I've been competing in bodybuilding and strongman for over eight years. I've stood on stage, I've lifted on platforms, I've run comp prep cycles that left me wrecked and did it anyway. I know what it takes to get a body to perform at a level most people never see.
And after all of that, I can tell you with absolute confidence that the physical training is the easier half.
The part nobody talks about
When I started training clients, I noticed a pattern pretty quickly. The people who got results weren't always the ones who trained hardest or followed their programs most precisely. They were the ones who showed up consistently over time. And consistency isn't just about discipline — it's about what's going on in your head.
I had clients who would do everything right for three weeks and then disappear for a month. I had women who hit their first milestone and then self-sabotaged immediately afterwards. I had people who were genuinely capable of so much more but couldn't get out of their own way long enough to see it.
None of that has a fix in a workout plan. That's psychology.
What I actually see when a client "fails"
The standard fitness industry answer to someone not sticking to their program is: they didn't want it badly enough, they lacked discipline, they made excuses. I think that's wrong and honestly a bit lazy.
When someone stops showing up, there's usually something underneath it. Maybe fitness has always been tied to punishment in their mind — something they do when they hate their body, not when they're trying to build something. Maybe they grew up in an environment where looking after themselves felt selfish. Maybe they've had so many failed attempts that they've unconsciously decided they're just "not the type of person" who's fit.
These aren't flaws. They're patterns. And patterns can be changed.
That's what studying psychology is giving me the tools to understand properly — not just from experience, but from the actual science of why humans behave the way they do.
This isn't therapy. It's coaching with context.
I want to be clear about something: I'm a personal trainer, not a therapist. What I'm building is an approach to coaching that takes the mental side seriously — which is different from providing clinical mental health support.
In practice, what this looks like for my clients in Adelaide is: I don't just hand you a program and tell you to follow it. I ask questions. I pay attention to how you talk about training and your body. I notice when something's working and when the real block isn't physical. I build habits before I build intensity. I care about what you think of yourself, not just what you can lift.
When we work on nutrition, we're not just talking macros — we're talking about your relationship with food, the patterns you've built around eating, and how to change them without white-knuckling it for the rest of your life.
What competition taught me that no textbook could
Eight years of competition gave me a front-row seat to what happens when you push your body and your mind to their limits. I've experienced the obsession of comp prep, the identity shift that happens when your entire focus is on how your body looks, and the aftermath when the competition is over and you have to figure out who you are outside of that.
I've had seasons where my relationship with training was healthy, and seasons where it wasn't. I know what burnout feels like. I know what it's like to use exercise as a way to punish yourself and to use it as a way to celebrate yourself — and the difference between those two feels completely different in your body.
That experience is something I bring to every client. Not to project my story onto them, but because having lived it means I recognise it when I see it.
Why this matters if you're looking for a trainer in Adelaide
Adelaide has no shortage of personal trainers. Most of them will give you a decent program, count your reps, and tell you to eat more protein. That's fine — it's a start.
But if you've already had the "good program" and it didn't stick, the answer probably isn't a better program. It's understanding why it didn't stick and addressing that directly.
That's what I'm building LivFit around. Training that respects both halves — the body and the mind. The competition experience to give you technical coaching that actually works, and the psychology background to help you build the consistency that makes it last.
I'm based in Port Adelaide and train clients in-home across Adelaide's western suburbs — Henley Beach, Semaphore, West Lakes, Glenelg. I also work online with women across Australia.
If this resonates with you, I'd love to have a conversation.