ML Coaching
Many people know me as someone who's always in peak form:
defined muscles, high performance and a clear focus.
But that's exactly what often leads to a misunderstanding. I kept hearing:
"You're just an exception." "You were never really out of shape." "It's easy for you."
To prove that's not true, as a personal trainer in Zurich I started a self-experiment: I deliberately got myself out of shape — and tested my own coaching system on myself.
Why I deliberately got out of shape
My passion as a personal trainer is helping people feel good in their body while staying mentally strong and healthy at the same time.
But many of my clients doubted this: "If you're already fit, it's obviously much easier to get back in shape."
So I ran a deliberate eight-week "reset programme." I dropped everything that gives structure, and deliberately deconditioned myself:
- No strength training
- No step counting
- No meal tracking app
- Almost exclusively processed food
- Little sleep
After this phase, my starting point looked like this: 89.5 kg body weight, 18.2% body fat, sharply reduced conditioning, and noticeably less muscle, especially around the abs, chest and shoulders.
Mentally, I wasn't the same either: irritable, distracted, with little focus and unclear drive.
These eight weeks weren't an accident — they were a deliberately controlled experiment. I wanted to systematically take myself apart, so I could then rebuild myself just as systematically, physically and mentally.
My restart: training, nutrition & mindset
After this phase, I applied my holistic coaching system — exactly the way my clients experience it in personal training with me. I didn't treat myself like a coach, but like a rookie: no ego, no shortcuts, with a clear focus.
Training:
- Four strength sessions per week as an upper-body/lower-body split
- Focus on progressive overload, supersets and high training frequency
- Two to three cardio sessions per week: two easy LISS sessions (relaxed runs or cycling) and one HIIT session (sprints, prowler sled or assault bike)
- Fixed in place: core training (twice a week) and mobility work before and after training
Nutrition & recovery:
- A calorie deficit of roughly 500–600 kcal per day
- Macros per kilogram of body weight: approx. 2.2 g protein, 0.8 g fat, the rest carbohydrates, adjusted to training volume
- Meal structure: three main meals plus a snack around training
- High-volume meals like vegetable stir-fries with shirataki noodles and protein-rich desserts to fight cravings
- Power naps, ice baths and cold showers as small reset tools
- No distractions during sessions — no music, no Netflix, just full presence
I deliberately confronted the things I'd normally rather avoid: if I had no motivation for cardio, I did it first, on purpose. If I was tired, I trained even harder.
This consistent action showed me just how much clear structure and discipline enable real change.
Before/after — my result after 12 weeks of fitness transformation
After just three months, the change was clearly visible:
- Weight: from 89.5 kg to 81.7 kg (–7.8 kg)
- Body fat: from 18.2% to 9.0% (–9.2%)
- Bench press: +22.5 kg
- Squats: +30 kg
- Pull-ups: from three clean reps to twelve with added weight
Mentally, the change was even bigger: razor-sharp focus, no excuses, no distractions. Self-discipline became my strongest weapon, one I gained through this transformation.
I rebuilt myself through structure, confrontation and my system.
Challenges & learnings
The toughest phase was clearly the first two weeks.
I had almost no energy, no momentum, and constantly that voice in my head asking: "Why are you putting yourself through this again? You've already achieved all of this." It was in exactly these moments that I had to remind myself why I started the experiment:
To grow, to put my own approach to the test, and to show that transformation is more than just a good resolution.
In week five there was another setback too: a cold that knocked me out of training for three days. Lack of sleep and hunger were also constant companions that kept making me irritable.
Even so, I didn't skip a single planned workout.
This experiment showed me once again just how honest and challenging real change is. Transformation isn't a pretty reel that only shows the shiny moments.
It's raw, sometimes brutal, and it only really begins once you stop going easy on yourself.
My key takeaways from this time:
- Deliberate hardening is the key: growth happens where you confront your biggest resistance.
- Not "do what feels good," but "do what you avoid the most."
- Consistency beats perfection: even if a day doesn't go optimally, what counts is that you keep going.
If you really want to change something, you have to be willing to go through difficult phases too. And that's exactly where the strength that makes transformation possible lies.
How did I actually get into personal training?
My passion for training and nutrition began during my recovery from a gymnastics injury. Even then, I developed the will to come back stronger.
Even so, after finishing school I first started a career in banking. For several years I worked as a relationship manager for high-net-worth private clients at a major Swiss bank.
At the same time, I invested every free minute into my education — international elite programmes in training, nutrition and mental coaching.
In 2013, I was finally discovered as a professional fitness model. Soon after, the first requests for personal training in Zurich came in. What started as a side activity quickly became my calling: guiding people to fast, lasting results through a structured system.
Today I work full-time as a high-end personal trainer in Zurich. My approach combines training, nutrition and mental strength into one holistic coaching system that fits perfectly into my clients' everyday lives — whether they're executives, entrepreneurs or private individuals.
What you can learn from my self-experiment
This self-experiment showed me myself just how powerful my approach is. I deliberately reset myself to prove: my coaching system always works — regardless of your starting point.
The combination of training, nutrition and mental strength reliably gets you to your goal.
The first step begins with your decision.
It doesn't matter whether you're already athletic or starting completely from zero. What matters is a system that connects training, nutrition and mindset.
My self-experiment shows clearly: within 12 weeks, a massive fitness transformation is possible — physically and mentally.
Want to start your transformation with personal training in Zurich?
Just write to me and I'll explain how it can work for you too!