Ted Hill – ‘in 4 months I got into the best shape of my life and was the strongest I’ve ever been’

Ted, what were your goals when signing up with me?

Gain lean muscle mass and become significantly stronger, especially on the squat, bench and deadlift. Also help in rehabilitating my rowing back injury, preventing me squatting and deadlifting.

What reservations if any did you have before we started working together?

I was slightly concerned about how flexible my life at university would be, especially with regards to eating meals prepared by my housemates, and going on nights out whilst drinking.

How was I able to help you with your reservations?

The IIFYM approach was clearly broken down to me be Steve and by understanding the method of dieting I felt confident enough to undertake the new lifestyle. Even when I got it wrong in the early stages Steve went about informing me and explaining how to improve next time – Like how to go about incorporating alcohol into my diet.

In point form, can you list your achievements training with me thus far?

• Gained lean muscle mass
• Increased strength
• Fully recovered from previous injuries
• Prepped successfully for a cat walk
• In 4 months my total on the big three went up 142.5kg or a 49% increase.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Steve has genuinely transformed my approach to gym and dieting. I have never seen such continual progress in the gym! Having accountability and someone who knows how to set up correct training and macro split is essential.

I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching Ted, it hasn’t always been easy with his lagging injuries and competitive rowing and living the student lifestyle, all competing with not only his training but also nutrition. Ted has done tremendously well in balancing everything in his life, and the progress he has made is outstanding. I look forward to working with Ted again in the future, he has a great future ahead of him.

Interested in online coaching? You can check out what I have to offer here.

Connor Stanbridge – ‘educated me dramatically through the process and always have time to answer my questions’

Connor, what were your goals when signing up with me?

I wanted to increase my weight slowly, because I wanted to add mainly lean muscle without the fat. I also wanted to increase my weights in the gym mainly focusing on my compound movements.

What reservations if any did you have before we started working together?

I was concerned about adding too much fat, and being told what to do and never why.

How was I able to help you with your reservations?

You helped me by increasing my weight and the I calories consumed, without adding fat. Plus I dramatically increased the weight used on the compound lifts. Finally, one major part is you have educated me along the way massively.

In point form, can you list your achievements training with me thus far?

• Gained lean muscle mass
• Increased strength
• Furthered my education
• Improved my confidence
• Made me love training, no longer seeing it as a chore

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I would just like to say it has been a pleasure being coached by you and I am really looking forward to many more months to come. You have seriously helped me along the way with increasing my weight and lifts, and not only are you a great coach you are a really down to earth guy and become a great friend. One massive point for me although I have got a hell of a lot to learn, you have educated me dramatically through the process and always have time to answer my questions, which I admire and respect a lot. Once again thank you and looking forward to many more months.

I have really enjoyed coaching Connor, he is always looking to learn and understand the process behind his training and nutrition. This is something I really admire in my clients and encourage. He is currently doing a Personal Training course and in future has the goal of stepping on stage as a Mens Physique Competitor.

Interested in online coaching? You can check out what I have to offer here.

Catherine Nelson – ‘I was so impressed with the realistic and sustainable approach in helping me to achieve my goals’

Committed and consistent, two words that describe Cath. Without these two traits the results we have achieved together would have been far inferior, and I commend Cath for her hard work. She came to me with the goal of fat loss, while remaining strong and fit. Initially we had a set back, due to having previously dieted quite severely we needed to bring her calories back up, before bringing them down to achieve her desired goal of fat loss. I was so glad Cath trusted me with this, as you can imagine for someone who wants to lose fat, the idea of raising calories and reducing exercise sounds scary. In two weeks Cath was back up to eating 2000 calories and doing no cardio and maintaining weight. We then had two months to drop fat before her photoshoot. Even with a diet break for Christmas Cath managed some great results and looked incredible for her photoshoot, I am sure you will agree.

I have just completed a 3 month coaching block with Stephen Hall “Revive” and I couldn’t be happier. I am finally seeing the results I have not been able to achieve previously. I am feeling great in myself and I really feel I have my eating and mindset under control. I was so impressed with Stephen’s realistic and sustainable approach in helping me to achieve my goals, that I have signed on for another 3 months of coaching. I have always found Stephen to be approachable and answered any questions promptly. My program was so well suited to me that I was able to remain committed and never missed a session. I’m really excited to see what I can achieve during my next block with Stephen.

