I’d say is that you can achieve more than you think is possible, if you use the right plan. Whether that’s the New Body Plan or another programme, it’s vital that you set yourself up for success. You need to ask yourself why you’re doing the plan and how much you want the result. Once you have an answer to those questions, commit to the process and take it one session at a time. Focus on executing each rep to the best of your ability and you’ll get the result you’re looking for.

Your transformation ended in May 2018. Have you kept it up?

I have. The experience changed my life. And because it is a sustainable system, I’ve managed to still exercise and eat well despite having a new baby and a heavier workload than ever. I’m 40 next year and my aim is to enter that decade in better shape than I was when I was 20.

How To Follow This Fat Loss Plan

Here’s the theory behind why the workouts are so effective, and how you can tailor the plan to your body shape goals.

Split In this two-week training block the workouts follow a pattern. The first session of both weeks is an upper-body workout, which hits your chest, back, shoulders and arms. The second is a lower-body session, which targets your legs. The third session works your upper body again, while the fourth and final workout targets the muscle group you most want to make bigger and more defined – your abs, arms or chest. Aim to train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday.

Structure Every workout in this two-week block is made up of six different exercises, which you’ll perform as straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, sticking to the tempo and rest periods detailed, and then move on to do all the sets and reps of exercise 2, and so on until you finish all the reps of the final set of exercise 6. This approach will fully test your muscles to improve your strength levels, while also burning enough calories to start stripping away fat.

Progression The second week of this block is similar to the first week in that it follows the same muscle-group split – upper body, lower body, upper body, then a body-part specific session, for your four weekly sessions. The moves are also the same and in the same order, but with one major difference: to help you lose fat faster you’ll do an extra two reps in every set of the first two moves of each session, and then do a full extra set for the other four moves. Try to lift slightly heavier weights for each move in the second week.

Tempo Alongside the sets, reps and rest period details for each exercise you’ll see a column marked “tempo”, which is a four-digit number. Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep, and the number is the time in seconds you take to lower and lift the weight, and pause at the top and bottom. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you lower the bar to your chest in two seconds, with no pause at the bottom, then lift the bar in one second, with no pause at the top. X means you should do the move explosively.

Specialisation For the fourth session of both weeks you choose which muscle group you train. There are three options: abs, arms or chest. Pick just one. These muscle-group goal workouts use straight sets like the other three weekly sessions, so do the exercises in order as instructed to add serious size to your chosen muscle fast. In the second week, as with the other three sessions, do two extra reps per set of the first two moves, then a full extra set of the next four moves to train both harder and smarter.

See related :

• Fat-Loss Workouts: Five Circuits To Build Muscle
• The Weight-Loss Workouts Which Helped This Man Shed 2.5kg Of Fat In Two Weeks
• The Four-Week Lean Muscle Workout Plan

Workout 1: Upper Body

To make the most of this session, concentrate on some key form tips. Don’t let the dumbbells clash at the top of the bench press and avoid leaning back to use momentum on the lat pull-down. For the biceps curl and the triceps press-down, try to minimise the movement of your upper arm. That will focus your effort on the target muscle.

Workout 2: Lower Body

Front squats are technically challenging, so if you can’t get your arms into the position pictured, do them with the bar resting on the front of your shoulders and your arms out in front of you. In the Romanian deadlift keep your weight on your heels and push your bum back, keeping the bar close to your legs, to make the move effective.

Workout 3: Upper Body

When you do the bench press, make sure that you use a full range of motion, even if that means reducing the weight. You’ll get a better result when you perform the move properly. On the seated row, pictured above, aim to minimise torso movement. That will focus the effort on the back muscles. Keeping your elbows in tight to your sides will also help.

Workout 4: Specialisation Session

How to pick your specialisation: Do one of the following sessions as your fourth workout of the week. Simply choose the body part you most want to develop. In the second week, as with the other three sessions, do two extra reps per set of the first two moves, then a full extra set of the next four moves to train both harder and smarter

Option 1: Abs

Option 2: Arms

Option 3: Chest

Fast Track Your Fat Loss

Use these tips to maximise return on your gym time.

Treat every session like it’s your last Imagine that every session you do is the last workout of the plan and that at the end of it, you’re going to have to step in front of a camera with your top off. If that’s what’s at stake, you’re less likely to coast.

Rest for succes It’s tempting to be generous with your rest periods – resting for 90 seconds, say, as opposed to the 60 seconds described in the plan. Resting for longer may allow you to lift a slightly heavier weight, which is good for the ego. But what’s good for the ego is rarely good for the waistline. Sticking to the rest periods will increase the energy demand (and therefore the calorie burn and fat loss effect) of the workout and help you to fatigue your muscle fibres effectively.

Remind yourself why Training intensely is tough, so when the workouts get challenging take a minute to remind yourself why you started. Also think about what you want to achieve by the end of the plan, and ask yourself honestly whether you think 50% or 100% effort is more likely to help you hit your goals.

If your number one health and fitness goal is to add lean muscle to your frame and transform how you look with your top off, then you’ve come to the right place. This workout plan is designed to help you get big by building muscular size across all your major muscle groups, while also chipping away at body fat stores.

This four-week workout plan, which is made up of four gym-based training sessions each week, is based on the core training philosophies used in the New Body Plan system.

What’s special about this particular plan is that as well as adding muscular size to your chest, shoulders, back and legs, it pays particular attention to your biceps and triceps – helping you build bigger and stronger arms quicker than you ever thought possible.

When you want to add a significant amount of muscular size to your frame, what you do in the gym takes on a higher importance. Why? Because without the perfect training stimulus your body won’t have the incentive it needs to start laying down the new lean muscle tissue that will transform your physique. This four-week plan has been specifically designed to push your mind and your muscles out of their comfort zone to trigger that muscle-building response. It’s a tough plan, but hugely rewarding if you’re serious about adding size.

How to follow this workout plan

A smart approach is to train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday, to get the maximum amount of recovery time. 

Every workout in this plan is made up of straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, and then move on to exercise 2, and do all the sets and reps, and so on. Use a weight that allows you to only just complete the final rep of the final set for each exercise.

Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep of an exercise, and the four-digit number is the time in seconds you take to lower and lift the weight, and pause at the bottom and the top. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you take two seconds to lower the bar to your chest, with no pause at the bottom, then take one second to lift the bar, with no pause at the top. 

You will get the best possible results by following the plan exactly. Always stick to the tempo given for each move because doing so will work your muscles harder for longer, and that’s what causes them to grow.

If, however, you are struggling to lift the same weights for the second or third set of an exercise, you can increase the rest between sets to give yourself a little bit longer to recover. Try resting for 90 seconds between sets and seeing if that allows you to hit the rep target for subsequent sets. If not, increase the rest to two minutes and try again.

Workout 1: Upper Body

1 Incline dumbbell bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight and the weights touch over the middle of your chest. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control.

2 Wide lat pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself on the machine with a double shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up, abs braced and back straight, pull the bar down to chin height, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, squeezing your lats hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

3 Machine overhead press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and holding the handles with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip. Take a deep breath in, then breathe out forcefully and press the handles up until your arms are fully straight. Bend your elbows and slowly return to the start position.

4 Cable cross-over

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with a split stance in the middle of a cable machine, holding a D-handle in each hand attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up, core braced, and a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands down in a smooth arc to meet in front of your hips. Hold this bottom position for one second, squeezing your chest muscles hard, then reverse the movement back to the start.

5 Cable bar biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall in front of a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, holding a bar with an underhand grip attached to the low pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the bar up until your hands are at chin height. Pause and hold this top position, squeezing your biceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. At the bottom position, flex your triceps.

6 Cable triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up in front of a cable machine, holding a bar with an overhand grip attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows at your sides, press your hands down until your arms are fully straight. Pause and flex your triceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position.

See related :

• The Weight-Loss Workouts Which Helped This Man Shed 2.5kg Of Fat In Two Weeks
• A Four-Week Gym Workout Routine To Get Big And Lean
• Your Four-Week Workout Plan To Build Muscle

Workout 2: Legs And Abs

1 Front squat

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Hold the bar across the front of your shoulders, holding it either in your hands with elbows forwards and upper arms parallel to the ground, or with your arms crossed. Stand with your feet at least hip-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outwards. Keeping your elbows up, chest up and core engaged, squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. From this bottom position, drive through your heels, pushing your knees out to the sides, to return to the start.

2 Romanian deadlift

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with an overhand grip just outside your thighs. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forwards from the hips and lower the bar down the front of your legs until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Reverse the movement back to the start and push your hips forwards at the top.

3 Leg extension

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and shins against the padded bar. Lift the bar by raising your feet until both legs are fully straight. Hold this top position for one second, keeping the maximum amount of tension on your quads, then slowly lower your feet back to the start position.

4 Hamstring curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and straight legs, with the padded bar against the back of your ankles, above your heel. Lower the bar by bending your knees and pulling your feet underneath your body. Hold this bottom position for one second, keeping the maximum amount of tension on your hamstrings, then slowly return your feet back to the start position.

5 Crunch

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, and bend your arms so your fingers touch the sides of your head. Engage your abs, then raise your torso off the floor without tensing your neck. Keep the tension on your abs as you slowly lower your torso back to the floor. You can make each rep harder by not allowing your upper back to touch the floor between reps.

6 Plank jack

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Get into plank position, supporting yourself on your forearms with your elbows underneath your shoulders. Engage your abs, then raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Without letting your hips sag, jump both feet out to the sides so your toes tap the floor, then jump your feet back in. That’s one rep. Keep repeating this movement, keeping your head and neck relaxed and your breathing controlled – don’t hold your breath.

Workout 3: Upper Body

1 Bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding a barbell with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, lower the bar until it touches your chest around nipple-level. Press the bar back up powerfully to straighten your arms and return to the start position. Don’t “bounce” the bar on your chest at the bottom of a rep.

2 Seated row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself on the machine with your feet against the foot rest, holding a double-grip cable attachment in both hands. Keeping your chest up, back straight and core braced, row your hands towards your body, leading with your elbows. When your hands reach your body, pause for a second and squeeze your back and biceps muscles hard, then reverse the move back to the start position.

3 Dumbbell lateral raise

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up, abs braced and feet hip-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with your palms facing one another. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to the sides, no higher than shoulder height. As the weights approach shoulder height, rotate your wrists slightly so that your little fingers are pointing straight up – this will contract your side delts harder. Pause and hold this top position for a second, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control.

4 Hammer curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up, core braced and shoulders back, holding dumbbells with your palms facing your sides. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up towards shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the rep, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control. Straighten your arms fully at the bottom and flex your triceps hard before you start the next rep.

5 Cable triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a double rope handle in both hands behind your head attached to the low pulley, with your chest up and core engaged. Lean forwards slightly from your hips, but keep your chest up and back straight. Keeping your elbows locked in position and pointing straight up, press your hands up and forwards to straighten your arms. When your arms are straight, pause and flex your triceps for one second. Slowly return to the start position and squeeze your biceps hard before the next rep.

6 Press-up

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Get on all fours with your legs and arms straight, your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Raise your hips and brace your core to keep your entire body stable. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor, but don’t let them flare out to the sides - they should stay tight to your sides. Go as low as you can, then press back up to straighten your arms and return to the start position.

Workout 4: Biceps And Triceps

1 EZ-bar biceps curl

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up, abs braced and elbows by your sides, using an underhand grip to hold an EZ-bar with your hands just outside your hips. Keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides, curl the bar up, stopping just before your forearms reach vertical. Pause in this top position for one second, squeezing your biceps hard. Slowly lower the bar back to the start position.

2 EZ-bar triceps extension

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding an EZ-bar above your chest with straight arms. Keeping your elbows locked in position pointing to the ceiling, slowly lower the bar towards the top of your head by bending your elbows. Without arching your back, slowly return the bar to the start position by straightening your arms.

3 EZ-bar triceps press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on a flat bench, holding an EZ-bar above your chest with straight arms. Slowly lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your sides and not allowing them to flare out. Once the bar touches your chest, press it back up to the start powerfully, without bouncing it back up off your chest.

4 Dumbbell biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up and core braced, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight and your elbows by your sides with your palms facing away from you. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up towards shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the rep, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control. Straighten your arms fully at the bottom, flexing your triceps hard before you start the next rep.

5 Cable triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your chest up in front of a cable machine, holding a bar with an overhand grip attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows at your sides, press your hands down until your arms are fully straight. Pause and flex your triceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position.

6 Cable bar biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall in front of a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, using both hands to hold a bar handle attached to the low pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the bar up until your hands are at chin height. Pause and hold this top position, squeezing your biceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. At the bottom position, flex your triceps.

Weeks 2, 3, And 4

The second, third and fourth weeks of the plan are similar to the first. You’ll perform the same sessions containing the same moves in the same order, but with two key changes each week to keep your muscles growing bigger and stronger. In the second week you’ll do two extra reps per set of every move, so 12 per set instead of 10 in week 1. This might not sound like a big increase, but just wait until you try it! In the third week, the reps per set drops back down to 10, but you’ll do an extra set of every move. In the fourth and final week, you’ll increase the reps back up to 12 with the higher set count, ending the plan with the hardest week.

When you want to make major changes to your body – specifically to build lean muscle mass and lose body fat – sometimes you need to go back to basics. That’s especially true if you’ve been trying to transform your body but seen little progress, or if you’re stuck in a rut and losing the desire and willpower needed to build your best-ever body.

There can be a tendency to do the opposite when you hit a roadblock – to look for shortcuts to success, or try to overcomplicate your training methods to force a breakthrough. But this isn’t the best route forward. Instead, try this two-week workout plan, which has been created to help you make the biggest possible change to your body in the shortest possible timeframe. It does this by focusing on those big-picture pieces that slot together to enable you to get the results you want faster.

Everything you need to know is revealed below, but rest assured that it’s going to reignite your love for training as well as help you make progress towards a bigger, stronger and leaner body through smart planning and exercise selection. In short, it’s going to keep your training simple so you don’t have to overthink your gym time. All you need to do is turn up, do the workouts and watch your body change for the better.

The Training Plan Explained

Your workouts for the first week are listed below, with every move clearly detailed using pictorial demonstrations, form guides, as well as the sets, reps, tempo and rest details you need to follow to get the best results possible. Then you’ll find the workout tables for the second and final week of the plan. If you want to repeat the fortnight to do a full-month plan, go back to the start and add an extra set to every move of every workout.

The goal

The overall goal of this two-week plan is to provide your body with the perfect stimulus to burn away body fat and add lean muscle mass. To this end, there are four sessions per week for both weeks, which have been designed to work your muscles progressively harder so your body has no choice by to add new muscle and strip away stubborn body fat. If you’re currently training three times a week or less, then upping your commitment to the gym will pay huge rewards in your pursuit of a bigger, stronger and leaner physique.

The split

The workout splits are two upper-body sessions and two lower-body sessions each week. This approach allows you to work all your major upper- or lower-body muscles hard in a session, then give them time to recover before you train them again. Working your major muscle groups more frequently is a fantastic way to force your body to grow bigger and leaner. A smart way to follow the plan this week (and every week) is to train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday, so you give your body as much time as possible to recover between sessions.

The structure

Every workout is made up of six different exercises, which you’ll perform as straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, sticking to the tempo and rest periods detailed, and then move on to exercise 2, and do all the sets and reps, and so on until you finish all the reps of the final set of exercise 6.

The progression

The second week of the fortnight is very similar to the first: you perform two upper-body and two lower-body sessions, each comprising the same exercises in the same order. There is, however, one significant difference that’ll help you get the results you want faster. In week 2 you’ll do fewer reps per set than in the first week, but you’ll do an extra full set. This strategy is designed to help you lift heavier weights for each exercise in the second week. Even if you only increase the weight a small amount, it’s important to try to lift heavier because that’s what makes your muscles grow stronger.

The tempo

For every exercise in this plan you’ll see a four-digit number marked Tempo. Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep of an exercise, and the four-digit number is the time in seconds you take to lower and lift the weight, and how long you pause at the top and bottom. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you take two seconds to lower the bar to your chest, with no pause at the bottom, then lift the bar in one second, with no pause at the top. An X means you perform each rep explosively – but still with perfect form.

See related

• The Ultimate Body Transformation Plan
• Fat-Loss Workouts: Five Circuits To Build Muscle
• The Two-Week Workout Plan To Build Muscle Fast

Workout Plan FAQ

Can anyone do this plan?

Absolutely. The plan has been designed to help you get great results whether you’re new to training or an experienced gym-goer. If you are more experienced you can lift heavier weights to challenge your muscles, as well as your heart and lungs, harder.

What weight should I lift for each exercise?

Use a weight that only just allows you to complete the final rep of the final set for each exercise. If you complete them with ease, the weight you are using is too light. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so start with caution and focus on mastering the movement pattern. Once you are comfortable and know how to perform each move well, you can start increasing the weight.

What results can I expect to see after this two-week block?

Everyone is different but if you follow these workouts to the letter, you will notice some major physique changes in just two weeks – specifically feeling leaner and tighter around your middle, and broader and stronger across your torso and arms.

Week 1 Workout 1: Upper Body

1 Decline bench press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Lie on a decline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor or box directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control.

2 Inverted row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper back, biceps

Take a double shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar with your heels resting on the floor. Keeping your chest up, core braced and feet on the floor, pull your chest up towards the bar. Pause and squeeze your back muscles at the top of the rep, then slowly lower yourself back to the start.

3 Seated Arnold press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Shoulders, triceps

Sit on an upright bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing you. Keeping your chest up and core braced press the weights directly overhead, rotating your wrists as you go to finish with arms straight and palms facing forwards. Slowly lower the weights back to the start.

4 Renegade row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper back, biceps

Start in a press-up position with each hand holding a dumbbell. Keeping your body straight with abs and glutes engaged, row one arm up, leading with your elbow, then back down to the start. Repeat with your other arm. That’s one rep.

5 Press-up

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Start in a press-up position with your hands flat on the floor and your shoulder, elbow and wrist joints lined up. Bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor, then press back up powerfully to return to the start.

6 Seated Russian twist

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Abs

Sit holding a ViPR bar, dumbbell or other weight in both hands, then raise your feet off the floor. Engage your upper abs, then rotate your torso all the way to one side, then back across to the other side. That’s one rep. Keep each rep smooth and controlled and maintain tension on your core throughout the set.

Week 1 Workout 2: Lower Body

1 Box jump

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo X Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall in front of a box or bench. Squat down then jump up and over the bench, landing on both feet. Turn around and jump back. That’s one rep.

2 Transverse lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Take a big step with your right leg back and behind you, rotating your torso as you do and bending your right leg to lunge in that direction. Your chest should be straight over your right thigh. Press back off your front foot to return to the start, then repeat with your left leg. That’s one rep.

3 Kettlebell squat

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall, holding a kettlebell in each hand in the racked position. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, squat down as deep as you can so that your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Push through your heels to stand back up and return to the start.

4 Hip thrust

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Glutes, core

Lie with your upper back supported on a bench, with a weighted barbell resting on the top of your upper thighs. Engage your glutes and raise your hips as high as you can, then pause in this top position and squeeze your glutes hard. Lower your hips back to the start.

5 Single-leg press

Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings

Sit on the leg press machine with one leg on the platform and the other resting on the floor. Unlock the safety catch, then slowly lower the platform by bending your knee so that it moves towards your chest. Press through your foot to straighten your leg and complete the rep. Do all the reps stated with one leg, then switch legs and complete the same number of reps with the other leg.

6 Kettlebell swing

Sets 3 Reps 20 Tempo X Rest 60sec

Targets Core

Swing the kettlebell between your legs with both hands, then pop your hips forwards to drive it up to head height, keeping your arms relaxed. Let the kettlebell swing back down into the next rep

Week 1 Workout 3: Upper Body

1 Dumbbell flye

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest

Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.

