We love seeing our athletes’ transformations.  Jeremy has been doing our and his before & after photos really show his progress.

Here is what he had to say about our online training program:

“I couldn’t be happier with the results I got from the 12-week athlete development program. Coming from a hockey background I wanted something similar to the training I used to do back in the day, and I found it with that program. It was the perfect starting program for me to get back into the physical shape I had been after.

I would recommend it to anyone, even without a sports background because I am overall looking better and feeling 10x stronger. I believe it would be a great program for anyone, especially an individual looking to get back into the routine

Thank you. Can’t wait to continue to use your programs to keep leveling up!”

Interested in trying out the program yourself? Check it out

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – Jeremy | 12 Week Online Athlete Development Program appeared first on Yard Athletics.

by Yard Athletics – Nov 4th, 2020

It’s been a while since we last turned our attention to a dedicated #YARDHARD community member who has put in the work to be featured in our “Transformations” series, but the wait is now over…

Introducing Brad McArthur, Director of Business Development for Elevation Building Solutions, who has been coming to Yard steadily since we opened the new space in June 2020. Funny enough, Brad knows our space more intimately than most as his company was the one who built our beautiful new gym.

Brad has seen some amazing results since training with us, so we wanted to ask him a few questions about the experience over the last few months, as well as his new routine.

How did you first get started with Yard Athletics?

My first experience started with Ilan doing personal training sessions, after my company was involved in the design and build of the new gym.

What were your overall fitness goals when you first started?

Cut weight, build muscle… TARPS OFF!

Tell us about your experience doing the Yard 1:1 Customized Strength & Conditioning program?

It was key in learning the fundamentals of weight training relating to form and technique. I have continued to maintain 2 personal training sessions a week combined 3-4 group sessions per week.

How do you supplement your training at Yard? Additional running, cardio, diet etc?

I also frequently hop on the spin bike on average 4-5 times a week. My diet can always improve, but proteins and veggies all the way.

What advice would you give to someone who’s never been to Yard Athletics before?

If you are looking to advance your fitness goals and results in a wicked setting with an amazing team. Get off your a**!

The post Transformations: Brad McArthur appeared first on Yard Athletics.

By Yard Athletics – May 16th, 2019

It’s been a while, but we are back with a very special edition of “Transformations”! If you recall, this is our series where we highlight one of our #YardHard faithful who has dedicated serious hours in the gym and come out with huge progress in terms of health and fitness.

Today we have the great pleasure of introducing close friend of Yard Athletics (and special someone to founder Ilan Cumberbirch…<3) Gillian Cawsey.

Gill’s story is hugely impressive which you’ll read about below, and we could not be more proud of the strides she has taken to making weight training a staple in her weekly schedule.

Gill, thanks for doing this. How did you first get started at Yard Athletics? 

My pleasure! It took some encouragement and convincing, but eventually Ilan got me into the Yard. Now I can’t imagine my life without exercise and specifically, weight training.

What were your goals when you started working out at Yard? 

 I knew I wanted to feel comfortable again. The photo on the left was taken in August 2017 and the photo on the right is May 2019. There is nothing wrong with the photo on the left, however, for me and my body type, I knew I needed to make a change.

Coming to a new gym and starting a program can be intimidating; how did you feel when you first started vs. now?

 When I first started everything felt difficult and awkward. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and feeling so stiff and sore- it was hard to roll over. My whole body ached! I look back now and feel proud of the progress I’ve made. Besides the obvious aesthetic benefits of exercise, it’s also empowering to hit and surpass goals and feel physically strong. While I’ve come a long way, each visit to the Yard is still always humbling.

What kind of training were you doing before Yard? 

 My exercise routine consisted of jogging once or twice a week and day dreaming of running into anyone who had ever done me wrong while looking like Jessica Simpson in her 2006 ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ music video.

Before the Yard, I had honestly never even lifted a weight before. I mean, I attempted to do some 5-pound curls at the Just Ladies Fitness, but had always felt uncomfortable and opted for the elliptical or treadmill instead. I had definitely never done a deadlift, squat, or bench press. Now sometimes if I haven’t been to the Yard in a couple of days, I’ll even miss getting back under the bar and doing some squats! Who am I??

