COURAGE, MATESHIP, ENDURANCE, SACRIFICE!

Walking the Kokoda Track, PNG

The Track is centuries old and was used by natives to commute from the coast to the hinterland and to move further away from the intertribal warfare that was commonplace.

In the early years of white settlement, apart from a few handy locals, it was considered impassable to white men.

The Kokoda Track is a challenging adventure that traverses through some of the most remote jungle in the world - over rugged mountains, remote villages and rivers.  The 96 kilometre Track takes seven days (or more if requested) to walk carrying up to 15 kilograms in your pack.

Training for the track

Key things to point out when preparing for the track. Lot's of miles and lots of hill work needs to be completed well in advance. Here is one exercise that mimicked more than just the slopes.

Exercise: Squat Pulse

"I worked very closely with the Taurus Trainer up to 3 times per week to ensure I had sufficient leg strength and conditioning to take on the track. Without this tailored preparation I very much doubt whether I would have been able to complete the challenge". - Flint D. 


Itinerary

Australian Withdrawal

Kokoda to Owers’ Corner – 9 days (7 Days trek/6 nights camping, 2 nights in Port Moresby)

Days: 10

Taurus Level: Intermediate

The following itinerary is recommended as a guide for planning purposes only.  Track and weather conditions will inevitably determine the final journey of each individual challenge.  To maintain our unblemished safety record, all trekking with Taurus is done during daylight hours only.  Trekking at night increases the risk of injury and should only be attempted by experienced trekkers when absolutely necessary.

Day/Date	Details
Day 1	Bound for PNG Fly to Port Moresby.  You will stay in a hotel overnight, meet the team and go through the final details of the trek
Day 2	Kokoda – Isurava (approx 8 hours including transfers) Fly to Kokoda airfield; visit the Kokoda Plateau and Australian War Museum and then trek up through Deniki, the choco fields and onto Isurava.
Day 3	Isurava – Tempelton’s 2 (approx 9 hours) Tour the Isurava battleground and take on the first steep slopes of the Track to Eora Creek and camp overnight at Templeton’s Crossing – here you’ll get to swim in the coldest river on the Track!
Day 4	Templeton’s 2 – Efogi (approx 11 hours) Today we will trek to the highest point (Mt Bellamy – 2,190m), have lunch at Naduri (home of an original ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel’) then onto Efogi. This is the halfway point.
Day 5	Efogi – Nauro River (approx 8 hours) After a breathtaking trek up Mission Ridge and a private service on Brigade Hill, we pay our respects by ‘digging in’ today. We will descend to the Vabuiagi River, through Menari and ascend the Menari Gap, and down The Wall into the flats of Nauro River.
Day 6	Nauro River – Ioribaiwa (approx 7 hours) We take the ‘little kick’ up the 9 false crests which brings us to the peak of the Maguli Range. We descend down into Ofi Creek then a steep trek into furthest point of Japanese advance – Ioribaiwa.
Day 7	Ioribaiwa–  Dump 66 Ower’s Corner (approx 6 hours) Then we’ll take on Imita Ridge and then descend down what used to be ‘The Golden Stairs’.
Day 8	Dump 66 - Ower’s Corner (approx 8 hours) Have a refreshing swim in Goldie River and then hammer up the last climb to Ower's Corner.  After a stop at Bomana War Cemetery you will take the bus back to Port Moresby to unpack, say your farewells to the Porters and head for a well earned shower at the Hotel. A presentation diner will be held that evening at Yacht Club
Day 9	Redundancy day on track or in Moresby
Day 10	Fly back to Australia Spend the morning in Port Moresby and then transfer to the Airport and fly home.