2 Dumbbell reverse flye

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper back

Stand holding a light dumbbell in each hand, then bend forwards from the hips so your upper back is parallel to the ground. You can use an incline bench to rest your forehead on, if you want. With a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights to the sides, leading with your elbows. Hold the top position briefly, then lower the weights back to the start.

3 Kettlebell press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Shoulders, triceps

Stand tall holding a kettlebell in each hand in the racked position. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.

4 Landmine row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper back, biceps

Stand tall with your feet either side of a barbell loaded with weight at one end. The other end should be jammed into a corner. Bend down, hinging at the hips, and grab the barbell with both hands. Staying bent over but with your chest up so you don’t round your shoulders, row the bar up towards your chest. Pause for a second at the top, then lower the bar back to the start.

5 Barbell high pull

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo X Rest 60sec

Targets Total body

Stand tall with a very wide overhand grip on a barbell. Bend your knees then go into triple extension – at the ankles, knees and hips – to powerfully pull the bar up as high as you can. Control the bar path throughout, making sure it travels straight up and down.

6 TRX Pike

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Abs

Start in a press-up position but with your feet in a suspension trainer handle. Keeping your legs straight, raise your hips as high as you can so your upper and lower body form an inverted L-shape. Reverse the movement back to the start.

Week 1 Workout 4: Lower Body

1 Sumo deadlift

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

With your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, squat down and grasp a barbell with a shoulder-width mixed grip. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, press through your heels to stand up, keeping the bar close to your body and pushing your hips forwards at the top. Reverse the movement back to the start.

2 Barbell lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with a barbell resting across your back and shoulders. Point your elbows behind you to retract your shoulder blades. Keeping your back upright and core braced throughout, take a big step forwards and lunge down until your rear knee touches the floor. Push off your rear foot to return to the start position. Continue, alternating which leg you lunge on.

3 Front squat

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Hold the bar across the front of your shoulders, either with your elbows pointing forwards and upper arms parallel to the ground, or with your arms bent and crossed with the fingers of each hand resting on the opposite shoulder. Squat down as low as you can, then press back up through your heels.

4 Dumbbell side lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides. Take a big step to the side, bending your leading leg as you lunge down, then press back off that foot to return to the start. Complete all the reps with that leg, then switch sides and complete the same number of reps with your other leg.

5 Single leg-press

Sets 3 Reps 12 each side Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings

Sit on the leg press machine with one leg on the platform and the other resting on the floor. Unlock the safety catch, then slowly lower the platform by bending your knee so that it moves towards your chest. Press through your foot to straighten your leg and complete the rep. Do all the reps stated with one leg, then switch legs and complete the same number of reps with the other leg.

6 Reverse crunch

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Lower abs

Lie flat on your back with your arms flat on the floor and knees bent. Use your lower abs to draw your knees in towards your chest, then raise your hips up off the ground. Lower back to the start, keeping your abs fully engaged throughout.

Week 2

The exercises remain the same but the sets and reps change to work your body harder.

Workout 1: Upper Body

Workout 2: Lower Body

Workout 3: Upper Body

Workout 4: Lower Body

If you want to make a big difference to how you look and feel in a short space of time, you’re going to have to follow a diet that feels like punishment – right? You know the kind of thing. You eat a few broccoli florets and a small portion of white fish every few hours, except on Sundays when you get three sniffs of a rasher of bacon as a treat.

That was the view I held until earlier this year and I now know that my preconceptions were wrong. I know they were wrong because a few months ago I did my first ever body transformation, turning myself from an overweight 37-year-old into a Men’s Fitness cover model in just eight weeks. Even better, I didn’t just get to sniff the bacon. I got to eat it. With a couple of fried eggs. In a nice big sandwich with brown sauce.

In fact nothing about the approach to food that I used, which is outlined (along with all the workouts I followed) in the New Body Plan, was extreme or restrictive. I’m happy to report that you can make a dramatic change to your physique without making your life a misery.

The other misconception I held is that if you make a swift and radical change to your body shape, the methods used must be unsustainable. Well, I’ve got positive news for you there too. That’s simply not the case – if you use a smart approach. As I write, it’s about four months since I finished my eight-week plan and I look better than ever. I’ve continued to use the training and nutrition principles outlined in the book and, as a result, I feel great. In truth, I don’t really have to think that much about what I eat because new, positive habits have become ingrained to the extent that they’re now second nature.

Changing man

There were a few reasons why I started the New Body Plan project. One of them, I’ll freely admit, was vanity. I wanted to look better naked. I wanted to feel better about stripping off (just the top half, this time) at the beach. But there were noble motivations too. I wanted to prove that an ordinary person could achieve extraordinary results while using methods that don’t just make you look better but also make you feel happier and healthier.

Why did I feel that was important? Well, while there’s more information about healthy eating out there than ever before, there’s also more misinformation out there than ever before. Every day you’re bombarded with conflicting messages that make it harder and harder to know who you should trust. Should you listen to the woman on Instagram who only eats plums? Or the former banker on Facebook who insists that you catch, kill and cook all of your own food? Or should you miss the next mortgage repayment so you can “spiritually detox” by bathing in unpasteurised llama milk while smoking activated charcoal that has been blessed by a Tibetan mountain goat?

Frankly, the whole thing’s a macronutrient minefield. So what I wanted to do was make things as simple and effective as possible, rather than using complexity to create the illusion of authority. Here are some of the key nutrition ideas behind the plan.

1. Think big

As in wins, that is. Get the big stuff sorted first, get great at the basics and then add more complex stuff as you progress. So, rather than obsessing about nutrient timing, start by focusing on what and how much you’re eating. If you fail to get the big things in place because you’re sweating the small stuff, you’re not going to maximise your potential. My advice to anyone who is undertaking a transformation without the support of a personal trainer or a nutritionist is to keep everything as simple as possible. The fewer things you have to worry about, the less pressure there is and the greater your chances of sticking to the plan.

2. Never say never

When we were constructing the nutrition system for New Body Plan we created the 90% Nutrition Rule. This means that you eat well for at least 90% of the time, but the rest of the time you can eat what you want. As a result, nothing is completely off-limits and if you do eat something that would be considered a slip-up on a more strict plan then you don’t have to feel guilty about it.

That, according to New Body Plan reader Darren Smith, was a “game changer” that helped him to lose over 8kg of fat in just eight weeks. “It removed the thing I struggle with most, which is wanting something I can’t have,” he says. “I knew that if I wanted some chocolate I could have it which, in itself, stopped me wanting one. Psychologically, it was great.”

The approach is supported by leading nutritionists, such as Krista Scott-Dixon form Precision Nutrition. “Most people do best in both the short term and the long term when eating well 80-90% of the time: 80% works for more modest goals; and 90% for achieving more challenging goals,” she says. “The ‘all or nothing’ approach rarely gets you all – it usually gets you nothing! A flexible eating approach removes the pressure of trying to be perfect all day, every day.”

3. Ask yourself why

Before you start, take some time to think about why you’re undertaking a transformation and how much it means to you. I wanted to make a difference. To look different. To feel different. And I wanted to do it because my partner was expecting our first child and I wanted to be in great health when I welcomed him into the world. So I was clear about my motivation and how much it mattered to me, and that’s why I got a positive result. If it didn’t matter that much, I doubt I’d have got the same outcome.

See related :

• Here’s How This Man Lost 10Kg Of Fat in Eight Weeks
• Diet Tips From The Man Who Lost 10kg Of Fat In Eight Weeks
• How To Lose Weight Fast Without Going To Extremes

4. Don’t rely on willpower

Once you’ve identified your motivation, your willpower is the force that drives you to success and helps your steer clear of the office biscuit tin, right? Not so much. In fact, “mastering temptations is not solely a function of personal motivation,” says Kerry Patterson, co-author of Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success. “When it comes to changing our behaviour, our primary problem isn’t that we’re weak, it’s that we’re blind - and when it comes to habits, what you can’t see is usually what’s controlling you. There may be half a dozen sources of influence sustaining a bad habit.”

Patterson’s advice is to identify those influences and then set in place some simple skills or adjustments that help you to stay on track. If, say, your walk to work takes you past a café and every morning you buy a large mocha with an almond croissant, instead of trying to scurry past with your eyes down while trying not to smell the freshly baked pastry, he recommends taking a different route. The same goes for the biscuits in your cupboard or the beer in your fridge. If they’re out of sight you won’t keep getting reminded that you want them.

5. Get kitted out

While you’re getting rid of unhelpful items from your kitchen, you can replace them with stuff that’s likely to help you stay on track. I bought a cool-bag so I could take my lunch into work. I bought freezer bags so I could chop up bananas, freeze them and eat them with yogurt – a surprisingly good substitute for ice cream. Doing a big weekly shop and some food prep on a Sunday will also set you up for a successful week and save both time and money in the long run. You may also find that it’s useful to record what you eat because it helps you think more about the choices you’re making.

6. Enjoy it

Instead of seeing your transformation as a period of sacrifice, see it as one of opportunity. It’s a chance to upgrade your cooking skills, try new dishes and use what you eat to improve your energy levels, mood, sleep and physique. And remember, just because something is healthy doesn’t mean it has to be boring or tasteless. It doesn’t even have to be difficult, as the dishes below prove. They’re a sample of some of the meals I made while I was on the plan – exactly the kind of food that got me into cover model shape.

Angry Eggs And Avocado

Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 5 minutes

This is a quick and tasty breakfast or brunch dish that takes the hassle out of poaching eggs. For years I steered clear of poached eggs because I was so useless at making them but one simple trick means you can make perfect ones every time. I call this dish “angry eggs” because it was inspired by the Italian word arrabbiata (literal translation: “angry”), which is associated with chilli-powered plates. Our recipe contains a spicy kick to give the dish a lift and add an extra fat-burning factor. Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves one)

• 2 large eggs
• ½ an avocado
• 1 slice wholemeal bread
• Squeeze of lime juice
• Chilli flakes
• Salt and pepper

Optional extras

• Handful of small tomatoes and spinach

To make

1. Toast the bread.
2. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado half and mash it in a bowl. Add a generous squeeze of lime juice and give it a final mix. Spread the avocado mix onto the toast.
3. Bring a pan of water (about 4-5cm deep) to the boil.
4. Break an egg into a ramekin. When the water is gently bubbling, slide the egg into the pan. Doing it this way, as opposed to cracking it straight in, helps to keep the egg together and saves you getting a rubbery white and an uncooked yolk. Repeat the process with the other egg so that both eggs are poaching in the pan simultaneously.
5. When the eggs are done, take them out of the pan and place them on a square of kitchen roll to absorb excess moisture.
6. Place the eggs on top of the avocado toast and season with chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

Calories 361, protein 19g, carbs 12g, fat 27g

Swaps and tips

Fast-track your fat loss If you want to accelerate your fat loss efforts, there are a couple of easy ways to adapt this meal. The first thing we’d remove is half of the bread. That saves about 30 calories but doesn’t affect the protein or healthy fat content. If you’re feeling good on a low-carb diet, you could leave out the bread altogether. And if you’re trying to really reduce the calorie count of your meals, halving the avocado portion will remove about 70 calories without making much of an impact on the overall flavour.

Body benefits

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, which is in the white, and heart-healthy fats, which are in the yolk. They also contain a treasure trove of vitamins: 10% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D is found in an egg yolk, along with vitamins A, B6, B12, E and K.

Chilli can aid fat-loss efforts because their heat – caused by a compound called capsaicin – increases your metabolic rate, which is how quickly your body burns calories. Australian research recently discovered that certain compounds in chilli peppers also activate receptors in the stomach that increase feelings of fullness.

Avocados are an excellent source of fibre, which can help you to feel full. They also contain generous hits of a variety of vitamins including B6, C, E and K. They have a positive impact on heart health and have been shown in studies to help reduce body mass index when eaten as part of a healthy diet.

Super-Caesar Salad

Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

This twist on a traditional chicken Caesar salad sees you ditch the unhelpful ingredients without losing the flavour. The big differences are that we’ve significantly reduced the amount of mayo and gone very easy on the croutons. It’s a dish that captures what the New Body Plan approach to food is all about: making subtle tweaks that have a big impact without feeling like you’re making sacrifices or being denied the food you love.

Ingredients (serves two)

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• Romaine lettuce
• 2 eggs
• ½ slice sourdough bread

For the dressing

• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 2tbsp low-fat mayo
• 4tbsp natural yogurt
• Rapeseed oil
• Grated parmesan

To make

1. First, make the croutons. Cut the bread into cubes and place in a bowl. Melt a large knob of butter in a pan, then pour the melted butter over the bread cubes. Season them with salt and pepper and place on a baking tray. Bake that in the oven, turning occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes or until the cubes are golden brown. Remove the croutons from the oven and set them aside.
2. While the croutons are in the oven, boil the eggs. Shell and quarter them, then set them to one side.
3. Cut the chicken into strips, lightly coat the strips with rapeseed oil, then season and place under a medium grill for ten to 12 minutes, turning halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, chuck all the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl and stir until well mixed.
5. Chop the lettuce, then add the chicken, eggs and croutons, then drizzle over the dressing. Scatter a little extra parmesan if you like.

Calories 428, protein 54g, carbs 8g, fat 20g

Swaps and tips

Fishy business If you don’t like anchovies then, er, don’t use them!

Optional extras If you want to bag an extra health hit, you can add a handful of broccoli florets. Just steam them for a few minutes, then finish them off under the grill for three to four more minutes. And if you want a secret ingredient for the sauce, try adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It gives it a lovely tang.

Time saver You can make the croutons, the chicken and even the eggs the night before to save you time on the day. You could even make the dressing the night before and store it in the fridge for an even quicker meal.

Body benefits

Chicken is high in protein and that’s a great reason to include it in any fat-burning and muscle-building dish, but it also contains a host of other useful nutrients. It’s high in B vitamins, which are vital for energy production, as well as being a good source of zinc, magnesium and iron.

Parmesan gets a hard time from a health point of view because it is very calorie-dense, but you only need a small amount for a powerful umami hit of savoury flavour that adds depth to any dish. It also provides protein and calcium, and vitamin A, which is good for your skin.

Natural yogurt is a good source of protein and a natural probiotic, which can help to regulate your blood sugar levels. Some research also suggests that yogurt can be useful for appetite regulation, which is handy if you’re aiming to reduce your body fat levels.

Power Prawn Curry

Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

You don’t automatically think of a curry as a healthy meal. That’s partly because a lot of them are made with generous quantities of butter and cream… and they’re also often washed down with a few pints of lager. But there are so many ways of making curries and lots of them fit easily into the way we encourage you to eat while following the New Body Plan. Even better, it’s also possible to make them in a way that’s both quick and tastes great.

Ingredients (serves two)

• 200g prawns
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• Rapeseed oil
• 1tsp chilli powder
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp ground cumin
• ½tsp ginger
• ½tsp turmeric
• 1tsp curry paste
• 100g basmati rice

To make

1. Heat some rapeseed oil in a pan. Add the diced onion to the pan and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger and reduce the heat.
2. Add 100ml of water and simmer for about ten minutes.
3. Add the chilli, coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook for a further five minutes.
4. Add the prawns and the curry paste and cook for five minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to packaging instructions.

That’s it. You’re done. Just serve the curry with the rice and enjoy!

Calories 331, protein 22g, carbs 45g, fat 7g

Swaps and tips

Mix it up We’ve used prawns in this recipe but you could use anything you fancy. Chicken or lamb would work well and you could even make a veg version by adding chickpeas or butternut squash.

A couple of months ago, the image you see above on the right graced the cover of Men’s Fitness. That happened because I used to look like the picture above on the left and the good news, for anyone who wants to change how they look and feel in a short space of time, is that the time between the two pictures being taken was just eight weeks.

My muscular metamorphosis came about because I followed the training and nutrition system set out in New Body Plan, the book that outlines my experience. In the issue of Men’s Fitness whose cover I was on, I described the physical and mental state I found myself in before I started the plan (overworked, overfed and underwhelmed – sounds familiar, right?) and the physical and emotional journey that took me from being an overweight 37-year-old to becoming a cover model. I also shared the fundamental exercise and eating concepts that helped me lose 10kg of fat in just eight weeks.

What I didn’t do, however, was detail the exact workouts that got me there. So to help you kick-start your own body transformation, we’re sharing the precise sessions that I did in the first fortnight-long block of the eight-week plan. 

The full plan is made up of four progressive blocks, each with a distinct goal. Once you complete this block, you can either use the book to follow Jon’s experience or you can repeat it to complete your own month-long routine. To get the full benefit of the plan we recommend that you also follow the nutrition advice you’ll find at newbodyplan.co.uk.

See related 

• Here’s How This Man Lost 10Kg Of Fat in Eight Weeks
• Diet Tips From The Man Who Lost 10kg Of Fat In Eight Weeks

New Body Plan Training Theory

In this first fortnight of the plan your goal is simple: to create solid foundations from which you can build a bigger and leaner body. To this end, the first block of this eight-week programme has been designed to increase your strength levels, building stronger and more powerful muscles. This will start to re-shape your body by chipping away at body fat stores and creating the right stimulus for new lean muscle mass to be built. And building these strong foundations first will also enable you to work harder and smarter in the subsequent blocks to burn fat faster while also adding lean muscle mass quickly.

The workout splits in this initial block are very easy to understand – they’re simply split into upper-body sessions and lower-body sessions. This approach allows you to work all your major upper- or lower-body muscles hard, then give them time to recover before you train them again. You’ll target your torso and arms twice a week, and your legs and abs twice a week too. A smart way to follow the plan this week (and every week) is to train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Saturday or Sunday, so you give your body as much time as possible to recover between sessions.

Every workout in this two-week block is made up of six different exercises, which you’ll perform as straight sets. This means you do all the sets and reps of exercise 1, sticking to the tempo and rest periods detailed, and then move on to exercise 2, and do all the sets and reps, and so on until you finish all the reps of the final set of exercise 6. This approach is both easy to follow and the smartest lifting strategy to use when working towards increasing strength levels.

The second week of the fortnight is very similar to the first week – you perform two upper-body and two lower-body sessions, each comprising the same exercises in the same order. There is, however, one major difference to help you get stronger faster. In week 2 you’ll do fewer reps per set than in the first week, but you’ll do an extra full set. This strategy is designed to help you lift heavier weights for each exercise in the second week. Even if you only increase the weight a small amount, it’s important to try to lift heavier because that’s what makes your muscles grow stronger. 

Tempo

In every workout table in this plan you’ll see a column marked Tempo, between the Reps and Rest columns. In this column, each exercise has a four-digit number. Tempo is the speed at which you perform one rep of an exercise, and the four-digit number is the time in seconds you take to lift and lower the weight, and pause at the top and bottom. For example, a 2010 tempo for the bench press means you take two seconds to lower the bar to your chest, with no pause at the bottom, then lift the bar in one second, with no pause at the top. An X means you perform each rep explosively – but still with perfect form.

New Body Plan FAQ

What results can I expect to see after this two-week block?

Everyone is different but Jon lost just about 2.5kg of fat during his first two weeks on the plan, and the early feedback we’ve seen from people taking up the challenge suggests others have lost similar amounts of weight. To do that, however, you’ll need to complete the workouts and adjust how you eat.

The best thing about the New Body Plan is that it uses a flexible, sustainable approach to food. No foods are banned and no food groups are cut out. Instead, you eat according to calorie and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate and fat) targets in line with your overall goal.

The plan takes a progressive approach to training. It starts with challenging but achievable workouts, then gradually builds in intensity and difficulty as you get fitter and stronger. The final four weeks of the plan, for example, include “finishers” at the end of each workout, which are high-intensity drills designed to ramp up your fat loss efforts.

Use a weight that only just allows you to complete the final rep of the final set for each exercise. If you complete them with ease, the weight you are using is too light. If you fail early, you’ve gone too heavy.