Tell us about your progress over the last few months? 

Over the past two years I’ve lost a total of 30 pounds. The first 20 melted off within 9 months just from incorporating weight training 3 times a week and practicing mindful eating. Over the past year, I’ve increased my weight training to 4-5 times a week and included conditioning. I usually go to Ride once or twice a week – our girl, Joce, has some insanely wild classes!

In regards to diet, I don’t count calories or restrict myself. I appreciate food, I enjoy alcoholic beverages, and I love just about anything in excess (i.e. Gill circa 2008 and tanning beds).

During the week, I keep it pretty clean and try my best to make healthy choices. I find that making food at home, eating out less, and cutting out the casual beverages really helps. Not only does eating well benefit your body physically, but I also noticed how clear I felt mentally.

Additionally, it helps that I share the majority of my meals with an individual who patiently watches my plate while I eat and waits for any scraps from an unfinished meal. This individual also eats the pits of his cherries and consumes apples whole, core and all.

What would you tell someone new to Yard Athletics who is thinking of coming in?

The Yard has created this inclusive community for the ‘intimidating’ weight room, gym work out.  I completely empathize with someone who may feel too nervous or shy come in. Trying new things can be overwhelming and scary! Not to sound like an inspirational wall decor piece from Home Sense, but change really does begin at the end of your comfort zone.

The Yard is great place for all fitness levels. The team is professional and knowledgeable and will customize your workout to best suit your needs. On top of that, it’s a fun and relaxed environment!

I’m feeling compelled to quote Hal Johnson & Joanne McLeod here – so just remember everyone, keep fit and have fun!

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – Gillian Cawsey appeared first on Yard Athletics.

Happy Monday to all the #YardHard faithful… we’ve got a special edition of TRANSFORMATIONS today, featuring none other than Yard Athletics coach Sam Shaw. Sam took part in the “Yard vs. The People” challenge, hoping to gain as much weight as he could in one month to beat Ilan Cumberbirch’s loss.

That’s right folks, some of us out there can afford to gain weight as a fun challenge…! If only we were all as lucky as Shaw-Zo.

Without any further introduction it’s over to Sam to walk us through his journey.

“Nutrition

I will try to keep it short and sweet (literally). This was by far the hardest aspect of the challenge for me. Not simply from the amount of calories that were increasing but the timing of intake as well. I came into the challenge with the goal of adding 1-2lbs a week which meant about a 500 to 800 caloric increase to my regular diet. What I soon realized was that this approach wasn’t going to work for me from a ‘whole’ foods approach as it became difficult to reach my surplus
on a day-to-day. I just couldn’t handle it ya know?!

I tried to keep it purely clean in terms of macronutrient intake during my first week (Whole foods – high quality protein, loads of vegetables, quality fats). Following that first week I began supplementing with a “Quick Mass” weight gainer consisting of a 3:1 CARB:PROTEIN ration (1500 calories daily serving) simply for easy access calories. This was consumed throughout the day but most importantly during and directly following my training. The idea being that carb feeding during/following training increases the rate of its oxidation and storage as glycogen thus leading to a potential decrease in storage as fat and providing a readily available energy source for training.

I believe this dietary timing change had a dramatic impact on my endurance capacity during the 4 week program. I was hitting high repetitions on my core lifts (deadlift/squat/bench) that previously had never attained. I was surprised how much and how long (sets) I could maintain some of the weights I was getting to. It was quite savage during the last 3 weeks, and I definitely took some luxuries. I didn’t relent to a complete ‘dirty’ bulk standard, but there was nothing clean about the after work pizza specials that were happening. I basically let loose – no restrictions or concerns but I tried to keep in mind my macros along the way while tracking my total caloric consumption. Life was good. Except I felt terrible.

Training

Strength gain and endurance was the goal for me that month. I followed a standard 10×10 German Volume Training (GVT) model three times a week and supplemented each day with accessory complexes to maintain/increase muscle mass. GVT work was monitored with rest periods of 60 to 90 seconds. Accessory work was structured in relation to the primary GVT movement pattern worked that day (Squat, Bench, Row). In addition, I added a purely strength focused training day once a week based around a hinge pattern (Deadlift Variation).

