Powering you to get in the best shape of your life

​Bringing you insight on the world that is fitness



Every year we hope to get in better shape and the fittest years don’t have to be limited by age or become another missed new years resolution!



If you’re not an athlete or a bodybuilder you need a program that focuses on strength, flexibility, mobility, cardio, and learning new physical skills. Gone are the days of running on a treadmill, lifting weights and being so stiff that reaching for your toes feels like your back is going to explode. Here are the days with a program to make you strong, limber and capable of more than ever.


You: "Cool, I still have no idea what you’re talking about… How do you plan one of these workouts?"


Me: "Here take a look below it might paint a clearer picture"


Sample General Fitness workout


* Spend 10 minutes warming your body!

This is a chance to bullet proof your joints, chase range of motion and teach your muscles how to fire so you don’t get injured inside and outside of the gym! 


* Spend 10-15 minutes getting strong!

You’re not trying to break any world records here just develop lean muscle, use the weight to maintain/strengthen postures and find progression each session. Strength training is a great way to see improvements which makes working out more fun, stimulating and reveals if you’re doing the right things outside of the gym.


* Spend 5-10 minutes getting fitter!


This is the most butchered part of group fitness in the history of group fitness… But hey complaining never fixes anything! Take some time to build your cardiovascular system. This isn’t a place to test the Snatch you JUST learned and do 4785 reps. Pick a few safe exercises with rep range that doesn't allow form breakdown. Push yourself intensely for 5-10 minutes. You should get your HR and feel like you worked hard afterwards!


* Spend 10 minutes recovering!

Your warmup and cool down are the nuts and bolts of feeling that spring in your step! Take this time to bring the body into a recovery state, foam roll, stretch, and meditate. By mediation I don’t mean go hug a tree in a forest while chanting for 3 days. Lay down, do some relaxing breathing and focus on all the good things in your life.

Remember exercise is stress, when your body is stressed it stores fat not burns it! Would you take a car with broken parts and drive it 110km/per hour every single day? Fix the car then you can drive it hard. 

You: "Hmm sounds interesting will my body look good training like this?"

Me: "Eat whole foods, prioritise sleep, show up to training 3-4 times a week, walk as often as possible and not only will you look good BUT feel energised to live the best life possible!

PART 2 coming soon...


When chocolate bars, frozen pizzas and almost any food you can pick out of a junk food isle cost a fraction of healthy food it's easy to save some cash and go for the processed, pro inflammatory and instantly edible option.

I'm speaking in a broad sense, but this is a logic most people have. I know all of you love your wonderful whole foods, vegetables and shopping in the perimeter of the grocery (typically isles that contain the bad stuff and the good stuff is on the outside) so I'm going to give you a few inexpensive options ;) 

I clearly remember when I first moved overseas setting myself a 30 dollar a week healthy food budget… It wasn't the ideal diet but anyone who's moved and lived abroad know's how difficult it is to eat well while traveling.


How should you eat to feel good, get lean and maintain performance in the gym with a $50 and under weekly shopping allowance? Base your intake on eating a protein and fat diet, not only does it taste good, keep you full for longer, boost your sex hormones, improves cognition but completely eliminates you having to purchase carbs. 

Here's a sample of a very tight budgeted week, if you're a Uni student or traveling this will be better than your raman noodles, kraft dinner and canned alphagetti haha!

3kg of beef mince =  $12

36 caged eggs = $6

5 Tins of tuna = $5

Remainder spent on broccoli or spinach

Total budget $30 dollars

Beef &amp; Spinach omelettes were always popular on the travel budget!

Beef & Spinach omelettes were always popular on the travel budget!


If you shop at Aldi it may even be cheaper… I know for the readers in Canada costs will be even lower! 

Like I said not ideal and doesn't include much variety but it will sure as hell keep you lean and provides you with essential amino acids and essential fatty acids which your body can't produce on it's own. Remember there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate! 

f you feel like I'm ruining your life by taking away carbs you can spring for some rice its usually cost effective and goes well with the beef :)




I'm most likely speaking to you, a person with a slightly bigger budget who wants to eat a widely nutritious diet that satisfies a variety of pallets!

Not only will you support sustainable agriculture, local business and receive fresh organic food but you can do it for a whole lot less than a supermarket visit. 

You can feed yourself extremely well for $75-100 pw

Load up on fresh vegetables of all kinds, low glycemic fruits and unpasteurised meat, eggs & dairy. 

Items like avocados, nuts, berries, squash, sweet potato, spinach, mushrooms, capsicum, coconut oil, ghee, free range eggs, chicken, pork, beef and wild caught seafood will offer a wide variety of nutrients to keep you lean & healthy! 


