FUEL

Want a tight & toned core? You’re not alone. Getting a strong, defined tum is at the top of every gym-goer’s list. There’s an easy method to scoring a flat stomach & it’s all about discipline and healthy eating as well as core-focused exercises. We’ve put together a list of our favourite exercises to help you get those washboard abs & lose belly fat!

Exercises to lose belly fat

1. Walk-out Pushups. Bend over at the hip until your hands are touching the floor, shoulder-width apart. Walk your hands forward until your body is in a pushup position. Complete a pushup, then walk your hands back towards your feet & return to standing position. Repeat 20 times.

2. Bicycle Crunch. Start by lying on your back & pull your left knee towards your chest with your right leg extended in the air at a 45-degree angle. Make sure your head & shoulder blades are elevated off the floor, hands behind your head & elbows wide. Rotate your torso towards your left knee & reverse the position of your legs while rotating your torso to the right knee. Repeat this 15 times.

3. Front Bridge to T. Start in a plank position. Lift one arm off the ground and reach towards the sky twisting your body to face perpendicular to the floor. Your body will form a T shape. Return to the plank position and repeat this movement on the other side. Repeat 20 times.

4. Leg Raises. Lying on your back, lift your legs in the air at a 90-degree angle with your arms by your side flat on the mat. Keeping your lower back on the floor, slowly lower your legs to hover off the ground and raise them back up to hip level. Squeeze your core while you perform this movement. Repeat 20 times.

5. Spiderman Abs. Start off in a plank position. Lift your knee to the outside of your body & aim to touch your elbow and hold. Return to your starting position & then repeat this on the other side. Do 5 sets of 10.

6. Alternating toe touch. Lying on your back, extend your legs in the air at a 45-degree angle and arm straight out to sides. Raising your right leg up, lift your torso to touch toes with left hand. Return to your starting position, then repeat on the other side. Do 20 reps.

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

You can perform strength training at home or in the gym. There are a variety of exercises you can perform to help build lean muscle mass; bodyweight, free weights & weight machines. Crunch Fitness provides all the necessary equipment & classes to help improve your strength. Check out Crunch Live!

IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS PLAN AT CRUNCH FITNESS

Here at Crunch, we’ve got tons of weights, rows of cardio & loads of equipment available from treadmills to cross-trainers and rowers for you to check out! Our certified world-class personal trainers are here to help you and make you feel confident with your fitness journey!

Australia Day is coming up & we know how hard it can be to not overindulge on food! We’ve provided some healthy alternatives for Australia’s favourite foods that will help allow you to enjoy those calories without feeling so guilty.

Super Sausage Rolls

If you’re looking for a healthy & tasty alternative to a sausage roll recipe, then try this one! Super yummy & easy to make.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 15 – 25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 300g beef mince (check pack weight or ask for the amount from your butcher)
• 1/4 cup basil (finely chopped)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup carrot
• 1/2 brown onion
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 puff pastry (ready rolled sheets)
• Sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. In a bowl, mix together mince, basil, 1 egg, carrot, breadcrumbs & finely chopped onion
3. Cut your pastry sheets in half (about 12cm wide)
4. Grab your other egg, lightly beat
5. Divide the sausage mixture into 4 portions. Place the pastry on the baking sheet. Place each quarter of the sausage mixture along one edge of the pastry sheet
6. Brush the egg over the pastry (on the open strip opposite side of the mixture) & roll pastry over mixture into an even log
7. Brush the top of the pastry with egg & sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut into rolls
8. Place roll seam side down on a lined oven tray with baking paper & bake for 20 mins or until golden

Low-fat Meat Pie

Using beef mince & canola puff pastry, you can make a delicious meat pie that only takes 20 minutes to prep & best of all… It’s low-fat!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 400g extra lean beef mince
• 1 beef stock cube (dissolved in 1 cup hot water)
• 2 tbs cornflour (dissolved in 2 tbs warm water)
• 2 puff pastry (ready rolled sheets)
• oil spray

