Online Coaching Client Results

"Crazy to think this is my 12 week update and the end of this journey. I am more than happy with the results that we were able to achieve and I can certainly appreciate the before and after pictures. I really couldn’t have asked for a better motivator and coach, your service is worth every penny. I wish you continued success with your business and personal life, thanks again Andy."

He was doing a bodybuilding split before, which is why is strength increased when cutting down the training and focusing on mainly the barbell work. Were there any muscle gains? Well, the legs are 1cm bigger, and the chest/back (down only 1.5cm) and arms (down by only 1.5cm) have been maintained better than expected given the weight loss so it’s likely there was a small amount.

Weight: 183lbs -> 169.7lbs, Stomach: 31.5” -> 28.2”
Deadlift: 230lbs x 5reps -> 335lbs x 5reps, Squat: 185lbg x 5reps -> 295lbs x 5reps Benchpress: 185lbs x 5reps -> 225lbs x 5reps

Note: You are an individual, your results will vary depending on genetics, adherence, and effort.

"I’ve worked with several ‘big name’ internet trainers/coaches. ALL of their programs and diets produced results initially. The problem for me was that those programs required increasing amounts of gym time and caloric restriction to either maintain or produce further results. I had to be honest with myself about the amount of time I could spend in the gym and how many chicken salads with plain baked potatoes I could eat..."

Age: 45-46, Height: 5’11, Weight: 221lbs -> 175lbs, Stomach: 41.5” -> 31.9”

Read more in the interview post, "Coaching Lessons #3 – One bite at a time".

"The coaching was absolutely top notch, and Andy kept me motivated throughout the process.

To me, the most valuable part was the presence of a very smart coach on the other side when I started having doubts or when I thought I should stop because I am "lean enough".

Andy kept me focused on the bigger picture all throughout, and that's just priceless because if I was doing it by myself, I would have stopped halfway through thinking I can get back to bulking, and would have remained in that purgatory indefinitely.

Interview

As a man that’s lost 100lbs over the course of his entire journey (33lbs shown in the pictures), what advice do you have to people with a long journey ahead of them like you had when you started?

Get super clear on why you want to achieve this goal and fully trust the system. This takes a lot of patience and your method of measuring your body and keeping a track of the numbers definitely helps in staying on track even when the weight scale doesn’t show any changes.

Also, if there are a few things causing stress in your life which are not fitness related, give them space to resolve before committing to the routine again. I had to learn it the hard way.

There are going to be many challenges and doubts. Most of those doubts have been clarified on this website (and in the comments section). Your coaching style taught me to do my best to find the answer before reaching out, and most times I was able to find them on my own. This taught me to become independent about my nutrition and training. It is harder to learn how to fish rather than just getting it from someone but it is an investment of time and effort in a life skill that will benefit you forever.

There have been so many times when I caught myself fussing about the minor details and then referring back to the main pyramid and reminding myself – adherence is key! I just focused on the adherence part of the pyramid and I am frankly shocked to see the results especially to have a six pack after doing no cardio or crunches!

I won’t lie, this is a hard thing to achieve, but an awesomely enjoyable ride full of gifts, surprises, self-discovery, and growth. I wasn't the smartest and the most consistent in my approach. Heck, I failed so many times I have lost count, but if I can do it so can anyone else.

Thanks again for all your help. I will forever be grateful. You changed my life! ????

– Darvinder

Training:

We were able to keep Darvinder's training exceptionally basic. He had been following the training programming on the site prior to becoming a client and was happy to keep things as they were. Just click the training tab and take a look at the three-day split to get an idea.

Here is a good example of what you can achieve in a relatively short time frame if you are patient after cutting.

The pictures show the difference between Chandler at the end of his cut, four months into his slow bulk and later, 9lbs heavier. Some of that will be water weight, some muscle but the overall result is good if you look closely. The key to this was Chandler reverse-dieting slowly post-cut. What I mean by this is slowly increasing his calories over time.

In terms of a practical guide for that: milk all the strength gains you can from your current macros then increase them slightly, get more strength gains until they stall, repeat. Continue like this and you can stay lean. Requires patience and commitment.

"Hi, Andy!

I've been meaning to email you for a while. I want to thank you deeply for all that you do and the content you provide. I had gotten a little fat after college a few years ago and wanted to do something about it. I had found Marks Daily Apple and started eating primal (ketosis) and lifting again. Definitely saw some solid fat loss and muscle gain. After a while, I found LeanGains and started doing IF religiously (but I ignored the complicated stuff that intimidated me like "macros"). Progress was slow, inconsistent, and frustrating.

