I started training Joel Isava one year ago, and he has lost a total of 40 pounds. He started at 250 pounds and he is now 210 pounds of lean muscle. Joel is not only my client, he has been my neighbour for the past year. As a matter of fact, when Joel approached me about training, his first words to me were, "I need to start training, because when I tell people you are my neighbour, they remark, 'boy an' you looking like dat'?" Yes, Joel was overweight, but even at our first encounter, I could sense determination in the tone of his voice. Within one year, Joel's body has gone through a remarkable transformation, and today I am going to share his training programme and his eating habits with you readers.
The training programme
I was very concerned about tuning up his cardiovascular system, because even though he came from a swimming background, he had been inactive for a couple of years. We started with some light jogging around the Chaguaramas golf course area for about 25 minutes, three times per week. On the days that we were not jogging, we went mountain biking for two-hour sessions, also in the Chaguaramas area. This routine went on for about four weeks and then I added other activities to his training programme such as weight training and kick boxing.
Weight training: On Mondays and Wednesdays, he would work chest and back, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays he would work arms, shoulders and legs. He did abs in every workout and would rest on Fridays. Saturdays would be plyometrics and lots of stretching. Throughout this weight-training routine, he still maintained at least three sessions of cardio per week, alternating between running and mountain biking. I decided, however, to change his cardio routine after two months of training and I had him perform High Intensity Interval Training (Hiit) twice per week, together with a special heavy bag class at our dojo, also twice per week.
After three months, the hard training was taking a toll on Joel. Sometimes when he reached home he would not have the energy to play with Zeus, his beloved pit bull, he would be so tired! However, Joel persevered and I soon noticed his energy levels were improving by leaps and bounds. He became so motivated that he began performing additional explosive-type cardio exercises on the days that I could not train him.
The eating programme
Unfortunately for Joel, because he is my neighbour, I could tell if a pizza delivery bike pulled up in front of his house and I could literally smell foods that were cooking in his kitchen. The point I am making is that I was able to monitor his eating habits very closely. However, I never had problems with his food intake. He understood the importance of selective carbohydrate intake (using the Glycemic Index) and the proper timing of his meals in relation to his training. Today he is more confident, a lot fitter and has more energy to apply himself to his job. Keep training.