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius. Spray 4 x15cm diameter pie tins with oil & set aside
2. Heat a large frying pan (non-stick) over medium heat & add onion. Stir until soft and golden
3. Over high heat, add in your mince & stir for 5 mins. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Add stock to your pan & leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Once thickened, remove pan from the heat & allow to cool
5. Cut your pastry sheet into quarters. Line your pie tins with 4 of the pastry squares & fill with mince mixture (equally distributing across tins)
6. Place remaining pastry squares on top. Be sure to press the pastry squares down so the mixture is sealed inside the pastry during cooking
7. Place your pies on the oven try & bake for 30 mins

Lighter Lamingtons

Even though this yummy treat might be low in calories, it still tastes amazing! Try these out – you won’t regret it.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornflour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 275g icing sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa power
• 80g desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup plain flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, lightly grease and line a baking tray with baking paper
2. Combine eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl & beat until thick and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until sugar has dissolved
3. Sift the flour and cornflour together. Gently fold in the sifted flour until just combined
4. Pour mixture into prepared tin, bake for 20 minutes. Remove, set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 20 even squares.
5. Combine cocoa powder and 140ml boiling water in a large bowl, stir until smooth. Add icing sugar, stir until sugar has dissolved
6. Working one at a time, skewer a square of cake on a fork and hold over bowl of icing. Spoon icing over to cover, letting any excess drip off. Sprinkle lightly with coconut. Set aside on a rack over a tray, until icing has set. Repeat with remaining cake to make 20 lamingtons

IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS PLAN AT CRUNCH FITNESS

No matter where you are with your health & fitness plan, we can provide the advice you need to move forward to reach your goals. Our certified world-class personal trainers are here to help you and make you feel confident with your fitness journey.

Many of our Personal Trainers here at Crunch Fitness have qualifications in Nutrition & Weight management and can be of help regarding nutritional advice. Head over to the crunch Personal Training Page to get into contact with one of our PTs  today!

These recipes were sourced from the below websites. Crunch Fitness recommends these recipes for anyone looking to lower their calories & create low-carb recipes that still taste delicious!
Super Sausage Rolls (1)
Low-fat Meat Pie (2)
Lighter Lamingtons (3)

Mindful eating is a practice that helps you reconnect a healthy relationship with food. It brings your attention and awareness to the meal you’re consuming in the present moment. This practice helps you enjoy your food better and can make you feel more satisfied.

Too often we don’t have time to be fully present when we have our meals. Usually, you may be watching something or eating in a hurry. This can lead to unhealthy habits such as overeating and mindless eating.

In this post, we talk about what it means to mindfully eat, how you can adapt this in your day-to-day life and what kind of benefits it can bring to your life.

What does mindful eating mean?

It’s the practice of consuming your food while being fully present. Using all your senses when you’re eating your food is the first step to eating mindfully. It’s also about acknowledging your responses to food whether you like it, dislike it or feel neutral about it without any judgement.

The purpose of mindfully eating is to help you focus your attention to the plate of food in front of you. It brings your awareness to the present moment assisting you to disconnect from any behaviours or habits that are harmful or unsatisfying to you.

Practical Mindful Eating Techniques

If you’ve decided to try mindful eating, be aware that it will take some time to adopt in your routine. We have some great practical suggestions on how to practice mindful eating below but start with one before trying another.  Don’t fret if you can’t get the hang of it at first, practice makes perfect!

Here are some great ways to practice mindful eating:

1. Ask yourself a few basic questions to start off with:

• Am I hungry?
• Am I thirsty?
• If so, what type of food/drink do I want?

Why this is helpful: This helps refocus the attention to yourself and getting you to tune in to your needs. If you ask yourself these questions you might find that you may not actually be hungry after all and this can combat overeating or snacking when unnecessary.

2. Find a nice place to eat and take the time to arrange your food nicely on the plate. Avoid standing when consuming your meal.

Why this is helpful: Your meal time should be time out from your busy day. Savouring the food and seeing it look “attractive” in front of you will help you enjoy your meal.

3. Eat slowly. Pay attention to the taste, texture, smell, and look of your food.

Why this is helpful: It encourages you to use your senses mindfully. This will help you eat your meal more mindfully. Notice when you bring your attention to consuming your food that it becomes much more enjoyable and tastier!

