Craig's Transformation

As you know from my very first post on here (Where it All Started) I set up this blog to not only document my progress, but to help people achieve their goals and to also further their knowledge of fitness and nutrition.

So when my good friend Craig asked me to help him out with a training and nutritional plan before he goes traveling for 12 months I jumped at the opportunity. Me and Craig have been friends for a good few years, we’ve worked together, trained in the gym together and even trained MMA together until Craig damaged his rotary cuff mid 2011 and needed an operation.

Two big factors I knew about Craig was that 1, he worked long hours 6 days a week and 2, I knew he’d give the program 110%. Although I’ve helped people out with certain aspects of their training or nutrition I’ve never wrtiiten a full program, so this was also something new to me and I knew Craig was putting a lot of trust in me also.

The first thing we did was meet up and go through the training side of things as I knew his shoulder could limit him on some exercises and with his busy job as an Upholster see how many days he could commit to the gym yet still have a life outside of the gym too.

Once we had the cardio and weight training side of the plan sorted we focused on the diet, things he liked, things he didn’t, food allergies etc. Once we had that complete we hit the supermarket and both stocked up on our weekly food shop along with electric scales and tupperwear, lots of tupperwear.

For the first few weeks me and Craig trained together roughly twice a week out of our 4/5 training days which was great for me as I normally train on my own, so it was really good to help push each other and we both hit various PB on certain lifts (Craig has a stupidly strong chest!). One thing Criag found tough to get his head around was the food prep during his spare time at weekends/evenings which was one of the reasons I put together my Food Prep article as that’s exactly how I prep my food and how Craig does his too.

Here’s Craigs before and after photo in just 6 weeks along with a email he sent over outlining he experience on the program.

Describe yourself in three words before starting the programme: average, bloated, low in confidence

Describe yourself in three words after completing the programme: Leaner, healthier, confident

What was the best part of the programme? Apart from the end result it’s the confidence I’ve gained within myself at the gym.

What was the worst part of the programme? Energy levels were low at the gym on low carb days.

Did the programme fit with your lifestyle? Yes it did, but it works both ways. Lee worked it too suit me but I also had to put in 100% commitment myself especially after long days at work etc.

What will you take from the programme and continue going forward?  The main thing is my diet and in the future I have a better knowledge of the foods I need to be having and when.

Craig Briscall:

With my long hours at work at working 6 days a week I didn’t think it was possible to have the time to able to commit to a strict eating & gym programme.

Lee gave me a 6 week programme which was not just easy to understand but explained everything perfectly and took in to account my hectic work schedule.

The effort he put in on getting the programme perfect to suit me drove me on to making sure I put 100% in through the whole 6 weeks. At times it was hard;

·      The high carb days left me feeling bloated.

·      The low carb days left me with no energy & feeling hungry.

·      The gym & preparing food after long hours at work were difficult until Lee went through his food prep with me.

Before I started the programme I struggled to gain weight, I was stuck in same gym routines, eating the wrong foods/amounts and had low confidence in my appearance. However, after completing the programme  I feel so much more confident in myself look wise (ready for the beach now!) I’ve always been shy about taking my top off on holiday, but feel I need to show off a bit after all the hard work over the last 6 weeks.

I feel my health has improved due to the right food and amounts. I also feel more awake and fresher in the mornings especially getting up at 6am and actually eating before work instead of waiting till 9am/10am to eat.

Throughout the 6 weeks Lee was quick to reply to any questions I had during my programme and went the extra mile to make sure I knew everything I needed to so I was confident in myself and the goals that I could reach.

Not only did my strength and fitness improve but I noticed a big improvement in my technique too. 

The difference in the way I feel, look and how pleased I am with the results are all down to Lee and I cannot thank him enough.

I would strongly recommend him to anyone that wants to improve their lifestyle. 

I seriously can’t thank Craig enough for not only trusting me with his training and nutrition but also giving the program 110%. I’m sure you’ll agree he looks great.

I know I mentioned a few weeks ago about AsetheticLifestyle vests being printed, well I picked up the first 2 on Friday for myself and Craig just in time for him leaving to travelling around Asia for 2 months then 10 months in Australia. I’ll be picking up all of the others on Thursday so if you haven’t already placed your order, get in touch! #TeamAL

Finally I just want to thank Craig, good luck travelling bro, stay safe and again congratulations to you and Jodie getting engaged. I will have more transformation articles up again, as soon as current programs are finished.

If you have any questions regarding Craigs transformation or the AsetheticLifestyle vests then either comment below or tweet me @lee_malone or @AestheticLifest.

Y3T Program - Week 1

As you know from my previous post, last week I started the Neil Hill Y3T 9 week program, which works out perfectly as the 9 weeks ends just before Christmas.