Cath is a perfect example of what can be achieved in a short period of time. In three months Cath managed to do the following:

• Brought her metabolism up
• Strength up over 15% (bench press up almost 40%)
• Body fat down 4%
• 4cm loss from both Hips and Waist

This was while enjoying a wide and varied diet, with NO food restrictions. Plus this was over the Christmas Holidays, and Cath was able to still enjoy this time and some extra food. That is because Cath followed a sustainable diet and training programme, that she incorporated to make up her lifestyle. Cath is now moving onwards and upwards, looking to slowly lean down further, while trying to gain strength & fitness. I know Cath will achieve her goals. Interested in online coaching? you can check out what I have to offer here.

Do this before making your New Years Resolutions

So the new year is on its way, and with it comes new goals, dreams and aims. That is good thing, and I encourage everyone to have something they are working towards, whether that be to get a promotion, lose weight or get stronger. However, before you decide on your new years resolution, look back and review your old goals, dreams and aims. Have you achieved them? And if not, why not? Because, what I do not like to see is people make New Years Resolutions and not actually achieve them. If you did what you set out to do, then well done 🙂 keep up the good work.

• Did you lack motivation?
• Maybe you didn’t have the knowledge required to get where you wanted?
• Possibly it was just bad luck?
• Or deep down you knew you just didn’t work hard enough?

Whatever the reason you didn’t do what you set out to do, learn from your mistakes. If you can do that you are back in my good books and you will be much better off and more likely to achieve your future resolutions.

Be Real Man

Something that might be holding you back is setting a target that is actually not even attainable. Personally I want to eventually move out and have a house of my own. However, I just do not have the resources to do that right now, or next year. So better is to say I will be moved out and renting next year. That is far more realistic. If I set myself the aim of owning property next year, I might not even move out! If your dreaming too big then you will be at risk of stagnating. 

Set Mini Goals

By setting yourself mini hurdles along the way not only do you know the process for achieving your overall resolution but it also gives you short term targets, and you can reward yourself for hitting them. For example, you want to lose 2 stone by the end of the year, set smaller stepping stone goals such as by March you will have lost a minimum of 10 pounds. By making this mini realistic goal and hitting it, you’ll be spurred on to continue.

Be Accountable

Tell people your resolutions, friends, family, your twitter followers the more the better. Everyone will then ask how you are getting on and progressing. This will put pressure on you to actively be pursuing your aim, because you don’t want to look stupid right? Something I personally found keeps me on point is having a training and nutrition coach. You be thinking, why would a coach need a coach? Not so much for their knowledge, but for the accountability they provide, it is priceless.

I’m going to do this one now, by sharing with you some of my goals for this year:

• Compete in a Powerlifting Meet & get a 520kg+ total.
• Move out from home.
• Remain respectively lean.
• Grow my business enough to be fully self employed.
• Continue to learn, be open minded, experience new things and show my appreciation to others.

Make this year your year by being real, setting mini goals and making sure to be accountable, to yourself and others! If you have personal health and fitness goals, and are thinking about getting a coach to help, then be sure to check out my services HERE and remember #REVIVESTRONGER

Sami Chamoun- ‘I decided to give Steve a go and couldn’t be happier’

Sami has got a great balance between life, exercise and his goals. We started building him up out of a fat loss phase, slowly increasing and tweaking his macronutrients to successfully reverse diet. With this Sami has got stronger, healthier and has remained lean in the process. During this time Sami has been training just three times a week and has weekly social events, enjoying alcohol and delicious food. The key to his success is consistently getting the big stuff right, that means getting in the main compound movements and being mindful of his macros.

Here is what he had to say:

I’ve trained for a number of years, but for a large part of that have rejected diet. I first discovered Steve on YouTube and found his commentaries entertaining. It was not long after this that I began to follow a macro-based diet. I trained under some more well-known coaches for a while but wasn’t really happy with the quality of service I was receiving. I decided to give Steve a go and couldn’t be happier.

His responses are very prompt and seems willing to answer any questions/concerns I have. I am enjoying my training more since joining and he’s helped me build my metabolism right up as I lead into a lean bulk. Good bloke, great coach, highly recommend.

I am so glad Sami came to me, I feel like we have a great understanding of one another, which is very important, because the relationship between a client and coach often dictates the success of the person involved. The below clearly shows how successful his reverse diet has been:

3 Month Progression
Starting Weight	169	Starting Calories	2200
Current Weight	171	Current Calories	2600
% Change	1.2%	% Change	18.2%

As you can see he is enjoying 400 more calories and has gained little weight, and from looking at his strength gains and monthly photos, me and Sami are happy that the majority of this is muscle.

I look forward to seeing Sami continue to eat more and get stronger. If you are interested in online coaching, check out my packages here.

Part 2: Moving back to maintenance

Refeeds, Cheat Meals & More…

So in PART ONE we learnt about how our metabolism is adaptive to what we give it. It is there to keep us alive and when we enter severe calorie deficits it acts in a way to reduce our energy expenditure. Here I am going to introduce the idea of refeeds, in which an individual comes out of their deficit for a short period of time to try and negate the metabolism adapting. 

