OUR STORY

I remember many of these characters but one woman in particular named Tracy. I recall Tracy would make a coffee consisting of three teaspoons of coffee with ‘5 sugars’ before each workout for energy. After a workout Tracy would walk to the fridge and have a can of coke. (Yes we sold coke in heath clubs)…. This is what the footballers did (of that era) to replenish the sugars they had burned whilst exercising.

Do you think that exercise, weight control and living healthy is hard? You are not alone! According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics over 14 million Australians are overweight and/or obese!  What is so alarming is that if this rate of growth in obesity continues, over 80% of Australians will be obese, including a third of our children. So why should you be bothered with your health? Obesity has now overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and is linked to diabetes, depression, stroke, cancer and heart conditions.

Foods today are not the same as they were 100 years ago and life today is more sedentary than ever! With the addition of many technologies in the last century, including cars, fast foods, computers, TVs and smart phones, people simply move less!  You will find sugar in nearly every fast food restaurant and people find healthy eating just too expensive. Did you know the national heart foundation suggested that as high as 60% of the population purchase groceries based on price and only 5% of the nation purchase food for health.

If you want to see your children, or children’s children grow up then the time is now. If you want to have more energy and just feel better about yourself then don’t wait. Finally, if you want the body you deserve and the life you want, then start with a solution that has changed thousands of peoples’ lives and delivers results, guaranteed or your old body back!


My story

Have you ever made a life changing decision?

If you were at Viva Fitness in the late 80s/ early 90s you would have seen hundreds of women enter the ten year old facility, to participate in what was then known as aerobics classes. You would have seen these same women head downstairs after the class to sit and chat with their friends over coffee. Often one of the lovely ladies would bring a treat for the group and most of the women would indulge in a small treat, like biscuits or some low fat cake… Of course this was ok, as they had just worked out for an hour. While this was happening, you would hear men in the weights area clanging weights together and using spaceship style machinery to build muscles and get stronger.

I remember many of these characters, but one woman in particular named Tracy. I recall Tracy would make a coffee consisting of three teaspoons of coffee with ‘5 sugars’ before each workout for energy.  After a workout,  Tracy would walk to the fridge and have a can of coke. (Yes we sold coke in health clubs)…. This is what the footballers did (of that era) to replenish the sugars they had burned whilst exercising.

As a boy of less than 10, I recall hearing these women complain about their size and the fact that the gym was not working for them. I thought nothing of it. I started hitting the gym with my friend Andrew and like most other boys lifted weights to build some ‘pipes’ of my own. Regularly, you would have witnessed a few other young men join the pair of us to embark on better biceps but only the two of us would remain. I recall my first ever workout, where I was introduced to the bench press and proceeded to lift the bar and 5 kilos (20 kilos)  for 10 reps and then 9 on set two and 7 on set 3 and then did some more exercises like bicep curls before I had to stop. I remember walking out of the gym feeling like I was on my tippy toes as I felt so light and well I guess… Weird! The next 4 days however, if the opposite of light is heavy then that’s how I felt, as I could not move my upper body and felt like I had been beaten with a bat!

On weekends, I was in the club when classes were on and I would see many of the women I recall from my crèche days looking virtually the same if not slightly even backwards.

At about 15, my good friend Andrew decided soccer would be his new sport. I too played football, squash and basketball at state levels, but stuck with my strength training as I liked the way it made me feel. So there I was a solo weightlifter without a lift to the gym… You would have seen me at viva a little less, as I would often rely on being dropped off to the club. I found other training partners, but often received calls saying they were unable to make it today and that would seem to dampen my spirits and I would possibly not go. You see, I now realise this is common for many recreational athletes and this is a lesson many others can learn from…  Not too long after it dawned upon me that I did not like the way I was feeling anymore… I felt a little less enthusiastic and lost motivation. It was then that I realised what I had to do. I had to go it alone if I wanted to get stronger and fitter I had to make a decision. That decision was to rely on me! Not Others! So I adopted the mantra at a young age of 15, which has shaped much of my future and who I am today “If it’s going to be it’s up to me”!