Can anyone do this plan?

Absolutely. You’ll get great results whether you’re new to training or an experienced gym-goer. If you’re unsure about anything involved in the plan, ask us a question on social at @JonLipseyMedia (on Twitter and Instagram) and @NewBodyPlan (on Twitter and Instagram). Good luck!

Week 1 Workout 1

1 Dumbbell bench press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Lie on a bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your whole body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight and the weights touch over the middle of your chest. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control.

2 Lat pull-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Lats, biceps

Take a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar and sit on the seat with your knees under the padded bar and your feet flat on the floor. Keeping your chest up, core braced and feet on the floor, pull the bar down towards your chin, leading with your elbows. Pause at the bottom of the rep and squeeze your lats as hard as you can, then return the bar to the top position slowly and under control.

3 Dumbbell overhead press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Shoulders, triceps

Stand tall with your chest up and core braced, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing away from you. Keeping your chest up and abs engaged, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight and the weights touch above your head. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control. Keep each rep smooth without any bouncing.

4 Dumbbell biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Biceps

Stand tall with your chest up and core braced, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight and your elbows by your sides with your palms facing away from you. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up towards shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the rep, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control. Straighten your arms fully at the bottom and flex your triceps hard before you start the next rep.

5 Triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Triceps, lower chest

Stand tall in front of a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, using both hands to hold a double rope handle attached to the high pulley. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down until your arms are fully straight. Hold this bottom position and flex your triceps to keep the tension on them. Slowly return to the start position, without letting your elbows move away from your sides at any point. When you return to the top position, squeeze your biceps.

6 Press-up

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Get on all fours with your legs and arms straight, your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Raise your hips and brace your core to keep your entire body stable. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor, but don’t let them flare out to the sides - they should stay tight to your sides. Go as low as you can, then press back up to straighten your arms and return to the start position.

Week 1 Workout 2

1 Dumbbell lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and your abs engaged, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Take a big step forwards with one foot, then lunge down until both knees are bent at 90°. Push off your front foot to return to the start and repeat, leading with your other leg. Continue, alternating your leading leg, until you have done 12 reps in total.

2 Goblet squat

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height with both hands, as you might hold a goblet. Keeping your chest up and back straight, initiate the move by bending your knees and pushing your hips backwards, and squat down until your elbows brush the insides of your knees. Keep your weight on your heels and press down through them to straighten your legs and return to the start position.

3 Dumbbell step-up

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves

Stand tall in front of a raised platform or bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest up and your core engaged, step up onto the raised surface with one foot, then the other. Step back down, leading with the foot that stepped up first. That’s one rep. Alternate your leading foot with each rep, keeping your torso upright throughout the set.

4 Bodyweight squat

Sets 3 Reps 25 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up, abs engaged and arms straight by your sides. Bend your knees to squat down as low as you can, either keeping your arms by your sides or raising them until your hands are level with your shoulders. Push through your heels to straighten your legs and return to the start position.

5 Crunch

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper abs

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, and bend your arms so your fingers touch the sides of your head. Engage your abs, then raise your torso off the floor without tensing your neck. Keep the tension on your abs as you slowly lower your torso back to the floor. Make each rep harder by not allowing your upper back to touch the floor between reps.

6 Plank jack

Sets 3 Reps 20 Tempo 1010 Rest 60sec

Targets Core, lower abs

Get into position, supporting yourself on your forearms with your elbows underneath your shoulders. Engage your abs, then raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Without letting your hips sag, jump both feet out to the sides so your toes tap the floor, then jump your feet back in. Keep repeating this movement. Keep your head and neck relaxed and keep your breathing controlled – don’t hold your breath.

Week 1 Workout 3

1 Incline dumbbell bench

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper chest, triceps, front delts

Lie on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees. Brace your core and back muscles, and press your feet into the ground. Keeping your body tight and your chest up, press the weights directly up until your arms are straight and the weights touch over the middle of your chest. Slowly lower the weights back to the start position under complete control. Keep each rep smooth without “bouncing” the weights at the bottom.

2 Seated row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Upper back, biceps

Position yourself on the machine with your feet against the foot rest, holding a double-grip cable attachment in both hands. Keeping your chest up, back straight and core braced, row your hands towards your body, leading with your elbows. Once your hands are by your body, pause for a second and squeeze your back and biceps muscles hard, then reverse the move back to the start position.

3 Dumbbell lateral raise

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Side shoulders

Stand tall with your chest up, abs braced and feet hip-width apart, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with your palms facing one another. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to the sides, no higher than shoulder height. As the weights approach shoulder height, rotate your wrists slightly so that your little fingers are pointing straight up – this will contract your side delts harder. Pause and hold this top position for a second, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control.

4 Hammer curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Biceps, forearms

Stand tall with your chest up, core braced and shoulders back, holding dumbbells with your palms facing your sides. Keeping your chest up and your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up towards shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the rep, then slowly lower the weights back to the start under complete control. Straighten your arms fully at the bottom and flex your triceps hard before you start the next rep.

5 Cable triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Triceps

Stand tall with your back to a cable machine with your chest up and core engaged, holding a double rope handle in both hands behind your head attached to the low pulley. Lean forwards slightly from your hips, but keep your chest up and back straight. Keeping your elbows locked in position and pointing straight up, press your hands up and forwards to straighten your arms. When your arms are straight, pause and flex your triceps for one second. Slowly return to the start position and squeeze your biceps hard before the next rep.

6 Press-up

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Chest, triceps, front shoulders

Get on all fours with your legs and arms straight, your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Raise your hips and brace your core to keep your entire body stable. Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the floor, but don’t let them flare out to the sides - they should stay tight to your sides. Go as low as you can, then press back up to straighten your arms and return to the start position.

Week 1 Workout 4

1 Dumbbell lunge

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and your abs engaged, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Take a big step forwards with one foot, then lunge down until both knees are bent at 90°. Push off your front foot to return to the start and repeat, leading with your other leg. Continue, alternating your leading leg, until you have done 12 reps in total.

2 Goblet squat

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core

Stand tall with your chest up and core engaged, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest height with both hands, as you might hold a goblet. Keeping your chest up and back straight, initiate the move by bending your knees and pushing your hips backwards, and squat down until your elbows brush the insides of your knees. Keep your weight on your heels and press down through them to straighten your legs and return to the start position.

3 Leg extension

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Quads

Prepare the machine, following the instructions to make the necessary adjustments so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and shins against the padded bar. Lift the bar by raising your feet until both legs are fully straight. Hold this top position for one second, keeping the maximum amount of tension on your quads, then slowly lower your feet back to the start position.

4 Hamstring curl

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Targets Hamstrings

Prepare the machine, following the instructions so when you sit on it you’re positioned correctly and safely. In the start position you should be sitting upright with your chest up and straight legs, with the padded bar against the back of your ankles, above your heel. Lower the bar by bending your knees and pulling your feet down underneath your body. Hold this bottom position for one second, keeping the maximum amount of tension on your hamstrings, then slowly raise your feet back to the start position.

5 Bicycle crunch

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Core, side abs

Lie flat on your back with your fingers by your temples and legs straight. Raise your torso off the floor. Engage your abs, then lift your feet off the floor. Crunch up and rotate your torso to one side, bringing your opposite knee in to touch your elbow. Reverse the movement to return to the start – without your upper back or feet touching the floor – then repeat on the other side. Return to the start to complete one rep. Continue, alternating sides.

6 Plank toe tap

Sets 3 Reps 12 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Targets Core, abs

Get into a plank position, supporting yourself on your forearms with your elbows underneath your shoulders. Engage your abs, then raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Keep that tension on your core and squeeze your glutes. Without letting your hips sag, lift and move one foot out as far as you can to the side. Tap your toe down on the floor then bring it back in and repeat with the other foot. That’s one rep.

Week 2

The exercises remain the same but the variables change to provide a new challenge.

Workout 1: Upper body

Workout 2: Lower body

Workout 3: Upper body

Workout 4: Lower body

I was never a big fan of body transformations. The main reason for that? Because I thought that they encouraged unsustainable ways of eating. My preconception was that to make a big change in a short space of time, you have to eat in a way that’s unappealing and also unsustainable. I know that’s not the case because I recently completed a transformation programme that saw me go from being overweight to becoming a Men’s Fitness cover model in just eight weeks, and I did it by using a system that was both surprisingly simple and built for the long haul.

The system I used – the New Body Plan – has a simple but powerful concept at its heart. It’s flexible, which means you can eat the food you like, rather than having to shove endless florets of broccoli down your neck because the restrictive meal plan tells you to. And it doesn’t ban either whole food groups or individual foods.

If you’ve ever considered doing a body transformation but been put off because the food side of things is unappealing, you’ll be pleased to know that making a positive change to your body doesn’t have to make you miserable. To give you a flavour of what’s involved, I’ve outlined some the big-picture advice that I used to lose 10kg of fat in just eight weeks, as well as some other practical bits of advice that helped me to get a result than I never thought was possible. And if my experience inspired you to start your own transformation journey, please say hi at @JonLipseyMedia (on Twitter or Instagram) or @NewBodyPlan (Twitter and Instagram) on social and let me know how you’re getting on.

Nutrition Essentials

Protein first

The aim of your body transformation is to simultaneously lose fat and add muscle, and the best way of doing that is to prioritise high-quality protein intake from meat, fish and eggs. From there you should add healthy fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated), which you can get from dairy, nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil, and fill in the rest with carbohydrates. There’s a comprehensive guide to how to eat in the New Body Plan.

Don’t chase perfection

The better your diet, the better your result will be. If you can eat well all of the time, great. But if you sense that’s not realistic for you to stick to, it’s perfectly OK to use the 90% nutrition approach, where you eat well 90% of the time and take a more relaxed attitude for your remaining meals.

Limit booze

Booze contains plenty of calories but few useful nutrients from a body transformation perspective, so if you don’t limit your alcohol intake during the eight-week challenge then you’ll struggle to lose fat and add muscle. If you really want to drink, our advice is to stick to clear spirits or red wine instead of white wine or beer.

Eat carbs around training

Normally, for non-athletes, nutrient timing isn’t that important. But because your time and calorie intake are limited during the New Body Plan, it does become a significant factor. We recommend having a small amount of carbs a couple of hours before training to give you the energy to nail the session. Then have a portion of carbs alongside protein in your post-workout meal. 

Max out on veg

Vegetables contain lots of nutrients that will support your general health and immune system, which is crucial when you’re asking a lot of your body. They also contain fibre and water, which will help you to feel satisfied and stay feeling full after your meal.

Drink heavily

Water, that is. Dehydration can easily be confused with hunger, so if you’re not drinking enough water that could lead to eating more than you need to. Water is also essential for all manner of physiological processes, so it will help you stay healthy throughout your transformation challenge.

See related

• 13 Expert Weight-Loss Tips
• The Best Exercises For Weight Loss
• How To Build Muscle Naturally

How To Eat Smarter

Keep a food diary

Making a note of what you eat and when you eat it will help you to stick to the principles in the plan, which will have a positive impact on your transformation outcome. It will also help you to make the right adjustments as you progress.

Don’t sweat the slip-ups

During the course of eight weeks you’ll consume about 112,000 calories. One glass of wine is about 140 calories. A doughnut is about 280 calories. So, in the grand scheme of things, a slip-up is going to make no difference to your overall progress. In fact, you’ll probably do more harm by stressing about it or letting it sap your motivation. Of course, drinking alcohol or eating refined sugar frequently will derail your progress, but it’s important to maintain a sense of perspective.

Take your time

We live in a world where we do everything in a hurry but when eating, it pays to slow down. There are a couple of reasons for this. If you chew your food properly you’ll digest it more effectively and assimilate more of the nutrients – which is particularly important when every calorie counts. You’ll also be more receptive to your body telling you when you feel full, so you’ll feel more satisfied at the end of a meal and you’ll find it easier to resist the urge to overeat.

Don’t rush back for a second helping

How you eat, as well as how much, will have an influence on how full you feel. If you wolf down a plate of food, the chances are you’ll still feel hungry when you finish. This is because your body hasn’t had a chance to register what it has just eaten. So you go back for a second helping, thinking that you need the extra food. If you take your time, your satiety hormones will be able to work properly so you may not feel that you need a second helping. If you do feel hungry when you finish a meal, wait for ten minutes or so before deciding whether or not you want more. The chances are that your first portion will be enough.

Clean out your cupboards

We all have a finite amount of willpower, so there’s no point in wasting it. Let’s say that you’re used to cracking open an ice-cold bottle of beer when you get in at 7pm after a long and stressful day at work. If you start the plan and decide not to drink alcohol but you leave your nice cold bottles of beer lined up in the fridge, every time you open it you’ll get a reminder of the thing you’ve decided not to have. You’ll need to use up a tiny bit of willpower to resist the urge to reach for the bottle opener. But if you ensure there’s none in the fridge before you start the plan, they’ll be out of sight and, hopefully, out of mind. Use the same tactic for any other things you think might tempt you while trying to limit them during your transformation challenge.

Never say never

When you say that you’ll never do something, such as “I won’t have any ice cream during my body transformation”, you put a lot of pressure on yourself. Instead, try telling yourself that you can have it tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, the chances are you either won’t feel like it or you’ll be in a stronger position from a willpower point of view. And if you still feel like it, tell yourself you’ll have it tomorrow…

Prepare to succeed

If you want to stand any chance of eating well then, as a minimum, we recommend that you make your breakfast and lunch the night before so they’re ready for you to take out of the fridge in the morning. If you don’t have a fridge at work, buy a small cool bag. And aim to bulk-buy your food each week. It’ll save time and money.

Photographs: Glen Burrows

My name is Jon Lipsey, editor-in-chief of Men’s Fitness magazine and I have a six-pack. That’s not very surprising, is it? You’d expect me to be the proud/smug owner of chiselled abs. In fact, you’d be disappointed if I didn’t have a washboard stomach. It’s just as well, then, that you didn’t meet me eight weeks before I write this because, oh boy, would you have been unimpressed.

You see, two months ago, I didn’t have a six-pack. I didn’t have T-shirt-filling biceps and I didn’t have broad shoulders. I did, however, have a belly. I had love handles too. And big, dark, sleep-deprived circles around my eyes. I was stressed, I had low energy levels and, according to any metric you care to choose, I was overweight.

That’s not something I ever thought I’d write. In my mind, weight issues were always someone else’s problem. In my teens I was skinny, in my 20s I was slim and I floated into my 30s weighing a svelte 69kg at 1.75m (5ft 9in) tall. Then, as my responsibilities grew – I started my own business five years ago and I’m due to become a dad for the first time later this year – so too did my waistline. At 37 years of age, I weighed 80.5kg. Sure, scale weight isn’t the only indicator of health, but I doubt that my lengthy training break added over 10kg of muscle mass.

I could tell you that I got a bit “soft around the edges” but the truth is that I got fat. I ate too much, I said “Fancy a swift one?” too often and I moved too little. It didn’t happen overnight. It never does. And that’s one of the reasons doing anything about it becomes so difficult. What I had to accept, however, was that if my weight gain continued at the same rate then in another seven years, when my child would be wanting to run around and kick a ball in the park, I’d be flirting with a BMI of 30 and about to join the 27% of the British public who, according to figures released last year, are classed as clinically obese.

I didn’t want that to happen, and I desperately wanted to do something about it. There was just one problem. I was absolutely terrified.

Reason to be fearful

Even though I work for a fitness magazine, the thought of doing a body transformation has always scared me. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to stick to the diet and exercise plan and I was scared that, even if I did stick to it, I wouldn’t get much of a result. I worried that I’d either spend more time in a bar than lifting one, or that my before and after shots would look like a spot-the-difference competition. The final, and perhaps biggest, challenge was that if I failed to make a significant difference to my body shape I’d be exposed as a fraud. Someone who talks a good fitness game but, when it comes to the abdominal crunch, can’t put their muscle where their mouth is.

Because of that, it was always easier to pretend that it wasn’t happening, to suck in my belly for photographs and to let my fears win. The thing is, I didn’t want my kid to have a coward for a dad, so there was really only one option. It was time to put my body and reputation on the line.

The personal goal for this project was to transform my own physique but the broader ambition was to give the Men’s Fitness reader a plan that would live up to its cover-line claims. I wanted to create an accessible programme that would be the simplest and fastest way to get in shape. So before I started, I established a couple of simple rules to make my experience as close as it could be to the one you’ll have if you want to do the same thing. I decided that I wouldn’t employ a personal trainer and I wouldn’t use a fancy meal-preparation service. It would just be me, the weights and an unswerving determination to steer clear of the ice-cream aisle in the supermarket.

The regime I created consisted of four gym sessions a week within a programme composed of four two-week blocks and a nutrition plan that was big on high-quality protein and veg without cutting out any major food groups or making any food forbidden. So beer and crisps aren’t strictly banned on this plan, but you consume them in the knowledge that they’ll hinder rather than help your progress.

The other significant concept was to gradually ramp up the intensity of the training and the strictness of the diet. Jumping in at the deep end would have been overwhelming and it’s important to realise that navigating your way through a transformation challenge is a skill. As your fitness and commitment develop, so too do the demands of the plan.

Holding back the beers

Once you commit to starting the programme the first week is relatively easy. You’re motivated by the promise of what’s to come, so you attack the sessions in the firm belief that you’re on the path to a brand new body. The nutrition requirements are also manageable – I didn’t have to survive on seeds and lettuce leaves. Instead, the first major change was to ditch alcohol. The reason was pretty compelling. Just two pints of lager contains about 400 calories so if you’re trying to use up more energy than you’re taking in, ice-cold pints become (slightly) less appealing.

The challenge comes when you realise that Britain is unsteadily propped up by alcohol. We use it to celebrate, to commiserate, to de-stress and to mark the end of another week. It’s the lubricant that oils our social wheels. When I met friends for lunch at the end of my first week on the plan, I found a glass of champagne waiting for me on the table. They’d ordered it because they heard I was about to become a dad for the first time. It felt like it would be unfriendly to turn it down so I drank it. A week later I found myself, wine glass in hand, at a relative’s 40th birthday celebration. I could have toasted with a sparking water there too but I guess I didn’t want to. Ultimately you’ll have choices to make during your transformation journey. One glass really won’t make a difference but one a week might, so at some point you have to ask yourself which you want more – the booze or the body.

On the plus side, by the end of the first training block I was already seeing positive changes. I was looking less bloated and I even managed to squeeze into a new belt hole. I also discovered that yogurt and sliced frozen banana offers a passable alternative to ice cream (no, honestly). Perhaps this transformation lark was going to be a flourless cake walk after all.

Food fight

In the second fortnight of the plan the training schedule changes from an initial upper-body and lower-body split to one that focuses on antagonistic supersets, where you do two exercises back to back that target opposing muscle groups, such as your biceps and triceps. It was tough but effective, and I felt stronger and looked more muscular. Joe, MF’s Editorial Director, was joining me for a lot of the sessions and that also had a positive impact. If you can find a training partner, their presence will spur you on. You can encourage each other and, if they other guy has just completed a set, you’re less likely to duck out of the final couple of reps when your turn comes.

The diet, on the other hand, was a little trickier. I discovered during weeks three and four that my blood sugar and hunger hormone regulation was, er, sub-optimal. Before starting the plan I’d never really paid much attention to what I ate. I kidded myself that because I consumed lots of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit that my diet was fine. The problem is that I really did eat a lot. And I topped it up with stuff that’s less nutritionally glorious. I also had an aversion to hunger, which meant that as soon as I wasn’t completely full I had a tendency to open the fridge door. I realised that I used fruit to manage my constantly yo-yoing blood sugar levels and, as a result, if I went for any length of time without eating (I’m talking three hours here rather than half a day) I felt terrible. I was also incapable of going for a few hours without a carbohydrate fix.

