How 'Hollyoaks' Actor Jamie Lomas Shed Body Fat and Transformed His Health Before Hitting 50
Hitting the big 5-0 is enough to focus any man’s mind, and actor Jamie Lomas is no different. Best known for playing Warren Fox in the long-running Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, as well as his stint as Jake Stone in EastEnders, Lomas has been a regular presence on our TV screens and in our living rooms for the best part of 20 years. Like any man, though, reaching his half-century forced him to evaluate where he’s at in life.
‘I'm 50 next year,’ Lomas tells Men’s Health, ‘so I wanted to try and get in the best shape I could before.’
The actor overhauled his diet and became more meticulous with his training. He's now in the shape of his life. We sat down with Lomas to talk about the training and nutrition strategy he used to slash his body fat percentage and supercharge his energy levels.
The Mission
Being a Hollyoaks regular is pretty hectic, and weekly schedules are full on. Lomas doesn’t have the luxury of loads of free time to spend at the gym or prepping food. ‘You're doing 12 hour days, and then you get home and you have to learn lines for the next day,’ he says. ‘It’s quite hard to get that time to go to the gym and to eat right.’
When he’d trained before, Lomas says, his sessions have always revolved around cardio and boxing workouts. Strength and hypertrophy training has never been on the agenda, which is why he enlisted the help of his trainer Steve Chambers from Ultimate Performance before beginning his transformation. ‘It was so difficult to try and get [boxing] into my schedule,’ shares Lomas. ‘I do like to do a lot of weights, but now I’m learning how to train with a performance goal.’
Training wasn’t the only area for improvement, however. Lomas also explains that his diet now contains far healthier food options than it once did, which means pizza nights with popcorn and chocolate have mostly been subbed for steak and veg. Nowadays, he also tries to avoid eating past 7:30pm in the evening.
The Diet
As the saying goes, abs are made in the kitchen. If you want to know how Lomas built his, look no further than his daily diet.
Post morning workout: ‘I always have protein shake when I finish training, and then I'll try not to eat till lunch time,' says Lomas.
Breakfast: Plain omelette.
Lunch: Steak with scrambled eggs.
Dinner: Steak, egg or salmon with veg and potatoes.
Snack: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries with Greek yoghurt and honey.
The Training
Lomas prefers to train first thing in the morning and has been getting up at the crack of dawn to do so. ‘I've been getting up literally at 5am to go the gym three days a week,’ he says.
It’s no surprise that in order to transform his physique, hypertrophy training was at the core of his routine. Lomas focused on compound moves such as bench press, rows and squats, while finishing his sessions with exercises such as chest flys. ‘We'll get in and do a couple of warm-up sets, and then we'll do decline bench press. I started off quite low [in strength], but I'm quite strong now.’
Lomas incrementally increased the intensity of his workouts as he went along, performing three sets per exercise, adding weight over the course of his training. One constant in his programme, however, is the prowler, which he often uses as a high-intensity finisher. ‘We finish off with three sets on the prowler, which I absolutely hate, either dragging it or pushing it,’ says Lomas.
The Workout
Wondering exactly how the soap star got his six-pack? Take a look at his upper-body workout.
Session 1: Upper focus
A1) Decline bench press, 4 x 8, 3-1-1-1, 30s rest
A2) Supinated grip pulldown, 4 x 8, 3-1-1-1, 60s rest
B1) Seated cable chest press, 3 x 10-12, 3-1-1-1, 30s rest
B2) Dumbbell prone rows, 3 x 10-12, 3-1-1-1, 60s rest
C1) Lying triceps dumbbell extensions, 3 x 10-12, 3-1-1-1, 30s rest
C2) Reverse grip EZ bar curls, 3 x 10-12, 3-1-1-1, 60s rest
D1) Seated sled pull (using rope), 3 x track, 60s rest
The Results
‘Everybody at work is like “Wow, you look so different”. When you start noticing those little changes in your body and people start commenting on it. You know, it can spur you on.’
In terms of numbers, Lomas has dropped a considerable amount of weight. ‘I think I've shed 1.5st, which is incredible.’ His body fat has dropped from 19% down to 11% – an amazing feat – but he isn't planning on finishing there.
It's not all about aesthetics, either. ‘My energy levels have gone through the roof,’ he says. ‘I feel like a different person. You are what you eat, that is true. And you know what the thing is now? I really enjoy training. That's the main thing. You know, beforehand it was a bit of chore. Now I'm really enjoying it because of the way that it makes me feel. That's ultimately the goal, to look good and feel good.’
We can’t help but agree.
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