Sometimes it just seems so nice to me; someone who tells me exactly what to eat and what exercises to do that day. But also for me a personal trainer and a nutritionist is too expensive. In any case, they must come from a good background, because I will no longer be fooled.
At the end of last year I met Tom Barten. I already knew his name as a personal trainer and I could remember something about his own plan: Personal Body Plan. I told him that I’ve been losing my ‘mojo’ more and more lately. Because of things in my private life or because I just don’t know where to start anymore. He suggested that I start his Personal Body Plan on January 5, 2015 and I am now on day three.
Beginning
Online I filled out a questionnaire about myself, took pictures in underwear (confrontational!) and quickly ate some chips with mayonnaise. I received a welcome package with a towel, a letter from my personal coach and a water bottle and I didn’t really care. I’m used to eating healthy, I’m used to strength training, I just need to know exactly what I had to do for the plan. Full of anticipation, I opened the app on Monday morning. O. I read through the recipes for a few hours (real) and watched the exercises. Like what the fuck? The recipes are normal, but normal for a kitchen geek like me is Michelin level and the exercises may be in the gym but I saw a few that I’ve never done and certainly hadn’t seen anyone else do .
Total panic
Around noon I texted Tom, so I was already completely panicked: maybe this isn’t for me after all! Maybe someone else should just test this for Workthates? However? Tom reassured me. He is also not a star in the kitchen and advised me to make ordinary dishes in a wok with chicken, vegetables and rice. I was also advised by brand new Lifestyle Coach Jenny to count my macros (just keep track of your nutrition throughout the day in normal human language) with the My Fitness Pall app. And to make sure I wouldn’t cut my hair, Tom offered me a personal training for the next day in which we would also go through the exercises from other days.
Count calories
No sooner said than done. I didn’t get my recommended kcal per day on the first day (I have to eat well, because I mainly want to gain muscle mass and don’t need to lose kilos). Reality check! I may be obsessed with food, but I never eat very large portions. So this is the first point in my behavior that I have to adjust. The second day it went a little better, I was high in my proteins (good for the muscles), but I can still improve a bit in my carbohydrates and therefore also in my total kcal intake. The second day (yesterday) was also the first day of training: with Tom! I provided a good breakfast and was looking forward to it! I can now tell you exactly what I did, but those are the exercises that have been mapped out for me, so personally, they are of little use to you.
Phase one
What I can tell you is that Personal Body Plan starts with an anatomical adaptation phase (3 weeks). The what? A phase in which muscle groups are trained that are often somewhat weaker (back, back of shoulders and hamstrings). If you make it stronger first, you will have less injuries later in the process. You also train your imbalance between left and right and stabilize the muscles around your joints, such as around your ankle (also a weak point for many people).
NOW I understand why there were such rare exercises in my plan. They also seemed quite easy, but I came back to that during the implementation.
So much for my first introduction to Personal Body Plan. Of course every few weeks I write a piece for you about the plan and my progress. I am very curious about the results and more motivated than ever! I now have an ‘active rest’ day, so I’m going for a quiet jog in the sun. Just because I feel like it!
Would you like to participate? A new group starts every first Monday of the month (February 2). You will then be assigned your own coach who is available 24 hours a day, personal nutritional advice and a personal training schedule for € 79 per month. The total plan lasts half a year. The result? Have a look here…