I wouldn’t go so far to say that I’m a fitness junkie but I love trying new health programs, classes and exercises to keep things fun – otherwise my motivation plummets and I end up living on a diet of Mars Bars and pasta.
So I came across former Bachelor Tim Robards’ program – TRM (The Robards Method) – and thought I’d give it a go for a month.
I signed up and got a starter pack with a t-shirt, wooden gymnastic rings and accompanying straps, and a resistance band. I downloaded the app and was itching to go!
Eating
The program is quite easy to follow; there are three workouts (with some exercises using the rings and band) and a healthy eating plan in the form of a 7-2-1 fuel philosophy – 70% super clean, 20% sensible, 10% relaxed.
I’ll be honest and say that sticking to a diet isn’t easy for me; I seem to have almost zero willpower when it comes to saying no to burgers or sweets. But, I was pleasantly surprised with this eating plan (found under the Nutrition Bible on the website and app). The meals are easy to make and seriously delicious. I’ll keep making the corn fritters and Thai beef salad all the time because they’re just so yummy.
Oh, and the best thing? Friday and Saturday nights are your choice of meal! So yes, you can still indulge but only in small portions.
The Nutrition Bible is a treasure trove of info on food and you guessed it, nutrition, and you can read up on what snacks you can eat while on the program. You also have the option of trying the ‘Super Clean’ eating plan if you want to be really strict on yourself.
Exercise
There are three different workouts each week – Strength, Power and Rings – that are accessed through the app. Plus, there’s a short video of Tim doing each exercise to show you how it’s done. That’s some pretty great motivation in itself (am I right?!).
The workouts have specific exercises and movements with a target of reps, and you can do it all at your own pace. What appealed to me the most was that the fitness program isn’t hugely cardio based. There’s no running or steps to climb (I seriously hate running), it’s mostly about strengthening and toning. Despite the lack of cardio, however, I was still sweating like crazy and had muscle soreness after each workout.
The one thing I found difficult was being able to get down to the local park to complete the Rings session. To use the gymnastic rings you need a high parallel bar or tree branch to hang the straps off, and I found that when I couldn’t get down to the park, I was at a standstill. I’d already completed the other two workouts for the week and couldn’t click back into them to exercise.
TRM is quite accommodating in the way that if you don’t hit the target reps, you can still record your progress and try to beat your score the next time. After completing all the workouts in the four-week period, you get to an ‘exam’. It’s not daunting, so don’t be put off by the name! It’s just a small workout (no time limit) to see how well you’ve progressed and if you ‘graduate’, then you go onto the next stage with a whole bunch of other workouts.
Cost
Anyone can join TRM and it’s great for all fitness levels. There are two options – a Fitness starter pack of $99 or the Fitness and Nutrition complete package for $149, both of which offers the equipment and T-shirt. Plus, your partner can join your plan for just $50 so you can motivate each other!
Results
I really enjoyed the program and loved the food options – I’ll definitely be working the recipes into my daily life even after finishing the program. After four weeks, I didn’t see a huge change on the scales (I lost 1.5kg) but my stomach was flatter and I was looking leaner. I felt fantastic, I noticed that I could power through the workouts the more the weeks passed, and my strength was definitely increasing.
The app has the function of tracking your progress in terms of weight change, etc, if you input the data. In terms of motivation, what would have given me more drive would be if there was a social media community of people just like me who were doing the program. Even just a Facebook group would be hugely beneficial to help spur people on and bring us all together!
Otherwise, I think TRM is a smart choice for those wanting a challenge, to build muscle tone and to eat well without completely cutting out all the slightly naughty treats! Plus, watching videos of Tim do the exercises isn’t so bad either.
To join The Robards Method, click here.
