The Lean Machine

Haven’t heard of Joe Wicks? #Leanin15? Or The Body Coach?

You have been missing out!

Personal trainer and online nutrition coach Joe Wickes (aka The Body Coach) has taken social media and online training by storm with his hilarious (and amazing!) #LeanIn15 Instagram recipes and his 90 Day Shift, Shape & Sustain plan.

Joe trained as a PT, but in recent years his focus has shifted to helping people improve their nutrition, too.

‘I used to run bootcamps in local parks for about five years, while also posting health and fitness ideas on Twitter,’ says Joe. ‘#TeamLean took off and now my main focus is educating people about nutrition – and how they can be #Leanin15!’

15 minutes to lean!

Joe’s Instagram recipe vids are easy to follow and a little bit addictive. In a super-speedy 15-second video he puts together healthy dishes that you can easily make at home in 15 minutes. And the focus is not on calorie restriction, but nutritious food that will power you through your workouts. ‘My motto is, if you eat more of the right things, train harder and faster, you will burn fat and get lean,’ says Joe. ‘I’d like to think that clients who have been on my plan would never do a low-calorie diet again as they‘ll have changed their attitudes towards exercise and their understanding of food.’

Foodie fan

One of the things we love most about Joe is that he clearly loves his food. Plus he seems to have an endless stream of inspiration.
‘I like throwing together ideas to see if they work,’ says Joe.‘I’m a bit like a mad scientist experimenting; sometimes I just have a gander at what I have in the kitchen and see what I can come up with.’ And you won’t find loads of fancy expensive ingredients in Joe’s dishes. He cooks super-simple food with bucketloads of flavour that even we can rustle up after a long day in the office!

And we love the fact that great food choices play as big a part in Joe’s plans as exercise. ‘It’s crazy that nutrition and exercise are even seen as separate – you can’t train hard without the right fuel inside you so they are intrinsic to each other,’ says Joe.

‘You can eat a lot of food and still burn fat, it’s about understanding metabolism and choosing the right kinds of food.’

Going social

One of the best ways to get a taste (sorry!) of Joe’s awesome recipes is to follow him on Instagram (@thebodycoach). He posts regularly and offers
a great mix of recipes, from dinners to brekkies and mouth-watering desserts. ‘I’m always on the internet taking in all kinds of information and getting inspiration; jumping online for ideas is how many people get their motivation for health and fitness,’ says Joe.

‘I wanted to create a space that made it easy for people to be healthy and realise the body they want is achievable. So I started using the hashtag #Leanin15 on Instagram and the response has blown me away!’

Real results

A big part of the appeal of Joe’s #LeanIn15 recipes, and his 90 Day Shift, Shape & Sustain plan, is the amazing before and after pics he posts. ‘I ask all my clients to send in photos of their bodies at each stage of my 90-day plan so that I can see how they are progressing. It’s especially important at the start: seeing their body composition helps me tailor a plan specifically for them,’ says Joe.

Watching the weight drop off people is a great motivator. But the photos also embrace another part of Joe’s philosophy.
‘I hate scales – I’ve dubbed them “the naughty step”! I think photos give you a much better indication of progress and can be a real boost for clients to see how far they have come. There is a community vibe in the #LeanIn15 gang and people are really proud of their hard work and their new bodies.’

Tailor made

We reckon the secret to Joe’s success is partially down to the fact that his plans are tailored to individual clients rather than
a one-size-fits-all approach.
‘My plan is tailor-made so that anyone can follow it, no matter what their fitness or eating habits are. Clients fill out a questionnaire when they sign up, giving information on their weight, body measurements, habits and many other factors. When the plan lands in their inbox they have a set meal
and fitness schedule that I guarantee, if followed, will work for them,’ he says.

‘The calories in the set menu are individually tailored to the client’s own personal energy demands to ensure fat loss. Other diets are always so restrictive – you can’t eat that and you can only have two calories a day! I get clients eating loads of really tasty food, it’s just that it is the right food and the right balance when their body needs it.’