Dave Haddon

What’s your background / how long have you been training? 

I’ve always been into sports and fitness as a hobby. I have been training for around 6 years but typically the traditional split of “Chest / Back / Shoulders / Legs” neglecting cardio (apart from 5-a-side once a week) and abs almost totally. My thought process was “if i’m in the gym I’d rather be lifting heavy than wasting my time running on a treadmill; I can do that outside” but I didn’t... I also never trained abs as I thought “what’s the point; you can’t see them over my bodyfat!”.

What made you want to do the photoshoot challenge?

Apart from “i’m going on holiday soon; I better sharpen up my game as I’ll have my shirt off” I’ve never had a real “goal”. I cannot stress the importance of having this in place now looking back. I would 100% recommended that it is a MUST when you’re looking to get the physique you’ve always dreamt of... or anything in life. The fear of failing myself, my coach, my fellow “12-Week Challengers” pushed me no end to get the job done. Being accountable to your goal is all the motivation I needed - added to the fact I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to shoot with the talented Mr. Matt Marsh and turn up unprepared!

How did you find your training / nutrition plan?

I honestly really enjoyed it! The training is the fun part; like I said I already loved going to the gym. That is my playground where I can focus on myself, de-stress and just enjoy it. The training Adam prescribed was different to my normal routines with a lot of focus on Progressive Overloading & Time under Tension (TUT) techniques. Each 4 week cycle he changed the training too so there was no risk of getting bored. Cardio was tough initially as I’d been slacking previously so when I ended up with 5x 45 minute sessions per week, yes that's right; on top of the lifting I wasn’t his biggest fan! I soon got used to it and like anything the more you do of something the better you become at it. Plus the results I achieved in 12 weeks made it all worthwhile! The diet was good, all clean sources of food and easily manageable to prep. You are asked what food you enjoy & don’t like at the start and Adam is very good at catering to your needs.

How did the photoshoot go / was it what you expected?

Initially I felt nervous; especially the closer I got to the date, panicking screaming “where are my abs!” In the end I absolutely loved it! It is a weird feeling standing in a studio half-naked, tanned up and lacking a serious amount of body hair in a room of (to some extent) strangers looking at you. However once you get your “pre-shoot pump” on and start talking with Matt it becomes very relaxed and that is your moment to showcase all of the hard work you’ve put in. Anyone want a 2017 calendar? :)

How was having Adam as a Coach?

Soul destroying! An absolute unit of a man on 3,500+ kcals doing minimal cardio while you are the complete opposite! No in all honesty he was a pleasure to have as my coach. I often referred to him as “the magician” throughout the 12 week process as there was only 1 week in the 12 where I didn’t lose weight and I hit my first plateau. He literally dropped my sweet potato amount by 100g and my nuts by 25g and I began to lose weight again! He has so much knowledge and experience i’m convinced he can do transformations with his eyes closed. 

I can’t recommend Adam enough as a coach so if you are thinking of making a change with your physique, stepping on stage or just being healthier all-round; I’d strongly recommend contacting him. Also sign up to his newsletter (if you don’t already) as he offers great free weekly content.

He was also great with contact throughout and I’m pleased to call him a friend.

My plan going forward is to maintain the physique I’ve achieved into the New Year and then commence a “lean bulk” until April/May. I will hopefully be able to work with Adam again come June (should I have a good “off-season”) as I look to add some quality muscle and potentially make my competition debut at Pure Elite in November 2017.

If you would like to follow my journey going forward; my Instagram profile is DHFit25.