CM's Case study - From 3 Failed Attempts to Achieving Defined Abs
CM’s Challenge
Chong Moh wasn't starting from zero.
As a hairdresser, he spent long hours on his feet, dealing with irregular meal times and the physical demands of his profession. He has also engaged three personal trainers before me but with “meh” results.
However, his goal remained unchanged: to achieve defined abs. But after years of spinning his wheels around his demanding work schedule, he was beginning to wonder if it was even possible in his situation.
CM's Breakthrough
Program: Face-to-Face Personal Training
Timeline: 6 months
Primary Goal: Fat loss to reveal abs
"I trained with three other personal trainers before Davin, but results only came when I started training with him."
Here's what changed everything:
Recovery-First Approach
This was something his previous trainers missed. Standing for 8-10 hours daily while cutting hair takes a toll. Instead of adding more stress with brutal workouts that CM cannot recover from, we prioritised recovery as much as the training itself:
Sleep optimisation: Working around his schedule to ensure quality rest, not disrupted sleep from overtraining.
Active recovery: Lower-impact sessions on days between intense training
Strategic timing of food: Eating to support energy during long client days and recovery post-workout
The training was demanding but sustainable. No "crush yourself into the ground" mentality that leads to burnout within weeks. The result? We got stronger. When your body can recover, it can change and adapt—instead of just surviving each session.
"It never feels like a boring workout… Davin always keeps things challenging yet manageable."
Precision Over Guesswork
The first thing we eliminated? The constant wondering if things were working. We started tracking:
Food intake (practical, but not obsessive) using our meal prep strategies that fit his demanding client schedule, as well as making better choices during social meals without skipping them entirely
Weekly training performance metrics
Sleep quality and recovery
"He's extremely detailed — from tracking my diet to my workouts. I always felt I was in good hands."
The Results
After years of stalled progress, Chong Moh achieved:
5kg fat loss while maintaining muscle mass
Defined abs for the first time
Significant strength gains across all major lifts
Sustainable habits he could maintain independently
More importantly, He enjoyed the process, even while occasionally roasting me mid-session.
The Bottom Line
The difference wasn't harder training or stricter dieting. It was acknowledging what CM is doing well already, and identifying what was he missing out - and in the case of this, recovery.
CM's transformation proves that even with the demanding schedule of a hairdresser - long hours, irregular breaks, physical demands. When you combine precise tracking, strategic progression, and sustainable nutrition, the results you've been chasing for years can finally become reality!