So what exactly is a refeed? Well as I said it is a short term break from being in a calorie deficit. Their prime purpose is to maintain psychological and metabolic health. Their frequency and length depend person to person, some people may take a week off, others may just have them once a week. They have also been called cheat meals, but IMO this term is different. A cheat meal to me is a meal that is not accounted for, you break your diet completely and at most it acts as a psychological break but can set you back. A refeed is planned, it has a proper purpose and most of all you account for it.

Hang on? If I am losing fat then why bother ever implementing a refeed? Well you know how it gets harder and harder to lose fat as you diet, it’s because you metabolism is getting slower. So it makes good sense to try and maintain as high a metabolism as possible, thus we take have refeeds. They help reduce the speed at which you move away from you original metabolic rate.

Right so now we know what a refeed is and its purpose, when and how do we implement them? Between coaches there is quite a varied approach. Personally I implement them when I see a stall in progress, or the person is showing some signs of metabolic slow down. Up until that point I am happy for them to continue as they are, the number and length is then very individual. This is because our metabolisms all differ.

OK so what exactly do we do on our refeed day? Well we must bring overall calories to maintenance or slightly above to get the result we want. This is your CURRENT maintenance, not your old one, as we know our bodies are burning less energy now. I personally like to bring up carbs quite a bit, as these have the most impact on our metabolism. In doing so I also reduce fat and protein a little, because carbs and not being in a deficit is protein sparring, and fat is more easily stored as fat, making sense to reduce them a little. This also gives more room to increase carbs, which as noted raise our metabolisms the most. Reject carb phobia, carbs are your metabolic friend.

When is best to take them is really up to you, some people like to take them when they have their rest day, so they can enjoy more food and be social. Others with more performance oriented goals like to take them prior to their most intense training day. For me I take it the day before I perform deadlifts and do High Intensity Interval Training.

There we have it, you know what a refeed is, how it might be implemented and why it is important. One final note is that because you have eaten more food and likely more carbohydrates your scale weight the next day or so will increase. This is completely expected, and it should level out over the course of a few days, and you’ll continue to hit new lows if implemented correctly!

Refeed Essentials:
1) Use them when you notice signs of metabolic slow down.
2) Calories must be at or above your CURRENT maintenance intake.
3) Avoid pigging out, try and keep some structure to the refeed.

Next week I will continue in our moving back to maintenance series to talk about reverse dieting. If you liked this or found it helpful please share it on the social media!

#REVIVESTRONGER

Limited Online Coaching Deals

Hey guys, so I could write a load of spiel about how my coaching services are all bespoke, fit around your lifestyle and will get you great results. But, you’ve heard all that before, and so it doesn’t really incentivise you to pick me up as your coach.

So why choose me, as opposed to all the other coaches out there? Well for me the most important part of being an online coach is to keep it PERSONAL. I pride myself in the fact I can say I am friends with all my online clients, I know a bit about what is going on with their life, I take interest in more than what their macro intake and weight room progress was for the week. And I feel this is the key difference between me and the many others out there, I really care about YOU. 

Down to the deals:

– Buy 1 Month & get 1 Month FREE – £99.99 – Save £50
– Buy 3 Months & get 10% off & NO SIGN UP FEE – £135 – Save £84.99
– Buy 6 Months  & get 15% off & NO SIGN UP FEE – £255 – Save £94.99

These are all limited and are given on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis – I do have limited capacity.

So if you want a coach that cares about you, then give me a shot 🙂

Black Friday Coaching Special!!!

So it’s holiday season, time to enjoy time with others, relax and eat all sorts of goodies. Good on you, this shows you know how to live a little! And I’m going to give you one more reason to sit back and relax. However, you’ve slaved away in the gym all year, getting into good shape, and it required work. Now with less time, more opportunities to fall off or stall than ever. You might look to take a break, or give up all together, using the holidays as an excuse. I am here to help, by giving you THE SECRET WEAPON to add to your arsenal, to stay fighting fit. That is your own Personal Coach, me. Yes I am your secret weapon, and can be the difference between failure and success. I will be there for constant support, allowing you to stay on track. No more guessing, how many calories? how much cardio? which exercises? I will be there to cover your back, so you can focus your energy on doing the simple things. What do you get by choosing me as your coach? Nutrition guidelines built for you, allowing you to gain muscle, lose fat or just get fitter. Training plans individualised for your personal goals, lifestyle and experience. Accountability via daily tracking and weekly check-ins to keep you on track. Stress reduction through constant support via email, giving you peace of mind you have all you need to hit your goals. All of this is very affordable, and I will be offering a limited offer for Black Friday! To get in on these deals early be sure to contact me asap (snhall90@gmail.com). Join Team Revive Today!