When I tried to eat in a different way, my brain and body were overtaken by the spirit of an unruly toddler – throwing tantrums when it didn’t immediately get what it wanted. I felt fuzzy-headed and I struggled to concentrate. By the time I got to week four the easy fat-loss wins had expired and, although I had made more progress, I didn’t feel half way to becoming a cover model.

My only consolation was that at the right angle, in some very forgiving lighting, you could just about see some abs. Well, one ab, really. Only the top right one was brave enough to poke its head above the lardy parapet.

Finisher touch

I went into block three feeling under pressure and behind schedule. The weight was coming off. Just not as fast as I’d like. Thankfully, the plan had a solution. I started to do “finisher” exercises, which are high-intensity interval training moves, such as sled drags and battle rope slams, designed to torch calories and accelerate fat loss. They’re highly effective which, in training terms, means they’re tough. After my first finisher – ten reps of a 20m prowler push – I slumped on the gym floor, breathing heavily and trying not to reacquaint myself with that morning’s breakfast of eggs and vegetables.

After I staggered out of the gym, life tried to trip me up. I had two days of meetings at a trade fair, which meant healthy eating was difficult and training time was under pressure. Then I was off to Germany for another expo, getting up at four in the morning to catch a flight and returning at the end of the day. Unfortunately, my flight back was delayed by over four hours so we didn’t take off until after 1.30am. I crawled into bed just as the birds were finding their singing voices and my throat felt like it was on fire. I was ill for the rest of the week, which meant no training and endless cravings for simple carbs.

I faced a decision: force myself to the gym and risk making myself feel worse, or take a couple of rest days and hope that would be enough time to recover. I opted for the latter and it seemed to do the trick. Determined not to let that mini-setback derail my plans, I stepped up my work rate and tried to claw back lost gains. The intention was great but the outcome was not – during an aggressive flye set in week six I suffered a minor pec strain. I could still do chest exercises but I had to hold back, making it almost impossible to build new muscle.

Thankfully the niggle coincided with me outgrowing that toddler response to the new nutrition regime. My body had adapted and it was less carb-reliant. My energy levels were up, my work capacity improved and I embraced the idea that I had two weeks to make sure that I finished the plan with no regrets.

Body of evidence

One of the happy things I can report about doing a transformation challenge is that it gets progressively easier. The second half is easier than the first and the final fortnight is the easiest of all. You’re fitter, you’re focused and your body has adapted to your new way of eating. I no longer felt exhausted in the evenings and I was sleeping soundly, waking up naturally and energised at 6am. I was getting compliments too. People who hadn’t seen me for a few weeks noticed that I looked leaner and healthier. Even personal trainers at the gym I was using were asking me about my workout plan.

The end was in sight and I was training harder than ever but, unexpectedly, it felt great. I felt great. During the final week it seemed like every day made a noticeable difference to how I looked and, for the first time since the project started, I felt like I was going to get the result I was hoping for.

The shoot for this story was arranged for the final day of the plan and when it came around I didn’t hit my expectations – I smashed them. The result was better than I could ever have imagined. When I looked in the mirror I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. When the images started to feed through from camera to computer in the photography studio, it felt like I was looking at someone else’s body.

The before and after shots you’ve seen capture the physical change I made to my body. What they don’t show you is that I transformed my life too. I feel ten years younger. I’m energised. I’m calm. I’m happy. I’ve achieved more than I thought possible in the last eight weeks and I feel like if I can do this, I can do anything. I did what I thought was impossible and, if I can do it, I assure you that you can too. My only regret? That I didn’t do it ages ago.

See Related

• The Ultimate Body Transformation Plan
• How To Get A Summer Body In Four Weeks

How much can you change your body in four weeks? More than you think – but only if you have three things: a good exercise plan, smart eating rules, and the right attitude to follow both with focus and determination.

This four-week plan has been designed to constantly test your body and push it outside of its comfort zone so your body has no choice but to build new muscle mass and burn away body fat to radically change your physique. That’s why there are small tweaks to the programme each week: these changes keep your body guessing and, therefore, changing.

Making a big alteration to your body in just four weeks is hard, but it can be done. Start as you mean to go on, both in the gym and the kitchen, and soon these small steps will lead to big changes in how you look with your shirt off .

1. The plan

The plan contains two two-week blocks. The first has four sessions a week: chest and back; legs and abs; arms; and shoulders and abs. The second has four sessions a week, and they’re different: chest and triceps; legs and shoulders; chest and triceps; and back and biceps.

2. Strong start

The workouts for the first week of the first block are below, then the sessions for the second week of the block are detailed in the tables below that. Do the workouts in order, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest periods detailed to start the plan as strongly as possible.

The tempo code refers to the number of seconds taken to complete each part of the exercise. Taking the bench press as an example, the first digit refers to how long you take to lower the weight, the second digit how long to pause at the bottom of the lift, the third how long taken to lift the weight, and finally the fourth digit refers to how long you pause at the top of the movement.

3. Big finish

The big change in the second block of the plan is that you’ll train your chest, back and arms muscles twice a week. This increase in training volume will shock your body into building more muscle mass, while also stripping away unwanted body fat so you get both bigger and leaner. 

4. Steady gains

The workouts contain the same exercises in the same order for weeks one and two, and then weeks three and four, but the sets and reps change from week to week so you push your muscles harder. This approach will keep your positive body composition changes coming.

5. Get your rest

We won’t lie: this four-week plan is tough, but that’s what it takes to transform your body for the better quickly. This means that good nutrition and quality rest are essential. Follow the food rules below to give your body the nutrients it needs, and try to get to bed early each night.

Diet Tips

To build lean muscle mass and get a flat belly, what you eat is as important as how you exercise. Follow these four rules for success

Protein

If you don’t eat enough protein – red and white meat, fish and eggs – then don’t be surprised when you don’t add muscle as fast as you want. Lifting weights causes microscopic tears in your muscles, and it’s the consumption of protein that repairs this damage and rebuilds your muscles bigger and stronger. Aim for at least a fist-sized portion of high-quality lean protein at every meal.

Carbs

You don’t need to cut out carbs altogether to transform your body, but making smarter carb choices will help you get bigger, stronger and leaner. Avoid sugar and limit consumption of fast-release carbs like processed white bread and pasta, which have been stripped of many of their nutrients and fibre. Instead choose slow-release carbs, such as sweet potatoes and brown rice, as well as plenty of fibre-rich, nutrient-dense veg.

Vegetables

If you struggle to get your daily five-a-day then you’re missing out on a wealth of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients essential to both better health and getting leaner. Eat a wide variety of different-coloured veg to give your body the nutrients it needs after hard training, as well as fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer and stabilise blood sugar levels so you won’t be tempted by sweet snacks.

Alcohol

To make the biggest positive change to your body in four weeks you should consider cutting out alcohol. It’s high in calories you don’t need, and too much booze will kill your motivation to hit the gym hard and eat well. Your best bet is to stick to water, green tea and black coffee to stay hydrated and load up on antioxidants that will help you recover from exercise.

See related

• Try This Muscle-Building Diet Plan For Better Results From The Gym
• The Tried-And-Tested Muscle-Building Workout
• The Best Upper-Body Workout

Block 1: Week 1

Monday Workout: Chest And Back

1 Bench press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on a bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.

2 Bent-over row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a barbell with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Bend forwards, hinging from your hips, but keep your chest up and your core braced. Row the bar up to your body, leading with your elbows, pause at the top, then lower.

3 Incline dumbbell flye

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Lie on an incline bench, holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.

4 Lat pull-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.

5 One-arm cable press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a D-handle in one hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press your hand forward until your arm is straight. Reverse back to the start and repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.

6 Dumbbell pull-over

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 4010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on a bench, holding a dumbbell in both hands above your chest with straight arms. Lower the weight behind your head in a slow and controlled movement, keeping your arms straight, then raise it back to the start position.

Wednesday Workout: Legs And Abs

1 Back squat

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding the bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and your whole body tight, bend your knees to squat down as low as you can but don’t let your knees roll inwards. Push through your heels to stand back up.

2 Romanian deadlift

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a barbell with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend forwards, hinging at the hips, to let the bar roll down the front of your legs until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Reverse the movement.

3 Leg extension

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the bottom of your shins. Keeping your upper body tight, raise your feet to straighten your legs. Pause at the top with your quads engaged, then lower back to the start.

4 Hamstring curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the back of your lower legs. Keeping your upper body tight, push your feet down to bend your legs. Pause at the top with your hamstrings engaged, then lower back to the start.

5 Crunch

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on your back with hands by your temples and knees bent. Engage your upper abs to raise your torso off the ground, then crunch your upper body up to meet your knees. Lower slowly, keeping tension on your abs throughout.

6 Plank

Sets 3 Time 30sec Tempo N/A Rest 60sec

Get into position with your elbows under your shoulders, your feet together, and your hips raised with abs and glutes engaged so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position without letting your hips drop.

Friday Workout: Biceps And Triceps

1 Underhand lat pull-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width underhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.

2 Triceps dip

Sets 3 Reps 6-10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Grip parallel bars with straight arms and your legs crossed behind you. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90°. Press back up to return to the start.

3 Dumbbell biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.

4 Dumbbell triceps extension

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight over your head. Keeping your elbows pointing to the ceiling, lower the weights behind your head, then straighten your arms to return to the start.

5 Cable biceps curl

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a double-rope handle attached to the lower pulley with palms facing. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, curl your hands up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower.

6 Cable triceps press-down

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a double-rope handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing. Keeping your chest up and elbows tight to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.

Saturday Workout: Shoulders And Abs

1 Seated dumbbell overhead press

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Sit on an upright bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press the weights directly overhead so your arms are straight. Slowly lower back to the start.

2 Seated dumbbell lateral raise

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2010 Rest 60sec

Sit on an upright bench, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your chest up and core braced, raise the weights out to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, then return slowly to the start.

3 EZ-bar upright row

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, row the bar up to chin height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower the bar back to the start under control.

4 Hanging knee raise

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 1111 Rest 60sec

Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and straight legs. Brace your core and glutes and keep your feet together as your draw your knees up towards your chest. Hold this position, then straighten your legs to return to the start.

5 Weighted crunch

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on a bench, holding a dumbbell or weight plate against your chest with both hands, with your knees bent. Engage your upper abs to raise your torso off the ground, then crunch your upper body up to meet your knees. Lower slowly.

6 Reverse crunch

Sets 3 Reps 10 Tempo 2011 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on your back with your arms flat on the floor and knees bent. Keeping your abs fully engaged throughout, use your lower abs to draw your knees in towards your chest, then raise your hips off the ground. Lower back to the start.

Block 1: Week 2

Keep adding lean muscle and blitzing belly fat by upping your effort levels and pushing hard

With the first four sessions of week 1 in the bag, you may already been feeling a little stronger and lighter on your feet, which is why we are now going to up the ante to accelerate your positive body composition changes.

The four workouts of the second week are similar to those of the first week. In order you’ll train chest and triceps; legs and abs; arms; and then shoulders and abs. But there are two big differences in the programme design to keep you on track. First, you’re going to do an extra set of the first and second move of each workout. Then, for the final four moves of each session, the rep count increase by two to 12.

Why? Because you now know how to do these workouts well, so increasing the amount of work your muscles must do will encourage your body to keep adding muscle and burning off excess fat. Stay focused and maintain good form throughout all four sessions to keep progressing as fast as possible.

Monday Workout: Chest And Back

Wednesday Workout: Legs And Abs

Friday Workout: Biceps And Triceps

Saturday Workout: Shoulders And Abs

Block 2: Week 1

Monday Workout: Chest And Back

1 Incline bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on an incline bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar down until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.

2 Wide lat pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Position yourself at the machine with a double shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start.

3 Dumbbell bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Press the weights straight up so your arms are straight, then lower them under control.

4 Seated cable row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Sit on the machine, holding a double-grip cable attachment in both hands. Keeping your chest up, row your hands in towards your body, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top position, then return to the start.

5 One-arm cable press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall with your back to a cable machine, holding a D-handle in one hand. Keeping your chest up and core braced, press your hand forward until your arm is straight. Reverse back to the start and repeat for all the reps, then switch arms.

6 Straight-arm cable pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall facing a cable machine, holding a straight bar handle with both hands. Keeping your chest arm, pull the bar down towards your thighs in a smooth arc, pause at the bottom, then reverse the movement back to the start.

Wednesday Workout: Legs And Shoulders

1 Back squat

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding the bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and your whole body tight, bend your knees to squat down as low as you can but don’t let your knees roll inwards. Push through your heels to stand back up.

2 Overhead press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding the bar across the front of your chest with an overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, press the bar directly overhead so your arms are straight. Lower it under control to return to the start.

3 Leg extension

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the bottom of your shins. Keeping your upper body tight, raise your feet to straighten your legs. Pause at the top with your quads engaged, then lower back to the start.

4 Seated dumbbell lateral raise

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Sit on an upright bench, holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your chest up and core braced, raise the weights out to shoulder height, leading with your elbows, then return slowly to the start.

5 Hamstring curl

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself correctly on the machine with the padded bar against the back of your lower legs. Keeping your upper body tight, push your feet down to bend your legs. Pause at the top with your hamstrings engaged, then lower back to the start.

6 EZ-bar upright row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding an EZ-bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Keeping your chest up and core braced, row the bar up to chin height, leading with your elbows. Pause at the top, then lower the bar back to the start under control.

Friday Workout: Chest And Triceps

1 Bench press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on a flat bench, holding a bar with a shoulder-width grip. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Lower the bar until it touches your chest, then press it back up powerfully.

2 Incline dumbbell flye

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Lie on an incline bench, holding two dumbbells directly over your chest with straight arms. Bend your elbows slightly, then lower your hands out to the sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return to the start.

3 Triceps dip

Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Grip parallel bars with straight arms and your legs crossed behind you. Keeping your chest up and core braced, bend your elbows to lower your body until your elbows are bent at 90°. Press back up to return to the start.

4 Incline dumbbell shoulder press

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Lie flat on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest height with palms facing. Plant your feet on the floor and tense your muscles. Press the weights straight up so your arms are straight, then lower them under control.

5 Cable triceps press-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Stand tall in front of a cable machine, holding a double-rope handle attached to the high pulley with palms facing. Keeping your chest up and elbows fixed to your sides, press your hands down to straighten your arms, then slowly return to the start.

6 Press-up

Sets 4 Reps 10-15 Tempo 3010 Rest 60sec

Start in the press-up position – hands on the floor, shoulders, elbows and wrists aligned, and feet together. Brace your core, then bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor. Press back up powerfully to return to the start.

Saturday Workout: Back And Biceps

1 Chin-up

Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Hang from a bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip. Engage your abs and glutes and, keeping your chest up, pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. Pause in this position, then slowly lower yourself back to the start.

2 Lat pull-down

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Position yourself at the machine with a shoulder-width overhand grip on the bar. Keeping your chest up and abs braced, pull the bar down, leading with your elbows. Hold the bottom position for a second, then return to the start

3 Prone dumbbell row

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Lie chest-down on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest against the bench, row the weights up, leading with your elbows. Hold the top position, then lower the weights back to the start .

4 Prone dumbbell reverse flye

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 60sec Rest 60sec

Lie chest-down on an incline bench holding a light dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your chest against the bench, raise the weights to the sides, leading with your elbows. Hold the top position, then lower the weights back to the start.

5 Dumbbell biceps curl

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing forwards. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.

6 Dumbbell hammer curl

Sets 4 Reps 10 Tempo 3011 Rest 60sec

Stand tall, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows tight to your sides, curl the weights up to shoulder height. Squeeze your biceps at the top, then lower the weights back to the start.

Block 2: Week 2

As you noticed in the first week of the second block of this plan, some new moves have been introduced to the programme to shake things up and keep your muscles guessing so they keep on growing. The sets, reps and tempo have also been adjusted to make each set of each workout a little more testing for both your mind and muscles. That means the second block of the plan is mentally and physically challenging, but stay focused and determined to complete each session to the best of your abilities and you’ll be amazed by how much progress you can make in sculpting a bigger, stronger and leaner body.

The final week’s workouts are listed in table form below and while they use the same exercises in the same order as the first week of the block, the sets and reps have again been tweaked. This means you’ll keep pushing your muscles a little harder every time you step into the gym, because that’s the only way to keep your results coming.

Monday Workout: Chest And Back

Wednesday Workout: Legs And Shoulders

Friday Workout: Chest And Triceps

Saturday Workout: Back And Biceps

I MADE IT! Somehow.

I can’t believe my six weeks are over already. It’s flown by, if I’m honest.

Let’s get the big question out of the way: how do I feel? Bloody great! I’m so shocked as to how much energy I now have. Not only that, but I’m sleeping better, eating and drinking better, and could go as far to say I’m a new me. I have definitely lost fat (mainly from my face and legs, I think) and got more muscular, which was the goal I set myself in my first blog post. My arms and shoulders feel so much more solid, and my stomach is definitely flatter. And I now seem to have muscles on my back – never seen that before!

Another surprise came when, while getting changed the other day, I spotted that my leg muscles are now really starting to pop out. There’s no bulging six-pack to report, but I know that’s going to take more work. It’s in there, but there’s still a bit of fat to burn off before it shows. I’m definitely pleased with the physical changes, but I want to keep going. One thing I have learned it’s impossible to burn fat just in one place – you have to lose it all over.

But I have to say the best change is how I’m feeling full of beans. I’ve never been one for waking up early – I’m very much the type of person that finds themselves watching stupid Facebook videos at 3am, then rolling around in bed moaning after my alarm clock goes off until 9am. Things have changed! Don’t get me wrong, I still roll around moaning, but now only until 7am. I get so much more done now!.

After my afternoon workout, I get this serious injection of energy. That usually lasts until around 10pm, and then I start to crash. I’ve also started to sleep much better – the quality has really increased and I feel more refreshed when I wake up.

Food and diet was another big one for me. With my job and social life it’s almost impossible to make sure every single meal has good-quality meat and veg in the right proportions, but I have found a real appetite for good food and scanning the menu for something healthy. A burger and chips was my go-to every time, but I now find myself ordering meals that I never thought I’d try, and really enjoying them.

My cooking at home as been totally transformed, and it’s really where I felt I nailed the diet. There’s been a lot of chicken and loads of green stuff, and the key has been finding creative ways to prepare it so I don’t get bored. It’s been good fun. I have started juicing too, which brings out the creative side in me again. Google’s pretty helpful with this.

What have I enjoyed the most, though? Honestly, everything. Well, almost everything. That Versaclimber, ugh… but while it was by far the least enjoyable part of this journey, it provided the best fat-burning results. Everything else was brilliant, though. Learning the workouts has been amazing, and combined with new foods and getting results I can see, it’s been fantastic. In fact, I am going to keep every single part of it up. Even the Versaclimber.

I can’t end this without saying thanks to a bunch of great people. First to Coach – what a great group of people they have there. Then the man, the legend, Mr Ruben Tabares. Yes, I have wanted to punch him at times (trust me, I’ve tried, but he’s too fast) but all this is really down to him. He genuinely knows his stuff, and I’m so happy he’s agreed to help me continue my journey to find that six-pack!

Also, thanks to Ruben’s team at the gym who greet me every day and got involved to help me. Alex from Organic Delivery Co – the food his company delivers is top-class. Everyone at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, especially Sarah Cairns for popping down regularly to check up on me! I could easily go on and start thanking my PR team at MUNCH, who send me pictures like this when I send them a progress shot:

And of course to my family… but this is going to end up being longer than an Oscar acceptance speech. But lastly, thanks to you for reading. I really do hope that after all this blabbering on I have given people hope that if I can do it, anyone can.

If you have any questions or even tips for me to continue on this path please do let me know. And be sure to check out my after photos when they run next week!

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffect.