Any questions about Kokoda. Email me sr@taurustrainer.com.au

BEACH LEGS IN 4 WEEKS

BEACH LEGS PROGRAM FOR SUMMER

As summer fast approaches and swimwear replaces the winter woollies as the go to choice of ‘get up’, it’s a chance for you to get a healthy tan on the legs and expose some of your hidden bits. Now if you are like a lot of my clients, this can be an area of great concern, especially if they didn’t maintain their lower half during the ‘off peak’ (or cold) season. If you haven’t done anything for a while, then the thought or prancing down the beach may scare the bejesus out of you or others. If the priority is to have a set of legs like Elle McPherson or thighs like Sam Burgess (NRL Premiership Captain of South Sydney Rabittohs – My teamJ), then forget it because you are not them and they are not you. However fear no more as I have designed a program that if done at least three times a week, will build the legs and fine looking rear you envy on others. By focussing on a plan to chart your way towards your goal, I have set out a 4 Week BEACH LEGS PROGRAM that can be done with a day’s rest in between each training session. During the days off, you could focus on other areas of your health and mental fitness such as…shopping for swimwear or planning your holiday.
This workout is a sample of how my new online program will show how exercises and methods are given to my clients without limitation of; being at the same location, same time, equipment and empowers them to to it when they have the time.

THE ONLY LIMITATIONS ONE HAS ARE THE ONES THEY PLACE ON THEMSELVES – MUHAMMAD ALI

DAY 1 - Countdowns

DAY 2 - Interval Circuit Training

DAY 3 - Revolution 8's

Let me know if you have any questions or feel free to drop me an email on srtaurustrainer@gmail.com 
Stay fit and take it easy
Steve

CHANGE “I CAN’T’ INTO “I CAN”

CHANGE “I CAN’T’ INTO “I CAN” AND PRETTY SOON YOU WILL SAY “I DID”. Unknown

What a bold and ballsy motivational quote. This is one of my favourites and along with a song JUMP, I have decided to lift myself out of my comfort zone and bare my arse in the world of entrepreneurialism again after years of slaving for someone else's dream.

WHAT IS COMFORT ZONE TO ME
Comfort zone is on what I perceive as nice, warm and fuzzy. It's knowing that you have a balance on any of the following life factors which gives us security. In the animal kingdom this would be like a Lion with a nice den and pride that they are taking care of and managing well.

COMFORT FACTORS

• Physical - Health is good order and roof over head, warm bed and nice clean clothes
• Spiritual - Your guiding your head and mind where your gut instincts are soft and warm
• Emotional - Low stress levels and harmony at home, work and in public
• Financial - Bills are paid and savings are made
• Social - Getting along well with others, family and friends

There are plenty of others but this gives you a rough idea of what I see as being vital for all-round health and longevity as a happy camper. Getting an even balance between all these can be challenging but in many cases is doable with management and patience.

OUTTA WACK

If any of these is out of place or becoming a constant challenge or issue that grows and cannot be contained within your powers, then it becomes a survival mechanism - 'Fight or Flight'. If you value what you protect and perceive as being a need vs. a want, then managing any hic ups are immediate challenges. 

OUR JOURNEY

To let you in on a personal journey and by way of bloging this I am telling the universe, that if I feel that any of my comfort factors cannot be contained to the level that I value, then its first Fight then Flight. Out of ten (1 being bad and 10 being awesome) I rate each one often. If its any lower than 80% (8/10), it will get an orange flag. If it gets to Red, then this is too late. This means that I should have recognised it, dealt with it and move on. If it kept popping its ugly head and was either out of my control or not in the direction where my gut was at ease, then it was Arrivderci (goodbye - Italian). Close it, move forward and don;t look back otherwise you'll get a sore neck. In other words "JUMP, GO AHEAD JUMP"!

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

Grow some (metaphorical) balls and fight it until its done. That could be a physical challenge or an financial burden. Deal with it and then move forward. Bury the old and search for the new. So change the thoughts of 'I can't and pretty soon you will do' = I Can.

There are a million other challenges facing us ahead so look ahead in preparation for them. It's the new challenges that you need to be ready for not the old bastards behind you. I was told from a SAS mate of mine the one day about little challenges in life and how he faced them. Hearing the thoughts from a highly trained killing machine about managing fears, challenges and ways in which they can be managed is refreshing in a world of re-tweets and re-posts. He said "Mate I might not win all the battles, but I will win the war"!

If it is important to you, you will find a way

If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not you’ll find an excuse - Coach Whitney 

Rod is first and foremost a country bloke through and through.
Hard work is in his veins as is the manner in which he goes about challenges.
Since I've known him, he has conquered those who have doubted him by taking action through pro activity and inspirational effort.


