How James Got to Single-Digit Body Fat in 11 Weeks and Found Something Harder Than an Ironman
Written by
Lachlan Rowston
The detailed training and nutrition plan that took James from 11.3% to 6.7% body fat.
When James started with us, fitness wasn’t the problem.
James had done more than most people ever will: an Ironman, and a 100km ultramarathon.
But getting his body fat and muscle mass to his life time peak was a new challenge he’d never tried.
What he’d never built was a system that held up around real life, with his client events, business travel, weekend socials and late nights.
His nutrition had always taken a back seat to other priorities.
So on 1 June, working with Lockeroom coach Dom, he committed to an 11-week shred with one goal: get lean, and keep every bit of muscle doing it.
Here’s how he did it.
1. The Training Program
James already had fitness. The missing links were:
Structured strength training, progressed week to week
A routine that survived travel and disruption
Nutrition that matched his goals instead of his old habits
Someone keeping him accountable between sessions
“The hardest part is starting. Once I committed to the goal, the human brain is creative and found a way to get the result.”
a. The weekly routine
Monday | Upper body: chin-ups, pressing, rows, arms |
Tuesday | Lower body: squat, split squat, posterior chain, plyometrics |
Wednesday | Upper body: bench, pulldowns, rows, dips, arms |
Thursday | Lower body: trap bar deadlift, pendulum squat, hamstrings, quads |
Weekends | Long runs (up to 15km) and high step counts |
Every lifting session started before 6:30 am.
b. What his training looked like by the end (Phase 4)
Trap bar deadlift | 160kg × 8 × 3 sets |
Back squat | 120kg × 8 |
Barbell bench press | 80kg × 8 × 3 sets |
Weighted chin-ups | +10kg × 6 × 3 sets |
Weighted dips | +10kg × 8 × 3 sets |
2. The Diet
a. How we structured it
Dom set James a daily target of about 2,000 kcal and 170g of protein.
James didn't just count calories in an app and go quiet. Every evening, he sent Dom his full day in their group chat: every meal, with calories and protein, plus that day's training or steps.
The rules were simple:
Swap old habits, don't ban them. Late-night Thai or pizza became a double-chicken, no-rice burrito, or chicken pho without drinking most of the broth.
Protein at every meal: chicken, eggs, egg whites, YoPRO, protein bars.
Volume when hungry: extra salad, not extra snacks.
Alcohol cut to nearly zero.
Tighten the screws gradually. Each habit had to stick before the next change.
“My stomach could initially hold two double chicken burritos. Now I feel the same level of satisfaction after eating one.”
b. A real day from James’s logs
Gym day
15km run
17,119 steps
His staples: GYG chicken burritos and bowls, chicken pho, eggs and egg whites, salads, sweet potato, YoPRO Perform, Carman’s protein bars and fruit.
Food | kcal | Protein |
Chicken burrito (double chicken, no rice) | 690 | 58g |
2 chicken pho (25% of broth consumed) | 620 | 70g |
Carman’s protein bar | 180 | 10g |
Salad + sweet potato | 170 | 3g |
2 fried eggs | 145 | 13g |
YoPRO Perform | 97 | 20g |
SiS energy gel | 87 | 0g |
Berries | 20 | 0g |
Total | 2,009 | 174g |
3. The Lifestyle Shifts
James’s biggest breakthroughs came outside the gym.
a. Reporting in, every single day
James and Dom had a group chat called Shred! Every night, James posted his full day of eating and activity.
When he slipped, he got back on it: “Ok I will start sending through daily again.”
“We spend a lot of time out of the gym, and what we do in that time matters. Having Dom feel like he was never far away was, to my surprise, a big part of keeping me on track for a long period, which is a totally different strategy to a short push.”
b. Alcohol, cut to nearly zero
Client events and weekend socials used to mean drinks. During the shred, alcohol went to almost nothing, which made room in his calories and helped his recovery.
c. Training early
All of his lifting was done before 6:30am, so work, travel and social plans couldn't get in the way of a session.
d. A coach who was invested
James with his Personal Trainer Dom and Jarryd
“It’s been a first-class experience having someone emotionally engaged in my journey.”
4. The Results
1 June → 18 August
“I have done an Ironman and a 100km ultramarathon, and they don’t compare to how good this felt.”
Below is James’s InBody data. We use this device for all our clients to accurately track body composition over time.
“Pushing through that discomfort and seeing how my body adapted is the most satisfying feeling I’ve had, physically and mentally, so far in my journey.”
James on his transformation
James’s results aren’t rare. They’re repeatable.
At Lockeroom, we use data, world-class coaching and personal accountability to help executives and founders take control of their health, without sacrificing their career or lifestyle.
