Body Transformation

It was around March this year when I first heard of Matt Devlin. A regular user of Twitter, I noticed that many tweets from fellow gym goers were tweeting about Mattabolism PT (Personal Trainer) and how his body makeovers had changed their lives.  After further investigation I found out that Matt was one of the most highly respected PTs in Essex with his specialty lying in weight loss and complete body transformations. 

Now I often get emails asking me if I could include more mens features, so I approached Matt and asked if he would be up for a challenge by transforming a very overweight, middle-aged gym phobic male into a buff Adonis! He was totally up for it so all I had to do was find someone.  Unfortunately it seems that many men are shy and didn’t really want to have their weight and insecurities splashed across the paper however, I was in luck when the kids Dad mentioned a trader he worked with in London, who was a prime candidate. Step forward Mark Gregory.  I had met Mark a few years ago on holiday, a lovely guy but it has to be said (sorry Mark I have to be brutal here) his obvious love of beer and curries had taken their toll on his waistline. He was very overweight with his only exercise being the odd corporate golf day and as for the gym – well he had never been. Mark knew like many other desk-bound people, if he didn’t start taking care of himself he may not get to enjoy his retirement money he’d worked so hard for.

I introduced Mark to Matt who set a 12 week training programme.  Mark’s main concerns were to lower his cholesterol as he was taking Statins, lose weight and introduce him to the world of weight training.  He also had high blood pressure and was eager to reduce his medication and his chances of illnesses caused by hypertension.  Due to his medical conditions and that he was new to training, Matt devised a programme, which would build him up slowly, whilst increasing the intensity weekly to ensure that Mark was constantly challenged and importantly stay motivated.

Before they started Matt advised Mark to change his attitude to nutrition, as this would be a key factor in reducing his weight and thus benefiting his cholesterol levels.  As a food lover Mark was concerned just how rigorous his diet would be, so Matt sat down and between them both came up with a feasible nutrition plan that Mark would stick to.  Sugar, gluten and dairy were expelled to erase any intolerances Mark had, within days of doing so Mark felt energetic and any bloating and discomfort had completely disappeared.  Mark was surprised just how much variety he could eat, which made the plan much easier to stick to.  For the first 4 weeks alcohol was completely off the menu in order to boost his liver and digestive health and therefore enable him to concentrate on burning fat.

In order to ensure Mark was complying with his nutrition and exercise programme, Matt carried out weekly assessments to analyse Mark’s hormonal imbalances and weight.  His starting weight was 107.2 kg (16 stone 9 pounds) and his body fat percentage was 25% (yes a quarter of his body was fat!) 5-6 weeks in, Mark went back to the doctors to have blood assessments which showed that his cholesterol had dramatically reduced and he was advised to lower his blood pressure medication to over half of what he was taking.  

Over the 12 weeks the weight training programme focused on techniques of basic exercises within resistance training ensuring that Mark avoided injury and showed good form throughout whilst having a fat burning effect. Once Mark had shown progress Matt exposed him to exercises of greater difficulty to challenge his body systems (Matt explained the more weight you lose the harder the training becomes as there is less of you!)

Conclusion. Within 10 weeks Marks weight had dropped to 14 stone 9 pounds, with his body fat percentage lowering to an incredible 8%.  He has also dropped 5 inches from his waistline. Mark was so delighted that he has decided to continue training with Matt and has made this a major part of his lifestyle as he now values his life expectancy.  He gave praise to all the Mattabolism trainers who helped with his transformation in and outside of the gym.  Whilst he has added years to his life all the pounds lost are being spent on a whole new wardrobe.

Please make sure you speak to your GP before coming off any medications or undertaking any new exercise programme.

For further information or to book a complete Body Transformation with Matt or one of his colleagues contact 07725 252424.  Askmollybeauty readers can get a reduced rate of a Body Transformation Programme for 12 weeks at £1200 (usual price £1,620) or sessions can be bought individually at £35 (usual price £45).  Previous success stories can be seen in a gallery of photos on Facebook Mattabolism PT.  If quoting this feature readers will also be offered a free consultation, free body fat test and a free taster PT session. Matt and his team work from Ab Salute Gym in Brentwood contact 01277 218826.   Home and Group Sessions are also available.  Fat Loss Muscle Camps are available to both men and women for only £5 a session, just pay as you go at the weekends.

Follow me on Twitter @askmollybeauty or email me molly@askmollybeauty.com with any queries on features.