His day job is property development and is a budding entrepreneur mining magnate. Some of his hero's include; the late great Kerry Packer, Robert G. Barrett and Slim Dusty.


He played 20 years in both codes of rugby, trekked; Kokokda, Mt Kinabalu on the route of the WW2 Sandakan Death Marches and he's done his fair share of training programs and marathons. Thanks to his beautiful wife and training mates support, Rod is as game as Ned Kelly when it comes to challenges.

He joined the FIGHTWEIGHT pilot program to improve his strength and conditioning to improve his running. See Rod's feedback and what he thought of the program.

Initially, he needed to lose some weight in order to improve his running economy.
Rod managed to lose a humble 3 kg and increase muscle mass (2 kg INCREASE using Body Comp Scales)

Rod also reduced his waistline by 4 cm. 















In the end his fitness results mattered most. He improved in all tests.

























The follow up results indicated in a measured improvement overall by 9 points.










Most importantly, it gave him the preparation he needed for the Mudgee marathon on the 24th August, 2014.

Rod placed 3rd across the finish line in the time of 3hrs 28mins. Mudgee Running Festival 2014 Results  This was 2nd in his age group. He used this as a training event prior to the Melbourne marathon (October). After competing this he and his running crew celebrated with a steak and beer at the Red Heifer afterwards.

What makes this fella tick and keep challenging the bar? I'd be keen to hear what makes you do the same? PLEASE leave a comment.

As long as you give it everything

It doesn't matter if you win as long as you give everything in your heart - Michael Jordan

Jim is a busy corporate property developer with a loving family and is also a very proud fitness enthusiast. But he does have his vices. Corporate functions, busy family life and not enough time in the day to take care of himself. 
Sound familiar???

He took part in the Pilot 8 Week program FIGHTWEIGHT to overcome the boredom of his usual gym routine and train in a group.
Some promising results included some small weight loss, however his muscle mass improved significantly.
See Jim's journey and the results he didn't know he could achieve. What is the single best advice you can take from his journey? I'd be keen to hear your comments.

Jim also lost some fat around the waist bringing his risk from Substantially High to Increased.

This biggest improvement was his Step test and Upper Body strength. He did master the push up due to the volume in the program, however his strength gains were attributed to the variety in chest exercises.

The starting program for Jim was Intermediate (24). His follow up results gave him a score of 37, putting him into the Advanced category. 

What is the single best advice you can take from Jim's journey? I'd be keen to hear your comments.

If no one thinks you can, then you have to - UNKNOWN QUOTE SOURCE

I didn't know Chris before the pilot program - FIGHTWEIGHT 8 week Fat Loss, so it was important to get an understanding of his reason for doing it as well as uncover some of the obstacles he faces as a 61 year old husband, father and grandfather. 
Chris was not a regular "intense exerciser" and from his initial comments about doubting weather he should be doing the 8 week program, you see what a huge challenge this was for him.
As a result of the program, normal indicators of health measurement improved. His BMI reduced by 2.21. This is a positive result considering males aged his category with these measurements are in the high risk category for heart disease. Chris had a heart attack a few years earlier which made this program more than just a fat loss venture.

The interview we had in week 1 shows a man who has his battles not within his own head, but needed to overcome other doubters and obstacles. See his story unfold and comment why you think he succeeded?

At the start of the program he weighed 108 kg. I set him a goal and through hard work and commitment, he achieved it. I call this an external achievement outcome goal.

Other markers of fitness and strength were tested before and after. While some of the follow up tests did not register significant gains, they did prove that he progressed from week 1.

His biggest improvement was his cardiovascular fitness. 

Chris was one of the real success stories of this program to prove that it's not just your body shape or fitness that change.

It doesn’t matter if you win as long as you give everything in your heart. Michael Jordan

Why do you think he succeeded? 
I'd love to hear your comments.

"Hard work pays off" ~ Steve Roberts

Hit Snooze OR Work On YOU?

