The crunch is on. Fitness, wellness, strength and stamina are the main requirements for the upcoming wining season. With that in mind, one fitness buff says he's got the ingredients for the perfectly sculpted abdominals in just 12 weeks. Derron Roberts is a 28-year-old certified, practising and professional fitness and nutrition specialist. After one month of observing and even getting feedback from women who requested better-looking abs, the Chaguanas-based instructor has come up with a plan to solve the problem of the bulge.
Designing the plan
The University of the West Indies graduate has been certified by the International Sports and Science Association, and said he knew he was more than capable of providing the answer to this dreaded problem.
"I took the principles behind fitness, and after a month I designed a plan to help people lose fat around the stomach area," he said.
Roberts' qualification has allowed him to design menu plans with athletes in mind, and his expertise in this area carried over well into his design strategy for the 12-week abs plan.
"The 12-week plan entails core routines which consists of the abdominal area and lower back, along with an aerobics fat-burning routine in nature and a meal plan," he explained. On October 16, Roberts completed a trial of the plan, with the help of 20 candidates.
"By the second week, two persons dropped out, and by the end of the 12 weeks, I was down to 11 persons, but I did see results," he said.
"I was a bit disappointed because the candidates failed to commit totally to what was required," lamented Roberts. He believes, however, the plan will work with people who are committed to what's required.
Facing the challenge
"Nothing comes without a challenge but I found that most of the candidates complained that the programme was hard and they didn't want to eat certain foods that were recommended," he said. He said what most people failed to realise was the simple fact that the body eventually got used to the ritual, and it all became easier. He said he thought the plan was ideal now more than ever because Carnival was merely five months away. When asked how he maintained his appreciation for fitness and helping people chart a course for a healthier lifestyle, Roberts said, "People give me inspiration. Every time I work with a client and I see the results they get, I'm inspired to do it again and again for other people. I've been a fitness enthusiast since the age of 16."
Confronting bad local diets
Roberts believes the foods we consume is a major factor in the negative impact on the health of many locals. "The regimen required that the candidates eat oats, egg whites and other healthy foods, and the feedback from the candidates was simply that they wanted to eat their local food and foods that could be easily prepared. "The way we prepare food in T&T, there's always a high intake of starch and fat," he said, further highlighting that portion size was another integral factor to weight gain or the opposite–weight loss.
"I listened to what the candidates complained about and I tweaked the programme to include limited portions of local food. Now, hopefully that will be incentive enough to get them committed." Roberts has trained female soca artiste, Sanell Dempster, and he now works with her son, who is a track and field athlete. "I know how it feels to lose weight and to be healthy and fit," he said, adding that he's now undertaking a local brand called Anatomie. Explaining that Anatomie isn't fully up and running, he assured people could get an understanding of the mission and the eventual experience by visiting www.anatomie.me
For more on improved abs in 12 weeks,
contact Derron Roberts at dnar2108@yahoo.com or anatomieholdings@yahoo.com