I stumbled upon your site after spending a couple years floundering around with these different methods. I read every article on there. I read your complete guide to setting up your diet like 5 times, and it finally got through my thick skull that: 1. your daily caloric intake is of great importance as is the ratio of macronutrients, and 2. that measuring my intake, weight, and other markers was the only way to make appreciable progress with my physique. Anyway, it's been about a year since I found your guide, and I've just completed a very successful 12-week cut in which I lost 12 lbs like clockwork, using your macro calculator excel sheet. I'm in prime summer shape thanks to you. I'm very very grateful for your work, and I've shared your website with anyone who will listen. Oh, and the adjustments email course was quite helpful too.

Best,

Chris"

I worked with Yousef for just over three months and then advised him on how to progress moving forward. He sent me the following pictures a few months later beaming with pride over his new physique and happy to share them. The one set above is 6 months after he started his cut, and the next a month into his slow bulk. I should have asked for the comparison data at the time but it slipped my mind. I think the pictures tell the story though.

"I found the change to IF liberating, enlightening and a whole lot easier than I had anticipated. I had become a slave to the kitchen and my tupperware. Before IF my whole life revolved around what time I had to be back, what time we could leave, what I needed to take. It was exhausting. I moved to 2 meals a day and I’ve never looked back, it just felt right. Using simple rules to add macros, not sweating the decimals and odd numbers having someone as helpful and accommodating and Andy to talk me through really (without sounding too dramatic) gave me my life back. I instantly had so much more time, my energy levels were increased and I felt great. All the time. I no longer needed a nap in the afternoon and as for my training that’s been taken to a whole new level."

Scott actually got bigger and stronger despite dieting, which is the exception rather than the norm with experienced lifters.

• Click for an explanation of why I think that was, and why Leangains is so effective.
• Click for a full interview with Scott including details of his workout routine.
• Update: Scott’s slow bulk progress photo.

Age: 36 Height: 186cm (~6’1′′) Weight: 91.0kg (200.2lbs) -> 85.4kg (187.9lbs) Stomach: 86.0cm (33.9′′) -> 77.5cm (30.5′′) @navel Squat: 145kg x 5reps -> 162.5kg x 5reps Dips: BW+40kg x 6reps -> BW+60kg x 4reps Deadlift: 185kg x 4reps -> 195kg x 3reps Chin-Up: BW+40kg x 5reps -> BW+45kg x 5reps

Chest +3cm Legs +2cm Arms + 1cm

"These 12 weeks have taught me a TON about a lot of things, from avoiding micro-managing to goal/expectation setting, and I couldn’t have done it without your guidance. I appreciate that your methods have been able to keep things EXTREMELY flexible with me (I definitely feel like I haven’t been squeaky clean/on point and probably could have progressed further if I was completely regimented), but the flexibility has given me a ton of value in other ways by allowing me to still enjoy evenings out and occasional gluttony with my girlfriend. (We’re trying to kick our Korean BBQ and boba milk tea addiction, but it’s pretty tough I tell you :p )."

Age: 27, Height: 5’5”, Weight: 158.2lbs -> 138.6lbs, Stomach: 34.2” -> 28.35”
Squat: 195lbs × 5reps -> 230lbs × 7reps Benchpress: 175lbs × 2reps -> 182.5lbs × 8reps Deadlift: 295lbs x 4reps -> 315lbs x 3reps 

“I feel excellent with the changes. Couple of years ago i had an 8-pack. So I will go on till my lower abs are clearly visible and then slow bulk IF is a new start and way in my life I will definitely be doing and stay doing.

Client Marc, continuing on to take it to shreds. Always great to get people check back in and show you how they're getting on. Nice work buddy!

"The most helpful thing hiring you as a coach, besides obviously your good advice was knowing someone would be strictly assessing what I was doing. It worked well and kept me motivated. Yet, even now that our 12 weeks is over, I feel this is a pretty easy to maintain diet and the results I've seen will definitely keep me going with it well into the future.

Total Diet Time: 16 weeks. (Picture on left taken 4 weeks before start of diet.)

Weight: 204lbs -> 189lbs

Strength changes: Overall rep strength declined, but set two PR’s during final weeks of diet: 405lb Squat, 505lb Deadlift.

Measurement changes: Shoulders before: 50.5, After: 49.75 Chest Before: 41 After: 40 Waist before: 33.5 After: 30.75 Arms Before: 16 After 15.75 Thighs Before: 24.75 After: 23.5 Calves: Unchanged 

See this post for more pictures.

"So far, it’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot and I feel deep gratitude for your guidance. I am too bad with English to put down in words how has been the whole process, I guess the images show much more than words do. I hope you are proud of my work so far, but it would be great for me if we could keep working together."

- Which we did.