Monday – Barbell Club (Olympic Lifting) and accessory arm work
Tuesday – GVT Training (Back Squat) and accessory unilateral lower body complexes
Wednesday – GVT Training (Bench/Row) and accessory unilateral/bilateral upper body
complexes
Thursday – 5×5 Strength Day (Deadlift) and accessory unilateral/bilateral full body complexes
Friday/Saturday – GVT Training (Front Squat) and accessory unilateral/bilateral lower body
complexes

Take-Away

Overall I am glad I went through this process as it is something I’ve never truly committed to. As Ilan has mentioned in his process – each individual is unique and you need to find what works for you in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable. For me, I have not continued in the same fashion as that challenge month (in terms of nutrient intake) mostly because my body was in a constant state of bloating. However, the process has enlightened me on the nutrient guidelines that work specifically for me and I have / will continue to implement them in a more realistic fashion moving forward. Since the challenge month I have maintained my weight and increased my strength substantially, so I guess I just have to trust the process. For anyone embarking on a similar journey I would simply recommend making sure you have an idea of your current caloric intake. Track you calories for a few days and you may realize that having a true surplus is a lot more difficult than you might have thought. Be realistic with your goals, find out what works for you and stick to a plan!!

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – Sam Shaw appeared first on Yard Athletics.

Were back! Over the last few weeks we’ve been blown away by the number of amazing Transformations story submissions coming in, so please keep them coming. It’s a huge inspiration to the team at Yard Athletics when we see the hard work people have put in to make a positive change in their fitness, eating and lifestyle.

Next up we have Layla Vera, whose story goes far more in-depth than just a one month challenge. We’re incredibly proud of her and are so happy to see all the hard work come to fruition.

Enjoy!

“My story doesn’t start only two months ago; weight is something I’ve constantly battled in my life, so much so I’ve self- appointed myself the Yo-Yo Queen! After having some health issues related to a rapid weight gain over two years, and to be frank, not taking care of myself, I started hanging out at The Yard. I signed myself up for a ½ marathon trail race in June 2016, and from there set a goal to lose some weight and not die trying to finish the race! I asked Ilan for help and he happily obliged.

We increased my workouts, and as a result I lost some weight (5 lbs) and ran an awesome race (Note: during this time I did NOT improve my diet or lifestyle). Regardless, I hit a goal and carried on. Fast forward a year later, I had gained the weight back and was going through intermittent stints of working out, in addition to not changing my diet or lifestyle.

October 2017 I had a self-realization that I needed to make some serious lifestyle changes. Using this platform as an open book, here’s my honest confession: I knew I needed to drink less, make my physical health a priority, and create some consistency to finally rid my Yo-Yo Queen status.  Fast forward to January 2018, I turned the “dirty thirty” and had made some serious lifestyle changes but plateaued on the weight loss front. I am not the calorie counting type, and my job entails more eating out than I’d like to admit. I tried many diet attempts including the small frequent meal approach and learned pretty quick that it wasn’t for me….

Now for the good stuff. In February 2018 Ilan Cumberbirch and Sam Shaw proposed the Yard Hard Challenge. Two months, one goal: lose ten pounds (or at least that was the goal I chose to commit to). After feeling so stuck and frustrated, I was finally ready to admit that diet and consistent weight training was the only way I was going to lose weight and get stronger. Two months seemed like an appropriate amount of time to truly commit and create healthy habits, so I said, “bring it on!”.

Workouts:

The first step to my weight gain “recovery” was admitting I need professional help, and likely always will! Despite a love of being active (teaching spin classes as a hobby job, playing rec. sports) I know nothing about weight / strength training.

–       With less money spent on booze, I committed to investing in my health and getting the right kind of help! The Yard is that help for me!

–       I’ll admit, I don’t know how to describe the workouts beyond “they kick my ass” and have totally changed the shape of my body. For more info on my workouts, reach out to Ilan or Sam as they’d be happy to walk you through my workouts

–       My job was to show up 2-3 times a week and put total faith into their program – it f*cking works!

