When arthritis robbed him of his health, Adam Thomas feared the physique he’d at all times needed was past his attain. Fourteen weeks later, the actor had misplaced nearly 19lb, slashed his body fats and achieved his dream of changing into a Men’s Fitness cowl star
PICS: Eddie Whitehead
Best identified for his roles as Donte Charles in Waterloo Road and Adam Barton in Emmerdale, Adam Thomas has change into one of Britain’s most recognisable TV stars. A finalist on Strictly Come Dancing and winner of I’m a Celebrity… South Africa in 2026, he now provides one other achievement to his CV after remodeling his physique for the cowl of Men’s Fitness.
There was a time when the ache from his arthritis meant Adam Thomas couldn’t get out of mattress. For 5 years, the actor has lived with the situation that left him in fixed ache, compelled him away from coaching and slowly eroded the energetic life-style he had at all times related to himself. Exercise turned sporadic, vitamin slipped and the physique he’d at all times needed appeared more and more out of attain.
But in February 2026 he set himself a goal to change into a males’s journal cowl mannequin, utilizing a newly prescribed remedy to ease the ache, and a structured coaching programme to get him in excellent situation.
Fast ahead 14 weeks and Thomas is standing on the cowl of Men’s Fitness in the best form of his life.
His transformation is outstanding not just because he dropped nearly 19lb and decreased his body fats from 19.2 per cent to 12.2 per cent, however as a result of it represents an entire reversal in well being, confidence and outlook. Working alongside Ultimate Performance coach Steve Chambers, Thomas proved that clever programming, dietary self-discipline and consistency matter way over limitless hours in the gymnasium.
“I always thought I was fit and active until I started this transformation,” Thomas tells Men’s Fitness. “Looking back, I realised I’d been doing things wrong for years. I did plenty of cardio and running, but I wasn’t really training effectively.”
Thomas additionally spent years battling irritation that affected each train session. “I was in constant pain, stopped training properly, wasn’t eating well and wasn’t really looking after myself,” he says. “There were times before the injections when I literally couldn’t get out of bed. That’s how bad it became.”
The turning level got here when he started receiving biologic injections each fortnight, dramatically decreasing the irritation that had dictated his life. “The first time I had them it honestly changed my life overnight,” he explains. “The pain reduced massively. I still get flare-ups because that’s just part of living with arthritis, but compared to where I was before, it’s unbelievable.”
Although the remedy leaves him feeling drained for a pair of days after every injection, Thomas considers it a small value to pay. “I know how much worse things used to be, so I’ll happily deal with those couple of off days because they allow me to live a much fuller life.”
Regaining the means to transfer freely gave him one thing much more useful: the motivation to lastly pursue the physique he’d at all times admired.
“I thought, ‘Right, this is the year I’m really going to commit.’ I’d never been in the sort of shape I’d always admired in other people, so I decided to completely lock in.”
Training smarter, not longer
Thomas’s schedule hardly resembles that of knowledgeable athlete. Alongside filming commitments, media appearances, podcasts, enterprise pursuits with his personal model of barbecue sauce ‘Oh my glaze’ – a brand new sauce model that makes use of all-natural, non-ultra processed components with daring flavours – and household life, discovering hours daily to practice merely wasn’t life like.
According to Ultimate Performance coach Steve Chambers, it didn’t want to be. “When Adam first started with us, he already had a good amount of muscle and previous strength-training experience, which gave us an excellent foundation,” says Chambers.
“The goal was to prepare him for a Men’s Fitness cover in a relatively short timeframe, so every element of his programme had to maximise results while fitting around a very busy lifestyle.” Rather than residing in the gymnasium, Thomas averaged simply three structured power periods every week.
“But Adam’s achievements are testament to the fact you don’t need to hit the gym seven days a week to get into cover-model shape,” Chambers explains. “What’s more important is training intelligently, with excellent technique, appropriate intensity and a programme that’s been carefully designed for your goals.”
The programme mixed heavy compound lifts with hypertrophy work and metabolic conditioning, creating sufficient stimulus to protect and build muscle whereas steadily stripping away body fats. Sessions early in the week prioritised power via compound workouts equivalent to deadlifts, whereas later exercises elevated coaching quantity to enhance muscular element and definition.
Thomas rapidly realised he’d been approaching resistance coaching the mistaken approach for years. “The trainers completely changed how I lifted weights,” he says. “I’d always focused on lifting heavy, but they taught me about slowing everything down, controlling the tempo and really feeling each muscle working. It completely changed the way I train.”
Because of his arthritis, variations had been generally vital.
“My wrists are probably the biggest issue, especially when lifting heavier weights. Every gym session still comes with some discomfort, so I’ve had to learn different techniques and adapt exercises to protect my joints while still training hard.”
The vitamin lesson
If coaching turned fulfilling, vitamin initially proved a larger problem. “The biggest thing they gave me was structure,” says Thomas. “The training itself wasn’t actually the hardest part. Food preparation was.” Every meal was deliberate, weighed and tracked. “Making sure every meal was planned, counting calories and tracking everything took discipline. But once it became a habit it was part of my day.”