4. Make a habit of placing your utensil or food down between mouthfuls.

Why this is helpful: Firstly, it helps you chew your food properly to aid digestion. Secondly, it gives you the time to enjoy your food for every bite you take.

5. Make a conscious decision to stop eating just before you feel full. Wait 10-20 mins, then ask yourself if you’re hungry still.

Why this is helpful: This will help prevent potential overeating habits. It’s suggested that we eat until we’re satisfied not until we’re completely full.

6. Be grateful for where your food came from. Think about the process it takes from the source to the plate in front of you.

Why this is helpful: Practicing gratitude helps us see the bigger picture to what we have rather than what we don’t have in our lives. Take the time to give thanks.

The Benefits Of Mindful Eating

When you start adopting mindful eating in your daily routine. You will begin to notice beneficial changes in the way you consume your meals. Studies have shown that it can help improve your overall health and general wellbeing.

There are many benefits of incorporating mindfulness in your existing routine. Mindfulness has been found to reduce psychological distresses like stress, eating disorders and depression. Rather than avoiding these uncomfortable feelings, it helps us become attentive to them so that we learn to manage them.

Using the techniques above will help us stay in tune with our eating habits to help improve our relationship with food. With that in mind, mindful eating helps us focus on how food helps us nourish our body rather than focusing on restricting calories, and measuring our food. It helps shift our attention to enjoying our food when we need to eat, rather than when we have to eat.

Mindful eating also helps you to identify any personal triggers for mindless eating. This can stem from emotions or social pressure that is leading you to eat without any awareness.

Other ways that mindful eating can help you include:

• Reducing the urge to binge eat or overeat
• Helping you enjoy your food more and be more in tune with your body
• Encouraging the use of your senses

Improve Your Health & Fitness Plan At Crunch Fitness

No matter where you are with your health & fitness plan we can provide the advice you need to move forward to reach your goals. Our certified world-class personal trainers are here to help you and make you feel confident with your fitness journey.

Get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch staff members today to book a personal training session.

How long have you been a Crunch member?

I’ve been a Crunch member since 2015 but I didn’t actually start training consistently until 2018.

What’s your favourite thing about Crunch?

One of my favourite things about Crunch is the positive, friendly & welcoming vibe. Everyone greets you at the door when you walk in and everyone is passionate about what they do as well! Everyone is here to train hard and it’s super motivating.

Did you have any hesitations or fears being female and doing weights when you started?

I was definitely fearful being a female and training in the weights section. I think as females we can feel we’re sort of in the ‘spotlight’ or uncomfortable at times but what helped me overcome that fear was to realise that this gym is just as much mine as everyone else’s!

What is your workout schedule like?

At the moment, I like to train 5 to 6 times a week! I’m trying to lean out for summer so I’m doing cardio in the morning fasted before breakfast and then I’m doing weights in the afternoon just to give my day high intensity & keeping up my steps everyday to 10,000.

Beka’s Transformation

Do you have any tips for your fellow Crunchies?

If I had any tips for my fellow Crunchies it would be to do this for you and prove to yourself that you can work hard and do anything that you set your mind to do. My second tip would be to live a life you love & you’ll never work a day in your life! My third and last tip is to be patient! Results take time and they require discipline & patience, you can create a healthy mind and body by practicing healthy habits and routines. Train your mind to think positively and always speak to yourself with kindness.

SEE HOW CRUNCH FITNESS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL FITNESS JOURNEY

Congratulations Beka on inspiring yourself to feel empowered and become more confident in yourself while improving your health & fitness at Crunch!

If embarking on your own personal fitness journey is something you’ve been thinking about, get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch Fitness staff members. Whatever your goals or aspirations are, we have a team of world class personal trainers who are ready to take your sessions and goals to the next level. If having a career at Crunch is something you are passionate about, you can apply here.

Watch the full interview here.

Are you ever stuck on what to make for lunch? We’re sure you don’t want to be eating the same boring thing you had yesterday, or the day before that. We’ve listed a few sandwich recipes that are easy to make, delicious & will keep you satisfied till dinner! These fillings can also be used in wraps, baguettes or buns.

