Am I Overtraining? How This Can Hamper Your Gym Progress…And Damage Your Health
February 23, 2017When I first met Gerard McKay he was wearing a flowery dress, a bra, face paint and aviator sunglasses.
It was in the dance music tent at the T in the Park festival in July 2012. I didn’t know whether to shake his hand or KISS him!
Raving // dressing up // drinking // partying was standard behaviour for this 20-year-old joker/party animal.
That’s why I was completely SHOCKED when I first saw him lifting weights in the gym a couple of years ago.
<<IN MY HEAD>> “Surely, he’s not actually trying to look after his body for once….??”
<<THEN I’M THINKIN>> “Maybe he’s still p*ssed from the weekend and staggered in here by accident (wearing shorts and a t-shirt)…???”
I was right the first time – Gerard started lifting weights because he wanted to get in decent shape.
Problem was, he struggled big time to add muscle or see any results from his efforts. Basically going through the motions at the gym….and getting nowhere.
Then he asked if I’d coach him through my ‘Leaner, Stronger, Better’ programme.
Here’s What Happened After The First 30 Days….
Gerard said: “I’ve been lifting weights at the gym for years – but I barely saw a difference if I’m honest.
“I was doing the same old boring workouts and didn’t actually enjoy any of it because the results just weren’t happening.
“First My Shoulders Became More Rounded, Then I Started Developing A V-Shaped Back…”
“Marc completely changed how I trained.
“He also gave me tons of advice on diet, which was important because I didn’t really have a clue about what to eat and when.
“Within 3 weeks I started seeing changes in my body. First with my shoulders becoming more rounded, then I started developing a V-shaped back.
“My brother and mates started saying that they were seeing a real difference too.
“I couldn’t believe the difference after just one month after I got my first progress pictures taken.”
My ‘Leaner, Better, Stronger’ recently completed my 12 week online coaching programme
Before And After The 12 Week Coaching Programme…
Gerard’s goal – to finally add some muscle and see muscle definition.
He’s achieved it. Gerard went from 71kg to 77kg, adding lean muscle, stripping fat….and his strength in the gym went through the roof!
The one time party animal says he’s now “hooked” on training and looking and feeling his best.
Here are some of the main strategies we implemented that completely changed up Gerard’s training and nutrition.
Six Steps To Success….
#1 Training just 3 days per week…
…with proper rest and recovery in between.
#2 Focusing mainly on compound weight training exercises…
…with cardio out the window.
#3 Always aiming for personal bests…
…and progressively overloading the muscles.
#4 Increasing his calories…
…and keeping track of his diet via MyFitnessPal.
#5 More healthy fats in his diet…
…and less sugar.
#6 Introducing new pre-workout and post-workout tactics…
…to maximise muscle gain and fat loss.
Gerard said: “This is the way I’ll be training and eating for life now – because it works.”