Height: 5’7”, Weight: 145.5lbs -> 134.2lbs, Stomach: 33.7” -> 29.8”

"Hi Andy, Here are my 12 week stats and images, These are the best I could do with the available lighting. The 12 week journey has been fantastic! This has been so easy and enjoyable. I now feel i have complete control of my eating and exercise and I will eat and train like this for the rest of my life!

I have never felt better my energy levels are through the roof and I sleep like a baby every night. I wish I had found this method years ago and not waisted so many years on f***ed up programmes that did nothing!! Do you think I need to lose a touch more before the slow bulk, still can pinch an inch around the BB?"

Things worth mentioning:

1. He’s 48, not 18. I hope this proves inspiration to people. 2. No cardio, 3days in the gym only. 3. He did this with food alone, no fat burning supplements etc.

"You were right, the transformation is drastic. I never believed I could shed basically 18 pounds of fat in 12 weeks!

Overall I am so happy to have just trusted your judgment throughout this process – I feel I have control given 15+ years of frustration with endless cardio and BS advice. Right now I am the talk of the office, gym etc – anywhere I go. People just want to know what I have been doing. It’s amazing how many people are asking what I am doing and asking for advice! So they must like what they see which is also a confidence booster.

This is a skill for life you have helped me with and I have a great mentor in you. It’s the best money I’ve spent – the results speak for themselves, the hours and hours I’ve saved in time from cardio etc and the realization that I am giving myself the best chance of a long life – its priceless and again I thank you and you have my complete respect, my friend.

Be good to yourself always, Abdul."

Height: 5’8′′, Weight: 160.8lbs -> 143.2lbs, Stomach: 33.6′′ -> 29.7′′

Abdul contacted me after losing 29lbs on his own. This explains the lose skin in the picture on the left. The challenge was to lose fat at a rate where we wouldn’t further the skin issue and it worked quite well. There’s a little lose skin on the right, but it will come tight within a couple of months and he’ll look even more shredded.

"I would want to say thanks for everything Andy. I can’t see me ever going back to my old eating and training habits. You’ve saved me time, money, hassle and wasted effort. I’d be keen to emphasize that working with you has been extremely rewarding, productive, efficient and beneficial – and quite life changing in terms of freeing me up time wise; and is most certainly suitable for seasoned body builders, not only those new to training."

Full interview with Phil in my article, "Switching from Six Meals, Phil’s Story".

"Andy, I’m am very pleased with the results and have already told a number of people about you when they ask me how I did it, I will definitely do my best to find you new clients!

I look great and feel great and am happy I became involved with you three months ago. This way of life has been great for me and I plan to live this way from now on. Thank you very much for time in coaching me and your valuable advice."

Height: 5’7”, Weight: 168lbs -> 156.5lbs, Stomach: 32.8” -> 29.7” Deadlift: 293lbs x 6reps -> 304lbs x 7reps

Note: Stats are for the 12 weeks. Pictures are 16 weeks apart because I requested one under similar lighting conditions so it was a fair comparison.

"I have loved this program and easy lifestyle of eating and training that you have bestowed upon me. I appreciate what you have taught me and I think the results speak for themselves. Let me know what you think! Improvements up and down the board, I feel better than ever, and honestly, I think I can do even better! There were times when I felt like I was cheating or not really following the plan but tried to stay smart and follow all of your advice!!! I've got a final pic in there as well as a comparison pic with dates! Truly amazed at how much my body has changed. Didn’t feel too much of a difference throughout the process but the patience and hard work obviously have paid off! I plan on keeping this state of leanness or better throughout time but slowly adding more mass (my goal).

Thanks!!!"

Height: 5’10′′, Weight: 171lbs -> 163.4lbs, Stomach: 30.3 -> 28.6′′

"I wanted to take myself out of the equation as much as possible. As a coach myself, I have all the knowledge necessary to get this done, but it’s in my nature to second guess myself, even when it comes to things I’m extremely confident about. Taking everything off of my plate and putting all the details onto a coach I trusted freed up all of my mental resources to simply execute the plan and reap the rewards."

Full interview with Rog in my article, "Why would a coach get coached?"

"I am very pleased with the results. More than anything I am satisfied that I now have the knowledge to keep weight off and as weird as it sounds I’m now no longer scared to get off track a little because I know how to take it right off without training like a professional athlete.

Also, I was surprised as you were with my lifting gains. I have never in my life done squats or deadlifts until I started your program, and 4 weeks was my record for ever maintaining a fitness program. And I wouldn’t even call it a program. So yes, those are PB’s."

Height: 5’11′′, Weight: 176lbs -> 168lbs, Stomach: 34.0′′ -> 29.8′′
Lifting stats in pounds by the end were: Deadlift 365×2, Squat 275×10, Bench 225×4