Yet you get a completely different viewing experience.

It’s an age-old debate among armchair sports fans: which is better to watch, rugby union or league. Of course, it’s an entirely subjective question, you watch what personally appeals to you.

And obviously we like to watch different things.

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By comparing key stats from the 2009 NRL (rugby league) and 2009 Super 14 (rugby union) seasons we can confirm the differences, and similarities. Then we can understand the differences in what actions each game requires from players.

The question is, what are players doing in any given game, and how big is their workload?

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The structure of each game: the differences that determine the different tasks of players

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The game of  rugby league in the  NRL follows a basic structure where you have the ball for a certain number of possessions to do what you can. Turnovers result when you make a mistake. There are essentially no contests for possession (except off kicks or dropped balls). Simple. This simplicity of structure means all energy can be focused on what to do when you have the ball (and what to do when you don’t).

Rugby union in the Super 14 has what rugby league has, and adds in a new element: competition for possession in general play and in play restarts. The restarts of play – scrums and lineouts – are opportunities to compete for possession. Rucks and mauls occur in general play after a tackle, and are a further opportunity for teams to compete for possession. Specific player-skills are developed to do this and much energy is focussed on these competitions. What this means is that what you do with the ball (and not) is only part of the equation.

The result: the straight-out ball-running (that means when you have possession of the and can run or pass it) and defending tasks are of lesser relative importance in union, as there are several other tasks that require player’s time and energy. All players of rugby union must also develop skills at rucks and mauls, and the forward must develop skills in scrums and lineouts. In a game, there is less time available for basic ball-running and tackling because time is spent on these other activities.

And that is what defines the differences in the two games.

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NRL vs Super 14: time spent on different game activities

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For the reasons given above, in the NRL there is much more time within the 80 minutes of gametime devoted to running and tackling.

Statistics from the NRL and Super 14 indicate the differences in time that the ball is actually in play where players are involved in either ball-running or tackling.

Stats collected from all games of the final round of the 2009 Super 14 and NRL regular seasons illustrate the differences in total time that is available for ball-running and tackling.

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Where the time went: average different events per game 2009 season

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In the final regular season round of the NRL, the ball is in play for 78% of the total game time. In the final regular season game of the Super 14 the ball is in play for 35% of total game time.

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Demands on the players: what are the differences in what they do in a game

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The best way to understand the skills and capabilities of the players of each code is to look at what they actually have to do in a game.

We can only compare attributes that are common to each game. We can’t compare lineout ability, scrummaging ability, rucking or mauling ability. Only ball-running and tackling, because these skills are exactly the same in both games.

To understand the nature of what a player does, we can look at their volume of running with the ball and the volume of tackling they do in a game. Passing and field-kicking are secondary actions that come from a player’s possession of the ball and are dependant on many factors (the state of the game, the type of player, etc)

We can compare players of the same position playing each game. We can compare the average total they do in a game of: running with the ball, metres run with the ball, number of tackles.

I’ve compared the best players in each position through the 2009 season. The values are the averages for games in the season (Super 14 players: all games played in the regular season; NRL players: average of their first 13 games of the season)

The best players in positions from the NRL are the Dally M awards winners for their position. The best players from the Super 14 were determined from the ‘team of the year’ awards of two prominent Super 14 journalists (you may of course disagree with their picks but the stats of the top few players are similar in any case).

Here are the comparisons:

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Hookers

Super 14 Tatafu Polota-Nau: 8 tackles; 5 runs; 23m run

NRL Michael Ennis: 26 tackles; 6 runs; 48m run

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Props

Super 14 Ben Robinson: 8 tackles; 4 runs; 15m run

NRL Ben Hannant: 35 tackles; 15 runs; 126m run

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Second-row forwards

Super 14 Victor Matfield: 9 tackles; 3 runs; 14m run

NRL Anthany Whatmough: 25 tackles; 14 runs; 120m run

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Halfbacks

Super 14 Fourie du Preez: 10 tackles; 8 runs; 41m run

NRL Jonathan Thurston: 18 tackles; 6 runs; 45m run

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Five-eighths

Super 14 Matt Giteau: 10 tackles; 8 runs; 41m run

NRL Jamie Soward: 10 tackles; 7 runs; 80m run

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Centres

Super 14 Wynand Olivier: 12 tackles; 9 runs; 84m run

NRL Josh Morris: 14 tackles; 9 runs; 86m run

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Wingers

Super 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu: 6 tackles; 11 runs; 133m run

