Joe Wicks, the dishy online trainer from the UK, doesn’t turn his sculpted back on burgers, pizzas, egg yolks or coconut milk.
His philosophy? Get people to eat as many calories they can, while still burning fat.
It works — or so claim the hundreds of testimonials of his clients who upload pictures of their transformation after following his 90-day Shape, Shift and Sustain eating and exercise plan. His 15-second recipe videos — that take 15 minutes to make — are crisp and catchy, and a generously laden with the good stuff such as coconut milk, chicken and vegetables. Phrases such as “prep like a boss” and “midget trees” (his pet name for broccoli) have become an anthem for his devoted fan following who are looking to trim the fat. (Wicks has amassed a whopping 897,000 followers on Instagram, where he first courted fame, and 131,000 followers on Twitter).
“I don’t believe in bland, low-calorie food or that you can’t eat carbs after 6pm ...,” said Wicks, who is due to speak about fitness at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai Festival City at a sold-out session on Friday.
Wicks, who goes by the name The Body Coach (and has signed a six-book deal), dreams of a world where fats and carbohydrates aren’t considered enemies to the human body. For those wondering, the 29-year-old former physical trainer doesn’t have a grand story behind offering free fitness videos and recipes online. He wasn’t a former fat person, he was just a lean guy who didn’t eat the cleanest of foods. He discovered that he had more energy when he ate better and chose to spread his inspiring lifestyle change through his online content.
Excerpts from our interview with Wicks as we discuss food, good fats, fitness and his first TV show — which will not be anything like The Biggest Loser.
What is your session in Dubai all about?
The session is called Fit in 15 and is about how I came up with the idea of #LeanIn15, my book, and the philosophy behind my nutrition and fitness. I touch upon being healthy and lean, all year round. Doing crash diets and up-down diets don’t work.
In the UAE we have McDonalds delivered to our door and brunches are a way of life. How do we resist temptation?
Really, you get that delivered! I was in a taxi and I saw that every single billboard was about chocolates, fizzy drinks and fast foods. It showed the price and how cheap it is. So you are bombarded with all these images and it’s not good for you. Those things have no nutritional value and have some horrible chemicals in them ... Brunches have a domino effect. You can be the party boy, but you have to find a balance. I am here for five nights and I had a night out yesterday. Today, I have less energy. You should have brunches if you love it, but the idea is not to have thousands of calories all day. So the trick is to ‘prep-like-a-boss’ [he’s an advocate of preparing all the meals you need for a week in advance]. It may seem like a headache, but it means when you leave for work you have your breakfast and lunch sorted. Then, staying lean is easy. If you leave the house without food, then you end up buying sandwiches and food that aren’t good for you. So food is everything, it is energy. The more you take control of your food, the more energy you are left with to train. People underestimate how important nutrition is for your energy. It means everything. If you follow it and be consistent, then you will see results.
You don’t consider carbohydrates or coconut oil as food enemies. So do we need to unlearn what we have been programmed to think?
The three things I teach is that you can eat much more food than you think. You don’t have to go for a low-calorie diet and you can also eat healthy fats at the right times. Also, the theory that saturated fats give you heart disease is flawed research. The stigma attached to fats is what I am trying to change. Also, the belief that you can’t eat carbs after 6pm and they make you fat isn’t right. As long as you are eating them in the right quantities and training well, you can enjoy them. You don’t have to give them up.
You have often said that you can never out-train a bad diet, so how important is exercise?
You need to have a low body-fat index and you can never out-train a bad diet. People always make excuses about skipping exercise such as not having a gym membership, not having the time to exercise or about not being able to afford a personal trainer. But I have proved with my twenty minutes HIIT [High Intensity Interval Training] sessions done in a hotel room, you can have a tough workout, get your heart rate up and get rid of body fat to get lean. You just have to believe that you need to make time and make exercise fit in your life. If you have no energy in the evenings after work, then make time in the mornings. Get into the routine. Once you train in the morning, you feel awesome for the rest of the day.
What is your opinion on superfoods? In your recipes, I don’t see you adding much of them.
A: I don’t think there’s just one fat-burning superfood. It’s combination of everything. Once you have proteins, leafy greens and healthy fats sorted, you are taking care of your digestive system. People don’t eat enough vegetables. It’s about enjoying good food like protein-packed pancakes, curries and burgers and not feeling like you are on a diet. If the food tastes good and you have lots of energy, then you are going to stick to it.
Your workout videos are extremely popular. But do you have to be on a certain fitness level to plunge into it? For instance, I had twins recently (ok, seven months ago). Can I jump into your routine?
A: If you had a baby, you need to wait for six to eight weeks. But always, speak to your doctor first. But you have to understand that I might do treadmill sprints very fast, but somebody else might be better at power walking. It’s about choosing exercises that work for you and you feel safe doing. I wouldn’t start doing burpees, if you have just had a baby. You could do boxing and running on the spot.
Do you hate burpees (an exercise move that requires you to use your entire body strength and involves squats and jumps) like the rest of us?
I love them. Anything that makes me feel sick, hard and tough is good. Burpees, mountain climbers and running on the spot can be tough exercises, but it works.
You are an internet sensation. Did you expect to be so popular?
I didn’t expect it. But I love what I do and when you are giving someone value, then they will come back and talk about it. All the opportunities in my life have come through the social media. I had a book publisher approach me after seeing my popularity on social media. If you can inspire people and make them laugh, you are good.
Ellie Goulding seems to be your fan. How did you two meet?
She’s a vegetarian and has not done my plan. But we are friends. I have never trained celebrities even when I was a personal trainer. I focus on mums who don’t have the time to go to gyms and people who are struggling with diets.
Have you thought of launching a fitness studio or a gym, led by you. in Dubai or elsewhere?
My business is digital business and is about signing up online for fitness plans. People, all over the world, now sign up for my 90 days SSS plan. Having my own gym would be fun, but right now I am busy. But one day, I might have The Body Coach gym in Dubai or elsewhere. But my goal is to reach more people online now and inspire them to be lean.
What’s next?
I am working on a TV show in the UK, my pilot episode. It’s a transformation show. It’s not about making them drop the calories like The Biggest Loser. It will be a show about healthy ways to lose fat.