–       I work(ed) out every day with one day of rest – strength training with the Yard (2-3 times a week), cardio – be it spin or running (2-3 times a week), and one yoga or barre per week to mix it up.

If you are counting – Yes, I did daily doubles at least 2-3 times a week. My workout plan was/is no walk in the park (I did those too), but I enjoyed them and they all contained some social component that kept me interested (and committed)!

The result and future:

I lost a quick 10 pounds in my first month, which leveled out to 8 pounds overall in two months. Now three months later, I am still on the program and it has truly become my habitual norm, and I am officially down 10 pounds. For me, my true success has been keeping the weight off and creating good healthy habits. I let myself cheat on weekends, but the question I ask myself is “is it worth it?”. When I’m out for lunches or dinners, I modify my food orders when I deem it “not worth it”. For example, pasta at Cactus Club: probably not worth it when they have a modern bowl and a variety of healthy (when modified) salad options. On the flip side, pasta at Giardino? WORTH IT!

Losing weight, keeping it off and changing my lifestyle has NOT been easy. It has been, and will continue to be hard work for me. Why this has all worked for me at this stage in my life is that I have chosen to invest in workouts I enjoy with people I trust and have fun with. I have also learned to find foods I love to cook, and options when eating out that help me stay on track. Moving forward, I am sticking to my plan and while it takes (hard) work, the reasons keeping me going are that I have never felt physically better, I feel stronger, and the health issues I have struggled with are gone. The hard work is worth it!

Thank you’s!

Ilan and Sam – I have no words for how much I have appreciated your constant support and cheerleading. For me, to not be able to discuss the details of our workouts other than, it works – speaks volumes for the trust I have in you and how good you both are at what you do! These past three months I have lost 10 pounds, ran a half marathon and a 10km in personal best times, and literally feel the best I have ever felt. You have both contributed to that! I could gush on and on about how awesome you both are, but I think my accomplishments, continued commitment and newfound waistline are evidence enough! THANK YOU!

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – Layla Vera appeared first on Yard Athletics.

Welcome to our latest installment of Transformations! Spotlighting the many #YardHard athletes who participated in the Yard vs. The People challenge, or who otherwise wanted to share their personal fitness journeys.

Although our next feature would prefer remain anonymous, that doesn’t mean his story is any less impressive. “Mr. ______” had wanted a program to help lean down, which Ilan Cumberbirch and Sam Shaw were able to provide over several weeks training at Yard Athletics. Since that time he is down over 26lbs and close to 5% body fat – a truly remarkable showing of dedication and hard work. Our hats are off to you!

Without further adieu, Mr. ______’s Transformation…

“I’ve always enjoyed working out, but like most people my motivation can fluctuate from time to time. When I started working out with the crew at Yard Athletics it was during a period of less than normal motivation, so I was looking to “get focused” again.

I wanted help with my form on certain exercises, as well as a program that I could follow on my own when not at the Yard. After a few months of working out at the Yard I found myself getting stronger, as well as getting the motivation back to exercise. I had it in my mind that I wanted to start a cutting program, so I approached Sam & Ilan about building one for me – that’s when they told me about The Yard vs The People contest.

I was excited because I knew the contest would hold me accountable for what I was already planning to do. Ilan and Sam created a cutting program for me that I started that day. I followed the program closely and would work out 1 – 2 days a week at The Yard, getting help on my form in addition to any questions I had about the program. Coupled to that, I was often running home from work (5.5km) making for a fairly intense 2-a-day program. I also used the My Fitness Pal app to track everything I ate. I had a total calorie goal for each day as well as a macro goal for Protein, Carbs and Fat.

  BEFORE    AFTER

From my experience, I never accomplish any goal for my fitness unless I track what I eat. It helps me for a number reasons, namely that I don’t eat a lot of junk when I do this, I tend not to over eat, but most importantly it allows me to view what I eat as fuel for exercise. I work harder in the gym knowing I’ve given my body what it needs to be successful, which then becomes a positive feedback loop: I stick to my eating plan because I’ve been working hard at the gym / I want to work hard at the gym because I’ve been eating well….