So, five weeks in and it’s all going really well… I think? I’m slightly surprised I haven’t turned into a vegetable though, the amount of them I’m eating. The Great British Bake Off could not have come at a worse time. WHY AM I STILL WATCHING IT WHEN ALL I AM EATING IS GREEN STUFF?

I said in a previous blog that I’m not even craving bad food any more – but I’m sure that when people try to give up smoking, they have days when they relapse and smoke a whole pack. All right, I can’t keep it to myself any more – I had a burger yesterday. FAIL! But is it really?

I say that because – even though I’m proud that I’ve been eating so well – it tasted so, so good. Sometimes you just want to pig out, so I did. Sue me. I’m only human.

But in fact I am actually really enjoying eating healthily. There is so much choice when it comes to fruit and veg. I’ve become quite addicted to juicing, and my PT Ruben Tabares and his friend Alex are to blame. Alex runs a fantastic fruit and veg delivery service called the Organic Delivery Co, and he dropped off some food to help me start juicing while Ruben sent some recipes.

It’s fun experimenting with different fruits and veg. Typically it’s good to go three parts veg to one part fruit because fruit has a fair amount of sugar in it. My top tip? Be careful with the ginger – even the smallest amount really does pack a punch! I got it wrong and the taste of ginger overpowered everything else.

So apart from the burger, my diet’s been both good and interesting. As well as lots of chicken and veg, I’m enjoying cooking fish, lentils and salads. Spinach is in nearly everything I cook now.

I’m amazed at how much I’m eating, yet not putting on any fat! My weight is going up slightly, true, but that’s because the muscle I’m gaining actually weighs more than the fat I’m losing.

With my job it’s really hard to stick to a meal plan but I’m doing the best I can. Sometimes I have to have an extra protein shake if I don’t think I’ve eaten enough, but getting protein from a shake isn’t as good as from the food itself so I’m trying to avoid that if I can.

RECOMMENDED: The Best High-Protein Diets

I’m still working out most days – even at the weekend now. It’s hard work and takes up a fair bit of time. I’d like to take this opportunity to say sorry to my mates who think I’m not making time for them. Someone asked if it’s because I have a new girlfriend – but actually I’m just in the gym!

I look at myself every day and, to be honest, I haven’t noticed much difference in how my body looks. On the other hand a few of my friends and family have said I’ve “bulked out a bit”. I guess that’s a good thing, right?!

So I just need to crack on for another week or so before those final pictures… I’m excited to see how different I will look. But actually, what I’m happiest about so far is how my mental attitude has changed. Not only with how much I work out and what I do, but what I eat. OK, we all want a burger sometimes, but I swear it tastes better when you only eat it now and then rather than every other day, which I was doing before.

Stand by for the next blog and what might be a picture showing a great change in my body… or a picture of me crying. Let’s stay positive!

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffect.

I’m never drinking again…

Last night I decided to go out and let my hair down. As it turns out, if you haven’t had alcohol in a while you turn into a massive lightweight – my head was pounding this morning. I feel like I’ve let myself down a bit – and, looking back on it now, I didn’t actually need to drink to enjoy myself – but I can’t turn back the clock. Ah well, off to the gym in a minute so I’ll sweat out all that gin.

Good news, though: I’m noticing a change in my body. I had a bit of a beer belly going on but it seems to be shifting! I’ve also noticed that my arms and legs feel a lot more solid, so I’m definitely packing on some muscle.

I had a slight scare this week, though. I was in the lift going to the gym and bent down to pick up my bag. All of a sudden I got a sharp pain in my back. I told Ruben and we did a light warm-up and tried a few exercises to see if it had shifted, but I could still feel it. We stopped, as it’s not worth injuring myself now when I’m on this tight six-week schedule.

But did I get the day off? No I did not. Ruben led me to his massage table and I received my first sports massage. Now, I was pretty sure this might be a little bit painful. But I was wrong. It was unbelievably painful. I won’t lie – I shed a few tears! And once it had finished I thought it had done nothing. All that pain for nothing. BUT the next morning I woke up and felt great! The back pain had gone and I felt positively nimble! I guess that pain was worthwhile after all. I still call it the torture table, though.

My workouts haven’t really changed that much since my last blogpost – the only difference is that the weight I’m lifting has increased. The key thing is that I’ve really learned how to do every exercise correctly: you have to focus on the muscle you’re working on and really hit that one hard.

I’ve continued with a few more HIIT sessions to try to shed that fat, but I’m also eating more. Sometimes that can be a pain because I don’t feel hungry, but I know that I need to eat to keep my body building muscle.

When I met up with some friends this week they all said I seem more alive and bouncy, which is great! (Although today I’m feeling far from bouncy…)

In return for them saying nice things about me, I’m now giving out advice in the form of what to eat, what not to do with your food and how to train your body to want more good things. A few of them are taking in what I’m saying but others are still posting pictures of dirty burgers on Instagram so… you win some, you lose some. I’ll talk more about food next week.

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffect.

Hello. And trust me when I say even typing the word hello is quite difficult right now. That’s all because of my newfound pet hate – DOMS. It stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. Personally, I think it stands for “can’t feel my upper body, send help”.

We are now into the real training programme and boy do I feel it! Now that my body is used to lifting, pushing and pulling (plus rolling around on the floor in pain), my trainer Ruben Tabares insists that I can hit it harder. That means heavier weights, less reps and changing my diet to match.

Each day we are working a different part of the body and throwing in some HIIT (high-intensity interval training) work, which keeps the heart rate high, making it a really effective way to lose fat.

I have huge respect for people who can motivate themselves to go to the gym but right now I need Ruben – big time. He lets me know everything from what weight to lift to whether my posture is wrong. I feel like I’m learning so much and that I’m on the right road.

I have made an arch enemy, though. Its name is Versaclimber and we don’t get on. You strap your feet in, hold the handles and climb… and keep climbing until your arms and legs feel like they’re about to fall off. Here’s a video of it in action.

Ruben makes me do ten sets of 30 seconds with one minute of rest in between. We do this on Saturdays and whenever he feels I may have lied about having ONE G&T the night before. My heart drops every time I see him look over at it – I know what’s coming.

The only thing that helps with this is that I now know the feeling I get once I recover. I feel exhausted but mentally alive and full of adrenaline. Then I go and splash around in the pool to loosen up a bit.

Someone asked me the other day what bits I like and don’t like about this new workout regime. I’ve had a think and here’s what I really like:

• Any biceps workout. I feel like Popeye when working that muscle and, I’m not going to lie, I’ve stood in the mirror and flexed!
• I also really like boxing! I’ve not done it before but it’s an amazing cardio workout and it means I get to try and hit Ruben (I’ve not yet succeeded).
• I’ve also really enjoyed learning about nutrition and the small changes I can make that will all add up to a big difference. I’ve started eating a hell of a lot of veg and I’ve discovered that when you cook it correctly, it’s delicious! I’m not sure why I moaned so much as a kid.
• I love to swim after my workout. I grew up on the Isle of Wight so I’m a bit of a water baby. I try and swim as far as I can under water after every session (more on that in a second).

Now on to the bits I don’t like:

• I’ve already mentioned the Versaclimber. That thing makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode!
• Any triceps exercise is a killer. That muscle must still be quite weak as even three days after a session it’s still aching!
• One of those “small” nutrition changes was cutting out beer (sob, sob). This is temporary, officially, but I have a feeling I won’t drink anywhere near as much in the future.
• Running: never liked it. Mainly because I could feel my man-boobs bouncing up and down when I ran. Maybe this will change once I’m in shape?

But this combination of the enjoyable and the awful has added up to some real changes already – yes, even after just a few weeks.

My general fitness has shot up and I really notice it. There are two escalators that I use when heading to the gym and I used to always be out of breath at the top. Now I fly up them and it feels bloody great!

Also, there’s how far I can swim under water. When I first tried it in the gym’s pool I could only do half a length. Now – and this only happened today – I got to the end with ease. It felt really odd but amazing!

On to week three of training then. I feel it’s going to get even tougher – unless I can break into the gym and take a hacksaw to that Versaclimber before my next session.

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffect.

So how do I feel after one week? A bit broken, if I’m honest, but – and this is a huge but – I feel amazing at the same time! Let me talk you through it.

I met Ruben Tabares, the personal trainer who’s agreed to help me get fit, and this guy knows his stuff! From workout plans to nutrition, he’s on top of it all. We sat down for a good 30 minutes talking about my lifestyle, what I like eating and drinking and how much… even down to when I was last ill and any times I’ve been “taken out” by anything like food poisoning. We spoke about how many times I’d been on antibiotics as this makes a difference due to how many times my body has had to build up its good bacteria again – you can tell he’s rubbing off on me already!

Then, after he gave me a crash course on why eating healthy is actually worth it and the science behind the idea that “you are what you eat”, we got into the fun part – hitting the gym. Yay!… ish.

Because we only have six weeks, Ruben said we need to hit this hard, but first he needs to make sure my body is ready. There is no point in going straight in and lifting huge weights as I will just injure myself – then it’s game over. So for the next week or so I’ll be putting my body through adaptation.

The only adaptation I have done up to this point was adapting to living off a diet of super noodles and vodka at uni. Alas, this adaptation was slightly different.

It’s about lots of reps with a low weight – 100 reps in fact. I did one day of upper-body and one of lower-body lifting light. And wow did it hurt.

I did feel a little stupid when in the gym, lifting the lowest weight in front of a load of guys who were built like steam trains, but Ruben told me a story which helped. Once he went into a gym filled with intimidatingly huge guys – but he soon discovered he could lift more than them because he had built his muscles in the correct way rather than just building them to look big. This spurred me on and I just got on with it. After a while I found I couldn’t care less about what they thought – I was just happy I was starting the right way and confident it would pay off in the long run.

After the first session I went for a swim to warm down. I call it a swim, but it was more like watching someone drowning. I just spent 20 minutes splashing around really!

If I’ve made it sound as if I didn’t enjoy it, I’ve told it wrong – in fact, every single thing I did was made enjoyable because Ruben knew how to take my mind off the actual workout. Talking about girls seemed to do the trick. Also the phrase “LOCK IT IN” really helped. It just got my mind into a place where even though I might have thought something was not possible, I did it! It was mind over matter.

After my workout and near drowning I actually felt so alive. Full of energy, fitter, better educated and, actually, more confident in myself already.

I know I don’t magically now have a six-pack, but again, my goal is not to just have a better-looking body but also to be educated about how to eat healthy, train well and become a fitter human being.

Weirdly, I’m actually not looking forward to my day off on Sunday. I love the feeling you get from a good workout – it’s actually quite addictive!

For my next couple of blogs I’m going to talk you through the exercises I’m doing and how I’ve changed my eating.

Oh, and I’ve not touched a beer since my previous blog – I’ve actually gone off even wanting one. Have I changed this much already?! Guess we’ll find out if it sticks!…

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffect.

Getting fit. For me, it’s one of those things that isn’t as straightforward as just popping to the gym and lifting a few weights. If I’m honest, I’m lazy… really lazy. I’ve had a gym membership for around a year. How many times have I gone? Twice.

The first time it was because I felt I had to because I had paid for it. The second time was because the first time I went there was a really attractive girl in my fitness class. Turns out she didn’t go to the same class the following week. See… I’m lazy.

But I went through a bit of a change in my life in February. I broke up with my girlfriend, moved jobs and sold my car. You may think the last part of that is trivial but my car meant a lot to me – I’m a huge petrol head and go for drives just to put the windows down, play some music and find some great roads. I was trying to be sensible, and having a car that got around 11 miles to the gallon in London wasn’t sensible – that thing drank more than me! Every car I have owned seems to have a personality so getting rid of a car is sometimes as bad as, if not worse than, a break-up…

Speaking of which, as much as I didn’t want it to affect me, I started going out a lot and drinking a lot after my break-up. I was eating out around five times a week and drinking with friends most nights.

The effect of all that really hit home when I was asked to present a series of videos for a fantastic website called Thryve.world. I had to cycle a few laps of the velodrome in London, then a bit of mountain biking and BMX. Let’s just say that ordeal nearly killed me. I felt so so unfit.

Christian agreed to be photographed with his shirt off before he started to work at getting fitter, because he is a braver man than Coach

While I’d love a six-pack and a nice pair of guns, what I really want is to feel like I can run up the stairs without being out of breath at the top. I also love skiing, and that requires you to be in pretty good shape – which I’m not at the moment.

I read Coach a lot and when they found out about my predicament they said they could help me out so I jumped at the opportunity.

Coach gave me a couple of six-week options to start with. One would be to attend a series of HIIT classes, the other was working with a personal trainer called Ruben Tabares.

The HIIT classes were relatively new and I read up a fair bit about it. You work with a PT in a group and move around the machines like in a circuit class, but each machine responds to how much effort you put in. I loved the idea that I could get really fit really fast with this but I felt something was missing. Namely, that personal touch you get working direct with a PT rather than with a group of people. I could also see that it could be quite easy for me to not bother going to a class as I wouldn’t really feel I’d let anyone down, whereas if I had arranged a time with one person, I couldn’t cancel!

I’d still love to try the classes at some point as I think I’d really enjoy it, and I love how it gets the whole group of people involved – but for smashing out these six weeks, Ruben is the guy.

Ruben has worked with some amazing people – singer Tinie Tempah, rugby star Danny Cipriani and boxer David Haye. The main reason for picking Ruben, though, was because I need someone to give me the motivation and the direction to get the most out of this. He’s also very good at nutrition which I need help with the most! Eating and drinking bad stuff all week is never what I aim to do but somehow it happens all the time. I need Ruben to get me off my bad habits as much as getting me on the dumbbells!

As I write this I’m about to go for my introduction session with Ruben. If I’m honest, I have no idea what to expect but if he gets me to do anything more than run on the spot for 30 seconds he may need to dial 999.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I need and want to do this really badly so I’m also excited.

If, like me, you want to get into shape, but just are not really sure where to start or what to do, let’s do this together. I’m going to be blogging the whole thing here on Coach and want you to get involved with me.

What workout are you doing? What foods are you eating? Let’s make this a team effort! It’s only six weeks… what’s the worst that could happen?!

So here we go – from bar to… bar (with weights on the end!). Now I’m off to the gym – if you don’t hear from me next week, send help!

RECOMMENDED: Read more from Christian

Christian Williams presents the weekend breakfast show on Virgin Radio, 6-10am.

Follow Christian’s fitness journey at coachmag.co.uk/christian, on his show on digital radio, online at VirginRadio.co.uk or via the Virgin Radio app, and on Christian’s Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #coacheffec

How do you avoid the lure of the service station pasty?

Oh man, it is hard. The main thing is to look out for the M&S stores, because they have real good salads – the calories are quite low but they still fill you up. If I see that first, it’s all good, but if I see McDonald’s first, there’s an inner struggle that can go on for miles on the motorway…

What’s your most impressive personal best?

Recently I was shooting a TV show and I saw in the script that my character got his shirt off quite a lot, so I was immediately thrown into a panic because I don’t gym. My brother is a personal trainer, so I’m always thinking, “Maybe I’ll just get him in as a body double and then stick my head on top.” But this time I was like, “OK, I’m going to have to do it,” so I basically ate sensibly for six weeks, I cycled everywhere, played football twice a week and every time I watched TV I would exercise. It actually worked, and suddenly I had a washboard. However, as we speak, I do not have that any more…

If you could look like Arnie in his prime tomorrow, would you?

No. My brother looks amazing and occasionally he really goes for it and gets himself ripped for his personal trainer adverts, but I find it a little bit disturbing when there’s muscles on a man and I don’t know what they are. I just think looking healthy is the more attractive thing – having muscles popping out of your neck? It’s not my thing.

Have you ever pulled a muscle in less-than-heroic circumstances?

I damaged the cruciate ligament in my knee in very unheroic circumstances. I play Sunday league and I had my last game. I thought, “I’m going to hit this on the volley so sweetly, and it’ll fly into the top corner.” I swung with everything I had, completely missed the ball – total air-shot – my legs flew up in the air, and when I came back down, my knees just went. I couldn’t get back up and had to scooch off the pitch on my bum like a dog with worms.

Which excuse for not going to the gym or working out are you most ashamed of?

It’s always time. But then you realise that you only really need 20 minutes to make a difference. That I’m ashamed of, because there’ll always be 20 minutes in a day where I’m just reading football gossip, scrolling through Instagram or doing something else pointless.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I don’t think there’s any question, it’s got to be cheese. There’s no amount of money in the world, there’s no threat, there’s no doctor who could tell me not to eat cheese. There’s so many different kinds all around the world – oh God, I can’t leave it alone. Then you stop and think about what cheese is, it’s like, “Dude, you can’t keep eating this stuff,” but I can’t stop.

If you could be a professional at any sport, what would it be?

I still feel like if I can get myself in shape, the next England manager might have a look. If you grew up obsessed with football, there’s still a part of you that thinks, “You know, Ian Wright had a late start, I can work my way up.” Either way, I don’t think I’ll ever retire from amateur football.

Have you ever let yourself go at any point in your life?

I’m a bit of a Luddite when it comes to computer technology, and I have no idea how to change my Wikipedia photo. It’s of me from Edinburgh in 2011, where you’re performing every night and eating outrageous amounts, unless you’re a more sensible man than me. I definitely let myself go that year, I was disgusting. 2011 was the fatty nadir.

What’s the longest you have gone without alcohol in the name of good health?

It’s normally when I’m ill. It’s never long, but there was a period at the end of last year where I only drank on the weekends, and just that makes a huge change. If you stop for a bit, your tolerance level drops and you become a cheap date. That was a great period, but I’ve not gone completely sober since I was 16; since the days of drinking cider until you puke…

Doc Brown will be appearing on December 3 at Live At Zédel, the brand new entertainment concept launching at the Zédel building in Soho this September. He also stars in David Brent: Life On The Road, in cinemas August 19

The team over at Men’s Fitness have just launched Total Body Transformation – a service that delivers a training regime and eating plan tailored to your specific goals, be it shedding flab from your waistline, getting a six-pack or building big arms. It’s a plan that requires commitment in terms of time, energy and, yes, money (£100 to be exact – cheaper than three sessions with a personal trainer).

But even if you’re not ready to go all in, there are plenty of tips we can all use. We distracted MF with a classic ruse (look, a bear!) and scribbled down these nutritional tidbits from their computer screen.

1. Don’t skip meals, they say, and we gratefully hear. We all need energy, whether that’s to fuel workouts or just get through the day, and sticking with breakfast, lunch and dinner will keep insulin levels steady, making it less likely that you’ll get hungry and make bad food decisions.

2. Eat free-range if possible, because when compared to their cage-reared brethren, free-range meat is often so nutritionally dissimilar that it’s like eating entirely different food. Grass-fed beef, for instance, has much higher levels of CLA and omega 3s, both of which can help you build a strong, lean body.

3. Drink water, which everyone knows but most forget. The MF guys recommend a large glass of water when you wake up – ideally before you put on the kettle for your morning tea or coffee (it’s something to do while you wait for the kettle to boil). It’ll help you wake up and start the day feeling energised.

4. Treat cooking as part of your fitness regime. It’s even a good idea to skip a gym session to make time to prep and cook a ton of food (although it’s a better idea to do all the gym sessions and batch-cook). Look at it this way: you’ve got maybe four chances to work in the gym every week, but you’ll eat at least 21 meals.

5. If you’re eating out with friends, put the fork down when in a conversation. It’ll discourage overeating and give your body time to register when you start to get full.

6. Be nice when saying no, because family and friends can get a bit weird if you turn down something they’re offering. Try “Thanks, but I don’t eat X” – it implies a choice, whereas “I can’t” suggests you’re denying yourself.

7. Go slow on the smoothies, since it’s easy to overindulge on sweet liquid calories. As well as being a common source of hidden sugar, smoothies have little effect on fullness levels – so you could be hungry again 30 minutes later.

