The Creativity-Impuslivity Paradox

Zhivko lost 12 kilos overall to get into shape to play the lead role of Michael Schumacher in a self-funded film about the Formula 1 legend’s debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.

Like most creatives, Zhivko is prone to impulsivity, which we worked with, rather than against.

We coupled an ‘impulsivity budget’ with an aggressive calorie deficit to get him lean while continuing to eat the foods he likes.

We then reverse dieted him as he continued to lose the final 4 kilos, increasing his calories and his energy on set, as he began shooting.

We transformed his body, energy and hormones, allowing his performance to peak on set.

Life Without Alcohol

Over several months, this growth manager in the blockchain industry lost 10 kilos while completely changing his habits.

Just prior to working together, Seva quit drinking alcohol, and went all in on his self-improvement journey.

We used this time to educate him on how to train and eat for results.

Within 12 weeks Seva lost 10 kilos transforming his lifestyle, confidence and discipline.


He now enjoys bars, clubs and trips with his friends, yet he remains disciplined in his sobriety, because he has gained so much through the process of his transformation.

Making the Time for Healthy Habits

Lubo is a film director, entrepreneur and does the marketing for his family’s jewellery business.

Not only is he tight on time, but much of his work is based around being adaptive to shoot dates, client needs and partner relationships.

What was key for Lubo was implementing structure, without a rigid routine.

We introduced resistance (weight) training, which he excelled at, as well as low intensity cardio, which he uses as a meditation to help him de-stress from his hectic work schedule.

Hitting this sweet-spot between structure and flexible implementation has been key to Lubo keeping the weight off one year after initially losing 10 kilos.

“Now is not the right time”

Milan lost his belly and love handles a year ago, and never looked back!

When we got on out first call, Milan was travelling South America, and unsure about whether he should commit to a transformation while on the road. He was also hesitant to do online coaching, as he doubted his ability to learn the exercises without in-person guidance.

We agreed that motivation is fleeting, and we got started right away with simple habits he could commit to while on the road, building towards full compliance to the program upon his return to Bulgaria where he resides.

He now excels at all the major compound lifts and he continues to keep his body fat percentage low coming into his 40s.

He completely changed his body composition, confidence and posture, and continues to challenge me as a coach with his constant travel schedule.

Ivan started his plan having newly moved from France to Romania to build his online business.

He knew no one in his new city, and was starting completely from scratch, jumping into the unknown.

The willingness to jump into such situations, and start over, is what creates success.

Our work together helped provide a stable structure to ground him, and keep him focused on progress, despite much chaos and challenge in his life.

Even while building a new life, business and social network in a foreign country, he managed to gain 12 kilos in 8 months, lining himself up for a cutting phase this Summer, with further progress to come.

Watch this space.

Creating Sustainable Habits

Killian is a qualified personal trainer himself, and had previously worked with other trainers on 12 week before and after programs. But he would inevitably rebound, stop training for months at a time, and lose his progress.

He was cycling through periods of burnout, which is all to common among high performers who hold themselves to high standards.

We slowed down his expectations, focused on rebuilding from the ground up, instituted mandatory rest days, and worked on developing a healthier relationship with his goals.

He not only transformed his body composition but has been consistent for a year, without throwing in the towel.

He even landed a new job as a music teacher, and he credits our work together as being a contributing factor to landing that role.

His upward momentum continues, because now it is built on solid foundations.

Breaking the Diet Cycle

When Tom and I started working together, he had lost some weight through intermittent fasting, but was tiring of this approach.

He had also taken up road-running with little weight loss to show for it.

By introducing resistance training and flexible dieting, we were able to decrease his body weight by a further 7 kilos, creating a dietary approach he could stick to as a longterm lifestyle.

We retained fasting as a useful tool when travelling on business trips, but opted for a more sustainable approach moving forward.

I had been training for almost a decade, when a string of health complications and bad depression took me out of action three years ago.

I felt like I was playing catch up when I reached 30 years old. I embarked on a muscle building phase, gaining almost 20 kilos within approximately 18 months, which inevitably meant that a considerable amount of body fat came along for the ride.

I then went on to lose 15 kilos, transforming my body composition. At the age of 33, I feel fitter and healthier than ever and love to share my learnings with my clients, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of optimising body composition, mobility, work performance and training performance.

Stan owns a chain of coffee shops in Sofia, Bulgaria. This means early mornings, late finishes, and little time to train and prep healthy food.

We used the 2:3:3 Method to take his total training time down to just 2 hours per week, over 3 workouts, as one of 3 simple lifestyle habits.

He joined to lose the final bit of body fat he was carrying, got what he needed from the program and moved on to running marathons, which has now become his new passion.

We continue to maintain a great relationship and I continue to be a supporter of his business to fuel my caffeine addicition.

Aidan has a string of businesses that he runs remotely while travelling Europe and beyond. He is an avid golfer, with online golf coaching being his latest project.

He came to the program looking to increase his lower body power to support his swing, and to build some visible muscle mass in his legs.

He had previously trained Muay Thai and build quite a lot of upper body muscle in the gym, but had neglected his legs for years.

Our first focus was on getting him under 100 kilos in the squat for reps, starting at 60 kilos. Given his hectic schedule, we went with a modified version of effective strength programs to increase his squat by 40 kilos in 16 weeks.

He’s feeling more confident than ever as he golfs his way through South East Asia at the time of writing.

Jamie had the goal of getting in shape while expecting the arrival of his first child. He wanted to set an example for his son, but was struggling to juggle his career, band and side hustle as a music teacher.

We used the 2:3:3 Method to help him lose 7 kilos in 12 weeks, training just 2 hours per week, across 3 workouts, as part of 3 lifestyle habits.

We also transitioned him to including home workouts as his new duties as a father took hold.

We developed several approaches to adapt to his quickly changing situation, ensuring the result, without him having to spend hours in the gym.

He learned how to train, how to eat, and developed sustainable habits that he can continue from his home gym.

When Max and I started working together, he was on injury leave from his career as a professional basketball player, with an ACL injury.

We worked around the injury, based on the advice of his doctors, while greatly increasing his muscle mass and his upper body lifts.

We also supported his goal of drinking less alcohol, as he built his SEO agency.

Having briefly left the program, Max has returned to the High Performers’ Network to continue his journey, achieve new heights and further increase his discipline.

Mitko had gotten in shape many times before but never fully grasped how it worked, when it comes to training and nutrition. He wanted to further his knowledge so he could repeat the process himself in the future.

We used the Body Composition Blueprint to deliver a hands-on 12-week education on building lean muscle mass, through evidence-based training and nutrition principles.

He even continued his journey on a road trip around the balkans, proving that where there is a will there is a way!

He didn’t have much weight to lose, but still managed to cut 5 kilos of body fat, maintaining lean muscle mass, and receiving the knowledge he’ll need to repeat the process in the future.