Ultimate Performance started with a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate section to speed up early fats loss earlier than steadily rising carbohydrate consumption whereas sustaining excessive protein consumption and a modest calorie deficit. The technique supported continued fats loss with out sacrificing muscle mass.
Thomas admits there have been sacrifices. “The programme was strict and you have to accept that if you want proper results. But once you get into the routine you realise you can still enjoy food.” His greatest craving? “Beans on toast!
Forget limitless cardio
Perhaps the greatest shock got here from what wasn’t included. Like many leisure exercisers, Thomas believed fats loss meant spending limitless hours operating. “I always thought losing body fat meant endless running, but I didn’t do any running during this transformation.”
Instead, day by day motion turned the precedence. “It was about getting up to 15,000 steps every day and doing uphill treadmill walks. Those early-morning incline sessions were probably the thing I dreaded most.” For somebody managing arthritis, the lower-impact method additionally proved a lot kinder on his joints whereas nonetheless contributing considerably to his calorie expenditure.
Looking at the cowl photographs, it’s tempting to focus solely on seen abs and outlined shoulders, however Adam Thomas sees one thing fully completely different. “Growing up I was a chubby kid and I never imagined I’d be on the cover of Men’s Fitness. I’d look at people in amazing shape and think, ‘I’d love to look like that one day,’ but never really believed I could.”
Today, he’s proud not simply of the physique, however of every thing required to build it. “What I’m proudest of isn’t actually the end result – it’s the journey. I’ve learned so much about nutrition, training and building routines that I know I’ll carry with me forever.”
Balancing the transformation alongside household life makes the achievement even sweeter. “I’ve got work, businesses, family life and being a dad. Life doesn’t stop just because you’re trying to get fitter. Being able to balance all of that and still commit to the process makes the achievement even more satisfying.”
One message Thomas hopes readers take away is that being busy isn’t an insurmountable impediment. “If I can do it, anybody can,” he says. “People always say they don’t have time, but if something matters enough you’ll make time for it.”
Ironically, he accomplished the transformation throughout one of the busiest durations of his profession. “I’ve had loads of work, all the stress that came after I’m A Celebrity…, family commitments and all that comes with daily life. Even with all of that, I still tracked my food, followed the programme and trained consistently.”
For Steve Chambers, that consistency in the end made the distinction. “Adam had both the motivation and the commitment,” he says. “He always trained with intensity, never lost sight of the goal and trusted the process throughout the 14 weeks. We’re incredibly proud of everything he achieved.”
Maintaining motivation after reaching a significant purpose is usually more durable than attaining it. Thomas admits he can already really feel the temptation to ease off. “Having the Men’s Fitness cover gave me a really clear target, so now I need another one.” His subsequent ambition may take him again to the place the place every thing first unravelled.
“I think HYROX could be next. Ironically, that’s where everything originally started because I was training for one when I suffered the injury that led to all the inflammation in my joints. It feels like I’ve got unfinished business there.” Whether or not he strains up at the begin line, one factor is definite: this transformation has modified way over his look.
“Getting into the best shape of my life hasn’t only changed me physically – it has made me a better husband, a better dad and a happier person. My family get the best version of me now, and that’s probably the biggest reward of all.”
Get into cowl mannequin mode…
If you need to get into cowl mannequin form like Adam, here’s a pattern weekly plan you possibly can
Built round simply three coaching periods per week, this programme locations a deliberate emphasis on upper-body improvement, whereas maximising each minute spent on the gymnasium flooring to stimulate most muscular adaptation. Try to make every session a bit extra demanding as the weeks progress.
Progressive overload is the cornerstone of body transformations as a result of by persistently demanding extra out of your muscle tissues, whether or not via heavier weights, extra reps, improved execution or elevated coaching density, so that you’re frequently forcing the body to adapt, develop stronger and build a extra muscular physique.
Day 1 – Monday: Upper Body – Low Volume / High Intensity
This session centres round massive, compound actions that permit for heavy loading and most power manufacturing. The purpose is to create excessive ranges of mechanical rigidity, recruiting
the largest and strongest muscle fibres while concurrently stimulating power positive aspects and muscular development. Every working set is designed to ship most return from minimal quantity, so it’s vital to actually concentrate on the high quality of each rep.
Day 2 – Wednesday: Lower Body & Met Con – Low Volume / High Intensity
Following the similar philosophy as Day 1, this exercise focuses on technically demanding lower-body lifts carried out beneath heavy masses to maximise power and muscle recruitment. Targeted stomach work is then mixed with modified strongman-inspired conditioning circuits to improve your work capability, elevate your power expenditure, and enhance your general metabolic conditioning. The result’s a session that develops each efficiency and physique whereas supporting continued fats loss.
Day 3 – Friday: Upper Body – High Volume / Medium to Low Intensity
The closing session of the week shifts the focus in direction of greater coaching volumes, moderate-to-high repetition ranges, and strategically managed relaxation durations. This mixture creates important metabolic stress and muscular fatigue, offering an extra hypertrophy stimulus to complement the heavy work you probably did earlier in the week. The elevated upper-body frequency helps drive muscular improvement, enhance form and element, and will improve your general aesthetic look.