8. Switch to drinking green tea and black coffee. Studies suggest that the former has some fat-burning properties, while the latter might have some antioxidant effects that help protect your cells from the rigours of exercise.

There’s plenty more advice where that came from. To see if the plan is right for you, have a nose around the Total Body Transformation website and follow some of the MF writers through the 80-day plan on social media with the hashtag #MFTBT.

#MFTBT Tweets

Joe Manganiello, wearing faded jeans, a well-worn navy T-shirt, and a baseball cap pulled down low over his stubbled face, is doing his best to look mortal. But at almost 2m tall – all muscle and right angles – he couldn’t be any more conspicuous on LA’s Melrose Avenue if he were wearing a cape and fluorescent Lycra. So it’s no surprise when someone stops him in his tracks. He appears to be a fan, asking, ‘What have you been up to recently?’ Manganiello proudly tells him he’s leaving the following morning to shoot Magic Mike XXL, the sequel to Stephen Soderbergh’s critically and commercially successful 2012 movie set in the seedy world of male strippers, in which he starred alongside Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. The man, however, isn’t impressed. ‘When are you going to do something else?’ he sniffs, implying that Manganiello is squandering his talents on such female-friendly fare, then walks away, leaving behind a tangible whiff of disapproval. ‘What did he want?’ Manganiello asks later, incredulous. ‘Come on, dude! I haven’t slept in months I’ve been working so hard on so many projects!’

Pecs appeal

It’s not the first time the 38-year-old has been written off as a wavy-haired pretty boy who’s more muscle than substance. Manganiello’s first high-profile role, as werewolf Alcide Herveaux on HBO’s supernatural drama True Blood, required frequent toplessness – and he captured the attention of millions of women (and quite a few men) in his thong and chaps as Big Dick Richie in Magic Mike, while his part as a DEA footsoldier in a sleeveless shirt nicknamed ‘Grinder’ in last year’s Arnold Schwarzenegger action-fest Sabotage didn’t do much to change his image. Though it’s done wonders for his career, Manganiello doesn’t take this image seriously. ‘I’ve been on this interesting track, especially for someone who’s such a dude’s dude,’ he says later that afternoon, resting his bare feet on a table in the back yard of his Hollywood Hills house. ‘I’m this gun-shooting, football-watching, WWE-wrestling dude. All my friends are guys. But other dudes are like, “Fuck that guy. You’re just the fucking guy on those fucking magazines that my girlfriend has”.’ It’s tempting to wonder if those other dudes would have their feelings lessened or intensified by the fact that Manganiello has been dating Sofía Vergara, the curvaceous Colombian star of TV’s Modern Family, since mid-2014.

The two met at the White House, Manganiello explains, while showing off a letter from Barack Obama, who received a copy of Manganiello’s bodybuilding book, Evolution, which has a foreword by Schwarzenegger. ‘Thank you for your kind gift,’ it reads on official letterhead. So the president is somehow responsible for the relationship? ‘I ain’t giving that guy credit for any of it,’ he says. It’s not as much a dismissal of Obama as a testament to how Manganiello got the girl all on his own, thank you very much. ‘Ask anyone, “Why’d you become an actor? Why do you make money? Why’d you become a rock star?” It’s to get access to a dating pool,’ he says. ‘You work hard to get to go out with who you want.’ The way Manganiello talks about Vergara, however, shows he’s serious. ‘Sometimes you can find someone who’s incredibly real who’s in a position that, at first glance, you wouldn’t think they’d be in,’ he says. ‘It’s taken me a while, but I’m in a good place.’

Wolf at the door

He may be in a good place now but Manganiello’s rise to stardom hasn’t exactly been smooth. Cast as Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s 2002 movie Spider-Man – featuring in the memorable school-hall fight scene where Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker first demonstrates his powers – Manganiello thought his career was about to take off. However, the film didn’t raise his profile as expected and he went off the rails, drinking a bottle of whisky and smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. While he’s not quick to relive those days, he also doesn’t shy away from discussing them. ‘I haven’t gotten anywhere by hiding anything,’ he says. ‘If I said to someone, “How come you didn’t act for four years?” and there was no answer, I’d go, “Uh, OK, dude. I don’t want to work with you because you’re shady and weird”.’ He doesn’t elaborate on the specifics of getting sober, though he’ll admit he went through the steps of apologising to those he’d hurt and repaying old debts.

Sobriety had further benefits, including slews of offers for small TV parts. He showed his comic talent in How I Met Your Mother and brooded in the teen drama One Tree Hill. But it wasn’t until he played the werewolf pack leader Alcide in True Blood that fans went rabid. While grateful for the opportunity and the rewards, Manganiello is insistent that such eye-candy roles are not what he’s fundamentally about. ‘I did what I had to do to play the game,’ he says of his efforts to get into peak condition for the part. ‘Because if you get the role as the new naked guy on the naked show, well, what are you going to do all day? You’re going to get in the best shape of your life.’

Manganiello’s journey is chronicled barbell by barbell in Evolution, which traces his transformation from a scrawny 70kg into the chiselled 104kg muscleman he is today. After winning the role, he hired Ron Mathews, best known for getting Hugh Jackman into Wolverine form, and started bulking up with what they called the Werewolf Workout. Countless bench jump-overs, plyo press-ups and goblet squats later, Manganiello was ready for action. ‘On True Blood I had a lot to prove and a lot of ground to gain back from years I didn’t work,’ he says. ‘I told myself I wasn’t going to look back and think I made one misstep.’

Manganiello at high school. He definitely grew into his looks!

Animal magic

These days Manganiello has a little less to prove, with a bigger role in Magic Mike XXL – he describes the sequel as ‘Animal House on the road’ – for which he’s breaking out the thong and the pecs again. ‘I stayed in pretty good shape this year by just working out consistently – there was never a feeling of, “Oh, now I gotta buckle down”,’ he says. ‘This year I’ve been working on pushing myself mentally. When I’m tired and my arms hurt, I’m jumping on the pull-up bar anyway.’ His 60-minute daily routine with his trainer takes in squat racks, Olympic barbells and bumper plates. (For details of Manganiello’s punishing upper-body workout, turn to p68.) ‘I made a conscious effort to force myself to recover quicker,’ he says. ‘The workouts I do are so nasty, awful. I get in there for an hour, work really fucking hard, and get out.’ But don’t ever assume he’s a meathead. Manganiello says he’s still the same drama school student who spends weeks researching a role in libraries or online.

On the set of Sabotage, Schwarzenegger says he found that Manganiello works as hard as anyone in the industry. ‘I really got to know him when we rehearsed. We all trained very carefully for a month before the movie, and when you do that you get to know the people very well, very quickly. You see who’s the lazy bastard and who goes all out. Joe goes all out.’ College buddy and Magic Mike XXL co-star Matt Bomer agrees. ‘He has an enviable amount of courage and self-confidence, but not in an egotistical way. Watching him on set has made the job easier for me. I just have to do what he does, which is not be scared to throw myself into it.’ Whatever he does next, he’s wary of the onslaught of endorsement offers that tend to come his way thanks to his success and his image. Most recently he refused to shill for a new ‘weight-loss’ cream. ‘I’m not going to be the face of some snake oil that I’d never use,’ he says. ‘And you know what makes you lose weight? Exercise.’ That said, he’s open to launching his own supplement line if it matches his message, which is that you have to be disciplined and not try to cheat the system. ‘There’s nothing wrong with a nitrogen releaser,’ he says, ‘or trying to find low-sugar, high-protein, healthy snacks.’

Old habits

A couple of years away from 40 and with his dark days long behind him, he’s at ease in his skin – relaxed enough to have lobster mac-and-cheese on a night out with Vergara, but driven enough to know he doesn’t have to give up on his body as he ages. ‘What you can do with your body needs to be rethought,’ he says. ‘You can stay crazy fit at 50 and beyond. I don’t plan on ever touching steroids or growth hormones. I plan on ageing naturally and seeing what that looks like.’ Don’t think he can pull it off? That’s fine – as his most celebrated co-star once told him, being underestimated is one of the best things on Earth. ‘Let people think you’ve gotten this far only because of your looks,’ Schwarzenegger says. ‘Let people expect you to live off the hunk stuff. Every time you do a movie or a TV show, they’ll be blown away.’

Eat and train like Manganiello

Manganiello’s book Evolution: The Cutting-Edge Guide To Breaking Down Mental Walls And Building The Body You’ve Always Wanted is available now

Ped’s story

Before I broke my hip seven years ago I led an active life, playing football three or four times a week. Afterwards, my fitness level declined and I put on nearly 13kg. I needed a coach who’d understand that I’m a beginner and a programme that worked around my injuries. 

My programme

I met former Royal Marines commando and personal trainer Sean Lerwill. We agreed I’d follow his ten-week Absolute Beginner’s Transformation Programme.

To start with I was mostly learning the form and technique with low weights, as well as getting my body used to training again. "The programme is designed for gym newcomers," says Lerwill. "It will move them along as fast as is safely possible."

My diet had specific guidelines. My daily protein ration was 2.5-3g per kg of bodyweight and fats made up a third of my calories, with the rest coming from carbs. "His calories were around 20% less than normal to encourage fat burning," says Lerwill. "The high protein was to enable muscle growth despite the calorific deficit."

Part 1

I was slightly apprehensive going into my first transformation workout as a) I’d never trained using weights before and b) I didn’t know how my body would react to having weights pushed through it. I hadn't trained for about five years, since injuring my hip playing football, so I was interested to see how my body would react to that injury and whether or not weight training would help or hinder my mobility. At the same time, I was really excited to take on this new challenge and see how I could improve my body shape and overall health. Having never exposed myself to weight training before I was acutely aware that the first few weeks would no doubt be the most difficult. Learning all the big compound moves was tough but I quite enjoyed it, despite how exhausting it was. 

There was no need to worry though as Sean, my trainer, took his time to explain the theory behind everything we were going to do and nurtured me through the first series of workouts. These were also with fairly light weights so I could start to master the technique before moving on to the real heavy stuff. Finishing each workout with push-ups and planks was probably just as difficult as learning those new moves as my muscles kept failing me during each exercise, a feeling I learnt to appreciate as a sign of a job well done. 

My first few sessions with Sean filled me with confidence that I could indeed get through these 10 weeks – as long as I listened to my body and took on board the advice Sean gave me. Fear of the unknown can bring on stress but once you actually start something you realise it can be achieved.

Part 2

It's week four of my transformation and the initial excitement has well and truly worn off. Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking forward to the end, but it's only now hitting home just how hard this is going to be. There hasn’t been a drastic change in my body fat just yet – I haven't had the tests to confirm it, but let's just say my belly is still fairly prominent.

My trainer Shaun has been upping the intensity each session and we're doing drop sets of moves that concentrate on my upper and lower body separately – plus the total-body nightmare that is squatting. Overall, I’m finding the moves easier as my form has been getting better, plus I'm more familiar with them, but on the flipside that means Shaun is starting to push me to my limits. I have to go to failure, which is OK on some moves, and pretty damn painful for others. I’m finding glute bridges and single-leg presses hard, but I managed 10 squats with 70kg, which is a PB. Nice!

Shaun is making me finish with jump squats. It would be OK to start with them but as a finisher it's proving difficult. Knowing the session will be over straight after is getting me through it.

To be honest, I am a little worried about that final photoshoot in just six weeks, but as long as I put my all into every session and stick to the diet plan from Soulmatefood I should be able to stand proudly and have my photo taken. Topless. For a national magazine... Oh well, we're moving onto more interval-based work now – let's put its fat-burning claims to the test.

Part 3

With only three weeks left of my transformation I'm finally starting to notice aesthetic results. I've even caught my own reflection a couple of times and wondered who the leaner guy staring back at me is. The most noticeable change has been my slimmer face and reduced love handles. My wife is particularly pleased with these recent developments! I’ve also noticed a broadening of my chest and shoulders.

But enough about how I look. Of course, that’s the driving force behind a lot of people who sweat it out at the gym, but it’s far from the be all and end all. I'm also noticeably stronger now. Remember, when I started this transformation I had never done any strength training at all. I'm now getting through supersets and drop sets, while DTP (dramatic transformation principle) workouts and ladders are becoming the norm. 

I now also feel completely at home in the gym. At first, I was a bit self-conscious, assuming everyone was looking at me, judging me from,the weights I was lifting and generally thinking I was a bit of a douchebag. Now I realise how ridiculous that is. Everyone’s getting on with their own thing and doesn’t give a toss about the guy (me) huffing and puffing in the corner. Not only that, but my huffing and puffing has severely reduced.

It's not all rosy though. I had a hip operation a few years back and it's starting to get a bit painful when I do certain movements. Watch the video to see how my trainer Sean is helping me work through this. 

Part 4

I'm nearly at the end of my transformation training schedule. A few weeks ago I was simultaneously dreading finishing (because of the small matter of having to pose topless in a national magazine), and willing time to to fast forward so I wouldn’t have to endure the intense training. Much to my own surprise, I'm actually starting to enjoy myself, and though the sessions are hard, I now look forward to going to the gym with my trainer Sean.

I’ve graduated to sessions consisting of trios of tri-sets, mostly compound moves, going from push motions to pulling ones. The lifts aren’t getting any easier, but the fact I'm used to slogging through the pain now (and know I’ll get through the other side unscathed) means I’m actually starting to enjoy the challenge. I'm not quite at the same kind of level of appreciation of "the pump" as Arnie famously was, but I do find a certain satisfaction to getting through reps, and even in failing them because I know that's the only way I'm going to get significantly stronger.

Having said that, working to failure is never exactly fun, but Sean does a great job of encouraging me. It's also nice to see that my weight loss is continuing. Who knows? I may even have have some visible abs to show off come the final photoshoot. Perhaps most importantly, these sessions and all the stuff I've learnt during this transformation will stick with me afterwards, and while it’s unlikely I'll train quite as much and be quite as disciplined with my diet, I'm going to have the confidence to know what I'm doing when I hit the gym by myself.

The Result

My experience

I enjoyed every minute. Lerwill nurtured me through each session. He pushed me hard but never too hard, and I felt a difference very early, which was really exciting.

A big concern was the fact that I have ME and fibromyalgia – both conditions that cause fatigue and pain all over the body. The Department of Health advises against those with ME doing heavy training because it can cause a post-stress malaise, but I generally suffered less when I was active so I wanted to see what eating and training properly would do. Before the programme, I’d typically have two or three bad days a week – a foggy head and pain from head to toe. But since starting this I haven’t had a single bad day. It made a huge difference.

The result

By the day of the shoot I’d lost 6kg of fat and put on 1kg of muscle. I’m not going back to the way I was: my eating habits are radically different and I’ve stuck to the workouts. I’m proud of what I accomplished. It’s changed my life.

Check out other inspiring transformation videos

Five years ago, James Sutliff woke up one morning feeling, as he describes it, ‘a little unwell’. He put his nausea down to the fact he’d had a few drinks with his friends the night before and decided to have a nap. ‘When I woke up again I could no longer speak properly.’

The doctors were at a loss. On paper Sutliff was a healthy 24-year-old but despite test after test, nothing could explain why his speech was now badly slurred and distorted. He tried to continue with his life as normal, only to be struck by another blow a year later. His hands became increasingly hard to use and, eventually, locked up as fists. 

‘One minute I was a normal, confident lad, who played rugby and had a job that I enjoyed,’ says Sutliff. ‘Then suddenly my life had been taken away from me. I was really resentful.’ As well as feeling like he’d gotten a raw deal, Sutliff found his confidence was shattered. ‘My self-esteem was so low that I would struggle to get through simple things like going for a meal with my family,’ he says. ‘I went through some dark periods to say the least.’

It took three years until he was diagnosed with the neurological condition dystonia, which affects muscle contractions. ‘I started to read up on it and found I had a mild form compared to some people,’ says Sutliff. ‘I knew if I kept pitying myself I would end up a lot worse off than I am today. That’s when I turned my focus to fitness.’

Sutliff set about tweaking workouts to suit his painful hands. ‘Now I can open and close my hands, but it’s a lot slower and more exaggerated than for most people,’ he says. ‘There are still some exercises I can’t do but I have special wrist supports that help me grip a bar when I’m lifting it, which has made a big difference.’

He was forced to give up his job as a plumber because of his lack of manual dexterity and says fitness became his lifeline. People started to speak to him in the street because of his build, asking how he achieved it. ‘They’d be amazed when they found out that I’d done it with my condition,’ he says. ‘That recognition helped me build my confidence back again. My wife says I’m much easier to live with too!’

Although his personal determination played a huge role, Sutliff, now 30, knows he couldn’t have done it alone. ‘I was lucky enough to have a great support system around me,’ he says. And now he’s keen to give something back. ‘I want to show that having a disability isn’t going to get in the way of achieving my goals. Hopefully anyone going though something tough will read this and feel the same.’

Sutliff's workout  

1. Front raise

Sets 4 Reps 15 Weight 30kg

2. Flye

Sets 4 Reps 15 Weight 40kg

3. Bench press

Sets 4 Reps 15 Weight 50kg

4. Incline bench flye

Sets 4 Reps 15 Weight 30kg

5. Incline bench press

Sets 4 Reps 15 Weight 40kg

‘I was 16 when I made the choice to have my leg amputated,’ says Jack Eyers. ‘It was the best decision I’ve ever made.’ It’s hard to imagine for most of us but the alternative for Eyers was actually worse. He was born with a condition called primal femoral focal deficiency, or PFFD, which prevents limbs – in Eyers’s case his right leg – from growing properly.  

‘My knee joint didn’t work,’ says Eyers. ‘Being 6ft 2in [1.88m] without being able to bend your leg was impractical. I couldn’t run or play sports and even little things such as sitting at the cinema were difficult. Because of the way my foot was pointing I was constantly walking on my toes, which hurt. A lot. 

‘I was embarrassed about my leg and I didn’t like to tell people I was born with a condition,’ says Eyers. ‘I discharged myself from all the physios helping me and went to a normal school. When I was younger I was into sport but then, as I became more body-conscious,
I didn’t want people to see me without my trousers on. So I stopped exercise for about five years.’

Eyers had his leg amputated as soon as he’d finished growing. ‘It didn’t feel like a decision, it felt like finally having a weight lifted from my shoulders,’ he says. ‘The stigma of being born with a condition was gone – my missing leg could have been an accident or whatever.’

He felt reborn after the amputation – although he had to learn to walk again. ‘My artificial leg is just a free hinge so if you don’t stand on it right it will collapse, and falling over as a 16-year-old lad is embarrassing,’ says Eyers. He found that sport was the way to improve his co-ordination and balance. ‘It helped me realise how much I was physically capable of. My life improved massively once I started training.’

Some things are naturally harder for Eyers, now 25, because of his leg. ‘If I start running or spending long on my feet, I end up with blisters and sores,’ he says. ‘Things that most people don’t even think of as problems, like rough terrain, are a nightmare for me so for cardio I stick to swimming.’

Initially his motivation to get fit was to join the fire service. It didn’t wor kout, but the happy byproduct was that Eyers was in a far better condition than he imagined possible and he’s now a personal trainer and fitness model based in Bournemouth. His achievements made him think about how he could help others who face similar challenges. ‘Oscar Pistorius was a role model but, well, look at him now,’ says Eyers. ‘So I’d like to set an example for what amputees can achieve.’

Eyers workout 

‘Rather than just doing the typical three sets of 12 that many people do for hypertrophy, I tend to do between four and six sets of each,’ Eyers says. ‘It’s a different style that brings in endurance and a little bit of strength. Start with 15 reps. Each set, lower the reps and add weight.’

1. Squat

‘I often do squats on the Smith machine so I can lean back into the bar. But if there isn’t a machine around, I do the single-leg version.’ 

2. Pull-up

‘I do these with a close or wide grip – and sometimes add a weight belt. Landing on my leg’s no problem.

