At the start of the pandemic, like many, I looked at the isolation as an opportunity to do things I…read moredidn't always have time to do. Top of mind was getting in shape. Sure, I couldn't go to the local 24 Hr Fitness, but I figured I'd start by going for a little run around my neighborhood every morning, and then doing plyo and full-body HiiT workouts at home. After my first ambitious 5 mile run, though, my ankle flared up something fierce, and I had to ditch the running and stay off my foot for a couple weeks.
Cut to a few months later, and I was joining the bread making craze that swept pandemia, and soon I had replaced my fitness plans with trying out various TikTok cooking hacks, much to my wife and daughter's delight. A garlic focaccia here, a Cubano sandwich there.. coupled with my sedentary lifestyle (no more walking every day to and from the BART station for work), and suddenly I found myself a good 15 lbs over my normal weight (which was about 200 lbs on my 6' frame).
Eventually, I did start getting back to the gym, and I kept telling myself "ok, I'm gonna find another fitness plan and stick to it" but for a couple years none of these plans really stuck, and I'd see my weight yo-yo between 200 and 220. The holiday period was particularly treacherous, because I consistently had a lot less time to get to the gym, and then.. well, you know.. the Holidays. By the time New Year's rolled around, I'd have packed on a nice winter layer. Last winter, I was already on the high end of my weight yo-yo, and was pushing 228.
And here's where Ryan comes into the picture. I've known Ryan for a while. I had interacted with him on Twitter a few times, as he was a long time beat writer for the San Francisco 49ers. Ryan had the rep as the beat writer who really did his homework. He would pour over game film, and he'd provide detailed analysis on who was playing well and why. There was an attention to detail that came through in his reporting.
Ryan also was known as the 'Beast Writer,' because aside from being a beat writer for the Niners, he was also a competitive body builder (and a literal 'beast' in terms of physique) and occasionally he'd share tips on his workouts. When he mentioned he had some openings for people who were interested in personal training, I thought "yeah, sure, I'm game."
For a variety of reasons, we didn't get started on our program until July of this year. I took it upon myself, anyway, to start regular gym visits, and by July, I'd shed about 17 lbs since the New Year (down to 211). Ryan took the time to get to know what I was looking to achieve, what my normal routine was like, and then he put together a specific plan for me.
"What do you want to get down to, Yato?"
"Maybe start by getting down to 195?"
"Let's make it 185. I'm sure you can do it"
Ryan's program includes a personalized diet plan, and a schedule of workouts that consist of a cardio session and weight training. Based on what you are looking to achieve, he'll adjust the plan. More importantly, remember that attention to detail I mentioned earlier? Ryan applies this to his approach in coaching you, as well. With once or twice a week check-ins, he's looking to see what type of gains you're making on your body and gathering details on how your diet is going, how your body is feeling. The more info you give him, the better analysis he can give you.
I shed the first 20 lbs in about 7 weeks, and after 12 weeks, I'd not only hit my goal, but lost over 30 lbs and seen my body fat go from like 19% to 9%. I've had other plans help me achieve some amount of fitness, but Ryan's was the first to really do a full body transformation. Now, there's no secret formula or anything here other than "stick to the plan." There isn't a shortcut, and you do have to put in the work, but knowing that, if you do, it really works is ultimately what you want, isn't it?
