By: Chris Gates
This is my client Mike, and I want to tell you his story.
Because Mike’s transformation has unbelievably impressive — not only on the physical side of things, but the mental side, too.
Mike and I have been working together for more than a year, and he’s seen tremendous changes in his physique! He’s 20+ pounds down, along with losing 5 inches across his waistline.
He has gotten unbelievably strong, too.
But on top of all of that, Mike has experienced a transformation in his entire approach to fitness.
When Mike originally signed up for coaching, he mentioned he’s never been able to enjoy exercise. Mike wasn’t sure if he’d be able to follow through.
He rated his confidence level at a ‘3’ out of 10, because he’d never been able to find a program that he could stick to.
Not anymore 🙂
“When I signed up for coaching I was getting outside of my comfort zone,” Mike said. “I hadn’t exercised in years, many years, perhaps 15 years or more. My mindset had been to not put more wear and tear on my 60-plus year old body.
“We had two new babies on the way in the family. I wanted a better opportunity to be well for their arrivals and see them through the early years and beyond. The jokes of my waistline resembling a pregnancy wouldn’t stand up with a great grandchild and grandchild on the way. I wanted to reduce my waistline and build core muscle to benefit longer term survival. Leading up to this I was easily tired and, while capable for bursts of yard work or simple tasks, I was not strong.”
When Mike began his coaching program, we worked on finding something that would fit his current lifestyle and be as sustainable as possible.
No crash diets. No “fat burning” fad workouts.
Simple, effective strength training, along with a moderate calorie deficit, was the name of the game. And Mike did the rest.
He was consistent in hitting his weekly goals, and he never got too high or low based on what the scale said. Mike developed the mindset and approach you HAVE to have in order to make meaningful, sustainable progress.
“The process was simple and met my needs immediately. I liked the interaction with Chris, and also liked the custom approach,” he said. “Early on I held firm to no gym membership and a plan to do evening work outs. The resulting program met my desire for an accountable approach. Also I liked that I could decide how to approach each day within a week.
“Our weekly check-ins became routine, and are very friendly for us never having met in person. I like the simplicity of each training block. Each week builds upon the others. It’s amazing to see 15 months of progress and that time went so fast. Chris was always quick via reply and spot on with his guidance and feedback.”
Throughout Mike’s program, we’ve approached things in phases. His primary goal is fat loss, so we’ve been mostly in a calorie deficit and working in that direction.
But we’ve also taken diet breaks from time to time to build in some flexibility. And Mike has done a great job of continuing to balance the things he loves — going to basketball games, spending time up at camp, and more — so that he’s able to keep having fun while making progress.
With his level of consistency, I can’t wait to see what Mike accomplishes next! The sky is the limit for how much progress he can make.
“The results are stunning. I feel strong. I lost weight. I went through three wardrobe changes to smaller clothing,” Mike said. “When the babies were born I felt like I put myself in a better place. Their Papa might be a more capable old man in their lives.
“This has all been very exciting but that thrill unfolded in small pieces, alone (or with my dogs watching) in my basement with minimal equipment and just a lot of persistence to not miss a day. I still have progress to make, and that motivation pushes me forward to stay the course. I’m continuing with this lifestyle change and building towards a better future.”