"Every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought." - Sun Tsu: The Art of War

There is never a “perfect” time or moment to start or begin training.
Have you ever heard yourself or others say “I'll start training or getting fitter when I go back to work” or “I want to get fit again”. The first thing I think when I get told this is “this person is lying to themselves”. Sounds harsh but in many ways that person knows what I'm thinking is right.
They are waiting for the perfect time to start and using excuses to delay starting something they aren't clearly ready for. Some of the most successful athletes in the world didn't just show up and become world champions or gold medalists. They were probably told by coaches that they should quit, weren't noticed or dropped from the team. It’s these guys who worked out while everyone else was sleeping and worked on their game and on their lives to become great.
If you think you are ready then start today. If you like training in the morning then your first battle starts with the alarm clock.
The YouTube video says..."It’s early, cold, and windy and the voices in your head say you can’t get out of bed because your muscles are aching are laying still in rebellion pretending not to hear your brain command them to move. There are lots of voices in your head deciding unanimously for you to hit the snooze button and go back to dreamland"
But you don’t listen to them because you set the alarm for a reason. You get up; put your feet on the floor and go out to work on you. As you head into the battle, there are a thousand voices shouting out the path of least resistance. But you are headed up the hill and when you make that decision and block out the voices that say “your too old, you’re not good enough or that’s insane” – then this is day one. It only gets tougher from thereon in. You need to be ready for the naysayers. Here's a great add to inspire us all and to share with others in the same boat.

8 Steps to Improving Your Health - FIGHTWEIGHT Pilot Program

INTRODUCTION

I'm passionate about helping EVERYONE with their health and sharing the knowledge and experience I have working in this field for 15 years since graduating from University as a Human Movement student and PE Teaching graduate. As a Corporate Health Specialist, business owner of Taurus Trainer and full time working dad I don't really have a huge amount of time to give to friends or family in order to improve their health and fitness. As much I'd like to, I can only offer what I know now and what I believe is useful for my family, friends and new acquaintances.

In fact I really don't get much time myself these days and can find myself in the same space as many of the clients I have trained in the past by falling victim to the old 'No TIME' BS. At times its easier to just throw the towel in...
We all have such challenges including;

• Limited ME time
• Weather CONDITIONS
• Training LOCATION
• SHUFFLE work and family
• TRANSPORT issues
• NO EQUIPMENT
• MEMBERSHIP costs
• INTERNAL battle to find goals and so on...

If I have these challenges and am a lover of exercise, then what about the poor souls who DISLIKE:

• Exercise
• Gyms
• Cold mornings
• Paying gym fees
• Gym equipment
• Paying through the teeth for a PT (MOST are over qualified Beauty Babysitter's) who may not even deliver the goods and...
• Goalless outcomes

THE EMBRYO STAGE

After many requests to put together an online program so that my clients and friends can receive the same benefits I get from a structured program without actually having to commit to any of the mentioned challenges and dealing with what most dislike about fitness programs, I set about putting together a do-it yourself STEP-BY-STEP Program.

LESSONS FROM MY PROGRAM - The Original Guinea Pig

On the basis that I didn't want to fall victim to time or hear any of these so called excuses from my mouth, I underwent a personal CRUSADE to complete my own program before I shared it with my friends. 
I put together a program consisting of key basics to any successful program such as: baseline fitness and health testing and a structured exercise and nutrition program.
Putting this program together included using all the challenges faced versus what I could realistically do given I have similar challenges to many travelling and working dads.

What I knew and most others can do also is;

1. Spend 1 hour a day on ME
2. Train rain, hail or shine regardless of CONDITIONS
3. Not be limited by LOCATION
4. Be organised to SHUFFLE work and family
5. Not be limited by TRANSPORT
6. Train with NIL EQUIPMENT
7. Not have any MEMBERSHIP costs
8. Have an INTERNAL goal

BENCHMARK TO FIND STARTING POINT

I went to the OSCeR Centre & Body Composition Qld to be given a DEXA bodyscan. This provided the best solution to obtain a highly accurate body composition reading which assisted my fitness and weight loss program. 
One of the most important sources of information for me was to see the distribution and sum of Viceral (BAD) fat in my Android/Gynoid section i.e. Belly Fat/Muck.