Salmon & Avocado

Ingredients

• 1 shallot (chopped finely)
• 1 teaspoon dill (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon baby capers
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 Hass avocado
• 20g spinach leaves
• 150g smoked salmon
• Olive oil
• Ground pepper

Method: Combine the mayonnaise, shallot, capers, dill and lemon juice in a small bowl. Spread this mixture over your bread. Then add the salmon, avocado, spinach. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle of ground pepper to finish.

Fig, Ricotta & Walnut

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-fat smooth ricotta
• 2 figs (sliced)
• Ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons walnuts, unsalted
• Honey

Method: Spread the ricotta over your sandwich. Drizzle the honey over the ricotta & sprinkle a light amount of ground cinnamon over the top. Then add the figs & walnuts to your sandwich. You can choose to sprinkle a little more honey over the top or enjoy as is!

Egg & French Shallot

Ingredients

• 2 boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise
• Butter
• French shallot to garnish

Method: Spread the butter over your bread as a base. Add the mayonnaise & boiled eggs (be sure that your egg is cut in half). Place shallot as garnish over the eggs & enjoy!

Prosciutto & Provolone

Ingredients

• Provolone cheese (cut into thick blocks)
• 3 thin slices prosciutto
• Butter
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Method: You can use Italian or kalamata olive bread for this sandwich recipe. Spread the butter over your bread. Then add you prosciutto & cheese. Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Roast Beef & Radish

Ingredients

• Roast Beef
• 1 radish (thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon greek yoghurt
• 1 shallot (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon capers
• salt & pepper

Method: In a small bowl, combine the radish, greek yoghurt, shallot, and capers. Spread this mixture over your bread. Then add your roast beef and salt & pepper for taste.

Chicken & Avocado

Ingredients

• Chicken breast
• Spinach leaves
• 1/2 Hass avocado
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil

Method: In a small bowl, marinate the spinach leaves with the salt, pepper & olive oil. Spread the avocado all over the base of your sandwich & add chicken & spinach leaves on top. You can add extra ground pepper or lemon juice over the top if you wish.

These healthy sandwiches can be stored in the fridge & easily packed for when you need something on the go or if you’re headed off to a picnic with your friends & family!

IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS PLAN AT CRUNCH FITNESS

No matter where you are with your health & fitness plan, we can provide the advice you need to move forward to reach your goals. Our certified world-class personal trainers are here to help you and make you feel confident with your fitness journey.

Many of our Personal Trainers here at Crunch Fitness have qualifications in Nutrition & Weight management and can be of help regarding nutritional advice. Head over to the crunch Personal Training Page to get into contact with one of our PTs  today!

We’ve put together a DELICIOUS recipe for our Crunch members! These banana muffins are not only gluten-free, they’re also low in carbs & have no added sugar. We’ve substituted a few ingredients so all our Crunchies can enjoy this yummy treat full of powerhouse flavours. You can also watch the full video to this recipe on our YouTube channel!

The main Ingredients

Almond Meal: You can also use almond flour if you can’t find almond meal, they work just the same.

Coconut Flour: A gluten-free flour made solely from coconuts. Rich in fibre and promotes stable blood sugar, good digestion, and heart health.

Coconut Oil: The fatty acids in coconut oil provide quick energy to the body and brain.

Honey: The honey is mostly used for sweetness in this recipe – if you don’t have honey, sugar free maple syrup will work just as well.

Walnuts: Rich in heart-healthy fats and high in antioxidants. You can add in any other nuts you like.

MAKES: 6 large muffins

PREP: 15 MINS

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR

Ingredients

• 3 bananas (ripe), 2 mashed & 1 sliced pieces
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius & grease baking tray with coconut oil.
• Slice bananas leaving a few aside to decorate & mash them using a fork. Crack eggs in a seperate bowl to ensure there are no shells.
• In a bowl, add all your dry ingredients; almond meal, coconut flower, baking powder, and cinnamon.
• Then add in coconut oil, eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Fold your chopped walnuts into your batter.
• Place batter into trays. Decorate by placing 1 banana slice on top of each muffin.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

Will these muffins have a different texture than regular muffins?