By the time of the official Yard vs The People weigh-in I was already down 9 lbs. Over the course of the next two months I lost an additional 17lbs for a total of 26lbs, as well hitting 5.3% body fat. The experience was great, and now that the contest is over they have me started on a strength program where I’ve been slowly adding more calories back into my diet. I’m the most motivated I’ve been in a long time, and am very pleased with the results. The crew at the Yard made it easy for me to accomplish this, and I couldn’t be happier with everything!

Mr. ___________ ”

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – ANONYMOUS appeared first on Yard Athletics.

Welcome to another installment of our TRANSFORMATIONS series! This week we hear the inspiring (and hilarious) account of Will Kinash’s personal fitness journey. The self-professed “Mayor of Kerrisdale” takes us through his last 3 months at Yard Athletics, and the gains he’s made in strength, endurance and overall body composition.

We love stories like these, so send them in as we would love to feature you!

Without further adieu, Mr. Will Kinash…

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Dear Yard,

When Ilan first asked me to write a blog post for Yard Athletics, I must admit I was a little apprehensive. I don’t hack darts, drink craft beer, set trends or wear frames, so I wasn’t sure I fit the mold of your typical Vancouver blogger. But after doing a little research on the Internet and finding out Bill Baker operates a contemporary art blog?? (www.billybakes.ca – tell him I sent you for a 15% discount), the barrier to entry seemed minimal, so I decided to give it a shot.

My journey to the Yard started about three months ago. I vividly remember my first workout because about five minutes in I wanted to puke, and legitimately thought about leaving and deleting Ilan’s number from my phone. Ilan had put me in a group session with two of the fittest girls I have ever met, both of whom looked like professional CrossFit athletes that I swear never took breaks. I made it to about the 40-minute mark before lying on the ground in pain for the last 20 minutes. I went home and immediately to bed. After a few days contemplating never working out again, I eventually pulled myself together and realized that for the past few years, I probably wasn’t pushing myself anywhere near my full potential in the gym.

I have always been in decent shape, but I was one of those guys that did the “beach workout.” For those who aren’t familiar with that type of workout split, it’s basically an endless rotation of chest, biceps, shoulders and snap chat selfies. As a result, you lack any type of symmetry with minimal back and leg development. After a few more days of procrastination I came to the conclusion it’s about time I switched things up, so I purchased a 1-on-1 package with Ilan. The reason I opted for the 1-on-1 package is because I felt I lacked some of the fundamentals and proper technique in many of my compound lifts.

**If you haven’t done much deadlifting or squatting, I recommend doing 1-on-1’s first. The additional cost is totally worth it, and your body will thank you for it**

For the first month of training, we almost exclusively focused on building my back and legs. During that time, Ilan and I worked on perfecting the form of my squat and deadlift. Although I have always known the importance of those exercises, until actually performing them on a regular basis you don’t realize the impact they can have on the overall strength of your frame. Ilan ensured these movements were the fundamentals of our workouts, and then added on auxiliary exercises as needed.

At this point I could go in-depth about the wealth of knowledge Ilan has as a trainer, but this is already getting too long and I still need to talk about my two-month transformation. To speed things up, please take a scroll through his Instagram page. The guy practices what he preaches, and whenever I am looking to learn something new I want the person teaching me to be fully embraced in their specific field of expertise. For Ilan, it is very evident that it is strength and conditioning. I think it’s also important to mention, Ilan did abandon me one month into the contest to chase baguettes in France with his better half. During that time I worked
out with Shawzo, and I must admit he is the perfect compliment to Ilan, bringing that same wealth of knowledge but with a different variety to his workouts. I have never worked out with Jocelyn, but I have heard nothing but great things.

Anyhoo, back to my two month transformation…

    BEFORE                                              AFTER

I will keep this section relatively short because during the two months, I didn’t do anything fancy. I worked out 3-4 days per week; once at The Yard and the rest at my local gym. The Yard workouts were focused more on compound lifts, with the other days being more body part specific (I did very minimal cardio). As for the nutrition, I wanted to lose fat, so I opted for ketogenic (keto) diet. If you are living under a rock and have not heard of keto, here is a quick definition which I stole from Google: The ketogenic diet is a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet which puts the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. In layman’s terms, instead of using carbs for energy, you use fat. Now, I’m not one of those people who weighs my food or does any sort of tracking, but my energy levels felt good
throughout the whole time. I should mention the first 5 days or so absolutely suck as you have really low energy while your body adjusts to burning fat for fuel.

