How a man who'd never entered a gym went from skinny to built in 12 weeks

My story starts on the floor of a shower cubicle. It’s a rainy spring evening in central London and, stifling a moan, I try to stand up. Not happening.

20 minutes later, I’m in the same spot - only now I’ve recaptured my breath enough to exclaim aloud despairingly, “What have I agreed to?!’ The answer: Evolve Fitness’ 12 week Warrior Workout transformation programme. One workout down, 47 to go.

The regime is said to be life-altering - an intense program that relies heavily on your dedication to achieve the best results.

I embarked on the Warrior Workout in February, agreeing to four one-on-one sessions of heavy weightlifting a week and a nutrition switch-up that saw me scoffing down more red meat, chicken and sweet potato than I ever thought possible.

What made the prospect even more unnerving was the fact that I had never stepped foot inside a gym in my life.

I am a slim man. The kind of person who can eat an entire pack of chocolate digestives in one sitting with (seemingly) no consequence. I’m that guy who thinks doing 25 press-ups every other Saturday morning constitutes suitable exercise.

I walk into the gym a custom-made experiment for Evolve’s gregarious trainers, Lee Bennett and Zack Cahill, who have only tackled a small number of cases like myself previously: no weight to lose, just pounds - and muscle - to pile on.

Jacob's 12-week transformation

Numerous people ask me throughout that first month why I’ve decided to commit, and a part of me is unsure how to answer. I’ve never been particularly uncomfortable about my scrawny appearance, but would be lying if I said the thought of having a muscular body hadn’t sporadically intrigued me.

Not, as one would expect, because I desired to turn heads on the beach. More because I didn’t think I’d last the 12 weeks. “I want to prove myself wrong,” I tell people, sheepishly eyeing their pints.

And so, the night before I’m due to put my life in the hands of Evolve, I enjoy what will be my final pizza for three months. How do I feel? Like I’m not going to see it through - a feeling that almost causes me to cancel my third session.

Soon enough, however, I’m bench-pressing away, deadlifting tens of kilograms, doing press-ups and - shock horror! - having fun doing so. Breaking through that initial pain is when the experience truly begins.

The first nugget of information drilled in to me is that, no matter how much time I spend in the gym, if I don’t change up my eating habits, results will be scarce.

What follows is a diet plan to be followed meticulously over the next 12 weeks. Most mornings, I scramble five eggs. Lunches, I eviscerate a whole chicken. Evenings? I shallow fry two - sometimes three - steaks. Essentially, I am a protein hoover, endlessly thankful for the new (very cheap) Aldi that fortuitously opened up round the corner months before.

In many ways, the new diet was my first true obstacle. Realising that your life is now bulk-buying, meal-prepping and constant scoffing from the moment you wake up to the second you fall asleep can be intimidating. Just remember: personal trainers don’t sit down and work out these plans for fun - they’re there to be followed.

Acclimatising to the routine - and realising I was about to ruin the taste of chicken forevermore - was my first step to success.

I’m surprised by how quickly it becomes my routine, although some days are better than others. I very nearly run a mile every time Lee tells me we’re working on legs - a common theme in all subjects, apparently (turns out training those body parts furthest from your heart makes you more tired). The good news is that’s just one session a week - the rest is upper body.

Within weeks, I go from recklessly swinging weights to being able to hone my concentration on the muscle I'm working for maximum effect. There is a precision to training that I never knew existed.

An enthusiasm for learning isn’t required, but it’s an enlightening addition to the programme - especially when you’re being educated by professional trainers at the top of their game, like the aforementioned Bennett and Cahill as well as Max Gingell and Scarlett Hollands.

I think I was paid the first compliment about three weeks in, regarding the size of my arms at my 27th birthday celebrations as I chugged down my third gin and tonic – I hate to confirm this, but large quantities of alcohol is a giant no-no as it'll hinder protein synthesis; the body will essentially prioritise processing the alcohol as opposed to building muscle. In moderation, however - when structured into your nutrition plan - it shouldn't have an effect at all.

Whoever says getting in shape isn’t a confidence boost is lying - however, what I find more surprising is how motivational these words of encouragement are. To realise that the relentless hard work I’m putting in is paying off is what keeps me going.

Striking a balance is difficult. My biggest setback arrives upon being sent to Los Angeles for work around the programme’s halfway mark.

It’s here where the first revelation dawns on me: I can now walk into a fitness centre by myself and workout without what I can only describe as ‘gym fear.' This was evidenced during my visit to the Wellness Rooms, at Beverly Hills’ Four Seasons Hotel, which was the perfect place to keep the program going while thousands of miles from home.

It’s the latter stages of the transformation where I realise I’m now, well, quite strong. Having begun being able to deadlift a meagre 60kg, I’m now managing six clean reps of 100kg. I’m able to squat with a bar holding 80kg slung behind my shoulders too.

I also find my general lifestyle is improving - for the first time in years, I’m less tired when I wake up in the morning and find my mental health, which has taken a knock in recent months, approves of my regime, not to mention my new diet. It's this that convinces me to maintain the life change once the program ends.

Week 12 comes around very quickly and it’s with a sense of victory I realise I’ve done what I set out to do - transformed my body in just three months.

I’m told I’ve gained 4.7kg of muscle - the biggest mass increase in Evolve’s history.

The last thing for it is the photoshoot, very much the program's grand finale. In preparation, I deplete my body of carbohydrates for three whole days while simultaneously reducing the amount of water I drink as the week goes on (two litres to literally nothing the morning of the shoot).

Evolve's hardest-pushing trainer, Otaniyien Ekiomado, emerges to put me through a solid hour of workout before Fred Larsen and Laura Ferguson - two vital cogs in the Evolve machine - instruct me how to pose without looking like I'm about to pass out.

Leaving the building after the shoot, I walk past the shower cubicle in which I was collapsed mere months before. Several emotions hit me: sadness that I won’t be seeing the trainers regularly, surprise at having actually lasted the run, and sheer excitement over the forthcoming reunion with chocolate digestives.

Jacob with Evolve Fitness personal trainer Lee Bennett

Jacob's before and after measurements:

Weight (Kg)

65.6 (week one), 69.5 (week four), 70.8 (week 8), 72.8 (week 12)

Muscle Mass (Kg)

33.9 (week one), 36.1 (week four), 36.6 (week eight), 38.6 (week 12)

Body fat (%)

9.2 (week one), 8.5 (week four), 8.9 (week eight), 7.4 (week 12)

Evolve Fitness offers: Warrior workout – 12 weeks of one on one progressive training and nutrition - £4,000; Warrior tribe group transformation – one instructor – 10 clients - £999; find more details here.