This recipe requires you to use coconut flour & almond meal which will actually give your muffins a lovely moist texture.

What else can I add in these muffins?

If you’re being extra healthy then it’s best to stick to the recipe. You can add any type of nuts that you like to these protein balls, other yummy additions include chocolate chips, dried fruit or coconut.

IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH & FITNESS PLAN AT CRUNCH FITNESS

No matter where you are with your health & fitness plan, we can provide the advice you need to move forward to reach your goals. Our certified world-class personal trainers are here to help you and make you feel confident with your fitness journey.

Many of our Personal Trainers here at Crunch Fitness have qualifications in Nutrition & Weight management and can be of help regarding nutritional advice. Head over to the crunch Personal Training Page to get into contact with one of our PTs  today!

We had the pleasure of interviewing one of our awesome Group Fitness Instructors, Aaron Ishac. Starting out as a Membership Officer to now teaching full-time as a Group Fitness Instructor for classes such as Martial Arts, HIIT as well as Strength & Conditioning. Teaching across all Crunch Fitness clubs in Sydney, Aaron has proved his determination to better the lives of the members here at Crunch & generously shares some of his pro tips, advice & affirmations that can be applied across all aspects of our lives, not just health & fitness. Read on to discover what really makes him stand out amongst the Crunch crowd.

MY JOURNEY AT CRUNCH

How did you become part of the Crunch Family and how long have you been with us for?

I became part of the Crunch Family about 5 years ago when I first saw a job opening for a Membership Officer position at Crunch Fitness Bankstown. At the time the job application was open, I was at university studying Exercise & Sports Science. Due to my studies & passion for health and fitness, I decided I wanted to be in the Fitness industry at some capacity so I jumped at the opportunity, applied for the job and successfully obtained the position as MO selling Crunch memberships.

What was the best thing about being a Membership Officer?

The best thing about being an MO I would have to say was seeing all the fresh faces coming into the gym each and every day. Getting to know the people that walk through our Crunch doors really moved me in that they took their health, fitness and happiness very seriously. I loved being part of a fresh and high vibe environment where everyone was coming to benefit themselves. Through this role, I also acquired a lot of valuable skills in both sales and communication which I still use to this day.

How and why did you move into teaching Group Fitness classes full-time?

I made the transition from MO to Group Fitness Instructor in 2018. My manager at the time approached me and said Crunch was looking for someone to run a Boxing class, so of course I jumped at the opportunity! At this stage, I was 2 years into my job role and because of my studies in Exercise & Sports Science I was able to & eager to become a qualified Personal Trainer & Fitness Instructor. I started off instructing one class at a time, eventually taking on so many classes that I dropped my position as an MO & moved into teaching full-time. The reason for this is because my passion for Group Fitness kept growing, I love teaching & instructing, I’ve always wanted to be a Personal Trainer or gym instructor in some capacity & that’s why I decided to go into teaching full-time.

What is your favourite thing about Group Fitness?

My favourite thing would have to be that each and every day & every class that I teach, I am impacting many people at once. I like being in a high energy environment! I’m appreciative of those members who take time out of their day to come and do my class (especially early mornings when it can be a struggle to get out of bed). If I’m having a bad day or am feeling lethargic, the second I walk into that classroom & see all those faces immediately lifts my energy & mood. I also love how I am able to have fun & express my creativity through my teaching.

Can you tell us more about your Crunch journey and how it has made a positive impact on your life?

My journey begins pre-Crunch. Finishing high school I was looking to get into the Health & Fitness industry at some capacity and was leaning towards studying physiotherapy. I’ve always been an active person & into all sports throughout school including Cricket, Football, Soccer, Athletics, Swimming and my background being in Boxing & Martial Arts. This lead me to studying my Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science after school. Something you don’t know about me is that while I was studying, my passion was to become a Personal Trainer but didn’t have the qualifications. Scoring a job as a Membership Officer is something I am grateful for in that I’ve acquired so many skills that I now apply to my everyday life & career. Behind the scenes working as an MO, I started to pick up Personal Training clients and built up my own business on the side. Fast forward to today, I’m qualified as an Exercise physiologist & work in the exercise rehab sector dealing with a variety of clients such as Neurological patients and patients suffering from Muscular Skeletal disease. I’m now loving life as a Fitness Instructor at Crunch Fitness and being able to help people improve their functional capacity.