This is where I had a revelation, an understanding, and a deeper appreciation for why most of these women failed. It was about this time I recalled upon all those conversations and comments from my younger days, as well as the experiences I was having with my mates and my own motivational roller coaster. I could picture the faces of the people who I had seen try and fail, and try and fail, and eventually give up. It was as if a chapter of my life, relating to fitness and health was flashing before me…..  It was at this age, I was pondering career paths and school made us do work experience in, which I thought I would like to do something in marine aquaculture or something similar. I went to Port Augusta for work experience, but by lunch on the first day I hated it! I wanted to cry just 60 minutes in and could not work out why. Looking back now, I think it was the people who were inducting me. I had always been used to people and was definitely a people person. I think these guys were a little different to what I was used to. I did this at a few other places and then realised that this career path was not for me and, therefore I was back in limbo as to what career path I would take…. However, my mind kept reflecting on this fitness thing… I mean, it was mind boggling to me.  I kept asking myself “why didn’t more people exercise”? “Why don’t people care”? “Why do they give up so easily”? Okay, so it hurts a tad, but you eventually get used to it and see results. That makes you feel strong and confident and I knew that so why didn’t others?

So I asked myself two questions “If I can do it why can’t they”? But it wasn’t this question that gave me the answer, but instead this next question opened my eyes to what would be the next 17 years of my life. The next question was the question that brings me here today… It was “there has got to be a better way doesn’t there?”

It was at an age of 15, then and there, that I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people see fitness the way I did. I wanted to ‘inspire others to live their best life and be the best version of themselves’. Today nothing has changed and that is still my personal credo!

Since then I have been lucky enough to uncover my ‘secret revelation’, as to what we believe is the reason why most people fail! You see it’s not that they don’t try or really want to change. Most of us do try and many of us would like some things to improve in our life. The answer is so clear, yet for some reason many people just don’t add it up. I believe the answer is simple… People are not consistent! People lack commitment! Put these two together and in my opinion you have the reason why most people fail. There are thousands of reasons why this is the case, but the underlying solution for all of this is to have a system. People don’t have systems that they commit to consistently. Why did you completed schooling? Because you had a system to follow and luckily your parents made you follow it. This accountability saw you compete ‘x’ amount of years at school. Why do most of you earn a wage each week? Because you have to pay the bills and to do that, you have a system of wake, eat, clean and go to work. Your bills keep you accountable. This is commitment, and if you do it long enough its consistency! In fitness, ‘your health’ should be what you are accountable for but most people fail. They fail to act until it’s too late and, secondly don’t receive the right information and education to grow their mindset and support their daily actions.


What motivates me to impact others ?

Imagine living a life less than you’re living today and not enjoying the little things… But imagine on the other hand being able to do everything you can and be as successful as possible by simply being an action taker. A Just do ‘it’er’ a make it ‘happen’er’. Well, why not….You get one chance at this thing called life and in exercise, we learn that we can take matters in our own hands and that ‘if it’s going to be it’s up to me’. There’s no-one to blame …yet people blame sickness and poor health, but they fail to adapt and grow. Instead they take pills, or just give up and don’t eat right for their body type and accept less than. WELL NOT ME!

I choose to make it happen, I choose to want more, I choose to not listen to them, and I chose to make my mind up on my own lessons I LEARN. I love life and want to do as much as I can and impact as many others that I can because that’s why I am here… To impact others positively and be the best dad, husband, role model, mate, fisherman, trainer, leader, coach, lover, athlete I can (the list goes on but you get it right?), The way you do anything is the way you do everything and I live my life that way. Be lame a little and get lame a lot. Some of you won’t agree and that’s fine, but just think about that. Are you a little lame in some things and wondering why other things are lame in your life. Success is an attitude and this attitude is your most precious asset. Your mindset can make or break you. Work on it daily and you will be amazed the mountains you can conquer by learning from others, who are way smarter than you and I!

Motivation gets you started, but habit makes you who you are.

I, along with many other trainers are motivated by being in a position where people look up to us for advice, and to give this advice as an honest person we must practice what we preach! That motivates me… Plus

  • I want better for myself, my family, and my kids
  • I want to look okay
  • I love feeling strong to perform tasks like fishing, picking up my kids
  • I like feeling fit so I can run the streets of strange places and see the sights MOST NEVER WOULD
  • I want to beat my own drum and the best way to shut up that little voice inside my head (just like yours) who doubts you because they are there to protect you… is to take action. I act to keep myself on an even plane and be a better more composed leader.
  • I live what I do… I own it!

There’s something empowering and satisfying about being able to lift a man or two across my shoulders; or on one leg; or pick them up off the floor 15 times… It’s hard to describe until you do it. You feel strong, powerful and together. You release your animal and we are all animals and I like the fact that I can be who I really am…who THEY don’t let me be… Who others try to discredit. When I’m free to roam, move and lift, I feel at one with my inner self and feel alive and human. You can read more about this in ‘PUSH_ Training Smarter Not harder’

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