12 week transformation: Week one - everything hurts

Week one of my 12-week transformation programme is well and truly off with a bang.
Aine is put through her paces on an assault bike by trainer Danny Glenn.Aine is put through her paces on an assault bike by trainer Danny Glenn.
Aine is put through her paces on an assault bike by trainer Danny Glenn.

Mainly because as I type this, I’m struggling to move my arms, and standing up is also quite a challenge.

Most of you would think that the first week of a programme would ease you in gently, but no, not at U-Turn.

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I have trained with Danny Glenn since May 2016, so of course I thought I had an idea of what this first week would involve: chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, legs Thursday and so on.

But no, we have had split sessions all of this week, and my body doesn’t know what’s hit it. The sessions combined chest and back, legs and shoulders, arms and core and then a full body session today, Friday.

I thought a couple of training sessions over Christmas would help, but alas, no.

With the Transformation Academy at U-Turn you have four timetabled weight sessions per week, as well as two high intensity sessions. There is an additional weight session if you wish, and then you’re also able to take part in other timetabled sessions such as bootcamp or Biggest Loser.

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Along with my sessions at U-Turn I’ve made a point of walking 10,000 steps per day, which can be a struggle when your job involves sitting at a desk.

Every lunch time I wrap up warm and head out for a quick walk, even if it’s only 15 minutes, just to try and get my step count up.

The pain aside, I’ve enjoyed the training, and even the diet so far.

However, I stepped on the scales on Monday evening, and even though I don’t really go by weight anymore, I realised just how much I had overindulged during the Christmas period.

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The glaring reality of the scales, along with the ‘before’ photographs which were taken have almost spurred me on that little bit more to stay on track and to get results over the next 12 weeks.

Nutrition wise, I’ve been advised by Danny to keep my calories relatively high for the first few weeks. I’m not going to go into specific calorie numbers as it is very specific to each person, but I haven’t been hungry this week yet.

The high volume of training combined with all of the food has left me sleeping like a baby every night this week, which is a welcome change from four or five hours at most.

I did have a little wobble diet wise on Tuesday afternoon, when I was almost drawn in by a tub of Roses sitting close by in the office. I resisted temptation, and went and made a cup of green tea instead.

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The biggest challenge this week will definitely be the weekend.

In recent months I’ve fallen into the habit of exercising and eating well all week, and taking my foot off the peddle by Friday evening.

Whether it’s a sneaky takeaway or a bottle of red wine, it all started to add up.

To try and prevent any major hiccups this weekend, I’ve planned the weekend out well in advance.

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Relaxing walks and maybe some binge watching on Netflix will help me prepare for the delights of week two!

Don’t forget to keep an eye on my Instagram throughout the week where I will post photos and videos of my training and meals daily. Follow me at aine_od.

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