Flexible Dieting – You’re Missing the Point

You’re Missing the Point

So recently I made a video on my YouTube channel regarding flexible dieting, and how people aren’t understanding it correctly, which can be found HERE. Some of you may not have heard of flexible dieting, and here is Lyle McDonald’s definition from his book ‘A Guide to Flexible Dieting’:

‘The basic idea of flexible dieting is that you aren’t expecting absolute perfection and strictness in your dieting behaviour. Rather, small (or even larger) lapses from your diet simply aren’t any big deal in the big scheme of things.’

Now flexible dieting and something called If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) have merged into one, to bring out what I think is the best way to diet. Due to this convergence, let me re-define flexible dieting:

‘Flexible dieting is about having an understanding that everyone is different in terms of their dietary needs and requirements, depending on goal, activity & age amongst other things. It is inclusive of all foods and allows the individual to enjoy a wide varied diet, that is based around whole foods. The approach is prefaced on being stress free, allowing the individual to fit nutrition into their life.’

So what does this mean in practical terms? Using me as an example, I have a protein, carbohydrate and fat range that I aim to hit each day, not an individual number. I pick and choose the foods that allow me to land within that range based on preference, quality and availability. Typically ensuring that 80% of my choices are unprocessed whole foods, allowing me the flexibility to choose some discretionary items. I do not put any foods on a pedestal, I understand that the body just see’s nutrients and as long as I ensure I meet my micronutrient needs, all things being equal the impact on my body composition will be the same.

That means I can go out for meals with friends and family, enjoying the food with everyone else, but accounting for it. Furthermore, it allows me to travel and enjoy the food cultures that exist around the world. All this while heading towards my fitness, performance and aesthetic goals. I am accountable to what goes in my mouth, and I understand it’s impact and do not stress or worry about eating certain things.

What Flexible Dieting/IIFYM isn’t

Flexible dieting is not an excuse to fit as much ‘junk’ food within your macronutrient guidelines. It isn’t about the fact you can eat what you like and so long as the total macronutrients are the same your body will look the same.

What Flexible Dieting/IIFYM is

• Inclusive
• Social
• Evidence Based
• Enjoyable
• Results based
• Sustainable

The above bullet points are why I love flexible dieting, it allows me to smash my goals and live my life under my terms, not under some ridiculous rules based on nothing but hearsay. All my clients follow flexible dieting, and they love it too, join us 🙂

Harry Holland- ‘Having a knowledgeable coach to be accountable to each week makes all the difference’

We all know the best body transformations come from fat loss, going from podgy to lean. However, for those to look good you need to have a solid foundation to cut down from, that means muscle. Everyone therefore must go about adding weight to their body, trying to minimise fat and maximise muscle. Harry is a perfect example about how to go about it, and you can read more about how to go about it here. Harry has been very consistent, compliant and a joy to work with, below is his testimonial.

“I’ve known Steve for some time now from around our local gym – he’s always been happy to help out and give advice ever since we met. Even before he went professional I couldn’t fault Steve on his evidence based approach to nutrition and training.Since July this year Steve has been putting me through my paces, setting my nutrition and training goals each week, updating me via email. At university I row and  Steve  accounts for this change in lifestyle, adjusting my nutrition and training regime accordingly.

I came back from University before summer feeling pretty weak, having focused heavily on my rowing. Now I am stronger than I’ve ever been, and have gained around 4lb’s of lean mass.

Some lift increases for you..

July:
Squat – 80kg x 5
Deadlift – 120kg x 5
Bench – 70kg x 5Total: 1350kg

October:
Squat – 110kg x 4
Deadlift – 160kg x 4
Bench – 85kg x 5

Total: 1505kg

That’s an increase of over 10% in 3 months!

Regardless of whether you’re new to weight training, experienced, or even looking to step on stage I would highly recommend Steve’s services. Having a knowledgeable coach to be accountable to each week makes all the difference. No foods are off limits, and none are put on a pedestal (clean/dirty foods..) it’s all totally flexible within reason.

I couldn’t be happier with my training with Steve. His science based approach, passion for health & fitness, and drive to constantly be learning more are second to none.”

Harry has enjoyed great results, eating and training to preference. His results are down to being consistent and flexible at the same time, as if he wasn’t given the flexibility to enjoy University to the full he wouldn’t follow the training or nutritional protocols. Managing this is what has led to Harry’s success, and if that sounds appealing to you, then please be sure to contact me about my online coaching services at snhall90@gmail.com and you can see my services here.