Matt Roberts - Matt Roberts’ Younger, Fitter, Stronger: The Revolutionary 8-week Fitness Plan for Men

BLOOMSBURY SPORT

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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This electronic edition published in 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain 2019

Text copyright Matt Roberts 2019

Original photography Grant Pritchard 2019

Images iStock

Matt Roberts has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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The information contained in this book is provided by way of general guidance in relation to the specific subject matters addressed herein, but it is not a substitute for specialist dietary advice. It should not be relied on for medical, health-care, pharmaceutical or other professional advice on specific dietary or health needs. This book is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health or any other kind of personal or professional services. The reader should consult a competent medical or health professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

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ISBN: 978-1-4729-6449-6 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-4729-6446-5 (eBook)
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Contents

Introduction

Welcome to a book that I hope is going to change your life for the better. In the pages that follow I will let you in on everything Ive learned from my decades as a trainer

Look in the mirror and what do you see? In your late 30s, 40s and 50s onwards, its far from unusual to find yourself confronted with the reflection of a rapidly thickening waistline, unsightly man boobs or moobs and a pronounced paunch. Battling the middle-aged spread and a downward slide in fitness are the main concerns of many of my high-profile and high-flying male clients. Yet my promise to them and to you is that it doesnt have to be that way.

Its almost one quarter of a century since I opened my first one-to-one training gym in Mayfair. And, in that time, Ive noticed a dramatic shift in attitudes towards ageing and how people expect their bodies to look and perform as they get older. Reaching your mid-40s once meant hanging up your trainers for good, now it likely means investing in a few extra pairs so that you can train for a marathon or triathlon. There has been a quite incredible shift in mindset that has catapulted the 50-plus brigade into completely new territory.

At the same age, their parents and grandparents would have considered it an achievement to stay well. Todays 50- and 60-somethings hit their landmark birthdays and ask What else can I do to increase my fitness? How many more physical challenges can I achieve? Among my own clients, who have an average age of 45, I have seen that the physical demands they make of themselves have morphed and developed into what 30-somethings expected a decade ago.

How has this happened? The reasons are several-fold, but there are certainly links between the rapid expansion of the fitness industry the availability and range of classes, gyms and trainers and the corresponding rise in body confidence exhibited by these super-agers. Prior to the 1990s, gym memberships were a novel concept. Fast forward almost three decades and it is the same generation who embraced the first gym classes and who paved the way by hiring personal trainers, who are now entering their fifth and sixth decades of life. Perhaps predictably, they are refusing to let their advancing years get the better of them.

And now I am one of them. My goals have always been to remain as fit and healthy at 45 as I was at 35 and at 50 as I was at 40. I want the same for my clients. Yet in my mid-40s, I faced similar health concerns as any man of my age. I realised that the kind of diet and exercise programme that had worked for me until then wasnt having the same effect. It became harder to keep the pounds at bay and to maintain (and improve) the physique I wanted. I knew something needed to change.

Thats why I developed an approach that I believe is ground-breaking. Its based on hard science that addresses the hormonal shifts that occur as men get older. Past our 30s, levels of male hormones including human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone naturally begin to fall. And, since these are essential for regulating muscle and bone growth, fat levels and metabolism, the effects can be devastating. It becomes harder to build muscle, to burn calories and absorb nutrients from food. The result? Muscles wither away and are replaced by a layer of body fat that accumulates with intensity around your middle and chest to produce the paunch and moobs characteristic of middle age. You become more tired and stressed, your sex drive plummets and you look and feel older.

Matt says:

I believe you can be as fit in your 40s as you were in your 30s

Sound familiar? Then you have bought the right book. Within these pages is my secret formula for youthful transformation of body and mind. It is a plan based on cutting-edge science that has proven you can boost levels of the key hormones that usually plummet as men get older. By raising levels of HGH and testosterone through a targeted exercise and diet plan, you can not only improve the way you look and feel but help to slow the ageing process.

My 8-week programme is focused on progressively harder strength and high intensity workouts that stimulate the production of HGH and testosterone, boost muscles and strengthen bones that lose mass as we get older. It works in tandem with a diet designed to boost testosterone and HGH and get you eating more of the foods that science has shown can block the production of the female hormone oestrogen. Its rising oestrogen in mens later years that contributes to fat being deposited in the male chest area (yes, your moobs) and around the middle and there are many natural and healthy foods that help to counter it.