Skinny-fat despite the miles
Daniel had been running for years, sometimes up to 40km a week, but his weight always stalled at the same point and his clothes never quite fit right. Cardio alone kept him fit on paper without ever changing his shape.
I’d actually been running for years, almost my whole life, but somehow I was always skinny-fat and I never looked quite the way I wanted. My weight would get down to a certain point and not budge and none of my clothes would really fit properly.Daniel
The push to finally try weight training didn’t come from a training plan, it came from his wife, who had been encouraging him for years to pick up weights. He puts it simply: a good husband does what his wife says.
Twenty weeks, twenty kilos
Working with his ATP coach, Daniel rebuilt his routine around strength training rather than mileage. In 20 weeks he lost close to 20kg, uncovered visible abs and real muscle definition, and brought his 5K time down to under 22 minutes, all while building genuine functional strength.
Fitness-wise I can run a 5K in under 22 minutes, so I’m fitter and healthier than I was when I was just running.Daniel
Honesty as the real training
The physical side turned out to be easier than the mental one. ATP’s coaching leans on daily accountability around routine, nutrition and activity, and Daniel had to learn to be honest with himself and his coach every single day, from what he was eating to how he was sleeping. If he wanted something he knew he shouldn’t have, he had to say so rather than quietly let it slide.
His coach asked him the same questions most days: how he was sleeping, what he was doing outside the gym, what he was eating. Having to answer honestly, out loud, forced him to actually think about his choices instead of drifting through them, and it built a discipline that spilled into the rest of his life, at work and at home.
My coach and I have a really good relationship; we have a good bond and good banter! But we both also know that we have to get the work done.Daniel
Trust the process
Daniel walked in hoping to lose 10kg. He walked out having lost close to double that in less time than he thought possible, with the abs he had assumed would take two years to reveal, not five months. He also says he simply enjoyed the process: a friendly gym where people say good morning and the whole thing feels more relaxed than he expected.
The truth is, if you want to achieve the goal, you’ve got to follow the process.Daniel
Coached at ATP Personal Training Singapore
