Body transformation training blog: the photo shoot

Finally, after eight weeks of training, dieting, and general clean-living, the body transformation photo shoot is upon me.
 
In all honesty, the last week has been awful. In the gym, I’ve been put through 800 rep-plus depletion workouts, designed to drain my body’s glycogen reserves. These would be tough enough at the best of times, but a lack of fat and carbs in my diet has left me feeling lethargic, and my inability to lift the relatively light weights is extremely demoralising.
 
Things have been equally grim in the kitchen. Having spent the first half of the week drinking 10 litres of water a day and piling my meals high with an obscene amount of salt, I’ve spent the second half cutting back dramatically on both. This (in theory) will help to give my muscles a ‘dried out’, defined look on the day of the shoot, but the final 24 hours beforehand – where I drank virtually no water – left me feeling dreadful.
 
But despite the slog, there’s no denying that on the morning of the shoot, I look more ripped than I ever have in my entire life. Watch the video to see how I get on.

Ben Ince

Between 2010 and 2016, Ben was the deputy editor of Men’s Fitness UK, which predated, and then shared a website with, Coach. Ben also contributed exclusive features to Coach on topics such as football drills, triathlon training plans and healthy eating.