INITIAL My Android/Gynoid Ratio score on 24 Jan 2014 =  0.83

I undertook my own fitness tests and designed a nutrition program that included many of my favorites foods, some that I knew I should have more of and new 'super foods'.

WEEK 1 - BEFORE

8 WEEKS LATER

Boom...I'm fitter, leaner and my energy is through the roof. 
Some major changes included:

• Reduced Body Fat by 1% (13.4 down to 12.4)
• Almost 5000g (5KG) of Muscle Mass.
• Improved routine in preparation of daily meals and enlightened taste buds

The muscle mass gain was what interested me the most as I did include more protein and green to my meals plus ate more regularly.

 Those who knew me best, asked what I had been doing in which I replied...by setting SMART goals and sticking to the plan.

1. Ate BETTER
2. Trained WELL
3. Had a TIME FRAME

AFTER: My Android/Gynoid Ratio score on 23 March 2014 =  0.69

SHARE SUCCESS

Following this success and being asked by some of the soon to be participants I structured a USER GUIDE called:

FIGHTWEIGHT

Outdoor fitness program To Increase Muscle Mass & Fitness levels in just 49 Days

This book was the definitive guide to getting participants to their fighting weight (healthy weight without losing large quantities of fat or muscle) by exercising outdoors and following simple meal plans.

CHAPTER BREAKDOWN

Each of the seven weekly chapters in this book followed the same pattern. Its starts with a one page-meal plan detailing what to eat over seven days. Then came the training sessions to complete in order, including detailed form images to ensure each exercise is performed correctly with references to reps/sets/tempo and rest.

This program required completion of five (5) workouts each week; three bodyweight training sessions and a separate short high intensity interval training session (HIIT) and a retest each week to monitor progress. The re-testing log at the back of the book was where results could be logged and assisted in motivation.

WORKOUTS

Each of the three bodyweight workouts each week concentrated on a different part of the body: the first was upper-body session, the second worked lower body and the third was whole body workout. At the end of each workout, I provided an option to do a kicker. A kicker was an extra DRILL in case the guys wanted an extra bit of training just to squeeze out some more energy.

INVITATION

A personal invitation was sent to my list of contacts who I thought would benefit.

STEP 1) INITIAL COMMITMENT

INDUCTION

This is one of the most important parts to any successful program. You must tell the universe and most importantly YOURSELF, that you are committed to the time period. Research has proven that routine is formed after 21 days of continuously revisiting the same stimulus. My program was based on setting a routine for the volunteers to achieve the same outcomes as studies have proven. I set the program up as 21 days on, with 7 off and 21 on again.
Volunteer participants signed up to eight weeks commitment by providing benchmark self testing and induction information to gauge their starting points including; 

1. Pre-exercise screening to determine previous and current medical history
2. Prioritize to understand what individual goal was most important
3. Style of training they liked e.g. running outdoors instead of treadmill
4. Training status - if any. e.g. Currently active vs. Sedentary
5. Motivation to commit to program e.g. Fit into a smaller suite or improve respect among peers.
6. Physical Activity Stages of Change - Questionnaire* to determine if they are ready for the challenge or not. * B. H. Marcus and L. H. Forsyth, 2003, Motivating People to Be Physically Active,  (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics), page 21.
7. Personal Health Behaviour Contract for goal setting
8. Diarize training and meal 
9. Photographic evidence to prove body image
10. Video agreeing to the challenge and goals

PERSONAL MISSION VIDEOS

Here is one of the first videos taken of a volunteer FIGHTWEIGHT member.
Future blogs will show individuals answering the questions as to why they wanted to do the program and give an in depth insight into their motivation.

CANDIDATE #1 - ED MOORE (AGED 39 yrs)

Are You Training or Exercising?

I’m a massive fan of reality and truth when it comes to my industry. Mark Rippetoe is an American strength training coach and author who I’m learning heaps from at the moment. He is also known for his particularly brash teaching style and humour, prompting several online compilations of his attributed quotations.