3. Press-up

‘I do these on my knuckles and squeeze my pecs at the top for extra activation. This is super-effective for building muscle.’ 

4. Military press

‘I prefer this to a seated overhead press – stabilising the bar at the top gives my obliques an extra workout.’ 

5. Hanging leg raise

‘One of my favourite abs moves. This has helped me build a rock-solid core.’

Craig Budgen has spent over a decade getting celebrities – including The Hobbit stars Richard Armitage, Luke Evans and James Nesbitt – into shape for screen roles, offering a combined programme of nutrition and training that gets quick results. But although fast transformations are impressive, Budgen says if you’re training for the long term you can get even better results. 

Time will tell

What most A-list transformations come down to is time. If someone’s got three months to commit to getting in shape for a film, they won’t do much else. They can have their food prepared for them, they can sleep more, and because they’re recovering better they can train twice a day. It can take a toll on the body, but it’s possible for the short term. When you see people doing hours and hours of cardio and starving themselves to get in shape, that’s a problem – it’s not sustainable or healthy in the long term. But when people train, eat and sleep sensibly, they can achieve the body they want and keep it. 

Game plan 

Of course, most of us don’t have the luxury of taking weeks off work and having all our food 
prepared. But forward planning is a decent substitute. With a bit of careful planning you can make your regime just as effective. 

First, you should know how your body responds to food. I usually recommend that people eat three to four times a day, getting lots of vegetables and salad and reducing carbs over time. I don’t really discourage any foods apart from ones packed with trans fats – the damaging stuff in processed food – but I’ll assess clients to see what works for them: whether they can tolerate more carbs without getting fat, or less without getting low on energy. Eating too little fat or keeping calories too low is a big problem for some people. 

After that it’s about preparation. Set aside time to shop and cook – if you had to ditch one weekly gym session out of five to go shopping and load up on eggs, chicken and vegetables, that would be worthwhile. There’s no reason to live on bland foods, and you should try to rotate what you eat – having the same thing every day for two weeks will undoubtedly put you off it. Find a handful of meals that you like, and eat them once a week – no more. When you go out, don’t be afraid to order off-menu – most decent places will make substitutions. 

Level best

An actor charged with getting in shape will have a dedicated personal trainer or even a team of them. But with gym fees, mortgages and holidays to pay for – plus that body-shaping food – most of us can’t stretch to paying a PT for a weekly session. My advice? Find the best personal trainer in your gym and ask them for one session a month. Look for someone who pays attention to their clients, who isn’t on the phone all the time, who’s timing their rests. If they’re putting their client on the treadmill for half a session or just giving them a one-size-fits-all eating plan, they aren’t really good value for money. Once you get to know them, offer them a bit more to write you a training programme that should last you a while. 

Staying in

Finally, decide what you want and what you’re prepared to do to get there. You might see a film or read an interview and say ‘OK, I want to be 8% body fat like that guy’ without realising how much hard work it takes, both in the kitchen and the gym. If that’s what you want, that’s fine, but be prepared to make more sacrifices than someone who’s prepared to stay at around 10-12%. While he might be OK to go out for a three-course meal now and then – or even have a couple of beers and a takeaway – you might have to wave those goodbye. 

Snack time

Whether you’re an actor or an everyman, these snacks will boost your training

Mixed nuts

‘Carry these with you all the time,’ says Budgen. ‘They keep up your energy levels with a balance of protein, omega 3s and a nutrient called coenzyme Q10.’ 

Greek yogurt 

‘Mix in a scoop of protein powder – my preference is chocolate – and it’s almost as if the workout is your main course and this is dessert.’

Jerky

‘Any dried meat is a great portable source of protein. Jerky’s just the most widely available. Try biltong or Mexican carne seca.’

Despite having the odds – and serious illness – against him, Blake Beckford managed to adapt and get himself into incredible shape. He’d always wanted to compete in physique competitions, but his plans received an almost insurmountable setback when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis early in life. But after struggling through the debilitative disease, Beckford decided to go back and focus on his original dream.

At 17, Beckford decided he wanted to get into the fitness industry, so he started to take his training and nutrition more seriously. ‘I adapted my diet to achieve those goals, and completed a personal training and nutrition diploma to learn more about diet and training,’ he says. It wasn’t long after this, however, that Beckford was diagnosed with a chronic bowel disease that left the lining of his colon covered in ulcers, cutting short any chance of his getting into the fitness industry just when he’d started working towards it. ‘I was diagnosed at about 19, so I was still very much learning the ropes,’ he says.

Beckford didn’t know what was wrong at the time, but he’d started to notice that he was losing weight and seemed unable to put on muscle. His condition deteriorated for around five months before he was diagnosed. ‘I was trying to go to the gym, but I couldn’t eat afterwards because I felt sick, or I was so fatigued that I couldn’t get there in the first place,’ he explains.

He also became very limited in what he could eat, and certain foods made his condition worse. For 10 years, Beckford endured the chronic pain that was just one of the many symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Despite being dosed up on serious amounts of medication, his condition continued to flare up from time to time. In 2013, he was admitted to hospital after a particularly extreme flare up, and with no other viable option he had to undergo surgery.

On a knife edge

Beckford underwent an ileostomy – a procedure where the large bowel is removed and the small intestine brought through the abdominal wall to form a stoma, which allows waste products to leave the body. He was bed-ridden for six weeks and lost nearly 19 kilos. After the surgery, he was told that he would never be able to train heavy again. This was a real blow for a man who’d always dreamed of entering fitness competitions. Beckford also had problems with nutritional absorption, and this combination meant it would be very difficult for him to gain muscle, so the odds were stacked against him getting into fitness-model shape.

Feeling weak and unable even to walk after his surgery, Beckford scoured the internet to find out how others in his position had managed to regain their fitness, but he came up with nothing. ‘I felt there was no hope,’ he says. But despite being told he would never achieve the kind of physique he wanted, he went after it anyway.

It was a slow process, and his weakened abdominal muscles meant that even walking was a struggle at first. So Beckford decided to set small goals every day, such as walking to the end of the road or walking around the block. ‘I had to regain my fitness before I could even think about getting into the gym and starting to work on building muscle,’ he says.

Beckford started doing pilates and yoga to develop his core strength and give him a little strength and robustness before going back to the gym. Conscious of the fact that he could damage his intestine very easily, he bought a hernia belt and a mouldable cup to place over his stoma for protection. ‘The problem is that with any kind of big movement, such as a deadlift or squat, everything goes into the core, and that pressure needs to go somewhere. So it will try to push out the abdominal muscle where the weakness is, and the bowel will herniate’, he explains. His advice for those coming back from similar surgery is to take the same slow and steady route he did. Start easy, and if something hurts, stop doing it. ‘You have to be really in tune with your body,’ he says.

From this gentle start, Beckford’s fitness went from strength to strength, and his body started to take shape. It’s virtually unheard of for someone who has undergone an ileostomy to get into the kind of shape Beckford  wanted, but that didn’t deter him. Finally, after a year of hard work in the gym and true dedication in the kitchen, Beckford is in the shape of his life and has left the days of constant pain and suffering behind him.  

Divide and rule

In the gym, Beckford keeps to a detailed split workout routine, working two muscle groups a session. Because he doesn’t want to use too much weight, he performs slightly more repetitions and sets with a lower weight to bring about muscle growth. He sticks to 12-15 reps, with around six sets per exercise, often pre-exhausting a muscle group the day before his main training day so that he can be even more effective in his workout. Explaining his method, Beckford says, ‘if I was going to do back and biceps tomorrow, I might pre-exhaust my back today so that when I go the gym tomorrow I can really hit it. Effectively, you are just trying to break muscle down to be rebuilt again. There are lots of ways of doing this. You could overload it with weight, but I use a volume-based training.’

To stay lean, Beckford includes varied cardio days in his weekly workouts. Living in a hilly area means he can easily get outside for hill walking or cycling – his preferred method of transport. As well as slower, steady-state cardio, Beckford incorporates high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in his regime. He likes to do sprint drills, such as 30 seconds sprinting with 30 seconds rest. ‘Slow and steady can get very boring, and there is definite evidence behind HIIT as an effective method for fat burning and fitness,’ he says, ‘so I think that if I do a bit of both I’m not missing out.’

Beckford also follows a strict diet, taking the attitude that ‘nutrition is key’. Since his surgery he is nowhere near as limited in what he can eat, which makes life a lot easier for him. While there are a few items he avoids, he can now eat the food he loves and tailor his nutrition to achieve his fitness goals. His fixed diet means he doesn’t consume alcohol or junk food, but although he’s very regimented he doesn’t resent it. ‘I actually like being like that,’ he says. Beckford firmly believes that training and nutrition are both as essential as each other. ‘This is going to sound cheesy, but they are both 100% important. You can’t just give training 50% and your nutrition 50%. You have to give them both 100%’ he says.

Model citizen

Beckford’s motivation to train and better himself comes from a desire to inspire others. When he left hospital, he felt there were no role models he could relate to. Now he wants provide that role model for others. ‘I want to show those who’ve been through a similar process to me that there is actually light at the end of tunnel.’ In a further bid to promote his cause and give others inspiration, Beckford recently set up his own website, which details his story for others to read.

After battling his bowel disease for over 10 years, Beckford has revived his aspirations to enter competitions. ‘The bag has given me a second chance,’ he says. To achieve Beckford’s physique is difficult by anybody’s standards, but to do it with a condition like his is a great deal harder. He’s had to adapt his whole approach to training and fitness. ‘I can’t always do the typical exercise movements because the bag may be in the way. I have to adapt some of the movements to suit me having a bag’. Adaptation is very much a part of his philosophy. ‘You never stop learning about training – you are always evolving and adapting,’ he says.

Most of all, Beckford just wants ‘to show that you can achieve anything’. He has achieved something that isn’t normally attainable for someone in his position. But if he can fight through adversity to achieve his dream, there isn’t much excuse for the rest of us.

For more information about Blake Beckford’s inspiring story, visit www.blakebeckford.co.uk or follow him on Twitter: @Blake_Beckford 

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission was simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.

So, that’s that then. After 12 weeks of tough training and a strict diet plan, OCMB has been completed. But did what began as Mission: Impossible end in success? That’s not really for me to say. Ultimately, that’s up for you to determine when you get to see my ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots in the September issue of Men’s Fitness magazine. What I will admit though is that standing in just your jeans in front of a professional photographer, his assistant, a make-up artist, most of your colleagues and Nick Mitchell, the founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness who has been my mentor in this mission, is a fairly terrifying experience. I was acutely aware that the success Mitchell and I had worked so hard to achieve over the past three months was being judged as I stood there trying to keep my face relaxed whilst attempting to make every other single part of my body look as mean and lean as possible.

Cardboard cut-out

The day after the shoot I headed up to the BodyPower Expo at the NEC in Birmingham. I didn’t travel alone. I took with me two live-sized cardboard cutouts of my full body, one taken 12 weeks ago, the other the previous day. Having them propped up at the Men’s Fitness stand was even more unnerving that standing in front of the camera. I’m still not sure whether the experience of seeing myself in cardboard form marked a career high or a career low.

Over and out

So that’s my mission done. Thanks again for reading. I’m off for a pint.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.

Today is the penultimate day of my 12-week body transformation programme for Men’s Fitness magazine under the guidance of Ultimate Performance founder Nick Mitchell. And today is a day of firsts. Let me explain. 

Firstly, I went to UP Mayfair for my final training session. Except I didn’t actually train. Mitchell had me remove my top and spend the best part of 20 minutes flexing and posing. Luckily I'm on first-name terms with most of their clients, all of whom have been extremely supportive of Operation Cover Model Body, so there was no sniggering – only praise and best wishes for the photoshoot tomorrow. Still, it was fairly excruciating. Mitchell has had me posing at home in front of the mirror every night so that I can get my posture as good as possible for the final shoot, but doing it in public isn’t something I’m comfortable with.

Mitchell had little sympathy. “You need to be able to control every muscle so you can make them look as good as possible in front of the camera,” he said. “It’s no good training so hard for three months then not be able to flex and tense your muscles in a way that makes them look as good as possible.”

Golden touch 

Once that was done I went to get a spray tan. There. I said it. I’d always scoffed at people who had fake tans – even though I’m from Essex. But Mitchell insisted upon this because the more tanned you are, the better the lights at the shoot will reflect off my new muscles to give the maximum amount of definition.

Desperate to not end up looking like the offspring of a Hollyoaks extra and a character from the Simpsons, I head over to the Agua Spa at The Sanderson hotel in central London to get bronzed by James Read. He’s one of the best in the business, whose number is the first call for A-listers who have 20 minutes to look like they’ve just spent two weeks on a Mediterranean yacht. Read revealed to me some of the stars he regularly sprays, but he’d go Gaga if I told you.

To avoid me appearing as though I’ve been Tangoed he applies the spray in layers, building them up to make my tan seem as natural as possible. As I’d hoped, he did a great job.

Final pizza the puzzle 

Finally, I ordered a takeaway pizza. The delivery man arrived, I paid him and took the box. This isn’t a first of course – I used to do this about once a week. But I’m not going to eat this delicious pizza for another 18 hours. Right now it’s sitting on my kitchen table cooling before I put it in the fridge. It’s going to be breakfast at 6am tomorrow morning, the day of the shoot. I’ll let Mitchell explain this madness.

“The last couple of days I’ve had Joe on a zero-carb diet which, coupled with a high-rep workout with little rest between sets, has depleted all the glycogen from his muscle cells,” he says. “So right now he looks a little tired and flat. But the day before, and the morning of, the shoot, he’s on a very high-carb diet, mainly coming from sweet potatoes, to flood his muscle cells with energy so they pump up and look big and lean. Pizza before the shoot will then supply more carbs, fat, protein and sodium which his muscles will soak up so he looks the biggest and leanest he ever has.”

Lights, camera, action

It’s been a fairly weird day so far and I’m hoping from now until tomorrow’s shoot there will be no more strange instructions from Mitchell. So I’m going to go eat some more sweet potato mash – I am never eating this orange mulch again after today - drink some water and take it easy so I’m full of energy tomorrow. Look out for next week’s final blog when I’ll fill you in on how the shoot went. 

Thanks for reading my blogs and for all the hugely positive comments on the Men’s Fitness Facebook page and my Twitter feed. They’ve spurred me on and made a huge difference in getting through what has been the toughest physical challenge I’ve ever undertaken. And finally, thank you to Nick Mitchell and his team at UP Fitness. By making me look more like a cover model than a skinny-fat journalist they have really proved that they are the best in the business.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.

We are big fans of compound lifts. We love squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and presses – both on the bench and overhead. Because these big, multi-joint lifts allow you to move the most amount of weight your muscles get thoroughly tested. This forces the release of more growth hormones, such as testosterone, which tell your body to grow back bigger, stronger and leaner.  

But that doesn’t mean than isolation, or single-joint, exercises should be excluded in favour of just doing these big lifts. In fact, much of my training over the past couple of months has centred on isolation moves. Why? Glad you asked.

Bigger, stronger

“To achieve maximum stimulation and trash all the muscle fibres to grow them back bigger, isolation movements are often the only way to go,” says Nick Mitchell, founder of Ultimate Performance , where my cover model body mission has been taking place. “They are less taxing on your central nervous system than large compound movements so you can go really go to town with the amount of volume you lift in a session. This approach lends itself to supersets and giant sets where the aim is to induce the greatest blood flow possible to stimulate hypertrophy, or muscle mass growth.”

A lot of my training recently has been based around isolation supersets or even tri-sets, which are different exercises performed back to back without rest. Here’s part of a workout I did last week. It’s a double tri-set with a brief rest halfway through when you go from training your biceps to your triceps. A quick word of warning: start light. This will give you the biggest muscle burn your arms have ever had. But you’ll also get the biggest pump you’ve ever had.

Nick Mitchell’s Arms Agony

1A Seated preacher bar curl Reps 10
1B Seated hammer curl Reps 12
1C Seated cable curl Reps To failure

Rest 30sec

2A Lying triceps extension Reps 10
2B Triceps dip Reps 12
2C Cable push-down Reps To failure

Rest 1min 

Repeat for a total of four sets.

After that final, horrible set, make a protein shake. Good luck with lifting it to your mouth.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? Java-Stim

Why? This is a pre-workout supplement with caffeine and amino acids to get you mentally and physically primed for your session, but without giving you that post-workout crash.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.
 
“I could use them to clean my pipe.”

“Why are you riding an ostrich?”

“I’ve seen wider legs on a table.”

I’ve heard all the jokes about the size of my legs. Whether it’s a matter of genetics or years spent long-distance running, I’ve never had big legs. They get me from A to B – back in my running days, pretty quickly – but I’ve never had pins to be proud of. It’s lucky I never became the lead singer in an indie band because I’d have struggled to fill out a pair of skinny jeans.

I’ve accepted the fact that I’m never going to have the tree-trunk legs of a rugby player, but I’ve learned that I still need to train them hard with heavy loads to give my cover model mission the best chance of succeeding.

“A lot of men totally neglect training their legs because they are only interested in getting big arms, an impressive chest and a six-pack,” says Nick Mitchell, the founder of Ultimate Performance  and my muscle mentor in my 12-week challenge. “But training your legs is an essential component of any training programme if you want to build upper-body muscle and burn excess body fat.”

That’s because the muscles that make up your lower body – specifically your glutes, quads and hamstrings – are the biggest you have, so working them really hard forces the release of testosterone and other growth hormones into your bloodstream that promote the building of muscle everywhere, not just your legs. These hormones also instruct your body to burn more fat, so the result is a stronger, leaner you.

Squat party

I’ve never been a huge fan of squats, mainly because I’ve never been able to lift heavy. I used to feel like a bit of a fraud taking up squat rack space when I struggled to do even five or six bodyweight squats. Now, after ten weeks of legs sessions with Mitchell, I look back on those ‘easy’ workouts with fond memories. Why? Because this is the legs workout he made me do this week. I did all these in order, without rest. 

Front squat (8 reps) 

Hamstring curl (8 reps)

Dumbbell walking lunge (35 metres) 

Weighted sled drag (35 metres)

Back squat (12 reps) 

Rest for three to minutes then repeat four times.

Sets appeal 

You use the same weight for the front and back squats so there’s no faffing around with weight plates. That’s good if you don’t like faff, but it’s bad if you like having the opportunity to try and get your breath back. Even after the first set my legs and lungs were burning and three minutes is simply not enough time to recuperate, so each set becomes far, far harder. But it’s a great session to fire up your metabolism to burn fat while working the muscles so they grow back bigger.

To be honest, I’m more interested in burning away those last few bits of fat around my stomach than trying to bulk up my ostrich legs. I’m not putting my head in the sand: I know that I need to work my quads, hams and glutes more, but it’s a process that’ll take many months to make a real difference. But I have just two weeks until my ‘after’ photoshoot and the success of OCMB will rest on whether or not I can get this elusive six-pack. So it’s head down, eyes on the prize and no, I’m not going to clean your pipe.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? QuadriCarb

Why? This powder is the ideal source of post-workout carbs, containing quick-release sugars including maltodextrin, dextrose, fructose and D-Ribose. This will spike insulin levels to push nutrients into your depleted muscle cells and kick-start the recovery process.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.

I’m nine weeks into my challenge to try and build a body worthy of gracing Men’s Fitness magazine. That means I’ve already written eight blogs on my progress so far. And I’ll be honest: this week I was struggling to think of something new and interesting to write about. So I asked my followers on Twitter what they wanted to know about OCMB.

The overwhelming response was for more details on my diet. I’m not surprised. Making a big change to the way you look with your clothes off is mainly about what you eat. You can exercise like a beast but the old adage stays true: you can’t out-train a bad diet.

So here is what I ate yesterday. Brace yourselves, it’s pretty wild.

