Many men these days dream of having the perfect body or even just a half decent one. So, we sent one of our puny writers along to the Hiltonia Beach Club to take on the Maximuscle challenge.
The gym is a tough place. Even when you summon up the energy to drag yourself along, chances are you don’t know what you’re doing once you get there. Thankfully, all is not lost. The Hiltonia Beach Club are currently running a programme alongside global fitness nutrition giants Maximuscle. We agreed to attend some sessions with one of their personal trainers, Florin Prioteasa, to see whether or not it’s actually possible to build up some muscle in a month.
Week 1
So it begins. At the first session we’re told we’ve got to work out three days this week for one hour a time (one day on and one day off – two days off at the weekend), plus stick to a nutrition plan (lots of egg whites, brown bread, porridge, fruit, brown rice, chicken, fish and veg with a Maximuscle protein bar between breakfast and lunch to stave off any hunger and a Maximuscle protein shake after each workout). Refined sugar and processed foods are forbidden. ‘The aim is to help make you fit and strong but also to make sure you come back to the gym and feel confident to work out by yourself,’ our personal trainer for the duration, Florin, tells us. On day one we get used to the resistance machines and free weights. As the week progresses Florin goes to work on our abs, biceps, triceps, traps, back and legs. By day three when the hour is finished we can’t manage a single push up. Straight after our workout we have a protein shake blended with a banana. It almost feels like a treat. Almost.
Week 2
After a rest over the weekend it’s straight back to it as Florin makes us sweat it out with the free weights and some bench pressing, gradually piling on the weights until we reach our limit. We’re already lifting more than the previous week. Apparently the strategy is to ‘shock’ the muscle and build it back up again. Florin throws in the likes of ‘hammer curls’ where you hold the dumbbells either side of your body and move them up and down like, well, a hammer. These exercises coupled with more sessions on the resistance machines and slight cardio on the treadmill to get warmed up are, we think, starting to have an effect. If nothing else our posture is much better than it was.
Week 3
It’s all about shoulders, biceps, triceps and legs this week. Every session starts with five or ten minutes on the treadmill just to get warmed up and as the days go by we step up the weights, lifting slightly heavier ones each time but not overdoing it. Working on the shoulders is particularly hard and most people’s weak spot, we’re told. By the end of the week our back aches, our shoulders hurt and our chest feels like it’s on fire. A good week’s workout it would appear.
Week 4
It’s the final week and things have stepped up considerably. We’re lifting heavier weights, we don’t need as much prompting from our trainer, we understand the exercises better and our technique is much more solid. Over the next four days we get a full body workout including really ramping up the leg work. Even the shoulder exercises that caused us so much grief in the beginning are a bit easier and the ab workout is much more intense, but we can handle it.
Verdict
Although hardly likely to turn heads on Muscle Beach we do feel much healthier and stronger, plus our eating habits have improved dramatically. More importantly we feel a lot more confident about going to the gym alone and carrying on the workouts we’ve been shown. All in all, a success.
Hiltonia Health Club & Spa, Hilton Abu Dhabi. Open daily 6am-11pm. Personal training sessions start from Dhs230 (02 692 4324).
Five reasons why men are scared of the gym
Florin Prioteasa, personal trainer at the Hiltonia Beach Club, tells Time Out the most common reasons chaps avoid the gym and how they can conquer their fears.
I’m too skinny and the muscular guys will laugh at me.
Florin says: Those muscular guys were skinny too once but instead of looking for excuses they went to the gym and started weightlifting.
I’m overweight and slightly embarrassed about my body.
Florin says: No one in the gym really cares about how you look. Everybody else is there to work on their body too, otherwise why would they be there?
I can’t lift big weights.
Florin says: The most important thing is how accurately you lift the weights. Technique comes first, then you can think about how much you’re lifting.
I’m worried I’ll do something wrong and hurt myself.
Florin says: Don’t forget you can always ask someone in the gym to help you. There are also websites like www.myweightliftingprograms.com with routines you can follow.
I don’t feel comfortable around so many people.
Florin says: Never let anything stop you. If you don’t like one gym because there’s too many people then go out and find another one.