To ensure I adhered to the diet, I stuck mainly to whole foods. By whole foods, I mean the actual store; I would hit up their salad bar about 5 days a week. If you know how to navigate a salad bar, you can get out of there with out dropping serious $$$. Please DM for tips. All my carbs would come from vegetables; I didn’t eat any grains, rice or carb heavy foods. I tried to keep my protein to about 1g/lb of body weight and I didn’t measure my fat intake, but I ate lot of eggs, fatty meats and various oils. My supplement routine was comprised of a bunch of random horse size pills that a jacked and extremely tanned 50 year old at Popeye’s sold to me. To save you money and bloating, I will outline the ones that I think actually work.

• Multi Vitamin
• Branch Chain Amino Acid’s (BCAA’s),
• Probiotic
• ZMA
• Melatonin.

Dr Google will explain what each of them does for you. In full confidence, I can’t even say those five supplements have any quantitative benefit, but the
latter two definitely put you right to sleep. **My legal team has advised me to insert a disclosure that I am not a doctor and please consult a licensed physician before taking any supplements**. Disclosures aside, I was able to lose around 12 pounds. I didn’t experience any noticeable strength or muscle loss. I believe keeping the protein high throughout had an impact on helping preserve muscle. In short, the last two months was a breeze, and I am very happy with my results. The Yard has built up a great fitness community in Vancouver, and it’s easy to stay motivated when you know Ilan is going to plaster you working out all over the internet!

The post Transformations – Will Kinash appeared first on Yard Athletics.

Hi Everyone,

As some of you may or may not know, Yard Athletics recently performed a body transformation challenge. Sam Shaw and I challenged our clients to see how much weight they could lose or gain (depending on their goals). Sam and myself had 1 month to complete the challenge, our clients had 2. So here you have it, my one month crash course on attempting to lose as much weight as possible while maintaining my strength. I will cover my training program, diet, nutrition and supplementation and other lifestyle insight. I hope you enjoy!

I was successfully able to lose 20.6lbs (237.8lbs to 216.8lbs) while increasing my 3 Rep Max (RM) on the Bench Press from 315 to 325, Back Squat from 385 to 405, and Conventional Deadlift from 405 to 425. I set a goal, developed a plan, and committed to it. However, I still led my life, enjoyed some sinful treats and alcohol and did not exile myself socially. Keep in mind I am not a registered dietician, or nutritionist nor do I have any formal education in these areas. Read along below for a recap of my experience and some feedback:

Training
My objective was to maintain my strength throughout this 4 week weight loss phase. I would not say that my strength necessarily improved as these are not my greatest numbers and the fact that a 3×3 strength training program is not enough of a neurological nor physiological stimulus to promote much adaptation. Nonetheless, my strength did not diminish, but rather was maintained. While maintaining my strength in the 3 primarily lifts, I wanted to incorporate a lot of accessory work to maintain muscle mass, while keeping my heart rate high (65-85% HR Max). 4×8-12 rep complexes through the different movement patterns (squat, hinge, press, row) through all planes of motion (sagittal, frontal, transverse) with additional high intensity anaerobic intervals (assault bike and skipping) seemed to do the trick. Monitoring rest intervals to 60-90 seconds kept workouts brief and metabolic stimulus high. Additional steady state aerobic exercise at the conclusion of training sessions was implemented on occasion.

Monday: Loaded Athletics Barbell Club with Jeremy Martin (Olympic Lifting) and UBC Men’s Hockey Alumni Skate in the evening
Tuesday: Bench Press Day (pressing, rowing, midline, conditioning)
Wednesday: Squat Day (squat patterning, accessory upper body and midline exercises, conditioning)
Thursday/Friday: Deadlift Day (hinge patterning, rowing and midline accessory work, conditioning)
Saturday: Extra conditioning work/Hockey
Sunday: Off Day

Strength training was the foundation of my program. There were no WODs, Body Weight Interval Sessions, 30 minute workouts or 1 workout/week training sessions. The final week of my training I boxed with Hugh Gleeson of Groundwork Athletics and Anna Farrant of All City Athletics in order to get some more aerobic metabolic work in and boy did they take me for a ride! A couple of the best at what they do, be sure to get at them for an old fashioned ass whoopin’!

