Vanguard — The Armed Forces Coach

The Problem

There are two types of men who leave the forces. The ones who hold on to their fitness, their structure, their standard. And the ones who lose it quietly. Not from weakness. From life. Work takes over. Family takes over. The structure that kept everything in place disappears overnight and nobody tells you how to replace it.

The weight is not the problem. The weight is just what the problem looks like on the outside. The real problem is that the system that made you who you were in service has gone. And no generic coach, no PDF plan, no gym membership fixes that. Because none of them were built for a man who knows what elite feels like and is furious that he cannot get back there.

Vanguard reinstalls the system. Not motivation. Not a programme. The actual operating structure that built the version of you that you are trying to get back to.

This is not motivation. This is a system.

Client Results

The proof is in the work.

Ex-Forces, Veteran

21kg lost. Back in the best shape of his life.

£400 a month on drink. Still going to the gym. Still going nowhere.

21kg gone. Fitter at 45 than he was at 25.

"I didn't do this for a vanity thing. But there's no getting away from the fact that you are fitter, stronger, leaner, more agile."

Ex-Forces, Veteran

25.6kg lost. 34 inch waist to 28 inches.

Broken kneecap. Prostate cancer. 11 hour shifts. 3 hour commute.

25.6kg stripped. 34 inch waist to 28. No excuses left standing.

"I haven't got a dad bod. I've got a beach bod."

Ex-Forces, Veteran

26kg dropped. Fatty liver reversed.

Fatty liver disease diagnosis. Health markers heading the wrong way.

26kg dropped. Diagnosis reversed. Ran 10 miles with a 25kg pack.

"Six months ago I would never have dreamt of sitting here with a photoshoot being done."

Ex-Forces, Veteran

30kg lost. Best shape of his life at 48.

Left the forces. 99kg. Did not recognise himself in the mirror.

30kg gone in 7.5 months. Best shape of his life at 48.

"I dropped a kilo in the first week eating more. And 30 kilos later, here I am."

Armed Forces, Serving

24kg lost in 3 months. Performance restored.

Serving in Cyprus. Injured. Uniform too tight. Standard slipping.

24kg lost in 3 months. Performance at work restored.

"Every week you lose weight even while going out with a family meal. I'm still trying to figure out how this is possible."

Ex-Forces, Veteran

19kg lost in 3 months. And still going.

10 cans of beer a day. 25 years served. The drinking had taken over.

19kg down in 3 months. Alcohol gone. Life rebuilt.

"My mental health and my whole persona and life has rocketed through the roof."

See All Transformations

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The Full Story

The full story behind the numbers.

His liver enzymes were through the roof. Seven months later he ran 10 miles with a 25kg pack on his back.

Matthew came to Vanguard in April with a fatty liver disease diagnosis and health markers heading in the wrong direction. He had tried diets before and always fallen off, weekends undoing weeks of work with nothing holding him in place. Seven months of structured coaching later he had dropped 26kg, reversed the diagnosis, and completed the Great South Run carrying a 25kg bergen in under 90 minutes. The transformation was not just physical. It was the proof that the right system removes the excuses entirely.

26KG. 7 MONTHS.

"Six months ago I would never have dreamt of sitting here with a photoshoot being done."

He was 99kg, creeping toward 16 stone, and not recognising the man in the mirror. Seven months later he was the fittest he had ever been at 48.

Keith was 48, married with a child, watching life make every decision for him since leaving the forces. He had seen his mates get results through Vanguard and stayed on the fence anyway. The breaking point was simple. He looked in the mirror and did not recognise himself. Always putting himself last, no structure, no spark. When he finally committed he did not just follow the plan. He took every challenge given to him and raised it. Week after week, check in after check in, 30kg came off in seven months.

30KG. 7.5 MONTHS.

"I dropped a kilo in the first week eating more. And 30 kilos later, here I am."

