We’ve all seen photos and videos of people transforming their bodies in a matter of weeks and, quite frankly, they’re inspirational. Type in ‘body transformation’ and you’ll find examples plastered all over the internet. It’s a glimmer of hope for those going through the struggles of getting fit.
We all want to improve on our current physical state, which is a great determining factor of overall health. Even if you say you’re content with what you have now, you know it’s disingenuous to flat out dismiss the idea of transforming yourself into a much improved version.
Body transformations typically take around 8-12 weeks for significant results. There are many ways you can do yours — on your own, with a workout buddy, with a class, with a personal trainer, all of the above. Or, go to a studio that specialises and delivers on body transformations.
I did my own ‘mini transformation’ in a span of two weeks with Embody Fitness. Its team of experts surround you and cater to specific needs all while keeping a sharp eye on your goals.
“We are not a gym or PT studio, we are a transformation centre and we’re 100 per cent focused on getting people results. So when you come to Embody Fitness, you’re not joining a gym or a place to workout — you are coming to make amazing lasting changes to your body and lifestyle,” says Rob Richards, director of training.
Rob put me through a comprehensive assessment before any actual training. If I’d been more naive I’d think some of his questions were random. But everything made sense when he explained them to me — it all connects back to your routine. As Rob explains: “We take a 360 degree approach to all our clients. We have a lifestyle assessment that includes questions about sleep quality and duration, stress levels, environment etc. We have the physical assessment — fat and muscle composition, range of motion, mobility, posture, previous or current injury or pain. And then we have nutritional — previous diets, current eating patterns, macro-nutrient intake (carbs/fats/protein) hydration and meal timings.”
Embody Fitness is as meticulous in its approach to training. Tim Richards, my trainer, made my warm-ups specific and geared towards improving my muscle-firing and mobility issues. Training with Tim was extremely fundamental, he made sure every rep counted and the targeted muscles are stimulated. He was also cautious of my previous injuries and we worked around them. An example of this was switching to a neutral grip during bench presses to avoid any pain altogether on my left shoulder as he knows it isn’t fully healthy.
I went to Embody Fitness several times in a span of two weeks and the rest of the days I worked out on my own. It helps that I’m no beginner. But within those two weeks I applied whatever Rob and Tim told me about nutrition and exercise. I took their advice seriously… well… except for the part where I maybe bent a rule or two about Rob’s prescribed nutritional plan. Sorry, Rob.
“The diet is generally where people have the most problem in adjusting but we have nutritional consults every two to four weeks to keep the client on track and help them if there are any issues,” Rob says.
Despite being derailed a bit with the eating part, I managed to lose 2.6 per cent of body fat, that’s 2.3kg mostly around the waist. More importantly, I kept my muscle mass unchanged.
To think this experiment only lasted a few sessions in two weeks, the results exceeded my expectations. I couldn’t be any more satisfied with Rob’s nutritional plan and Tim’s training.
“Peoples self-confidence improves, energy levels increase, of course body fat drops and muscle improves. People feel a real sense of achievement and it leads to improvements in all areas of their lives,” Rob concludes.
Yes to that.
The details
Embody Fitness is located at the Lamborghini Building on Shaikh Zayed Road, Dubai.