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT THE

MEMBERS AT CRUNCH

Are you passionate about the members at Crunch?

I am extremely passionate about the members at Crunch. The reason for that is because of the way they make me feel about my job. I come into work everyday and teach classes and there are days where I’m not feeling up to it, but as I walk into that class my mood raises through the roof. I also love how the consistency of attendance from members allows me to build a relationship with them in that we can have a friendly joke and it doesn’t feel like work at all! It’s a lifestyle that’s become the norm and has affected me in the most positive way. Somebody once asked me how it makes me feel to be impacting people’s lives and at the time I didn’t think about it too much. Now, I understand that each and every person comes to my class for a reason having their own journey and story, so the fact that they’ve chosen to come to my class and share their journey with me, makes me feel very privileged.

Do you have any special tips or life advice you’d like to share with our Crunch members?

The advice & tips that I want to share with you can be applied across all aspects of your life, not just health & fitness. What I would say to everyone out there is if you’re wanting to achieve a certain goal or look and feel a certain way, although health and fitness plays a big part in achieving this, we also have to consider other important tools that will help us get there.

• Don’t focus too much on the goal at hand. For example, if you’re someone who wants to be 20kgs lighter, what does you as a person 20kgs lighter do? What time do you go to bed and what do you eat? How many times do you go to the gym in a week?
• Focus on getting into the habit and becoming the person you need to be in order to achieve that goal.
• Set realistic and simple tasks each and every day. This might be going to the gym 3 times a week.

Completing those tasks will allow you to feel a sense of achievement and positivity within yourself. If you start to stress about not achieving the goals you’ve set within a certain time frame, you might feel like you’ve let yourself down. Don’t wait to become the person you’d like to be, be that person now.

SEE HOW CRUNCH FITNESS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL FITNESS JOURNEY

Congratulations Aaron on pursuing your passion and encouraging our members to be the best version of themselves.

If embarking on your own personal fitness journey is something you’ve been thinking about, get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch Fitness staff members. Whatever your goals or aspirations are, we have a team of world class personal trainers who are ready to take your sessions and goals to the next level. If having a career at Crunch is something you are passionate about, you can apply here.

Watch the full interview here.

We met up with one of our bubbly & fun-loving Group Fitness Instructors, Vanessa Azzopardi. She shares her journey from starting out as a member at Crunch to scoring a job as an instructor now teaching classes across three Crunch gyms in Sydney!

VANESSA’S JOURNEY

How did you become part of the Crunch family & what is your role?

I started out as a member at Crunch and loved attending the classes. I developed a love for Group Fitness & decided that I wanted to become a Pound™️ Instructor which lead me to doing my Pound™️ instructing certificate with the Group Fitness Coordinator at Crunch Alexandria. After teaching this particular class for a while, I decided to dip my feet into other areas of Group Fitness & pick up a few other classes. I obtained a Certificate III in Fitness and am now a qualified Group Fitness Instructor at Crunch teaching a variety of classes!

Which Sydney locations do you run your classes & what types of classes do you teach?

I teach across 3 clubs in Sydney! These include Mortdale, Rockdale & Alexandria. I teach a variety of classes streaming from Chisel, Adrenaline, Bodyweb TRX, 360 Warrior to Butt Legs & Thighs, Ab Blast, Circuit City, Burn & Firm, Pound™️, Ultimate Conditioning and Abs Butt & Thighs. I also teach kids classes!

What is your favourite thing about Group Fitness and why?

My favourite thing about Group Fitness is the ability to be yourself & bring your passion for fitness to the studio. I feel that this particular department of Crunch is all about heart & soul, expressing what you love to do & sharing it with the members around you. I love the whole community aspect of everyone coming together of all different sizes and cultures as we have a NO JUDGMENTS policy at Crunch. I am also a Primary School teacher so I like to incorporate my teaching skills from school to my classes at the gym.

Have you created life-long friendships at Crunch?

