When
I first started training Ashley 4 months ago,
he hadn’t exercised in years. At a weight
of 130kg, he had decided to make a change to his
health and fitness. In our first session, performing
10 bodyweight lunges proved highly challenging.
Pushups were out of the question, as Ashley had
suffered shoulder and knee pain for years due
to an old motor accident. 4 months on Ashley had
lost close to 20kg. was able to perform 40 pushups
without any pain, 300 calf raises, 500 squats
and a staggering 1100 hamstring raises! That’s
right. 1100 consecutive reps of bodyweight hamstring
raises.
Since
beginning this article, Ashley has achieved his
goal of 1100 consecutive bodyweight squats and
60 consecutive pushups. These numbers are impressive
in themselves, but bear in mind that performing
60 pushups at a weight of 110kg requires enormous
strength.
How
did Ashley achieve this transformation? Regular
small steps towards his goal. Through consistent
effort he stripped fat and built muscle. Bear
in mind that his arm measurements are larger than
they were when he started. The actual amount of
fat lost is greater than 20kg, but the scales
only show a 20kg difference because of the extra
muscle gained.
I
hope everyone can take heart from Ashley’s
example. No matter where you are starting from,
you CAN make positive changes to your health and
fitness. Whether your goal is to lose 20kg or
to tone you legs, by consistent effort, you can
achieve anything.
“Whoever
wants to reach a distant goal must take many small
steps”
Helmut
Schmidt
