Sportsvibe's Maximuscle Challenge: The Final Week

The 30 days are over and I have to admit I certainly feel much healthier having embarked on this fitness challenge. It might have consumed by daily routine and made me somewhat of a hermit for a month, but having lost just over a stone I am ready for my summer holiday.

I have to admit, the final few days were tough. I was becoming slightly bored with going down the gym almost everyday and I was definitely craving some unhealthy food.

Fortunately, Maximuscle gave me one more reason to get motivated. I headed off to Club Kensington for a personal training session with Last Man Standing competitor Rajko Radovic.

This was a man whose dad (the aptly named Dragan) went more than 10 years undefeated in fitness challenges and still at the age of 60+ is considered one of the ultimate fitness guru's in the world.

Dragan and Rajko Taking on the London Wasps

As mentioned, the repetition of turning up to the gym everyday when I could be down the pub watching the new football season was starting to take its toll. Luckily, Rajko's form of training can be done at home in front on the TV. Now that is a result.

Rajko decided to show me three exercises that could be performed in your living room and would help build strength and improve your fitness. This is done my mixing cardio work with weights.

The first exercise included jogging on the spot while simultaneously pressing weights above your head. It might have been a light weight but the motion of first curling the dumbbell and then lifting it over your head certainly gets the arms working and the heart racing.

Exercise number two involved lying on your back with your legs at a right angle and your shoulders and head slightly lifted off the ground. You then had to pump your legs like riding a bike and punch your arms forward in rhythm with your legs. Oh and you are holding weights as well.

The idea with both exercises is that you can adjust the resistance with the weight you use which will improve your strength and stamina.

Finally it was take to try the Dragan Challenge. This requires you to use 16kg dumbbells and first curl, and then lift above your head. The shoulder soon starts to ache and after 65 reps I was really starting to struggle.

Rajko informed me that the key was to take deep breaths with every rep or else you soon started to become out of breath and each rep seemed even harder. I certainly won't be challenging Rajko's record of more than 1000 reps anytime soon, but it is certainly an easy exercise to do at home.

These exercises mean that you can complete a workout in half an hour and feel as though you have done more than double. You certainly ache and I can guarantee that you will be sweating by the time you are finished.

It was definitely an eye opening experience and I'm certain that I will continue to perform the exercise shown to me by Rajko. In fact I might even purchase his Hour of Power DVD, if you end up in the same shape as him then it's definitely worth it.

So that was my final week of training and dieting with the Maximuscle products. I started the process weighing 97kg and have now made it down to 90.4kg. A pretty decent loss and as I prepare for my holiday to sunny Portugal I feel healthier and more confident.

A big thanks to the guys at Maximuscle who have certainly helped me get in better shape and I'm sure I can now complete a game of five-a-side football without collapsing from exhaustion.

If you want to get in shape and win a share of £25,000 enter the Maximuscle Fitness Heroes Challenge at www.maximuscle.com/fitnessheroeschallenge