HE WAS 123KG, IN UNIFORM THAT NO LONGER FIT, AND WATCHING HIS PERFORMANCE DECLINE. FOUR MONTHS LATER HE WAS UNRECOGNISABLE.

Tukz came to Vanguard from Cyprus carrying injuries from sport, with his performance at work slipping and a uniform that had stopped fitting. He had tried everything before and nothing stuck. Within four months he had dropped 24kg, his uniform fit again, his performance was back, and his confidence had completely shifted. He did it while still eating out with his family every week.

24KG. 4 MONTHS.

"Every week you lose weight even while going out with a family meal. I'm still trying to figure out how this is possible."

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The Coach

Jake Dear

I am not ex-forces. What I am is the coach that Forces men trust, refer to their mates, and come back to. I competed in bodybuilding at national level, placed top three in every show I entered, and learned what a real performance system looks like from the inside. Then Forces men started finding me.

One referral became two. Two became ten. Ten became over 100 transformations built specifically inside this niche. Men who had tried every plan, every gym, every diet and gone backwards. Men who trust nobody, referring the one coach they trusted. That pattern built Vanguard.

I do not coach motivation. I do not coach generic fitness. I coach body composition transformation for Armed Forces men and veterans using a data driven system built around the specific obstacles of Forces life. Injuries, shift work, deployments, mess hall nutrition, drinking culture, identity loss after service. Vanguard is built around all of it.

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Common Questions

Before you apply.

IS THIS SUITABLE IF I AM STILL SERVING?

Yes. Roughly 40 percent of Vanguard clients are currently serving. The programme is built around shift work, deployments, mess hall nutrition, and the reality of Forces life. If you are on deployment we can pause and resume. If you are based in Cyprus, Germany, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, or anywhere else we have coached men there. The structure adapts to your schedule, not the other way around.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION?

Every application is reviewed personally by Jake within 48 hours. If you meet the standard you will receive a message to book a no obligation call. On that call we go through your goals, your current situation, and whether the programme is the right fit. There is no pressure and no obligation. If it is not the right time we will tell you honestly.

I HAVE AN INJURY. CAN I STILL TRAIN?

Yes. Injuries are one of the most common reasons Forces men come to Vanguard. We have coached men through broken kneecaps, prostate cancer recovery, cracked ribs, torn ligaments, and knee replacements. The programme works around your injury, not against it. Nutrition drives the majority of fat loss. Upper body training continues. The plan is adjusted weekly based on what your body can and cannot do. An injury has never stopped a Vanguard transformation.

HOW QUICKLY WILL I SEE RESULTS?

Most clients see measurable scale drops within the first seven days. The standard Vanguard guarantee is 10kg lost in 10 weeks. That is the minimum expectation, not the ceiling. Eric dropped 25.6kg in six months. Keith dropped 30kg in seven and a half months. Matthew reversed a fatty liver disease diagnosis in seven months. Results depend on commitment to the process. Tick the boxes green every week and the results follow.

HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR PT OR ONLINE COACH?

A PT gives you a session once or twice a week and leaves the rest to you. Most online coaches send a PDF plan and check in monthly. Vanguard tracks every meal, every session, every step, and every social event in real time. Jake can see what you ate for breakfast on any given day going back months. Communication is daily via WhatsApp. Training form is reviewed on video. The data drives every weekly adjustment. No guesswork. No generic plans. No being left to figure it out alone.

Transformations Built for Armed Forces Men

The proof is in the work.

The full story behind the numbers.

His liver enzymes were through the roof. Seven months later he ran 10 miles with a 25kg pack on his back.

He was 99kg, creeping toward 16 stone, and not recognising the man in the mirror. Seven months later he was the fittest he had ever been at 48.

HE WAS 123KG, IN UNIFORM THAT NO LONGER FIT, AND WATCHING HIS PERFORMANCE DECLINE. FOUR MONTHS LATER HE WAS UNRECOGNISABLE.

SEE HOW IT WORKS.

THE SYSTEM.

Before you apply.

The Vanguard Guarantee.

Apply for coaching.