The Life of a HARDGAINER

(Green Trousers Selfie - 2010)
(Blue Shorts Selfie - 2014) Rick Halls Programme.
(Photoshoot - 2015)

Today the 4th April 2016 is exactly a year ago since my first ever photoshoot so I thought it was a relevant time to talk more about me and tell my side of the story - what my journey has been like as a hardgainer. I apologise in advance incase I make this blog into an Oprah show, hopefully I won’t aha, anyway back to the story.

A quick background about myself, I come from a very sporty background, my father played professional cricket and three of my cousins played to a high standard of sport in their field. So as a kid up to 16/17 I was one of those who got involved in every sport, football, rugby, hockey, athletics you name it. Being the tall skinny kid I was of course put in second row in rugby and put in goal for football (occassionally I was a good Matic in midfield and a Peter Crouch up front. Well I thought I was, I was pretty quick as a youngster.) Anyway Cricket was always my main sport and of course I thought I could follow in my fathers footsteps.  I am a dreamer. However, due to not really having the talent and an injury I sustained as a baby which has left me with half a calf now, and a list of injuries as a result from it I didn’t make it. In that time around the age of 15 I started to go to the gym, but didn’t really know what I was doing. Gym for me at that time was an escape from school as I didn’t really enjoy my time there. No doubt did myself more harm than good.

As I got older and moved schools, my participation in sport dropped but going to the gym didn’t. My interest grew and grew, I started to read more, google more on what exercises, programmes and so on to do. I started to see results which encouraged me more to go. After a gap year backpacking in Australia, 2012/2013, training a little out there in the famous John Terilli gym in Sydney, I still came back not in the best of shape. When back in the UK I found out about Rick Hall’s ‘Lets Add Mass’ online programme which I got involved in straight away. As you can see in the photo it worked. This is where I say my fitness journey began, it my first ever challenge, my first ever proper and official programme, and my first ever time being in that shape.

However, since then - this is where I am going to get very real, and truthful with you all. When my journey began offically I just started university, just got back from Australia, unsure of where my life was going and whether I wanted to be at university at all.  Using my curry quote from blog two – I was a weak curry. Since then though, I have become a personal trainer set up JHI Personal Training and worked at two gyms. I will be honest though at times I have had some very low moments to the point of no motivation, training and diet gone out the window, not trained for months. First low moment came when I was unhappy at university and second time straight after photoshoot when I got my shoulder injury. So progress has been very inconsistent in the last three years. Weight would go up and down, size would change all the time. I feel though 2016 is going to be my year, mentally I’m starting to get in a better place slowly. There have been some bad moments but I feel I’m a stronger person than what I was a few years ago which has meant I have stayed on course with my progress.

Which now bring us up to the present day. The reason for starting this project is I have the aim that it will help me stay focused if I share my story, progress and thoughts on this field and hopefully as a result and the biggest aim, is to help others who are struggling  that are similar to me.
Training wise right now to update you is going great, all the major lifts form has improved loads, strength is going up and diet is tightening up day by day.

Apologies for the essay, well done if you have read it all and I hope you enjoyed it. Blog four will be posted next week.