Men’s Health challenged three of its editorial team to completely transform their bodies in just 10 weeks – and the results are incredible.
Senior Editor David Morton, Associate Editor Jamie Millar and Commissioning Editor Mark Sansom each juggled a full-time job and family commitments to get into the best shape of their lives – without spending all day in the gym.
Being overweight and out of shape sneaked up on 31-year-old David, who, until his late twenties, thought he was pretty fit, ‘I realised it was a lie; that I was hiding an extra chin under my beard. Who knew?’, he said.
What a transformation! (L-R) Mark Sansom, Jamie Millar and David Morton, who work at Men’s Health magazine, each juggled a full-time job and family commitments to get into the best shape of their lives
Squeezing in extra work-out sessions with former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye and Guy Ritchie’s strength and conditioning coach, Bobby Rich, around his commute helped him shed 2st, drop 3in off his waist and halve his body fat.
David, who weighed 14st 8lb before and now weighs 12st 7lb, said: ‘Morning cardio and Saturday weights sessions prove I can make fitness a habit without ruining my day. Weight gain won’t sneak up on me again. Don’t let it catch you out.’
Jamie, 30, was not in awful shape to start with, so had to train smart in order to upgrade his body and achieve a cover-model physique.
‘I’m what a training forum member might call a “hardgainer”. Visible abs? No problem. Massive arms? We’ll see,’ he said.
For those not in the know, a ‘hardgainer’ is someone who struggles to build muscle.
With a plate of food permanently in front of him and intense but varied weights sessions with transformation expert Tim Walker, Jamie lost 7kg of fat while adding 7kg of muscle. He went from 11st 8lb to 12st 1lb.
‘I’m reasonably pleased with the physical transformation. OK, very pleased. But the biggest change was realising how much I was on autopilot before: exercising rather than training, with no goal or progression. Ten weeks isn’t so long in the end. The challenge now, of course, is the next 10.’
A beating on the tennis court by his 70-year-old father was all the encouragement Mark, 29, needed to add some serious muscle.
Under the guidance of body-composition specialist Rich Phillips, he used nutritional science and some old-school heavy lifting to help get Mark into shape.
Mark added 10cm to his chest, lost 11kg of fat, reduced his body fat by 13 per cent and finished the challenge with 19-inch biceps. He went from 13st 3lb to 11st 6lb.
If you want a bigger body before summer, his advice is to begin your own transformation immediately. ‘You’re not past your best. Size yourself up and get started. You’ll thank yourself.’
Men’s Health Editor Toby Wiseman said: ’10 weeks might not seem long to get into great shape but each one of our challengers has achieved incredible physical results.
‘They have all adopted the Men’s Health attitude, dedicating themselves not just to their fitness, but a lifestyle, in order to score their own goals.’