When you don't have access to healthy food, whether at work or on the go, two things can happen… Either your will power runs out and you buy an unhealthy option or you spend a fortune trying to order something that is somewhat good for you. I know personally to order a salad to satisfy me will cost $20 with add on's of chicken/avocado.. If you're a uni student there goes 2/3's of your budget. 

Take the time to prepare your food folks! It's worth it :)



-Spend an hour cooking all your food on Sunday… Put it in the fridge or freeze what you need and then take it throughout the week in tupperware so that you don't have to break the bank or eat un healthy! 

-A cheap on the run alternative is buy a whole chicken from the grocery and a bag of mixed greens. You can make 3-4 epic salads for the fraction of the cost. 


I hope this was helpful to some of you! It's worked well in the past and could save you some money, time and keep you looking beach ready! Who doesn't want more of that?




Okay I'm going all in… Here's the best piece of advice I can give you while getting lean… You need to track down an AB cruncher from an infomercial and a highly marketed "detox" tea from Instagram, combine the two and you will be hitting single digit body fat in no time! 

The reality is, it will take some time, tweaking and discipline to get you there but I have witnessed time & time again, busy people, mums, dads and athletes go from fat to fit then have abs you can grate cheese on… All it takes is a goal and a plan!



-Use intra workout nutrition to recover and feel good.

-Eat carbs according to your training.

-Include High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio for that extra fat loss.

Let's get to work!


"Recovery becomes more challenging when you're taking in less food (calorie deficit)." 

I'm a firm believer in timing nutrients around workouts or specific parts of the day when leaning out for recovery, maintaining good spirits and preserving muscle mass.

In the final 3 weeks before my recent photoshoot for Mens Fitness I moved the majority of my carbs to during and after my workouts.


The mix below is simply fuel for your body. Imagine a formula 1 race car, these high performance automobiles make pit stops to refuel so they keep working at a top level.

You wouldn't put unleaded in a Lamborghini. Same goes with your body, give it high quality fuel so it can perform!

My intra workout blend is 25-150 grams waxy maise, 10g BCAA, 5g Glutamine, Electrolytes and 4g L-Cirtruline. Try a dose of fast acting carbs with some BCAA'S during your workout for improved recovery. You can get them at any supplement store! 



What seems like common sense is not so common. 

Pairing the appropriate diet with your given training makes sense. What do I mean by this? Simply put, If you lift weights, condition and are lean, you EARN your carbs!

If you're sitting 15 hours a day and your idea of exercise is walking to get ice cream from the fridge your carb intake should be reduced to 5 licks of a dried banana peel every 3 months.

FOR GUYS: As you lean out you will need to lift heavy to maintain muscle, this is a great time to enter into a lower carb phase because your not burning through much glycogen performing fewer reps. 

Let's go back to the car analogy...

If you drive it around all day you're going to need to fill it back up.

If it stays parked in the garage then there is no need to re fuel. Think of carbs as replenishing your gas tank. No driving means no fuel.. No training means lower carbs!

Just like in a vehicle if you add fuel while the tank is full you're going to spill some gas. In the body this means spilling into fat storage. 

WTH is glycogen?

It's what your body stores as carbs as in the body. Primarily in muscle tissue but in the liver as well. Glucose is the main fuel source for high intensity activity... From weights to circuit training. 

What training don't I need glycogen for? 

Powerlifting or strength training, these are neurological based activities rather than glycolytic.

Increasing the amount of work while keeping the same food intake will help you lean out even further. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but this is what bodybuilders and athletes have been doing for years to get lean! Add in some cardio, I give you my preference below! 


This has worked extremely well for me in the past, a recent introduction to my routine after training with a Mens Physique Champion.

Adding 15-20 minutes HIIT post workout has tightened me up ALOT. I won't get too deep into the physiological advantages of HIIT training but this technique can be useful for leaning out. Here's my preference, 45 seconds hard 15 seconds rest. Use any of the following; skipping, Sprints, stationary bike, Strongman, battle ropes, airdyne, rowing, stair master (favourite, awesome for glutes) Perform right after a weights routine. This isn't some walk in the park, you should have a hard time forming sentences once you complete your intervals.

-Simple takeaways

-Use intra workout nutrition to recover and feel good.

-Eat carbs according to your training.

-Include HIIT cardio for that extra fat loss.



