The last couple of months have been eye-opening. I came to Harriet in a tough spot, and this was reflected in my training as I felt as I wasn’t getting the most out of it. I had always had a tough relationship with food and Harriet was quick to pick this up. We spent weeks bringing me back up to a stable calorie level, as opposed to the 1600 calories I was living off previously. Almost immediately I noticed my sleep improve, my lifts increase dramatically, and my endurance sky-rocketed.
I finally began to understand food, not as “good” vs “bad” but as something that is needed to fuel my performance. After spending some time gaining some kilos, we went into a cutting phase, with the goal to ensure that I do not sacrifice my strength. To date, my lifts and endurance have continued to increase, and I am in such a better mindset when it comes to food, even allowing myself a few meals “off-plan” during the week. I’ve learned to listen to my body through Harriet’s training and guidance…and can honestly say it’s been life-changing. I’m ready to keep going and find an even stronger, smarter version of the current me.
Michael Garbuz
Background:
25-year-old male, Michael Garbuz, studying full time with no medical history. He plays tennis at a competitive level and before commencing 98 Training, was undertaking group high-intensity cardio-based training classes 1-2 times a day, tennis training 3-4 times a week plus additional conditioning sessions such as skipping totalling upwards of 10 sessions per week.
Michael reported having some weight loss success with nutrition challenges run via his previous gym. He also reported that while these challenges did lead to reduced body fat, extensive amounts of lean muscle mass were also lost, as measured by scans taken before and after each 8-week challenge. The client also reported feeling obsessed with food during the 8-week challenges and would avoid social occasions to keep on track with the prescribed diet.
Michael’s goals were to increase muscle mass, reduce body fat and gain a better understanding of how to construct a healthy diet long term.
Results:
Michael monitored body composition using DXA with a scan taken at week 1 and again 18 weeks later. Strength increases were tested via testing session scheduled into the 98 Training blocks.
| Pre | Post | Pre | Post | % Change | |||
| Weight | 78.5 | 84.8 | Bench (kg) | 85 | 100 | 17 | |
| BF% | 19.1 | 19.5 | Squat (kg) | 135 | 147 | 9 | |
| Fat Mass (kg) | 14.99 | 16.5 | Deadlift (kg) | ~125 | 150 | 20 | |
| Lean Mass (kg) | 59.98 | 64.68 |
Through increased energy intake, structured resistance training and optimised training structure, Michael was able to increase lean muscle mass by 4.7kg (approximately 1kg per month) while only increasing body fat percentage by 0.4%. Further, due to increased training capacity because of increased energy availability, he reported marked increases in training quality in tennis and the gym and was able to increase numbers over the major lifts during testing periods. Michael also reported having a better relationship with food and has been able to successfully navigate social occasions while not derailing progress with body composition.
Michael has completed this mass gain phase and while body fat gains were minimal comparative to muscle mass gain, now plans to undertake a structured fat loss phase to maintain muscle gained while reducing excess fat mass.