The purpose behind the Y3T (Yoda 3 Training) program is to always keep your body guessing to how you’re going to train, making it less likely for your body to adapt and into a routine. To achieve this the program is split into 3 weeks and repeated 3 times, each week targeting different muscle type fibers.

Below is my training diary for my first week on the program, as you can see there are warm up sets then straight into working sets. Two key areas I wanted to focus on and I’d advise anyone trying the program to focus on is timed 60 second rest periods to keep the heart rate high and muscles under stress and also mind to muscle connection to keep good form and really concentrate on the muscle pushing/pulling throughout the exercise.

WEEK 1-

DAY 1: Quads & Hamstrings

(warm up) Squats:  8 – 10 reps x 4

Squats: 8 - 10 reps x 4

Hack Squats: 10 – 12 reps x 4

Leg Extensions: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Lying leg curl 8 – 10 reps x 4

(60 seconds rest between sets)

DAY 2: Chest & Triceps

(warm up) Incline Dumbbell Press: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Incline Dumbbell Press: 8 – 20 reps x 4

Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Machine Press: 8 – 10 reps x 3

(warm up) Tricep Push Down with straight bar: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Tricep Push Down: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Seated Overhead Extension: 8 – 10 reps x 4

(60 seconds rest between sets)

Now, on the program day 3 should be a rest day then straight back in the gym for a two more consecutive days. However seen as I had the Carat Blogger event for fitness and nutrition blogs, I swapped my days around.

DAY 3: Back & Biceps

(warm up) Lat Pull Down 8 – 10 reps x 4

Lat Pull Down 8 – 10 reps x 4

T-Bar Row: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Rack Pulls: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Seated Row: 8 – 10 reps x 3

(warm up) Barbell Curls: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Barbell Curls: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Standing Dumbbell Curls: 8 – 10 reps x 4

(60 seconds rest between sets)

DAY 4: REST DAY

DAY 5: Shoulders & Calves

(warm up) Side Lateral Raises: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Side Lateral Raises: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Dumbbell Press: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Upright Barbell Row: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Rear Delt Flyes: 8 – 10 reps x 3

(warm up) Standing Calf Raises: 8 – 10 reps x 3

Standing Calf Raises: 8 – 10 reps x 4

Seated Calf Raises: 8 – 10 reps x 3

As you know from my previous post and twitter over the weekend, I attended the Sportex Festival in Manchester. As soon as I walked in I spotted Neil Hill and Flex Lewis speaking with people and taking photos, I had the chance to catch up with both of them and firstly congratulate Flex on his Olympia win and discuss the Y3T program with Neil who tells me week 3 is going to be tough, and as long as I can keep my food intake high (even on rest days) and re-evaluate it every 2/3 weeks then I’ll make some impressive gains over the next 9 weeks.

Any questions feel free to ask by commenting below, on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

Lee

The secret is keeping busy, and loving what you do.

After 3 weeks of being ill (and no it wasn't Man Flu), I'm back to 100% and just in time too, as I have a very busy week ahead of me.

Firstly I'm back in the gym trying out the Y3T program as well as starting a new diet aiming for lean gains. I'll touch back on this later in the week where I'll write up my full training program and diet over on the training page.

As for the rest of the week, I arrived home tonight after a gruelling legs session to find my new vests have been delivered. Now I just need to source a good quality printer to brand the vests with my logo and new web address (any recommendations?).

Here's the artwork for the vests -

What do you think?

On Thursday I've been invited to the Carat Blog Shop Event for Sports, Fitness and Nutrition bloggers. The evening will include presentations and Q&A sessions with media experts and brands. I'll also have the chance to network with likeminded people, discussing different tips and tools on how to enhance my blog. 

For anyone else who'd be interested in the event here's the link to register - Carat Blog Shop Event

And finally this weekend I'll be heading over to the Sportex Festival in Manchester. Which is across both days (20th & 21st October) and will host the UKBFF British Championships and the IFBB British Grand Prix as well as other sports such as MMA, Judo, Strongman, Football and Badminton. I only have tickets for Saturday so if anyone spots me at the expo, come say hello!  

Core 150 Shaker

Following on from my previous article, Food Prep for the Week. Which covered the importance of being prepared to not only help stick to your diet but to also save time and space. I am pleased to announce that I have been fortunate to be supported by the Core 150 shaker, huge thanks to them for this and its nice to know my hard work in and out of the gym is paying off and being recognised.

Question: How many times have you heard supplement companies recommending you buy their pre workout supplement, intra supplement and post workout supplement?

