Trainees in Australia?

[TomV]

G'day Guys and Gals,

Though it seems we're a minority on the board (and in our country), there does appear to be some Australian's following sensible strength programming (Squats, Pulls, Presses).
This thread is simply an attempt to make a "Roll Call" of any members from the board currently living / training in Australia. If you wish, you may also give a recommendation of a good gym (if you're lucky enough to train at one haha) or other things specific to Australia / NZ / Oceania (e.g. good supplement companies, places to buy equipment).

Here's an example of what we're looking for:

Name: Tom Vale
Location: Sydney, Australia (Wild, Wild West of Sydney to be more specific)
Approximate time training: Strength training for ~3 months. Crossfit for about 6 before that.
Recommendations:
I still train at a Crossfit Gym (Crossfit Norwest) as I find it has the best atmosphere of any gym in my area, even if it doesn't cater specifically for strength. The bloke that runs it is also a good mate and an absolute animal when it comes to training.

North Sydney PCYC has a great Powerlifting setup, with some strong, knowledgeable lifters training there as part of Heavy Metal Powerlifting Club.

I highly recommend getting supplements from BioFlex Nutrition. Well priced Protein Powder, Great taste and no delivery fees for most of Australia I believe.

[confuzzl3don3]

Well,
Name: Andy
Location: Sydney, Australia
Approximate time training: about 2 years mucking around at the gym, but not eating enough (anorexic at the time), doing machine work all the time, and massively high reps without increasing weight at all. Transitioned into SS about 6 months ago, but i guess i didn't follow it properly by not eating enough, resting enough, etc. But yeah trying to correct that now.
Height: 173cm
Starting weight: at the lowest weight (during anorexia) = 46kg, got literally forced to just spam eat but my fitness first PT only told me to work out once a week with him and it'd be fine, so my weight ballooned pretty fast up to 60kg. Quit PT and relapsed into slightly anorexic and beginning trainig for like over 2 hrs 3 times a week with insane volume so dropped back to 52kg. Slowly worked back up to around 55-56kg, where my friend introduced me to SS. Now i'm at 68kg.
Gym: Cycle between my home gym (basically just a powerrack, FID bench, and barbell which i purchased about a month or so ago) and the uni gym (UNSW)
Protein: i've tried Musashi P40, and now on ON whey.

I guess that's a bit of my history and where i'm at. But yeah i also just got to rant about today's workout. Dam for some strange reason i just didn't have the energy. After a poor form 3 x 5 sets ot 88.5kg squats, i failed to put up 57kg on the bench so i ended up dropping to 50kg, then finished with a 1x5 100kg deadlift because i failed to even lift 110kg (weight i did last workout) off the ground. I dunno why, i ate the same, slept the same. Sigh. Don't you guys just hate it when shit like this happens!!!

But yeah sorry about the rant just had to get it off my chest

[Kyle Schuant]

Name: Kyle
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Time training: 1992-96, Jan09-Mar09 bodywork, Apr09-present weights
Background: lifted in the Army, but gains limited by the crazy amount of fitness work we did.

Got into my 30s and got pudgy, decided to get back into things, began with walks, runs, stretches and bodyweight work. Went to the gym and did typical cookie-cutter routine for a bit, had to take it easy due to physio advice (scoliosis).

Been doing a proper squat-press-pull workout for the last couple of months, went too fast and strained myself!

Getting married at the end of the year, so unfortunately not a good time to make use of my copy of SS and bulk up, but in the new year will get into it

Oh, and studying to be a personal trainer (to the Americans, it's a bit more regulated here than over there, still not sterling standards but...)

[tennisgod]

Name: Eric
Location: Bateau Bay, NSW
Time training: 1 year total; 4 months on SS (love it!)
Background: 50 yrs old; always been thin; but decided to get strong when I realised I was getting fatter and weaker and nagging little injuries started happening.

Nationally ranked tennis player in the veterans.

I have a home gym. Anyone know of a good power-rack here in AU?

[tescott]

Name: Tim Escott
Location: Sydney, Australia
Training History: Early 2008 - Stronglifts 5x5; most of 2008 and 2009 - Crossfit, with some SS over the summer of 08/09; Now, back onto SS for the last month or so, after farting around with MEBB and Wichita Falls CrossFit.
Progress: Up from 73kg (end of 2008) to 98kg. Squat 86kg > 125kg (a lot of frustrating technique stuff going on..) ; Dead 115kg > 157.5kg; Press 45kg > 67.5kg; Bench 66kg > 93.5kg; Power Clean 62.5kg > 76kg (form stuff going on here too).
Gym: I do all my training in my garage, so no recommendations from me. Though, I have found GymDirect.com to be the best supplier of gear.

[TomV]

Name: Eric
Location: Bateau Bay, NSW

I have a home gym. Anyone know of a good power-rack here in AU?

check out Toronto barbell for equipment needs, all well made stuff, Hand manufactured in Australia.

[confuzzl3don3]

Name: Eric
Location: Bateau Bay, NSW
Time training: 1 year total; 4 months on SS (love it!)
Background: 50 yrs old; always been thin; but decided to get strong when I realised I was getting fatter and weaker and nagging little injuries started happening.

Nationally ranked tennis player in the veterans.

I have a home gym. Anyone know of a good power-rack here in AU?

Like tescott said, i bought my gear at gymdirect. I bought one of the power rack packages (number 4) and got a 5% discount off that too and tacked on two extra 20kg plates that they gave me a discount on as well. So i'm using a Muscle Motion Power Rack, though i don't know how great that is, but works for me

[Bleve]

Carl Brewer, Melbourne (Vermont).
L1 S&C coach with the AS&C assoc
L1 (soon to be L2) cycling coach
Track (sprint) cyclist, masters age (MMAS2)
I've got my own studio gym : www.powerhaus.com.au
(and all Rips books, of course .. )

[Bleve]

Name: Eric
Location: Bateau Bay, NSW
Time training: 1 year total; 4 months on SS (love it!)
Background: 50 yrs old; always been thin; but decided to get strong when I realised I was getting fatter and weaker and nagging little injuries started happening.

Nationally ranked tennis player in the veterans.

I have a home gym. Anyone know of a good power-rack here in AU?

The best I've found is this one :

http://www.gymdirect.com.au/item/HPR...r-Rack/355.htm

I've got one. You can always get Rip's plans and build your own, but the one above is bombproof too, just it's around $1,300.

I've got Australian Barbell Co. barbells & bumper plates too, they seem pretty good quality. The cheap Chinese barbells are no good.

[Dragar]

Name: Amnon Kogon

Location: Perth, Australia

Approximate time training: on/off since mid teens (now 31). Only seeing the light and focusing exclusively on compound lifts the past 6 months or so, with a couple of injuries holding me back atm

Recommendations:
I don't know of a decent gym anywhere near where I live (7km north of CBD). I'm at a local council gym which has the advantage of being within walking distance and reasonably cheap