A father-of-two has revealed how he swapped his ‘dad bod’ for a ripped six pack in just six weeks while still drinking beer and eating burgers.
Like many, Jon Lipsey, 41, felt like he ‘let himself go’ during the pandemic, exercising less and eating ‘too much’.
‘Between March 2020 and September 2021 I added about 7kg of padding – mainly around my belly, love handles and chest,’ he told FEMAIL.
As his waistline expanded, Jon began feeling more ‘stressed, irritable and tired’. On top of this, he felt like a fraud because, as the founder of health and fitness site New Body Plan, he wanted to practise what he preached.
‘I wanted to get back in shape but, as a 41-year-old father of two, I needed an exercise plan that fitted around a busy life,’ Jon said. ‘I needed training sessions that were fast and fun and I needed a find a way to eat for a healthier body that didn’t feel like a diet.
‘After all, we’d all given up enough over the last couple of years. I wasn’t really up for imposing a set of self-inflicted restrictions. So I came up with a six-week plan of action I called my “Beer and Barbell” plan.’
In just over a month, Jon shed a stone and uncovered a muscular physique previously hidden by lockdown flab.
Here, he tells FEMAIL how he made it happen…
The father of two has shared how his six-week-old son swapped his dad bod for a six-pack in six weeks, while continuing to drink beer and eat burgers. Jon (left), and Jon after.
Jon claims that weight gain caused him to feel more stressed, irritable and fatigued. This is Jon with his slimmer frame.
For a 21 year old Instagram influencer, it’s all well and good for her. These influencers have time, genes and age on their side.
What about a middle-aged man with hectic families? It was my goal to demonstrate that it is possible to still have the Love Island physique, even if your age doesn’t allow you to become a contestant.
Public Health England reported that the average weight gain of people who became heavier in the aftermath of the pandemic was less than 10 lbs.
After I decided to get back into shape, I took an ‘before’ photo to track my progress.
To be truthful, it wasn’t my favorite part and I was not thrilled by what I saw. What do you know? This gave me that kick in the rear I needed.
You may think I was beautiful and perfect before I began. Perhaps you think it was vanity to try and change my body.
That’s your right. My weight gain was not a cosmetic issue. According to Harvard School Of Public Health obesity increases the likelihood of suffering from various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
It doesn’t matter if you are in your 40s, or even older. Research presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2019 revealed that those who are obese are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with a heart disease and die young than people of healthy weight.
It didn’t take long for me to reach that level if I continued adding fat a couple of times per 18 months.
My goal was to get back into shape within six weeks.
This was just right. It felt short enough not to seem overwhelming but enough to achieve the results I desired.
To increase effectiveness, the training system that I developed combined best features of various workout styles.
My goal was to get the best bang for my dollar, and so I used three 40-minute sessions of high-intensity weight training. To make things as simple as possible, I added a 20-minute home weight workout to my gym sessions.
There are some good news on the nutrition front. I wasn’t hungry, and I didn’t eliminate any of the major food groups. These extreme diets are always a failure so I decided to avoid them.
Jon stated that Jon was a 21 year old Instagram influencer who has a comfortable job and isn’t expecting to get a six-pack. Their time, age and genetics are all on their side.
Although you might be able to lose weight by starving yourself, it’s not a good idea. You will ruin your metabolism and make yourself miserable.
It is smarter to approach your meals like this: make sure there’s enough protein in each meal, consume lots of veggies and good fats, then fill the remaining calories with carbohydrates.
Also, you don’t need to be obsessed with calories. Although they are crucial, 100-odd calories that fall short or exceed your daily goal will not make any difference. Keep it simple. You can keep your weight under control and save your willpower to focus on the important things.
Want to learn my secret training method? My lifting technique was perfect. It’s that easy.
So I devised a plan that was based on sound theory. I could just tick the boxes and view each session as an individual step towards my goal.
After six weeks, it was time for me to capture another progress shot. What I saw was very pleasing to me. About 1.2 t heavier.
My arms were large, my shoulders were big and I was able to show off some abs. Not quite Love Island ready, perhaps. Not far, though.
Jon suggests that the best way to eat when you are trying to lose weight is to eat a lot of vegetables and eat plenty of protein.
Are you ready to start? Jon’s exercise plan is easy and doesn’t require a gym.
He said that the best part about not restricting one’s food choice and instead focusing on the calories and portion control was that it made him more motivated to do the workout sessions. He did them four times a week and with more effort.
Jon used this exercise as a guideline. You don’t need any kit – just 20 minutes, four days a week, and a space to exercise.
The set, rep and break instructions will guide you through the order of the following exercises. Where you see ‘a’ and ‘b’ after an exercise number, that means the moves are supposed to be done back to back.
For example, do one set each of incline push-ups and then move on to a second set of alternating weight lunges. Then, rest for forty seconds and then go back to exercise 1.a. Continue this pattern until you complete 5 sets.
- 1a Inline press-up
- Resets: 5 Reps, 8 Rest. 0 Seconds
- 1b Alternating bodyweight lunges
- Resets: 5 reps, 12 rest 40 seconds
Jon’s tip: When performing the inclines press-ups, you should brace your core during the entire set. Keep your elbows straight up and your arms close to your sides as each rep is performed.
To do the bodyweight lunges ensure that your front leg is straight in the lunge position.
If it is angled forwards, that’s a sign you haven’t take a sufficiently long stride.
- 2a Weight squats
- Resets: 5 Reps, 16 Rest 0 Seconds
- 2b Bodyweight squat jumps
- Sets of 5 reps, 8 rest 40 seconds
Jon’s tip: For the bodyweight squats, keep your weight on your heels and mid foot, keep your chest up and avoid rounding your back.
When landing on squat jumps you should have a flat foot. Once your feet are landed, bend at the hips and knees to absorb any impact.
- 3a Reverse crunches
- Resets: 3 Reps/10 Rest 0 Seconds
- Climbers of 3b Mountains
- Three sets, 20 second rest.
- 3c Crunches
- Resets: 3 Reps, 10 Rest for 40 Seconds
Expert tip: Concentrating your tension on your target muscles is the key to improving your abdominal workouts.
Focus more on quality abdominal muscle contractions than the range of motion.
Jon Lipsey, the founder of NewBodyPlan.com is a website dedicated to health and fitness. It offers a variety of diet and exercise plans for fat loss. Jon Lipsey’s Fat-Loss Max Plan (also known as “The Beer and Barbell Plan”) is now available at newbodyplan.com.