Matthew: Good afternoon, this is Matthew from the DVCC and I am here with Andy Davies. I’m going to ask you a few questions, just to hopefully get an insight into how you have got such great results. So if you could please introduce yourself and tell us how long you have been at the DVCC?
Andy: Ok, as you said, I’m Andy Davies and I have been coming here now for about 3 months.
Matthew: So, if you can just tell me what difficulties have you had, prior to the DVCC, in achieving what you want to achieve? Because I am sure thousands of people like yourself also struggle with the same difficulties.
Andy: I was somebody who had done a lot of training in the past but I had got out of the habit of training for various reasons; I hadn’t trained in any meaningful way for about 2 or 3 years. I had also *lost more weight than was advisable; again that’s a whole different story. So my goals were, to be precise, I wanted to (a) get fit again, because I realised that being fit was an important part of my life and very fundamental to how I felt about myself.
Secondly, I wanted to get in reasonable condition, but most importantly I wanted to put on some weight, most specifically muscle, and then get that muscle into some sort of toned shape.
Matthew: Perfect. So when you tried this before, when you tried training and building muscle, had it been a combination of nutrition and exercise, or was it one or the other?
Andy: I had done a lot of standard gym work where it is just repetitive exercise; you were pretty much left to your own devices in a corporate gym environment. I got bored, it was too repetitive, I didn’t change around, I didn’t understand the concept of constantly tweaking and changing the exercise to make sure your body doesn’t get used to it.
I had latterly become aware of the importance of the diet and nutrition side of things, but nowhere near as specific and clear as what you guys do, and linking the two together. So I would say the nutrition and the very structured exercises specific to me, plus the altering – I can’t remember what you call it – the Law of Accommodation?
Matthew: Yes, the Law of Accommodation.
Andy: That I think is very little understood by most people and I think it’s really important. Most people know that if you put good stuff in and you work hard, you are going to get fitter; but it is a lot easier if you vary the exercise and I had no idea about that and I think that is something that you guys should make a lot more of because most people simply don’t understand that.
Matthew: So if you can just tell me exactly what results you have achieved that you are so happy with?
Andy: Ok, well the thing I suppose personally that I have worked on hardest or has developed the best has been on my lower body or leg work. And I’ve gone there from being able to do wall squats of 47 seconds, I’ve gone up to nearly 2 minutes. As far as the plank is concerned, which I always had a basic strength on the plank, but I’ve gone from just over 1 minute to 2 minutes without a break.
But as far as upper body, everything, the whole lot – press-ups, squats, bench press and shoulder press have all seen an increase of somewhere between 20 and 30%, all of them inside 12 weeks. And I can see the difference in myself with the way that I operate at work; and just that my clothes fit better and I have put on the weight that I wanted to put on. So the objective now is to build on the weight; I don’t want to get an awful lot heavier, I just want to get more toned.
Matthew: And you were able to do 4 pull-ups as well, weren’t you, at the end of our session?
Andy: 4 pull-ups indeed, yes, which is a bit of a new one – proper pull-ups. Pull-ups in the past were relatively easy if you bend your knees and pull yourself up; but actually being straight out arms, to chin above the bar is a very different thing, especially for an oldie like me!
Matthew: Ok Andy! So what does your lifestyle look like now compared to before the DVCC?
Andy: It is much more structured in terms of this has become an essential part of my week and Saturday; If I’m not working, this is the thing I do next – and it has been a very important part of what I do.
Matthew: Brilliant. So how has the DVCC specifically helped yourself?
Andy: Concentrating. A specific exercise programme for me, tailored. Because my objectives are slightly different to a lot of people who come here; I wasn’t looking to *lose weight, far from it.
So you guys altered that and produced this structured thing which, after we discussed it, exactly what I want to do and the results are now coming through, made me think a lot more about diet, I’ve cut out sugar completely from my diet.
I don’t have to stick quite as strictly to the diet regime as other people because I am not looking to *lose weight. But I would say the most important things, the other two I was aware of but I certainly was not aware and I’ve already said about this, about this Law of Accommodation which I think that is absolutely fundamental.
If you are doing serious training you just waste such a lot of time doing the same stuff over and over again and I had no idea about that. So there you go.
Matthew: Perfect. So do you have any specific tips, regarding nutrition and exercise, that have worked specifically for yourself; for anyone else listening that is looking to gain muscle and stay in shape?
Andy: Yes, probably a certain amount of discipline to what you are eating and drinking. Again, are you asking me specifically about my… about wanting to put on muscle tone, muscle and weight?
Matthew: Yes, for what you are trying to achieve, what you have found that’s worked specifically for you in this environment?
Andy: Looking after the diet, cutting out sugar; just work. I won’t pretend it hasn’t been bloody hard work, but that is what you have to do.
Matthew: No pain, no gain as they say.
Andy: Exactly; and if you don’t do that; you guys set up a programme, I’ve done the work, I’ve – to a great extent – stuck to the diet, and now I am seeing the results.
Matthew: Perfect. So one last thing; any final words from yourself – anything you want to say?
Andy: Get with the programme, it’s good.
Matthew: Perfect, awesome. Thank you very much Andy; I hope you found this interview helpful. I want to thank you for your time; please comment below with any questions and we will get back to you.
This is Matthew from the DVCC Northampton; thank you very much.