Diet/Nutrition
This has always been and will always be a contentious issue. At the end of the day, every individual is unique and different diets will provoke varying results in individuals, specifically in terms of food types, timing and macronutrient breakdowns. You need to find out what works for you. With that being said, I do believe that there are some principles which are effective and are worth a shot if you are looking to shed some stubborn, excess weight. They worked for me.

Intermittent Fasting
Fundamentally, one restricts their caloric intake to a specific window of the day, generally 6-8hrs. I chose to hold off on eating until 12:00/1:00 and stopped around 8:00/9:00pm. Some benefits include:
– Decreased blood insulin levels resulting in metabolization of fat as a fuel source
– Increased levels of human growth hormone resulting in increased fat metabolization, muscle gain, and other benefits
– Increased metabolic rate and fewer calories consumed
– Reduced systemic inflammation

Breaking the fast is best done by ingesting a high fat, high protein meal in order to maintain stable insulin levels. While in a fasted state I would drink BulletProof Coffee (4 shots espresso, MCT Oil, Collagen) or use a scoop of Keto Bomb. This is not considered to be “breaking the fast”.

Macronutrients/Food Types
My diet consisted of high fat, high protein, high vegetable based meals, “Keto” if you will, although I doubt I was rarely in a true state of ketosis. High quality chicken, turkey, beef, fish, avocado, seeds and nuts, oils, nut butters, eggs, and loads of vegetables. Cut the carbohydrates, cut the fat. With that being said, I often felt low on energy while going into training sessions especially during the initial 2 weeks. This was most likely due to restricted calories, depleted glycogen levels, switching fuel sources from readily available glycogen stores to fat and limited sleep(5-7 hrs/night when I should have been getting 7-9 hrs). Check out the Yard Athletics blog for some recipe ideas courtesy of Natalie Cumberbirch, or get in touch with my good friend Yolanda for some meal prep solutions. Diet was crucial, however, not the be all end all.

Supplementation
Supplements are just that, supplementary to a good foundation, by no means do they hold equal importance to the rest of the picture (nutrient intake, food quality, nutrient timing, training intensity and volume, rest and recovery). Omega 3s, Curcumin, Vit E, ZMA, Greens, Whey Protein, Collagen, Glutamine, Gingko Biloba, Vit D, CLA, L-Carnitine, Maca, exogenous ketones and preworkout were daily staples. See my saved stories on my personal Instagram @ilancumberbirch for more details. Body Energy Club has a wide range of products and are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to supplements.

Lifestyle
This one is the kicker for me. Monday to Thursday I lived strictly, 0 alcohol intake, clean eating and hard training. Come Friday night – Sunday night I barely held back.

Each weekend I indulged in good drink and eats with friends. Ice cream cakes, chips and salsa, margaritas, wine, steaks, beers, pizza and pasta, waffles, bacon and eggs, cheesecake, all of the good stuff. You CAN have your cake and eat it too! With that being said, portion control is important. Stay regimented and strict and treat yourself on occasion.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. Moral of the story is that fad diets, quick fixes and trendy workouts are just that…fluff, they come and go with the changes of the wind. Science works! Set time oriented goals, develop realistic plans of action, and commit to them. Write them down so they don’t become faint memories like the last time you could see your abs. Hold yourself accountable and exert appropriate will power. Just remember, we’re all human, we all have lives, and health and happiness are strongly correlated, so lead your life and begin with small changes and adjustments to begin. If you want it, you can have it, now go and get it.

For more information feel free to get in touch via email ilan@yardathletics.ca. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @ilancumberbirch for daily workout, nutrition and lifestyle insight. For training inquiries visit our website yardathletics.ca and check out our Instagram account @yardathletics_ and come down and get #YardHard with us at “The Yard”!

Cheers,

Ilan

The post TRANSFORMATIONS – Ilan Cumberbirch appeared first on Yard Athletics.