Breakfast: Roast beef slices with broccoli

Pre-workout drink: NOxtreme Extreme Workout (45g with 400ml water)

Workout snack: Water with BCAA (three capsules after every set)

Post-workout snack: Protein shake (40g whey protein, creatine, 75g carbs)

Lunch: Turkey slices with mixed vegetables

Dinner: White fish with mixed vegetables

Pre-bed snack: Small bowl of porridge with cinnamon

Mental mindset

Eating meat and vegetables for breakfast takes time not only to get your head around, but also to prepare. But if you want to kick-start a fitness mission – whether that’s to lose fat, build muscle or both – I highly recommend that you give this breakfast a go for at least a week. I know it’s not as convenient or tasty as a bowl of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, but this sums up the mindset you need to adopt when seeking significant changes to your body shape: you are now eating for your muscles, not your taste buds. It’s hard to give up the foods you love, but big changes require certain sacrifices.

Peri good

Peri-workout nutrition – which refers to the food you consume before, during and after your session – is hugely influential in promoting the right conditions to make maximum changes. That’s why I have a pre-workout drink that contains caffeine and beta-alanine, a type of amino acid. I find that it really helps me focus on the session and also provides a nice muscle pump. It also makes your face and hands tingle a bit, a sensation that sometimes extends as far south as my testicles, which I consider an unadvertised bonus. 

Branching out

After every single set I pop three BCAA capsules. These are three types of essential amino acids that help prevent muscle breakdown while promoting protein synthesis. The upshot is bigger, stronger muscles, so necking 40 pills per workout is well worth the trouble. I’ve been detailing the rest of the supplements I’ve been taking each week in the black box on the right of this page – this week it’s Holy Basil Supreme.

A post-workout shake is essential for repairing your muscles as efficiently as possible. At first Nick Mitchell, the founder of Ultimate Performance and the man mountain in charge of making me ripped, didn’t give me any post-workout carbs because I had too much body fat. Now I have ‘leaned out’ he has started introducing carbs into the shake to help promote muscle mass growth.

Keep it lean

The rest of the day is built around lean protein and vegetables to give me just enough energy to keep building muscle without any excess that will be stored as fat. I am also allowed a small bowl of porridge with cinnamon before bed. I think this is to prevent any muscle being broken down overnight, but it may just be Mitchell seeing how far he can push me before I crack. I hate porridge. 

So there we have it. It’s pretty boring and not very tasty, but it’s a diet plan I need to stick to if I am going to get anywhere close to cover model shape. 

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? Holy Basil Supreme

Why? These capsules are designed to limit your cortisol response when you’re faced with those daily disturbances that can make your blood boil. Having high levels of the stress hormone rampaging through your system is very damaging and can result in your body storing more fat around your belly. This supplement will also protect the body from the effects of both physical and chemical stress and will boost morning and afternoon energy.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks. 

What did you have for breakfast this morning: toast or cereal? What about lunch: sandwich and crisps or a jacket potato? And for dinner: pasta, pizza, maybe even a risotto?

I haven’t eaten any of those delicious dishes for eight weeks now. Why? Because they are all forms of carbohydrates, and for the duration of OCMB, carbs need to be kept out of the reach of me.

Sugar high

Yes, carbs are delicious. They make you feel good and give you instant energy, so what’s not to like? Well, it’s a bit complicated, but bear with me as I attempt to be Professor Brian Cox and inject a little science into this weekly progress report.

Whenever you eat carbs – especially white bread and pasta, potatoes and sweets, which release their energy into your system very rapidly – your blood sugar (or glucose) levels rise dramatically.

Having elevated levels of glucose rampaging through your veins is bad: it’s called hyperglycemia, and its immediate symptoms include blurred vision, fatigue and itchy skin among others, and – if left unchecked – it can lead to diabetes. Your body’s response to this is to defend itself by releasing the hormone insulin from your pancreas into your bloodstream.

Insulin makes cells in your liver, muscle and fat tissue take up this glucose from the blood so it can be stored as glycogen. In simple terms, think of each of your cells being locked by a thick wooden door, which glucose can’t get through until insulin arrives with a set of master keys.

Appetite for destruction

So an insulin spike, caused by consuming carbs, is exactly what you need after a tough workout because it unlocks your muscle cells so they can soak up all the nutrients you have just swallowed. But eating carbs around the clock is extremely detrimental to your fat-loss efforts.

That’s because insulin also prevents your body from tapping into your reserves of lard to use as energy. All those delicious carbs tell your body that there is loads of energy available, so it should store of it up now while times are good.

That’s the trouble with your body. While your brain thinks like a modern 21st-century man, your body still acts like it’s a caveman. It doesn’t want to be ripped: it wants to have enough energy stored around your body as fat so that you can survive an ice age.

Bitter sweet

When I first met Nick Mitchell, personal trainer, founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness and the man charged with carving me into cover model shape, I realised pretty quickly that he doesn’t sugar-coat bad news. How could he when he’s explaining that the only carbs I’ll be allowed for the foreseeable future will come from vegetables? These are OK because they are fibrous carbs and release their energy into your blood very slowly, so there is no big release of insulin.

So for the first six weeks I ate all the broccoli and cauliflower I could manage (not much) but avoided every other form of carb. It’s only in the past two weeks since I have started to really ‘lean out’ that Mitchell has reintroduced carbs into my diet to help keep my muscles sufficiently fuelled. At first it was about 25g in my post-workout shake. This has since increased to about 75g per smoothie. Oh, and I am allowed a small sweet potato or bowl of porridge (with cinnamon!) just before bed on the days he’s trained me.

Final four weeks

So, I’m into the last month of OCMB and although a little chub is still stubbornly sticking to the lower part of my stomach, preventing my four-pack becoming a six-pack, I think I’ve got enough time to shift it - so long as I stay super-strict on the diet. 

Mitchell had promised me a cheat day as soon as I got below 8% body fat, which happened this week, but I think I’m too close to the end to risk it now. Instead my thoughts have turned to the first thing I’m going to eat after my final photoshoot. It’s a tough decision to make, so I may just head to an Italian restaurant and order one of everything. For starters.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? Vitamin D3

Why? 
Your body can synthesise this vital vitamin through exposure to sunlight, which means most of us Brits are severely lacking in the nutrient that supports bone health and a strong immune system. Many studies also suggest that vitamin D may decrease risk for many diseases and conditions including certain types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, weight loss and even longevity.

Read more about vitamin D supplements

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks. 

Your driving test. The decisive penalty in a shoot-out. Finally making a move on the girl in the office you’ve fancied for ages. There are many situations in a man’s life where failure isn’t an option. Situations where even the thought of not succeeding is enough to make your blood run cold and beads of sweat form on your brow. But there is one place where failure isn’t a bad thing. In fact, in the gym is perhaps the only place where failure is the fastest route to success.

That’s because forcing your muscles to the point where they are unable to lift that weight even a millimetre higher is the best way to coax them into growth, especially if your latest efforts have hit a wall.

Clear the wall

“The start of any new weight-training programme will lead to some pretty rapid gains because you are exposing your muscles to a new stimulus, which shocks them into responding by growing bigger and stronger so that they are able to cope when they asked to perform this task again,” says Nick Mitchell, personal trainer, founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness and my muscle mentor in Operation Cover Model Body (OCMB). “But your body very quickly adapts to this new stress, and you need to keep your muscles guessing to keep them growing.”

Lifting to failure may be a great way to force your body to build more muscle and burn more fat, but it isn’t pleasant. The fear starts before even the first rep, because you know you’re less than a minute away from reaching a point at which, although you're willing that bar to keep moving, it’s going to come to a grinding halt.

Sinking feeling

It’s not so bad with dumbbells - the worst that can happen is that they crash to the ground with an embarrassing thud - or on ground-up moves, such as the deadlift. But the bench press is a different story. A good spotter is essential. A bad one will either leave you with the bar digging a knurled line across your chest or having to upright row it away from you before your muscles have the chance to get past the sticking point. Mitchell knows exactly how much to help when I need it most, so I can keep pushing until my chest and triceps are quaking safe in the knowledge that I’m not going to be carried out of his gym in pieces.

Failure in the squat is even more hair-raising. There’s probably nothing more embarrassing in the gym than having another man wrap his pythonesque arms around your torso to lift you back to the start, but I’ve lost count of the number of times it’s happened.

Don’t fear failure 

So if you’re struggling to keep up your muscle-building efforts, or have a reached a plateau that you can’t get off, try lifting to failure. Taking 12 or more reps to hit failure is just as useless at hitting it after two, so pick an appropriate weight that your muscles can lift six to eight times before waving the white flag. And more importantly, pick an appropriate spotter and make sure they’re read this gym spotting guide.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? Carn-Enhanced

Why? L-carnitine is a compound found mainly in red meat. It plays many roles in the body, specifically in helping to use fat stores as fuel. Carn-Enhanced is a convenient liquid form of L-carnitine and also contains vitamin B5 and B12 to increase your fat-burning potential and improve energy levels.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks. 

As I’m SIX weeks into Operation Cover Model Body (OCMB), now seems the right time to talk about my SIX-pack. See what I did there?

Actually, I can’t really talk about my six-pack because I don’t have one. This is a bit of a problem when you want to look like a Men’s Fitness cover model, because the one thing that sets each of our front-page stars apart from every other man on the street is their well definded stomach.

Until I started this project I didn’t even have a two-pack. And now, after 28 sessions in 42 days, I have something almost resembling a four-pack. If I tense and stand under very favourable lighting.

For me – and most men for that matter – the trouble is that the old abs are perennially hidden under a layer of fat. And it doesn’t matter how many crunches you bang out, nothing will change until you burn away that belly. 

Chewing the fat

Thanks to Nick Mitchell, personal trainer, founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness and the architect of OCMB, I now know what it takes to get lean.

And guess what? It doesn’t involve hour after hour of long, slow cardio. Think of it this way: if running was the best way to burn fat then Forrest Gump would have had the meanest six-pack the world had ever seen, instead of just a gigantic beard.

I wished I’d known sooner, having spent years pounding the pavements thinking the further I ran the more ripped I’d be. 

Be less stressed  

“To build muscle and burn fat you need to work out hard and fast because testosterone – the hormone responsible for positive body composition changes – peaks around 45 to 60 minutes into a workout,” explains Mitchell. “After that it falls away rapidly as cortisol levels rise.”

Cortisol is the stress hormone, and elevated levels not only prevent your body from eating into its fat stores, it instructs your body to store more of the energy you consume as fat, especially around your stomach.

“So to reduce body fat and build muscle you need to train intensely for no more than an hour, keeping rest periods between exercises as short as possible,” says Mitchell. “This approach will break down muscle fibres while also keeping your heart rate high to burn calories during and after your session.”

What you eat is also hugely important. Here are my OCMB food rules.

Half measures

So I’m halfway through this challenge and feeling good about the final six weeks. I’ve already noticed significant changes in the way I look and feel, but I’m still acutely aware that it’s going to get even harder if I’m to shave off those extra bits of fat that are stubbornly sticking to my lower abs. But I’ve invested too much time and effort to think about quitting now. Time to dig deep.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? Ultra HCl 4.0

Why? If your stomach can’t efficiently break down food into the building blocks of muscle, you’re not just wasting money on good food, you’re also wasting your time in the gym. Ultra HCl 4.0 contains compounds that help you extract vitamin B12 and iron from food, both of which are vital for good energy levels, as well as a host of other compounds, including pepsin, herbal bitter and gentian root, all of which fire up your digestive system.

Also add these foods that contain iron to your diet

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks. 

On Thursday it was exactly five weeks since I called time on my longest relationship. It started back in 1999, and we’d been inseparable, celebrating the good times and forgetting the bad together. Like any relationship there were many highs and many lows, but it was the one thing I could always rely on. 

I’ve moved through the denial stage now and into the remembering-only-the-good-times bit that follows the end of a long-term liaison. It’s sad, but these things happen, especially if you have just three months to build a brand new body.

“The problem with alcohol is that it contributes empty calories in your diet,” says Nick Mitchell, personal trainer, founder of Ultimate Performance Fitness and my muscle mentor in Operation Cover Model Body. “Yes, I’ve heard all the arguments about vodka and soda being very low in calories, but the bigger picture is that alcohol suppresses the production of testosterone – the male sex hormone responsible for building muscle – and increases your levels of oestrogen, the female sex hormone. Too much of this will turn your pecs into moobs and your six-pack into a beer belly.”

Amber warning

A pint of delicious, ice-cold, hit-the-spot amber nectar contains more than 250 calories, which means that five pints – less than a standard session for many – is half the recommended 2,500 calories a man needs each day. Not only that, you try making a sensible food choice afterwards. It’s not going to happen. 

Mitchell did say that I could have a small glass of red wine once a week, but the trouble with one drink is that it makes you want two, then three etc. I can’t see the point of putting myself in the position where I have to say ‘no thanks, not for me’.

“A glass of red wine does provide some health benefits and I have factored this into OCMB,” says Mitchell. “But when you need to be strict on calorie intake it’s still a bit of waste. This is a short-term, highly intensive programme and you need to make every second in the gym, and every calorie you consume, count.”

In the space of a little over a month I have gone from being a vegetarian who loved a drink into a carnivore who avoids it. So I’ve not only gone cold turkey, I’ve started eating it.

I’ve worked at Men’s Fitness magazine for more than four years and have spoken to dozens of models about their training and nutrition. Yes, some are blessed with amazing genetics, although they also train hard and eat smart. But the one thing that has given them a physique that pays the bills is a zero-tolerance attitude to booze. Some of them might cut loose every so often – they’re still human – but they know that too many beers too often will undo all their hard work in the gym and discipline in the kitchen.

As for my training, Mitchell has switched me back to a heavy-weight, low-volume routine, splitting my muscles into three groups: arms and chest, legs, and back and shoulders.

After the previous phase of high-volume training it’s actually quite good to get back under some (relatively) heavy bars. I posted a new one-rep max on the squat – 105kg, which isn’t spectacularly heavy but it came only a few minutes after I did 17 reps at 80kg, so I was pretty chuffed. It’s just a shame I couldn’t toast my success with anything stronger than a Diet Pepsi. Still, there's only seven weeks to go. Good things come to those who wait, right?

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

What? UberZinc 2.0

Why? We need zinc for hundreds of essential biological functions, not least for the production of testosterone, but many men have low levels. This product contains two different forms of zinc to aid absorption and use by your body.

Add these foods that contain zinc to your diet

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to get in cover model shape in just 12 weeks. 

So far my progress in trying to transform my body from scrawny to brawny in just 12 weeks has been pretty successful. After three weeks I have more lean muscle tissue and less body fat and I’m noticing little new muscles where none used to be before. 

I was feeling strong, energised, and confident that I could nail Operation Cover Model Body. I could see a light at the end of the tunnel. It turns out that light was a train thundering down the tracks towards me.

Mind games

Undertaking any big challenge is, of course, physically knackering, but it’s also mentally draining. You need to be in the right frame of mind – positive, focused and confident - before and during your session. Afterwards doesn’t matter as much because, if you’ve trained right, all your brain should be worrying about is keeping your lunch in your stomach. If your head’s not in the right place then you’re never going to push yourself to the level you need to reach to get fitter, stronger, leaner – in a word, better. This week my head wasn’t in the right place and I found out the hard way that your mind can quit longer before your muscles do.

Ultimate Performance Fitness founder Nick Mitchell, the personal trainer who is overseeing this project, isn’t one for pussyfooting around whinging journalists. 

As soon as my form suffers, my head drops or I start complaining he’s shouting at me, telling me to dig deeper and reminding me of what we’re here to do. He repeats some of the negative comments that have been posted online about my challenge and asks how badly do I want to prove the doubters wrong. 

He’s also a big fan of slapping me pretty hard between the shoulder blades to fire me up before each hard set. Apparently it helps activate my muscles. I’d be more likely to believe him if he didn’t do it with a massive smile across his face. But making me angry is exactly what I need to get me back in the zone. 

If you don’t believe me, try this: before your next heavy set go at the bar like it’s just run over your dog then slept with your missus. Squeeze it hard for a few seconds, release your grip, then go for it. You’ll be amazed by the difference it makes to your performance.

Lessons learned

This week has been the hardest so far because my brain hasn’t been on the same page as my body. I need to learn my lesson quickly because as soon as you’ve had a bad session it’s harder to stay super-strict on your diet and before you know it the wheels have come off and the whole project has been derailed. Time for me to get back on track.

Cover model body supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.

Topical Mag

What? A cream that is applied to the skin, typically behind the knees before bed, to restore optimal magnesium levels.

Why? Magnesium is the fourth-most abundant mineral in the body and involved in 300 essential biochemical reactions in the body, ranging from energy production in your cells to protein synthesis, making it vital for optimal athletic performance. Many people are deficient in magnesium and this cream can up your levels.

Joe Warner is the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness magazine. His mission is simple: to see how close he can get to being in cover model shape in just 12 weeks.

“A change is as good as a rest.” I've spent the last 20 minutes trying to find out which moron decided that was a) true, and b) worth saying out loud. But I’ve given up: it seems no one was prepared to put his or her name to one of the most untrue sayings in the English language.
 
Think about it: when is a change ever anywhere close to being as good as a rest? Changing job? Huge amounts of stress and uncertainty until you find your feet. Moving house? Regularly reported to be one of the most stressful experiences we ever go through. Neither of these scenarios is in any way comparable to a two-week holiday in the Caribbean.
 
The same is true with exercise. After two weeks I was just beginning to get used to the low-rep, high-weight workouts that personal trainer and Ultimate Performance founder Nick Mitchell was putting me through, and feeling pretty confident I could handle it. Now he's shaken things up. After a full week of the new workouts I can confirm that this type of change is the other end of the spectrum to rest.

Burn, baby, burn

I'm now on a high-volume cycle of lighter weights, slower tempos and greater reps to stress my muscles so they keep growing. The increased volume also increases lactic acid levels which, although it makes my muscles burn like crazy, helps burn body fat.
 
“So many men always do three sets of eight reps for every exercise of every session,” says Mitchell. “But after a few weeks your muscles know exactly what's in store and can cope with the load. Even increasing the weight isn't always enough to keep them growing. You have to play with exercise selection, sets, reps, tempo and rest periods to keep progressing. We need to keep your body guessing what lies ahead so it never has the chance to stay in its comfort zone.”

Rep rage

Comfort is not something I've experienced much recently. The sets never have fewer than 12 reps and some even creep up nearer the 25 mark. The weight isn't heavy, but Mitchell is super-strict on form and tempo so every single rep has to count. If he's not happy then not only will it not count, he'll add on additional reps. Did I mention I hate him already.
 
I'm finding the diet easier to stick to, although eating quality meat for most meals is proving expensive. Buying in bulk and using the freezer to store the week's meals - rather than ice cream – is an effective, if slightly depressing, strategy.

But it’s working. My body fat percentage is now 10.6%, down from 16.5% when I started this challenge three weeks ago. It's been a good start but it's easier to make progress initially when your body is shocked by the sudden lifestyle change. The next few percentage points will be a lot harder to lose.
 
I have a little light halfway along this tunnel. Mitchell has said that as soon as I’m below 10% body fat I can have a night off the diet, take my girlfriend out for dinner and eat and drink anything I want. Just as long as anything I want doesn’t include beer, rum and coke, chips or any type of dessert. That doesn’t sound like much of a change either.

Cover model supplements

As part of my cover model transformation challenge, Nick Mitchell is making me take an assortment of supplements. I’ll be explaining the reasons behind a different one each week.
 
What? Omega 3 Liquid
 
Why? Omega 3, a type of fatty acid mainly found in oily, cold-water fish, is essential for good health - research has shown that it helps prevent a host of serious long-term ailments including cancer and heart disease. It’s especially beneficial when trying to lose weight because it promotes the utilisation of existing fat stores for fuel.

Find out more about Omega 3 fish oil supplements