I have definitely created life-long friendships at Crunch. Some of my closest friends started with me when I first became a Crunch member and followed my journey through to becoming an Instructor. I have built positive relationships with all our members & we’re on a friendly-basis.

Do you have any special tips you’d like to share with our Crunch members?

My advice & tips that I would share with our members is that if you love what you’re doing, you will do it to your absolute best of your ability so take pride & be confident in what you stand for. You’ll end up resonating with the people around you & who knows, maybe you’ll create life-long friendships at Crunch just like I did. Starting out as a member, I experienced feelings of lack of confidence due to being overweight. What I’ve learned from this is to just take the leap. Be yourself! Do not be intimidated or scared when you walk through those Crunch doors. You’ll feel so welcome by the staff and members.

I believe I’m very lucky to be part of the Crunch community & if you’ve had a similar journey to mine, don’t hesitate to talk to your Instructors, talk to the staff & members at Crunch. Make friends & be part of the community because Crunch is all about community, passion, love and heart & soul. Without all these elements, Crunch simply wouldn’t exist. It’s a place to come and just be yourself, there are no judgments no matter who you are or where you came from. If you see me around the gym or teaching your class, come say hi!

SEE HOW CRUNCH FITNESS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL FITNESS JOURNEY

Congratulations Vanessa on your transformation from Crunch member to Group Fitness Instructor!

If embarking on your own personal fitness journey is something you’ve been thinking about, get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch Fitness staff members. Whatever your goals or aspirations are, we have a team of world class personal trainers who are ready to take your sessions and goals to the next level. If having a career at Crunch is something you are passionate about, you can apply here.

Watch the full interview here.

We met up with Crunch Dee Why member, university student & now qualified Personal Trainer, Chris Gleeson. He shares with us how he went from only performing home workouts to eventually attending the gym on a regular basis. He explains how this has positively impacted his overall fitness journey. Chris’ story will help inspire you to chase your dreams & CRUNCH those fitness goals! PLUS get some insider tips on diet, physique & training.

HOW I STARTED AT CRUNCH FITNESS

My fitness journey began at the end of 2014 after I finished my HSC. I remember looking in the mirror and being dissatisfied with my body image, which lead me to making a change & creating a new, healthier lifestyle for myself. At the time I was too insecure to join a gym so I embarked on my own journey; when I wasn’t able to perform a single push-up. My determination lead me to achieving my goal which was performing 100 push-ups a day with some smaller weighted accessories. I trained myself at home using my own body and a set of dumbbells for just over a year until my friend convinced me to join a gym in May 2016, to which I fell in love with weighted exercises. Being a young and naive kid I focused entirely on my upper body and unfortunately neglected my lower body. For the first 9 months, the only exercises I would perform were barbell bench press, lat pull-down, cable chest fly’s, bicep curls, and tricep extensions. Fast forward a few months and I started to develop an understanding that the body works as a holistic unit and I was limiting myself by neglecting major parts of my body.

My home gym, Crunch Dee Why opened up and I made the switch a year ago and immediately felt right at home. The amount of space and quantity of equipment available allowed me to pursue my goals, whether it was learning/mastering skills, increasing my strength or training with friends and watching each other grow. I am now a dedicated & regular Crunchie!

DIET & PHYSIQUE

I ate fast food at least 5 times a week for nearly 2 years until July last year where I made the decision to cut fast foods from my diet. Eating clean food started to become the norm and taste great. Being desensitised from fast food allowed my body to mould itself into the physique I dreamed about back in 2014. Everybody is different in terms of what they eat & what foods best suit them. In my opinion, the only diet that works is the one you can stick to! Find what works for you.

TRAINING REGIMEN

I train everyday because to me it’s just SO MUCH FUN. Typically I do gymnastics on Monday then rotate through push, pull, legs. Since I’m flexible with my training schedule, some days I might even work on skills that I want to master such as handstands/calisthenics or boxing whenever I feel like it.