Yet they sell a standard shaker with only one compartment to store and mix your supplements in, forcing you to either bring even more tupperware boxes with you containing the rest of your supplements or in my case having to bring 3 separate shakers to work with me, taking up a lot of space in my gym bag and also a lot of time of an evening washing each one.

This is where the Core 150 Shaker comes in perfectly; all internal compartments are removable making it easier to load your supplements and also to clean, each internal compartment holds 50g of powder (pre, intra & post workout) and the shaker itself holds 1 litre of water.

I have been using the shaker for just over a week now and it’s made my prep so much easier, I’m even more organised, I save time with not having to clean separate shakers and I have more space in my gym bag. I have tried other shakers in the past that do have screwed compartments below but I've found my supplements would get stuck between the screw thread, the compartments couldn't hold up to 50g and certainly couldn't hold 1 litre of water inside, leaving my shakes lumpy and too thick.

Overall the Core 150 Shaker is perfect and exactly what the fitness industry has been waiting for. One final point that makes the Core 150 Shaker stand out from the competition, it’s the first sports shaker in the world to fully endorse a charitable cause. Their aim is to provide a meal for 1 million undernourished kids over the next five years and your support in purchasing their shaker will be met with a donation to Mary's Meals supplying 1 meal to a needy child.

For more information and to buy your own Core 150 Shaker please visit their web site: http://www.core150.com/

Food prep for the week

As you know I was away on holiday last week to Egypt and tomorrow its back to work and the gym, so I spent about an hour today prepping all my food for the week. This is a question I have been asked a lot by students and people with busy lives/jobs "How do you prepare all your food?" or I hear "I don't have time to cook all these meals everyday". Well I was under the same impression when I first started training while I was at university and always slipped from my diet, currently I work as a Specialist Recruitment Consultant, Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5.00pm and I never slip from my diet.

Like the Benjamin Franklin quote, if you prepare all your food your less likely to skip a meal or stray from your diet. I took time whilst cooking all my food to take a few pics and show you how I make sure I stick to my diet and hit my daily macros.

The most important 2 things when it comes to your diet are a good set of scales and tupperwear, lots of tupperwear!

I actually got these Salter digital scales for christmas last year, I got asked if there was any little bits I wanted and I suggested a set of digital scales (I did get a funny look! ha) but I can honestly say I have used these every single day this year. One thing I've found with the tupperwear is not matter which cheap or expensive option you buy it will eventually leak-ALWAYS!!

Firstly I weight out all my Chicken, Turkey and Salmon into portions for the week.

Once each potion is weighted out I put them all on a baking tray and season with all purpose seasoning, chicken seasoning (no added salt) and cayenne pepper. I also add two mushrooms, one spring onion, a red pepper and cook for 30-40 minutes in the oven.

Once everything is cooked I take it out of the oven to cool down on a few plates.

When everything is cooled down I individually wrap each portion in kitchen foil and put in labelled freezer bags and freeze for the week. I'll take out my required portion each evening to defrost for the following day.

And thats it, simple! For that hour or so on a Sunday afternoon, it saves me cooking my food every evening taking up so much time, which I have tried in the past. 

So as you can see below is all my food ready for tomorrow-

Meal 1- Breakfast (not shown)

Meal 2- Protein shake and almond nuts

Meal 3- Sweet potato, turkey and broccoli

Meal 4- Brown rice and Chicken (Pre Workout)

Meal 5- Protein Shake (Post Workout)

2 litre bottle of water (I refill once I've drank its all)

3 Bag of Green Tea

Meal 6- Cottage Cheese (not shown)

Everything you see above is added into my gym bag along with my gym trainers, Under Armour shorts, Optimum Nutrition tee, gym gloves and iPod.

For anyone who doesn't have a big gym bag there is also the very useful 6 Pack Bag which I really want if anyone fancies treating me! 

It's a PERFECT way of managing your meals and highly recommended by so many different athletes. Awesome idea and I hope to pick one up some day.

I hope this article helps and makes achieving your goals and sticking to your diet much easier.

Aesthetic Lifestyles New logo

As promised, new things are happening with the blog. The biggest is taking it form just a blog to launching a web site (www.AestheticLifestyle.co.uk) which I have bought, registered and in the process of putting my graphic design degree to good use and creating the site.

The first and most important thing was creating a corporate identity and after hours of sketching various logo ideas, I'd narrowed it down to a few that I would incorporate into a vector image. After tweaking the colours and layout (and asking peoples opinions) I finally have the official Aesthetic Lifestyle logo to show you all.

I'd love to hear peoples thoughts on the logo, constructive criticism is always good and never taken to heart.

Keep an eye out over the weekend as I'll be posting a new article on how I prep my food for the week, I've had a few emails and tweets from college/university students and people with busy jobs who want to know how I go about all my meals and structuring my day.

Thanks