A busy father has revealed how he ditched his dad bod in just nine weeks – and all without the help of a personal trainer, nutritionist, or expensive exercise classes.
David Morton, of West Sussex, lost weight, built muscle and improved his fitness by making small changes to his diet and doing 45-minute workouts just five days a week, and says he did it all without sacrificing his social life, or time with his two toddlers.
In less than three months, the 34-year-old saw his physique become more lean and toned – and he insists his regime is not difficult for others to follow.
Before: David said he was in good shape before the nine-week programme but admitted living with toddlers meant he was often sleep-deprived, which caused his workouts to suffer
After: By following the programme for nine weeks, David was able to shed fat, lose weight and improve his fitness. He explained that his social and family life did not suffer in the process
Simple moves: The father-of-two explained it could all be done without heavy weights
‘There were no scary moves or heavy weights – just lots of good bodyweight and basic weighted exercises,’ he explained. ‘I did 468 press ups, for example. Which is quite a few.’
David, deputy editor of Men’s Health, explained that his level of fitness was ‘good’ before but that sleepless nights with his sons, aged two and one, meant his workouts were ‘lacklustre’.
Transformation: David pictured at three (left) six (centre) and nine weeks into the process
Free and easy: Many of the exercises required David to use his own body weight, pictured
Dedicated: David estimated that he did 468 press ups over the course of the nine weeks
‘But everything else has changed since. I am now married with kids and spend three hours commuting every day.
‘I’m in my mid-thirties and my hair is falling out. In short, I am the average man: busy, tired and increasingly eager to get and stay fit.’
Rather than spend money on a personal trainer or expensive classes, David followed the advice and diet on the Primal 9 app, recently launched by Men’s Health.
The app splits workouts between different muscle groups, full body circuits and fitness tests, and offers guidance on meals.
David, who documented his journey on Instagram, said: ‘My diet was not restrictive or repetitive. Instead, I tried to eat more whole foods, less sugar and had the majority of my carbs after the gym.
‘So lots of fish, eggs chicken and vegetables.
‘In fact I put away 27 chickens and 189 eggs over the course of the nine weeks.
‘But it wasn’t puritanical.’
Instead the focus was on finding a hollistic way to strengthen and better the body.
Balanced: David explained he did not deprive himself of food during the nine weeks
Planning: The workouts are split between different muscle groups and full body sessions
In the zone: David looks focused as he carries out a bench exercise from the Men’s Health app
‘It’s more about understanding the right way to eat and to feed your body for exercise, and to feel good,’ he continued.
‘For the workout and the food it’s about making sure you feel good rather than depriving yourself and feeling monkish.’
Over the course of nine weeks David lost just over one stone (6.5kg), but saw his body fat drop from 14.5 per cent to just 10 per cent.
He made time to work out for 45 minutes during his lunch breaks during the week, leaving the weekends free for his family. He also didn’t let the programme interfere with his social life.
He added: ‘I had my wife’s birthday and two weddings during the plan and gave myself those weekends to eat and drink whatever I wanted. Then just got back on track the next week.’
Read more about David’s transformation in the January/February issue of Men’s Health, out now.
Download Primal 9 for free from the App Store or the Google Play Store. Follow David’s story on Instagram at @djwwoolfmorton.