MY FAVOURITE EXERCISES

Compound Weights: bench, squat, deadlift, seated-cable rows, lat-pull downs

Isolation Weights: bicep curls, tricep extensions, chest fly’s lateral raises, anterior raises, posterior/reverse cable fly’s

Calisthenics: handstand, muscle-up/pull ups, backflip, push-up variations, dips, hanging leg raises, box jumps

Boxing

TOP TIPS

1. Be Consistent.
2. Recovery. Whether that includes nutrition & sleep, whatever helps your body recover.
3. Quality over Quantity. Make sure you learn proper technique.
4. Learn to love what you do whether its weights, calisthenics, classes whatever it may be to keep you motivated.

For all the newbies out there, don’t be afraid or intimidated of the gym! Just like you, everyone is here for a reason; to improve themselves no matter how big or small their experience. Only compare yourself to yourself and results will come.

SEE HOW CRUNCH FITNESS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL FITNESS JOURNEY

Congratulations Chris on creating a positive lifestyle for yourself & inspiring others along the way!

If embarking on your own personal fitness journey is something you’ve been thinking about, get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch Fitness staff members. Whatever your goals or aspirations are, we have a team of world class personal trainers who are ready to take your sessions and goals to the next level. If having a career at Crunch is something you are passionate about, you can apply here.

Full interview here.

We met up with the very humble, brave & confident Group Fitness Instructor, Mish from Crunch Mortdale! Teaching a variety of classes from Cardio Tai Box and Ultimate Conditioning and is trained in most strength, conditioning, HIIT training and boxing type classes, Mish shares with us her fitness journey! Through teaching these classes, she gives back to the community, empowering members in particular women from all walks of life along the way.

MISH’S FITNESS JOURNEY

I started off my fitness journey back in 2014 as an overweight, unhealthy and insecure member. I spontaneously decided to join the gym one day and for the first few months I was mainly using only cardio equipment. Gradually, I started to participate in Group Fitness classes and from there on my love for fitness grew. Three to five classes a week turned into 10 to 12+ classes a week sometimes. It was addictive, I lost 26kgs and started to have a better relationship with my body, my mind, food choices and I had a better outlook towards life. Weekends were even planned around my gym schedule and in general I was a happier person! So fast forward a few years, one day in 2016 I was approached by one of the Coordinators here at Crunch to see if I’d like to potentially become a Group Fitness Instructor. With lots of self-doubt and a bit of a push, I decided to take the leap! I am now a qualified Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer who continues to be on a mission to help people and make a difference. 

LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE HAS MADE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON MY LIFE

Through living a healthier lifestyle and better mindset, I have grown to be more confident, more expressive and I am not afraid of what life throws at me. You take the good with the bad, the bad with the good and just go for it! A highlight for me would be earning the Group Fitness Instructor of the Year award in 2018/2019.

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT SHARING MY STORY WITH OTHER MEMBERS

I’m passionate about sharing my story as I really believe it will inspire members who have experienced a similar story to mine. I wanted to share my journey because I wanted to give back to members. One of the main reasons why I took a leap of faith and became an instructor was because I want to empower members to be the best version of themselves, in particular women. This is because at the time I started training I noticed the ratio of women to men in group fitness classes was about 10:1 on average. That soon became another one of many goals for me – to change the dynamics of group fitness and get more men participating. I have seen group fitness change over the last few years and there is now many members of both genders, across all ages, diversity, and fitness levels participating in group fitness classes.

MISH’S MESSAGE TO YOU

So guys if you have never tried a group fitness class before, I highly recommend giving it a go. Not only do you sweat up a storm under the direction of amazing instructors that Crunch has to offer, but you become a part of a heart warming, blissful community. Crunch prides themselves on a NO JUDGMENTS philosophy. Consistency is the key and by showing up, you are already half way! When you come to the gym, make yourself a priority and really connect with your mind and body during each workout and never give up! After all, you have two choices – you can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off your face.

SEE HOW CRUNCH FITNESS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL FITNESS JOURNEY

Congratulations Mish on losing 26kgs & creating a new  lifestyle for yourself inspiring others along the way!

If embarking on your own personal fitness journey is something you’ve been thinking about, get in touch with one of our friendly Crunch Fitness staff members. Whatever your goals or aspirations are, we have a team of world class personal trainers who are ready to take your sessions and goals to the next level. If having a career at Crunch is something you are passionate about, you can apply here.

Watch the full interview here.