ARTICLE - JAMES SINGH - 12 WEEK TRANSFORMATION

James Singh enlisted the personal training services of Jay through Amino Z Personal Training when he decided to get real about his body and finally obtain the physique that he had always wanted.  In 12 weeks, he achieved a remarkable transformation.  This man let nothing stand in his way and through sheer dedication and discipline, pushed through thick-and-thin to finally have control over his body.

From the Trainer (Jay Bonaretti):

In 2006, James initially contacted me through the Amino Z website.  He explained to me that he had several weeks experience in the gym and was fairly confused about his training.  Upon our initial consultation, he told me that he was very passionate about soccer in his younger years, but after suffering a knee injury, was more recently leading a sedentary lifestyle.  James explained that he was determined to lose body fat and build muscle mass - and I could really sense the drive and determination in his voice and mannerisms.  As a result, I developed him a very specific plan consisting of high intensity training coupled with a sound nutritional regime that would assist him toward his specific goals.

Throughout the 12 weeks, James worked his butt off (quite literally!).  No matter what I threw at him - he accomplished it...and then some!  James achieved personal bests every single week on his cardio program which really amazed me.  But the real stand-out with his training was his progress in the weights room.  I could hardly believe my eyes when he showed me the amount of weight that he was moving...over the 12 week period he managed to add 10kg to EACH ARM on flat dumbbell presses!  That's a 20kg gain in total!  I was (and still am) completely shell-shocked, there is absolutely no stopping this guy!

Toward the end of the 12 week challenge, I could really see the changes within James.  He would share with me that all his family and friends were noticing the physical differences in him.  But his transformation was much more than just a physical change.  What James accomplished took some serious passion, dedication, discipline and maturity.  He told me that he realised the things you want in life aren't always handed to you on a platter, often you have to earn that platter.  I sensed that James had a newly found confidence within himself after continually breaking his own records throughout the 12 weeks.  His results speak for themselves and are a true reflection of his ability to conquer any single one of his own personal goals.  James is really a true inspiration.

James wrote me a little thank you letter upon the completion of the 12 week transformation:

Hi Jay,

Just a quick work of thanks.

After deciding to take the 12 week challenge I sort your personal training services.  It was the best investment I had ever made with regards to my health and fitness.  You not only provided me with all the "standard" diet and resistance training program you get from such services, you provided a leaning shoulder to carry me across what was no doubt one of the hardest and mentally draining challenges of my life.

The professionalism and diligence displayed was of the highest calibre and I would encourage anyone who is serious about health and fitness to make the small investment as I did and fully experience what Amino Z Personal Training has to offer.

Once again a BIG thank you :)

James Singh.

Since the 12 week challenge, James and I have kept in contact.  He has continued to exercise consistently and has now adopted this style of training and eating as a new lifestyle habit.  The knee injury that once prevented him from undertaking particular exercises has now been given the "all clear" from the doctor which is amazing news and something that he has worked very hard towards.  James' results continue to amaze me and I wish him all the best in the future.

 

James' Experience

Here is James' very inspiring story:

My journey begins on the day I realised that I would no longer be able to play the sport I loved professionally. Soccer was the one thing I wanted to pursue as a professional career and the fact that I had injured my knee and not continue was like removing my beating heart.  I stopped all training and began alienating myself from the world. This led to low self esteem. Food was now used as a comforting tool and my knee was always used as an excuse. Until one day I was at the local newsagent buying a chocolate bar and came across “Australian Iron Man” I thought to myself why this should make good entertainment and bought it. As I got home I threw the copy of IM on the table and continued to finish my bar of chocolate and didn’t even look at the magazine.

My greatest motivation and drive came when I was no longer able to bear the negative comments and gestures made by people about my weight and general appearance. Such views began to create emotional trenches and cut deep into ones mind especially when they came from the ones you care about most. The realisation set in that I was unhealthy when I could no longer walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air.

This is when I turned to Australian Iron Man and the BodyBlitz challenge which presented current and past winners. I thought to myself "Enough is enough, it's time for a change" and so the road to the challenge began…

Apart from the usual hurdles such as the requirement of being highly organised with preparing and consuming nutritious meals on time, diet carvings, early, late gym sessions coupled with life’s daily chores that everyone must endure when under the challenge. The greatest hurdles I had to overcome first and foremost was the fear of failure, the notion that “This is not working for me”. I could not let that happen I used this inner demonic fear to add fuel to my fire! Straight from day one I was injecting 110% of effort and for the first few weeks I saw very little to no change, this is when I came to understand that I had to train not only my body physically but also my mind to see the incremental changes and believe in myself.

Secondly from time to time enduring the pain generated from my knee injury. Though my exercise routine was carefully designed so minimal impact was applied and not to aggravate it further, there were times when performing HIIT cardio and Resistance training took its toll. Once again my will, and desire to succeed become my “Excalibur” instead of using this as an excuse and quieting I began setting “personal bests” on a daily bases and soon enough the results began to show.

I’ve learnt what I refer to as the 3 “D” values of success,

1) Dedication
2) Discipline
3) Determination

The 12 week challenge challenge has taught me with these key values no matter how dark, daunting, and impossible a task may seem if we adhere and diligently apply these principles then we can conquer the greatest of mountains.

My perception on life’s challenges has changed from “no this is not achievable” to “yes I can, and will do this” no longer do I fear the inner demons of failure and views of other people as I know I have the courage, strength and vision to stand up and succeed in any of life challenges. I have come to the realisation that the challenge is not against anyone else. It’s not against the past or present winners. The challenge is against yourself.

It tested me in every aspect mentioned above, whether I had the dedication, discipline and determination required to complete. I feel that yes I do, it has proved to me that nothing is out of reach, the human mind and body is capable of great feats. I challenged my self and applied 110% in all areas whether it was my HIIT cardio, resistance training or diet - I gave it all. I did not have single cheat meal, or miss a single gym session during my challenge.

However the greatest assets I will walk away from the 12 week challenge is not the fact that I have reduced my resting heart rate from 68bpm to 52bpm, not the fact that I can now run 10k’s non stop, not the fact that I’ve dropped my body fat from 22% to 12% and not the fact that I have a six pack mid section. Though these are all exceptional achievements in there own right, the benefit most important of all is I walk with the knowledge that I have the ability to inspire and change the life of other people especially the ones closest to me.

Now that I have taken control of my life I recall at week 10 where I had lost of a lot weight and was having dinner with my family my brother, brother in-law and sister all commented on how well I looked, they were totally amazed at how much I had changed not only physically but also mentally, I was more confident and alive. I mentioned to them what the 12 week challenge had taught me. With this in mind and my results they to wanted me to help them achieve what I had gained.

“12 weeks” is a drop in the ocean by embarking and completing the challenge the knowledge and benefits gained overfill this ocean.

The challenge has transformed me physically and emotionally. My once dark, uncertain, no purpose life now has a renewed sense of direction, one which will serve not only me but others well.