Losing any amount of weight can be difficult, especially if you want to do it healthily and consistently. 26-year-old Frieda, originally from Manchester but now living in Sydney, suffered from poor health, and some days she was unable to get out of bed. But with the help of Ultimate Performance, she has become a medal-winning bodybuilder. Frieda has shared her top tips for anyone else looking to get motivated and turn their health around.
Before she joined Ultimate Performance, Frieda weighed 9st 4lb (60kg) and was a dress size 10.
She explained why she wanted to lose weight and get into the best shape of her life: “I have dealt with a lot of illnesses in the past couple of years, which I believe was due to a poor diet and poor food choices.
“It left me feeling bloated and not having the self-confidence I wanted because of the way I looked. I was constantly tired and struggled to get out of bed.
“During the pandemic, I also put on quite a bit of weight, which I wanted to shift, I always wanted to both be strong, and look strong, so I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and get it done! I wanted to end a cycle of constantly feeling sluggish due to poor choices when it came to food and not exercising as much as I should.
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“So my main goal when joining U.P. was to increase my strength to assist me in my job and improve my overall health,” Frieda said.
For 10 weeks, Frieda stuck to a new diet and exercise regime, and lost nearly a stone, dropping to a size six.
She explained what her new routine entailed: “I stuck to a very strict program created by my coach Laura, which lasted 10 weeks, I’d attend U.P.’s Sydney gym twice a week, and also do two extra sessions outside U.P.
“The exercises involved doing the Pendulum squat, shoulder presses, bicep curls, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, traditional deadlifts, split squats, bench presses, lateral raises and abs crunches.
“The diet was quite aggressive, as I decided during the 10-week program that I wanted to compete in a bodybuilding competition at the end, which involves losing quite a lot of body fat to look ‘shredded’.
“I was on 1300 calories for the duration of the program, in which we played around with high and low carb days to see how my body would react to that and get my body ready to prepare for carb-loading phase needed for the competition.”
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Switching from high and low carb days is known as carb cycling. It’s an advanced diet strategy requiring more manipulation and programming than a typical diet and to get it right, it’s helpful to consult a registered dietitian.
“By sticking to the diet and the exercise program religiously, with very few slip-ups, I managed to achieve this within the 10 weeks,” she added.
As with any weight loss diet, there were some challenges.
Frieda said: “My biggest challenge was probably missing out on eating out at restaurants as I got closer to the bodybuilding competition.
“But the outcome of achieving that outweighed the challenges I faced along the way. I knew my goal. I knew how badly I wanted to achieve it, and I was willing to sacrifice those things to get there.”
Having “shredded” her body, Frieda was able to take part in a bodybuilding competition, and this was her “proudest achievement”.
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weight loss
Having “shredded” her body, Frieda was able to take part in a bodybuilding competition, and this was her “proudest achievement”.
“This [the competition] was something that was way out of my comfort zone, and something I never imagined doing,” she remarked.
“But, with the help and support from my trainer Laura, I did it and was super proud of myself!
Frieda’s weight loss is more than just a new physical appearance and added confidence, she explained how she has “gained a newfound love for training”.
“[I] have decided to take the plunge and start training to be a personal trainer myself. I can’t wait to start a new career in the fitness industry,” she added.
As for why she chose Ultimate Performance, Frieda said: “It was recommended to me by my dad, who also trains there and has had an unbelievable transformation, where he lost 22kg.
“The trainers at U.P. are very skilled in their field, and are there for you 24/7 to answer all your questions you may have and, most importantly, to keep you accountable and motivated, which I would say is the most important and vital thing to have whilst going through a fat loss phase.”
Frieda also had some advice for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar position to where she was: “Absolutely go for it! You’ll never look back.
“Joining U.P. is the best thing I’ve ever done, and the best investment I have made for myself. It changed my life, not only for those 10 weeks but also for the rest of my life.
“I learnt more than I thought I would, and I would recommend U.P. to anyone looking to transform not only their body but also their mindset when it comes to exercise and food also.”