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Life-changing stories - what an inspiration your team is

Dear Maximuscle,

When buying a pair of Maximuscle Hook Grips and a tub of Creatine from the supplement shop at my local gym, I was pleased to be given a copy of Muscular Performance Magazine. I read with interest, many of the articles just prior to going out for an hours cycle ride. In particular the motivational story stuck in my mind as I rode out into the countryside.

It was clearly an individuals personal success story, but I did notice one similarity to other stories that I have read over the years, namely a return to fitness. When reading these tales of personal achievement I can picture other readers, motivated to don their training kit and head off to the gym and I am filled with a feeling of admiration for the dedication and success of the author. For me though, the problem has always been that I am personally not motivated to take up the fight for fitness despite my admiration. To be motivated you need to be able to draw a parallel between the authors story and your own life.

As far back as I can remember I have been over-weight and I have never enjoyed ball sports. As a schoolboy I always felt self-conscious because of my weight and a few pound over weight translates as "FAT" to a class of teenagers. My hate of the national sport of football has probably played a significant part in the development of my girth. I have enjoyed numerous sports over the years, including tennis and hockey, but fads come and go whilst soccer is ever present. In my teens, even the best funded of schools, that prided themselves on a wide range of sporting activities, had very little real choice. The fencing club with its 12 members, 4 swords and a waiting list of 57. The trampoline club that sets up its two trampolines in the sports hall every second Thursday, unless the 5-a-side football team was practising or the cricket team needed the hall because rain had stopped them using the practice nets. So for me, it was remain over-weight or play football.

As I grew older I noticed that football could also affect people in other ways. I was always fat; yet someone who plays football, is three inches shorter than me and half a stone heavier would either be plump or would be in his or her off-season condition.

So the years roll by and the weight continues to rise, punctuated with periods of dieting. I always found that I could lose weight quite well during dieting, but I would also become less even tempered. This led me to the decision that I would remain "fat and happy". Not a problem until, in my late thirties, I moved into a sedentary job. Until then I had always had an active lifestyle and labour intensive work. I was now becoming "fat, unhappy and unfit". By my early forties I had decided that it was time for action, but how would I get motivated? You cant return to peak fitness if you were never really fit in the first place.

I could not face the humiliation of hauling my overhanging stomach around a gym with a dozen Schwartzenegger or Stillone look-alikes watching me. I knew that I had the aerobic capacity of a stone and would probably have to be carried out of the Cardio Suite by someone half my age. My motivation would need to come from within. Set a simple goal. I would try a weights routine, at home, twice per week and aim for a small reduction in weight.

I asked my family for a weights bench for Christmas. I figured that if the equipment was a present then I would feel bad if I didnt use it. Two nights a week I had the house to myself and I got out the bench for a weight training session. A year later and I had lost some weight, I could climb a flight of stairs without stopping at the top for a rest and I was looking in catalogues for additional weights. At this point I added a 10 minute session on the exercise bike once a week, which built to 20 minutes twice a week and is now a 1 to 1 hour bike ride two or three days a week. I also dared to join a gym and I wish that I had done this sooner because the majority of gym goers are very genuine people, who will offer support to anyone who makes the effort. However, I do still workout regularly at home, where my training partner, a neighbour, and I have pooled our equipment to set up our own gym in the garage. I am delighted that Maximuscle have a wide range of accessories, such as the Maximuscle hook grip, that do not seem to be available elsewhere as the right equipment can make all the difference.

How do I keep my motivation? I have realised that I am not in competition with others. My training partner is in his early twenties and I am in my forties. Our training goals are very different. He is trying to build bulk and I am aiming for weight loss and general fitness. If we completed against each other, either he would make no gains at all or I would have a heart attack. You must clearly define your goals and set challenging, achievable targets. You can then compete against yourself by setting out to better your own previous results and achievements.

As I have progressed I have read many articles about mens fitness, bodybuilding and nutrition. It is now very clear to me that nutrition is an important part of weight training and I use protein shakes, meal replacement shakes and Creatine as part of my routine. I realise now, that the bad moods suffered during dieting were probably due to a lack of a proper nutritional diet and that you can be "fit and happy". I take a thermogenic supplement to aid fat loss prior to my cardio sessions. It is great to see that Maximuscle not only offer a great range of supplements but also support through publications such as "Muscular Performance Magazine" and "Natural Training that Works" (my training bible!). That support goes out to all of their customers, even if, like me, you buy your Maximuscle supplements through a third party such as the supplement shop at the gym. Thanks for that support Maximuscle because it helps me to maintain the motivation that has taken me so many years to build up.

John Furniss