Typical Day of nutrition 3 weeks out from a physique goal! I change my plan every 10-14 days so I wouldn't do this for too long




1 shot fresh squeezed lime + 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt

1.5 litres of water (or won't get pump in the gym)

2 shots expresso + 1 TBSP coconut oil 1 scoop

Gym 4:45am

4 grams Acytel-L Carnatine + 10 grams BCAAS

Intra workout:

BCAA mixed with 150 grams carbs

Post workout:

10 grams BCAA


Meal 1- 5:45am: 

1 kangaroo steak fillet + 1 handful of brazil nuts

Meal 2- 12pm:

1 big piece of wild caught salmon + 2 handfuls of kale

Meal 3- 3pm

1 chicken breast + a huge serving of vegetables + 1 whole avocado

Meal 4- 9Pm

Extra lean grass fed beef mince 300 grams + a ridiculous amount of vegetables (need to feel full for my workout in the morning) 

Before bed 9:30pm

Zinc + Magnesium



3 weeks out from target goal

3 weeks out from target goal


I approached the go to man for tissue work, pain relief and mobility in hopes that I could share some awesome knowledge with you!

Here are some of the questions which I asked...

-Why stretching isn't enough

-What is Active Release Techniques

-Whats the difference between stretching and mobility

Enjoy today's guest post everyone



By Dr. Josh Tolland

Chiropractor, Certified ART practioner

The problem with stretching is that it basically stretches a muscle globally. The idea of a therapist getting their hands onto your muscles then actively stretching and releasing the structure allows it to completely release in the case that tight muscles are the problem.

Foam rolling is also great when performed correctly as well because it allows the muscles to be moved actively under load or tension. If however there is some neural (or nerve) tension through the hamstrings for example, no amount of stretching or foam rolling is going to release the muscle.

For a muscle or tendon to truly shorten it is a very long process, we're talking months or even longer of repetitive strain type movements such as exercise, sitting statically for hours at a time or even sleeping for some people, when under neural tension from the nervous system, tension can be instantaneous related to an event. Such as poorly performed Deadlifts or even sneezing, we've all felt this “muscle spasm type event”. This neural tension needs both myofascial work to release as well as some spinal mobilisations of some description to alleviate the problem fully.

Active release technique (A.R.T) is a patented myofascial technique developed by a chiropractor in the states some 30 years ago. I like to think of it as being similar to foam rolling but alot more specific. The foam roller becomes as small as the practioners thumb. It involves lengthening and shortening muscles under tension. It helps with the diagnosis and treatment of most, basically all soft tissue related conditions. With the use of A.R.T I am able to actively break up myofascial adhesions and scar tissue without the invasive nature of surgery.

Muscles should slide quite easily between one another throughout the whole body, however quite often they get bound up together and an ‘adhesion’ or knot develops. We have all felt the adhesion in our trap near the shoulder blade area from time to time. Now this is 3 separate muscles (trap/lev scap and supraspinatus) all stuck to one another.

A.R.T uses movement and tension combines with stretching to allow these muscles to return to their resting state and function.

This is why stretching as a single practice is not enough to relieve pain and recover from injury.

More about Dr. Tolland

Born in Sydney and raised on the central coast NSW at a place called Shelly Beach. I’ve been involved within sporting teams and events my whole life. Something I know I will keep up for the rest of my life. I started playing rugby league as a young kid for a local team and never looked back. I moved on to try new sports such as triathlon and surfing. I really enjoy being active, keeping fit and being in the outdoors. I found CrossFit about 5 years ago now and loved the competitive side as well as the everyday functionality of the training. I competed at the regional games in 2013 and although I didn’t do very well at the time it did inspire me and ignite a drive within myself to compete and prepare for anything life can throw at me. I consider surfing to be my sport as I’ve done it my whole life. I’ve surfed all around the world and have found functional fitness is the ultimate tool for preparing for anything the water can throw at me. It boosts my confidence in bigger waves and builds my lung capacity. I love being from and living within the East Coast of Australia. For myself this area is perfect. Ever since a footy trip as a 16 yr old to Burleigh Heads I knew this was the place I was going to live. As hard as it is being from NSW at origin time (2014 excluded haha). I moved up here some 4yrs ago now and I am pretty sure they’re the fastest 4 yrs of my life. I graduated as a chiropractor in 2011 with a Bachelor and Masters Degree and went straight on to become qualified in A.R.T. I am one of the only QLD based practitioners/chiros to have gained a Full Body certification as well as long tract nerve releases. I find that A.R.T works perfect with chiropractic. I have treated thousands of people from all walks of life. From professional athletes to retired nomads, A.R.T helps everyone recover from injury whether it be acute or chronic. Fast results and a thorough explanation of both signs and symptoms is a personal goal of mine.

Contact Josh for any pain relief, injury recovery or performance enhancement @ 0755316422 he performs treatments at PHYSIO WELLNESS CENTRE 116-118 Bundall Rd, Bundall QLD.