Albert Einstein once said that the definition of “insanity” is repeating the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result’
But what if you do something different and expect the same result?
That sort of insanity is common in the world of fitness where too many people train with a new program, get great results and then see something shiny and move on to the next thing.
The question is ‘Why?’ If you got such great results, why would you then do something else? It sounds like madness….
So let me ask you a different question: What happens if you finish the Amazing 12, get incredible results and then do it again?
What if you didn’t stop there?
Why stick with the Amazing 12
I used to be the first to try something for a while, do well and then move on to the next thing. I’d get a reasonable return from each program but always losing the progress from the first.
The end result was that I stayed pretty much the same. I was always a little ‘skinny fat’, I was thin but didn’t have much muscle and my body fat was too high for me to look defined.
So, after my first Amazing 12, I was at a crossroads – I could continue as I always had and move onto the next shiny thing or stick with something I knew for a fact worked.
Luckily for me, I chose sanity
I have been using the Amazing 12 and its principles for just over one year and it has made a massive difference.
I am now sitting pretty at around 108kg bodyweight and compete in both powerlifting and strongman competitions.
The picture of me above is during the Duck Walk event just a couple of months ago. Quite a difference, I think you will agree. The weight there is 150kg (my old 1RM) and I have to carry it for distance in a very awkward position, not an easy thing to do! My deadlift has gone from 150kg to over 210kg, my squats have gone from a tough (and probably not deep enough) 100kg to over 170kg. My old 1RM for the bench is now a training weight and the 32kg is barely a speck in my rear view mirror.
You will notice a lack of specificity in the numbers I mentioned. This is because I simply don’t know. I haven’t tested my true maxes in a long time, when I hit these numbers they actually felt pretty easy.
Recently I was lucky enough to host Benedikt Magnusson at my gym for a powerlifting workshop (with Andy Bolton, how much strength can fit in one room?) and he said something that not only fits perfectly with the Amazing 12 ethos, but also stuck with me.
‘I would rather have no idea how strong I am, than know exactly how weak I am’
Amazing 12 case study: The Anjamal
Anja is another example of what happens when you use the Amazing 12 more than once.
Before Anja began training, she was very underweight – at around 5ft 8, she weighed just 48kg (103lbs) – and had suffered from Anorexia.
She then made a decision that would change her life. Anja didn’t just complete the Amazing 12 once, she powered through THREE rounds back to back!
Anja is now about 72kg of unfettered awesomeness, you name it she can do it. She has competed in two strongwoman competitions, earning a podium spot at both.
In her first competition she came second, beating a woman with a world record in the squat and coming just a single point behind the winner. Both times the third place contestant and overall winner had a significant (20kg+) weight advantage, which in the sport of strongman makes a huge difference.
In her second competition, after three out of five events she was winning but an injury to her hip hindered her performance. Even then she finished third.
Anja has bent horseshoes and a 60D nail with her hands (a feat of strength considered very tough even for men), flipped a 320kg tyre, pressed a 28kg kettlebell STRICT on 1 arm and push pressed 36kg overhead on one arm. All after just over a year of training.
She is currently coming to the end of her FIFTH round and is currently benching 67.5kg for sets of 4, 67.5kg by the way, is the current Irish National Record for her category! You can make incredible progress in just 12 weeks with the Amazing 12, but with even more time, there is no end to the possibilities.
When you make such incredible progress in such a short space of time, just imagine the possibilities when you settle in for the long haul.