When I shared Carlton’s before and after image on my Instagram account a few months ago there was a massive amount of people messaging me asking how he got into such amazing shape before his 40th birthday.
My response was always:
“He invested in a coach (me). We kept things super simple. He had a clear goal. He trusted the process, did the work, and stay consistent with check-ins. We only made adjustments that we both agreed he could stick to. I’ve coached over 1200 people and the formula rarely changes. The key is to set up a program that is both simple and unique enough for each client’s lifestyle”
Carlton worked hard and his results are great. This is what happens when a dedicated client hires the right coach. This is the standard that I set for my coaching company so it’s not anything surprising. However, I know that you might be reading this and are looking for a relatable example of someone who made a significant transformation. It helps to have details about how the transformation took place and to see how coaching works so that you can get started on your own coaching program.
Here’s how it went down:
One of my best friends paid me the ultimate compliment earlier this year. It was a few months away from Carlton Mack’s 40th birthday and he decided it was time to get in the best shape of his life. After seeing quite a few transformations from our coaching program clients, he decided it was time to get my help. This was quite a humbling moment for me because Carlton was someone who taught me quite a bit when it came to getting stronger and more focused in the gym. We had been training partners prior to our lives getting crazy with having kids so I knew that by hiring me he was paying me the ultimate compliment.
Carlton’s Background
Carlton was approaching his 40th birthday and had been training most of his life. His routine consisted of lifting and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His nutrition was good, but he’d avoided getting “too lean” because he didn’t want to lose his hard-earned muscle. Each summer he’d lean down a little, but never to the point where he’d lose too much size. I reassured him that he’d end up appearing more impressive at a lower body-fat level despite being lighter on the scale. We’d keep his training heavy and focused to ensure muscle retention. His BJJ training would serve as cardio so there was no reason to add any additional activity.
As someone who’s been consistent in the gym for many years – Carlton had no issue with consistency around training. His biggest area of need was staying on top of his nutrition on the weekends and the occasional night out during the week. That was where having a strong program designed around his lifestyle would play a huge factor.
Carlton’s Diet, Including Meal Examples
In his own words…this is where Carlton’s nutrition was when he hired me:
As far as the diet is concerned, I go back and forth about weight loss (not wanting to cut too much) and then deciding I want to remain where I am, etc. But I turn 40 in April and I’m set on this being my best presentation to date…so I’m going to put my faith and trust in you that you will have me right! My diet is as follows –
Monday-Friday – 2 cups of oats, 6 egg whites, almond milk, half scoop of syntha-6, tsp of stevia @ 5:15am, ground turkey & broccoli @ 7:30am, instant oatmeal (got tired of salmon & veggies) @ 9am, chicken & broccoli @ 12pm, chicken & brown rice & quinoa @2pm. After the gym on Mondays and Wednesdays, I have peanut butter and jelly sandwich post workout. Tuesdays, my workout is short because I have bjj class and I haven’t been going on Thursday & Saturdays anymore. Friday, I have been skipping my shake and having a sausage & egg mcmuffin & 2 sour cream donuts, but then everything else is still the same.
Monday-Friday dinners vary between pasta (whole wheat) with meat sauce, pasta with ground turkey, broccoli, & olive oil, chicken & veggies, pork, sweet potatoes or yellow potatoes, & veggies. It boils down to what I feel like making, what is available, etc. Usually have a Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy beer with dinner. After that, 5 cinnamon bun Oreo cookies.
Saturday & Sunday – These are the worst days for me. I usually have my shake from Mon-Fri, and then Subway (turkey, pepperoni, lettuce, tomato, oil & vinegar, spicy mustard, black pepper), 2 oatmeal raisin cookies, ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chipotle (white rice, double chicken, medium salsa, & guac. Dinners on Sat may be a cooked meal or something fastfood or pizza. Sunday, it’s the same thing but for dinner, I always have the stouffer’s meat lovers lasagna and a mini stouffers lasagna with meat sauce.
My Nutrition Recommendations For Carlton
Daily Standards:
1) Hit our protein target and overall calorie target per day
2) 2 Servings of Green Veggies Per Day
3) 1 serving of Fruit per day
4) Drink a minimum of 2-3 liters of water per day
5) 1 Power Smoothie Per Day
6) 1 Power Salad Per Day
Macro Targets:
2400 calories 200g protein (800 calories )
68g fat (612 calories)
250g carbs (1000 calories)
I suggest the My Fitness Pal app to track food, but there are other apps as well. There will be a video coming on how to track your food – so stay tuned.
