Mike was overweight and out of shape. Although he had lost weight in the past, he had gained it all back due to unsustainable, ineffective and unenjoyable nutritional and exercise practices. His goal was to reduce his weight to 80kg and improve his fitness in order to trek the Kokoda Trail in August 2009.
From the Trainer (Jay Bonaretti):
Mike contacted us initially with the primary focus to get his body into top shape for something he always wanted to do - the Kokoda Trek.In order to be fully prepared for Kokoda in August 2009, Mike identified that he needed to:
- Reduce his weight to 80kg
- Increase his fitness level
Upon discussing Mike's goals in detail after our initial assessment, I suggested to him that not only would his cardiovascular fitness and body weight need improving, but so too would his muscular endurance capacity, co-ordination and core strength. This would ensure that Mike would be in top shape for the Kokoda Trek.
In order to accomplish these goals, Mike and I worked together online with monthly consultations focusing on very specific and regularly updated exercise and nutritional programmes. Mike worked diligently toward his goals during our training together prior to his flight to the Kokoda Trek.
There were many hurdles and considerations along the way that we needed to accommodate for. Mike initially expressed to me that he had attempted to lose weight in the past through one particular weight loss service, yet this approach to exercise and nutrition had been unsuccessful in the long-term. What he had attempted to do was to restrict his eating to certain "healthy" foods, eliminate all "junk food" and exercise on a regular basis by walking without particular structure. Mike expressed that he felt as if he was on a "diet", and was unable to sustain this in the long-term.
The approach to exercise and nutrition that I introduced to Mike was significantly different to what he had tried in the past. Rather than eliminating the foods that he loved to consume, I suggested to moderate them, whilst balancing them out with a more structured approach to nutrition. Mike would often report to me that he was consuming such foods as take-away hamburgers, deep fried chips, beer, donor kebabs, noodles and crinkle-cut chips. His honesty was commendable and I must admit that I did occassionally cringe (and he's very aware of that)! But ultimately, he consumed these undesirable foods in an effective manner, in conjunction with a very healthy nutritional intake that didn't significantly inhibit his results toward his goals. In fact, I believe that had he not consumed foods of this nature regularly, he would have made very little progress at all by repeating his old yo-yoing habits. At our final consultation before his flight, Mike commented to me "I don't feel like I'm on a diet".
I also developed a very specific approach to exercise that Mike would thrive off, by feeding off his own competitive spirit. With a highly structured programme, Mike had the accountability and motivation to continually improve over our period of training. It comes as no surprise that his endurance capacity and fitness level had soared in time for his Kokoda Trek!
One thing that plagued Mike was sickness and injury - your worst nightmares when conditioning your body for such a tough adventure. He had undergone two knee reconstructions and experienced shin splints and knee swelling following strenuous exercise. I accounted for these factors and developed a very specific training protocol to enhance the support around the knee area, as well as to eliminate the shin splints. Within weeks, these symptoms had disappeared.
Mike did get sick (twice) during the flu season. He also sustained a couple of minor injuries to his feet. However through intelligent approaches to Mike's training to reduce the impact of these factors, they did not adversely affect his final condition.
Over the course of our training together, Mike trained consistently and diligently for his Kokoda Trek. This comes as no surprise, especially after viewing the photo's and his statistics! I was in awe when I put those photo's side-by-side! Congratulations Mike on a job well done. Apart from over-achieving your goals, you sustained some significant physical and mental improvements to lead you to success on the Kokoda Trail!
As a side note, at the time of writing, Mike is currently on his second day of the Kokoda Trek. I'm very confident that he is enjoying the experience and not struggling in the slightest. Upon his return, he plans to continue training with me to accomplish other physique goals, so watch this space!
