Andrew Maciver had always wanted to get into shape. For the better part of a decade, the 39-year-old from Sydney, Australia would constantly tell himself that "one day" he would do something and get fit, healthy, and most importantly, happy.
However, like many people in Maciver's shoes, the gym could seem like a cold, unwelcoming place that left him feeling intimidated. As a result, he avoided working out for most of his life and had never done any weightlifting prior to his transformation.
"I was at the heaviest weight I had ever been and was mentally and emotionally 'flat', which was slowly affecting almost every aspect of my life," he says. "My 40th birthday was fast approaching, as was the impending birth of our second child, and it was then I felt that I had to make a change."
Courtesy of Andrew Maciver
That change would come in the form of a transformation with his local Ultimate Performance gym. Spurred by the motivation to be the best father and husband he could for his growing family, Maciver made it his goal to go all-in on becoming the fittest he had ever been.
He worked out at the gym three days a week with each session lasting around 45 minutes and led by a personal trainer. The sessions included resistance training across six exercises broken down into three different supersets. This routine helped Maciver build muscle fast while also teaching him how to deal with difficult exercises.
"The Atlantis Strength Pendulum Squat broke me every single time," he says. "Yet, it produced the best quad exercise you can get. Every bit of pain on that machine was worth it in the end."
Maciver's trainer, Zach, made sure he stayed on track with his workout technique but also on track in the kitchen, too.
"Each week, I had weight and fat loss numbers to hit," he says. "And, Zach was with me every step of the way ensuring that I continued to progress. He checked in with me every day to make sure I was comfortable with my food plan and calorie deficit."
Like any authentic weight-loss transformation, strict and healthy dieting is required to get the results you'll want to write home about. Before Maciver began his journey, a typical day would involve cereal or toast for breakfast, fast food for lunch and a dinner of pasta or rice. Plus, throughout the day he would find himself snacking on sweets.
During his transformation, a typical day's diet would involve:
Breakfast: Ham, Mushroom, Spinach and Egg white omelette
Lunch: 150 grams of Rump Beef Steak with steamed vegetables
Dinner: 150 grams of 5% fat Beef Mince bolognese with zucchini noodles
Shakes: Whey protein shake
Snacks: Rice cakes with low fat jam or peanut spread
It's no surprise that this strict diet mixed with a consistent workout routine allowed Maciver to get the body he'd always wanted. In a little over 3 months, he lost nearly 30 pounds and 14 percent body fat. However, not every change was purely physical. Maciver is now also able to finally be the father and husband he's always wanted to be.
"The changes in my state of mind and confidence are almost immeasurable," he says. "Feeling fitter, stronger and healthier can do nothing but make you happy. I can now keep up with our two little girls and am in the right shape to handle their neverending levels of energy."
His journey also had the unexpected consequence of helping him overcome lower back pain that had plagued him for years. Maciver would go on to learn that this was due to the developing and strengthening of his core musclesthus, removing the stress off of his back.
Courtesy of Andrew Maciver
Maciver's transformation occurred during the wave of COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia, so he was unable to immediately show off his hard work to his friends and colleagues. When the time came, they were amazed.
"When I did finally get to see them in person their reaction was instant and they couldn't believe how much I had changed physically," he says. "Experiencing the changes yourself is one thing but seeing the reactions of friends and family really hit it home for me on how successful my transformation was."
Despite feeling better than ever with his progress, Maciver isn't quite done with his fitness journey yet. He's locked in a marathon for later in the year and will be returning to UP to continue training with some enhanced strength goals in mind.
When asked what advice he has for someone considering a similar journey, he says it's most important to just get started.
"It doesn't matter how small the first step is, you just have to take that first step. Be it going to a gym, a fitness class or a run, as long as you get out there doing something, it will spark something in your brain that will leave you wanting more. The first few weeks might seem hard, but once you have the ball rolling and momentum behind you, the rest will fall into place."
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
See the rest here:
How This Guy Dropped Nearly 30 Pounds in 3 Months and Lost His Dad Bod - Men's Health