Example Meal Plan
(11AM) Meal 1: Power Smoothie
-1 scoop whey protein -1/2 cup berries or banana -1 Handful of spinach -1 cup almond milk -1 Spoon Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
Meal 2 (1PM) : Power Salad
-Large Green salad with dressing on the side (use minimal amount of dressing) -Lean Protein: Chicken or shrimp (hand size portion) *Two Days per week have a fattier cut of protein – salmon or steak (hand size portion) -Add a small handful of raw nuts to salad -Carrot shavings are fine as well
Meal 3 (4-5pm) (afternoon Snack)
-Protein Bar (Quest or Oh Yeah) or Protein Shake with Fruit
OR
-Turkey Jerky with Fruit
Meal 4 (Dinner)
-Pick a protein source (chicken, steak, lean ground beef (90/10 or better), fish (salmon, halibut, shrimp or cod) or turkey) and have about 8-10 oz (hand size portion) -Pick a carb source (rice, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, or whole wheat bread/tortillas) and have a good serving (about 50-75g carbs) -Green veggies (unlimited)
Before Bed Snack:
-1/2 cup Greek yogurt with small piece of fruit (apple or strawberries)
Supplements (optional)
-Whey Protein
-Creatine Monohydrate (5g per day taken after your workout)
-Fish Oil (1 tab a day)
-Multi-vitamin (optional)
Carlton’s Training Program
Carlton followed a 5 days per week lifting split:
DAY 1: Chest/ Arms
DAY 2: Back / Shoulders
DAY 3: Legs
DAY 4: Chest and Arms
DAY 5: Back/ Shoulders
2 Nights a week he would go and practice BJJ for up to 2 hours.
There was no need to add any cardio for Carlton. With his nutrition dialed in I knew that he’d consistently lose body fat.
Every client is different when it comes to cardio. Some people need to have exact guidelines for cardio and others just need a goal for daily steps. It always comes down to the client and lifestyle of that client.
Carlton stuck with this set up the entire way. His training was centered around the big power movements – Deadlifts, Squats, Bench, Pull-Ups and Shoulder Press.
Towards the end of the cut – we added in some HIIT cardio in the form of battle ropes.
Carlton would do battle ropes for 20 seconds followed by resting for 60 seconds – 10 rounds total 2 times per week right after a lifting session.
Lifestyle Coaching
Carlton occasionally would go out for a couple drinks or to the movies. He’d typically stick to clear liquors whenever consuming alcohol or a couple beers at most. On drinking days I’d have him cut back a little bit on carbs to allow for a few guilt-free drinks.
Each week I also gave Carlton the green light to have one “treat meal”. This was one meal of basically anything he wanted as long as it didn’t make him feel sick or too stuffed. Usually he’d grab a burger and fries or some ice cream. With his dedication in the gym and his consistency during the week I was fine with him having a large calorie meal once a week.
Just because your friend or co-worker has “cheat meals” doesn’t mean you should too. It’s important to build a foundation of strong habits, routines and rituals. Keep things consistent before allowing yourself too much flexibility.
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Final Thoughts
I love sharing client success stories like Carlton’s. However, I want to remind you that everyone’s plan is different. Just because this plan worked for Carlton, doesn’t mean it will work for you. It’s important that you have a plan that fits your lifestyle and goals – otherwise you’ll wind up getting frustrated and overwhelmed and progress will stall out.
My coaching program is not for everyone. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with over 1200 people during my 10+ years in the fitness coaching industry.
If you are looking for a coach to help keep you accountable, design a highly effective plan, tweak things as needed to ensure you keep progressing towards your goals, then online coaching is worth looking into.
Ensuring that we are a good fit for each other before any commitment is made is a crucial step in the process. This leads to great results and satisfied clients. I want you to be a happy client so here’s how it works.
- Go to the link below and fill out the application
- Based off your answers I’ll reach out and schedule a chat with you.
- We will chat and go over your needs/wants and then I’ll give my thoughts and suggestions.
- You’ll get your questions answered and if we agree that it’s a good fit – I’ll cover the coaching packages I offer.
- If you agree on the options and the investment is acceptable- we will move forward. If not – you can simply decline.
- We start coaching!
It’s that simple. Apply below and let’s start the process.
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