 I’m taking a subjective approach to this discussion as I wouldn't do this article any justice by standing on one side of the fence. I create and write programs for many needs including; athletic, aesthetic, building behavioural patterns by providing programs that build good health efficacy and for those who are limited for time or equipment. As for what information is available to you, it is up to you to create order within this chaos of the fitness world and find the patterns that will help you to understand what is true, what could be true, and what is outright false. As an Exercise Physiologist and highly trained to understand hundreds of exercises and where they are applicable to a client or athlete and how to program, I am constantly in conflict with the ever growing exercise world and its authorities (experienced and inexperienced) who are each offering their opinions on the best methods for the holy grail body and super human strength. One thing you need to know from my perspective is what is training and what is exercising.

Firstly ask yourself this question. “Do you train for performance or looks”?

Answer this question as distinctively as you can. Once you have answered this question, you can then determine whether you are actually training or exercising.

Understanding the difference between training and exercising is fundamental to achieving the desired objective and benefiting either as an athlete or everyday punter wanting to look good naked.

What’s the difference between a productive and succinct trainer and a babysitter (overpaid ineffective beauty therapist PT)? What’s the difference between someone who gets big, strong, and lean or a combination of all these and the gym rat that is skinny, weak, wears training gloves while he/she poses in the mirror week in week out? The latter is punching the ticket each time they come in the gym door, they are getting all sweaty for others to see and they talk between sets with their chests sticking out. What's the difference between a successful strength athlete and a frustrated PT client, group fitness participant or team sport weekend warrior?

In each of the above examples, the former structure their training around primary exercises and program them for long-term progress, using assistance exercises only when progress has slowed on the primary exercises. Their coach knows this and so do they. The latter think that variety is key to overcome the boredom associated with their ‘exercising’ and that routine is the enemy. They think that being sweaty, feeling the burn, soreness and pump are the objectives of an effective workout, not realising that these physical responses are side-effects of what happened during their workout.

Training is organized activity aimed at improving performance. If the objective is improved performance, then the training needs to be geared directly towards the tip of this mountain. Training is the process of direct physical stress which results in adaptation. Effective training includes repetition to master the movement, which improves anatomical adaptation and muscular endurance. Once the technique has been mastered focus must be shifted on building strength. This is achieved not by doing more (improves muscular endurance) but by increasing the load (stimulus) which causes stress that causes an adaptation (if you can recover from it), which builds strength.

Primary Exercise - Deadlifts works full kinetic chain

Assistance Exercise - Pull-Up works Posterior chain

Exercising ignores this by doing exactly what you did last time (exercise type without changing repetitions) or by doing any other randomised program dictated by either you, the group fitness program you chose or the trainer you have chosen. I’m not bagging these sports or your trainer but asking how you track your progress. How can you know that you are benefiting from your training if you are not tracking your numbers? If you’re not Training, then you are almost entirely just Exercising. If you are feeling punished every day, it’s not because you are getting stronger, it’s because you aren't adapting to the work, so your body will obviously sweat…but does it grow? Either way, they're really about what happens today.

Take Home Message (THM)

Strength is the most basic of athletic adaptations and how your perception of these elite athletic bodies appears will help you conclude what your needs are. Athletes who need to increase strength are wasting their potential for strength improvement by performing anything but training. Novice weekend warriors and those in the looks department can vary exercises constantly and mix it up to keep their bodies guessing, but bear in mind that you won’t get much stronger but you will shift receive the benefits from the exercises done and get some conditioning effects.

If you want to perform, then take the training door. If you want to look good, take the exercise door.

Tips for your door

Performance

- Choose a qualified trainer

 E.g. If the goal is performance, then chose a Certified Strength coach with runs on the board.

- Stick to primary exercises such as; Squats, presses, and deadlifts

- Keep a log for progress

- Only use assistance exercises to improve primary strength e.g. perform triceps push downs to increase triceps strength to improve bench press.

Looks

- Master movement before increasing volume (repetitions)

- Regain power with your trainer by asking in advance what your exercise session will involve.

- Target your weaknesses ahead of your strengths. For most guys its legs.

- Chose a ‘goal’ within your exercise session or at the completion of the program. It may be related to repetitions or distance.