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on Oct 3rd, 2016 and filed under Buffing up: Spencer Matthews reveals how he went from a regular guy to Men’s Health cover model in six weeks – Daily Mail
- Was 13 stone 8 lbs and had 17% body fat
- Used to live on takeaways and had too many late nights
- Now 12 stone 8 lbs with 8% body fat
- Followed high protein diet and took diet supplements
- Worked out one hour a day, six days a week
I’ve just managed to get to be a Men’s Health model in six weeks and I still can’t believe I’ve done it.
Men’s Health – the bible of the fitness mag world – asked me back in September to train with one of their top fitness experts and to get in the best shape of my life and they would publish the results.
Problem: they only had six weeks to turn it around and when I started I was 13 stone 8 lbs and had 17 per cent body fat – I was looking decidedly lumpy.
Buffing up: Spencer Matthews reveals how he went from a regular guy to Men’s Health cover model in six weeks
The results: Spencer achieved his toned new body following a diet of kangaroo burgers and intense work outs
But miraculously in a month and a half MH fitness expert Shaun Stafford managed to turn me into a cover model weighing in at 12 stone 8 lbs and with only 8 per cent body fat.
If you had told two months ago I was going on the cover of Men’s Health I would have laughed in your face.
It’s fair to say that I’m a bit of a yo-yo dieter. I get in shape for a bit and stick to my gym sessions for a week or two but pretty soon I let it all go with too many late nights, parties, booze and take-aways.
Before I know it I’m looking pretty hefty again. But this time I was going to be given the opportunity to totally change my lifestyle for good – diet, fitness and a range of Forza supplements to help with the occasion lack of energy and deal with food cravings.
At his peak: Spencer Matthews before his Men’s Health challenge in November, and right, the finished effects of his tough diet and exercise regime
He works out: There were weekly body fat tests and photographs every two weeks to keep Spennie focused
Back at end of September, I was introduced to Shaun Stafford, the WBFF PRO Fitness Model World Champion and he runs City Athletic is a private members gym located in the shadow of The Bank of England. He is without a doubt one of the best trainers in the world.
Clearly it wasn’t going to be easy to break the habits of a lifetime and Shaun began with a complete overhaul of my diet, a severe reduction on the late nights and the alcohol that went with them so that I could get the required sleep and recovery to allow my body to change.
This was a 24-hour strategy to strip away the fat – not just the one hour in the gym.
Buddies: Spencer with Shaun Stafford, the WBFF PRO Fitness Model World Champion from City Athletic, who helped him get in shape
Ripped: Shaun set Spennie a base calorie level which was just below the daily requirement and was designed for fat loss. It was high protein, moderate to low carbs and low fat
There were weekly body fat tests and photographs every two weeks to keep me focused. That way I knew I would be caught out if I was cheating so I had to stay disciplined.
I was also motivated by the fact that there were other guys from Made In Chelsea also taking the Men’s Health challenge – Oliver Proudlock, Andy Jordan, and Alex Mytton were also training with other top instructors so that element of competition motivated me to work even harder.
I’m really pleased I stuck at it and all the hard work was definitely worth it. Here’s how I did it…
The Diet
Shaun set me a base calorie level which was just below the daily requirement and was designed for fat loss. It was high protein, moderate to low carbs and low fat.
He had me eating quite small portions regularly throughout the day and introduced a lot of exotic meats and fish so it didn’t feel like I was living like a Trappist monk. We had six days on and one day off which was good because you would go insane if you were on low carbs every day.
7am – Breakfast Egg white omelette with lean ham and spinach – cooked in Lucy Bee coconut oil.
(Here’s the science bit – coconut oil is composed of medium chain fatty acids – as opposed to long chain – which are used by the body so are NOT stored as fat.)
The meals during the day contained exotic meats – including kangaroo, to keep things interesting! – with brown rice and steamed greens. These are small portions and every three hours.
SPENCER’S DAILY DIET
10am – Lean Turkey meat, 50 grams brown rice, peas, or spinach
11am – high protein snack such as biltong, if I was needing some energy
1pm – Kangaroo burger, 50 grams brown rice, steamed broccolli
4pm – Wild boar, brown rice (again) and some bok choi
7pm – I would often have fish for the last meal – and again some exotic selections like Barramundi fillet (200-300 gm), or swordfish steak (250 gm) not always with rice in the evenings but still with some steamed greens
Supplements
Hard work: Spencer was doing one hour a day six days a week, so it is do-able for anyone
I was taking a range of Forza fitness supplements, which dealt with cravings, increased fat burning and also provided energy and protein.
I took two capsules of Forza T5 Super Strength most mornings – these kick start the fat burning process and gave more tone and muscle definition.
The Work Outs
These were really hard. The bottom line on this is that if you want to get the full Men’s Health look you’ve got to work really hard. The first few training sessions were so exhausting I was sick.
Thankfully as I got fitter this happening less and less.
I was doing one hour a day six days a week, so it is do-able for anyone. My sessions were full body work outs with weights, starting with low reps at first and then building up high reps and bigger weights. I also tried to fit in three cardio sessions a week, a short run, swim or a bike ride but I didn’t always manage three.
Here is an example of a work-out Shaun would have me do. It was all high intensity work-outs with not much rest in between.
Now is the even harder bit of keeping it up and not falling back into my bad habit, and that’s going to be pretty tough with Christmas party season approaching but I think I will manage.
For the full story of my fitness journey you can get a copy of Men’s Health January issue which is out from Wednesday 3rd December.
SPENCER’S WORKOUT
Start with 500m to 1000m row to warm up
Barbell Squats – four sets of eight
In between each set do four sets of eight Wide Grip Pull Ups
Seated Cable Row – three sets of 10 reps
Walking Lunges – three sets of 10
Barbell Bicep Curls – three sets of 10 reps
Leg Press – three sets of 12 reps
Flat Bench Press – four sets of eight reps
Sumo Deadlift with the barbell – four sets of eight reps
Incline Dumb Bell Chest Press – three sets of ten reps
Swissball Back Bridge and Leg Curl – three sets of ten reps
Dips – three sets of ten reps
Prone Ham Curls (single leg) – three set of 12
The ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the Celebrity Six-Pack Made in Chelsea challengers in the January/February issue of Men’s Health, on sale Wednesday 4 December. Also available as a digital edition.
For the behind the scenes video from the exclusive Men’s Health shoot go to www.menshealth.co.uk/remadeinchelsea
Men’s Health magazine, out December 4