NRL Taniela Tuiaki: 6 tackles; 13 runs; 121m run

Fullbacks

Super 14 Mils Muliana: 4 tackles; 12 runs; 135m run

NRL Jarryd Hayne: 4 tackles; 20 runs; 226m run

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We see:

1. The volumes of running and tackling work of forwards are very different. The amount or league forwards is much greater
2. The volumes of running and tackling work of backs is similar. However there is a general trend for NRL backs to do slightly more running.

This all seems to make sense with the initial comments made: rugby requires much more time and effort in competitions for possession and restarts of play. These are predominantly the tasks of forwards. NRL forwards do not spend nearly as much time contesting for possession or restarting play, so NRL forwards are busy spending their time ball-running or tackling.

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NRL forwards vs Super 14 forwards: comparing the maximum workloads

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Let’s look a little more into the workload of forwards.

Specifically, we can look at the players with the highest game-averages for running and tackling in each competition for the 2009 season.

We’ll look just at two forward positions: prop and second row. (Super 14 players: all games played in the regular season; NRL players: average of their first 13 games of the season)

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Prop:     Highest average Tackles

Super 14 Gurthro Steenkamp 8 tackles

NRL Luke Douglas 36 tackles

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Prop:   Highest average Runs (with game-average metres run)

Super 14 Ben Alexander: 6 runs (34m run)

NRL Fuifui Moimoi 16 runs (138m run)

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Second-row forward:   Highest average Tackles

Super 14 Will Caldwell: 11 tackles

NRL Michael Luck: 45 tackles

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Second-row forward:    Highest average Runs (with game-average metres run)

Super 14 Nathan Sharpe: 10 runs (56m run)

NRL Zeb Taia: 16 runs (117m run)

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Again this shows that NRL forwards do a lot more running and a lot more tacking than Super 14 forwards. Again, this makes sense when we understand the tasks required of the forwards in each game.

What needs to be considered of the NRL forwards is the sheer volume of work they do. Contemplating the average 46 tackles Michael Luck does each game is difficult. That is an incredible amount of physical work and requires a lot of endurance. Similarly, 16 runs by Zeb Taia into opposition forwards is very physically demanding. The NRL regular season is 24 games long. Over that 24 games these players have a tremendous workload of physical contact (Michael Luck makes 1043 tackles in 2009!)

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There is much more ball-running and tackling in the NRL than Super 14.

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All of the above indicates that NRL players do significantly more ball-running and tackling than Super 14 players.

Super 14 forwards are skilled at doing other things such as scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls. In fact, in many instances players are picked solely for their abilities in the set-piece restarts of play. Their ball-running and tackling skills are secondary to their other skills.

In the NRL this compromise does not exist. Players are picked for their abilities at ball-running and tackling solely.

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What do you like?

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I like ball-running and tackling. And over 80 minutes I want to see as much of it as I can.

I also want it to be of the best quality. And this is where it gets a little subjective.

But there is also some clear logic that we can apply.

It is hard to argue against the idea that players who are tasked solely with ball-running and tackling, and have to do a lot more of it, will develop greater skills in those areas. If that’s all they have to focus on, they have more time and energy to get better at these tasks than players who also have to put time and energy into learning structured tasks for restarting play and competing for possession.

Or put another way, in NRL the focus is solely on ball-running and tackling. These are the defining actions in any NRL game. In the Super 14, there are several defining actions; ball-running and tackling are only two of them. With games being defined by the results of restarts in play and competitions for possession, ball-running and tackling are of relatively lower importance. And with lesser importance, players may not have the time or energy to develop their skills in these areas as they are of lesser relative priority.

It’s all been quite theoretical and statistical, but the insights are useful. The proof, of course, is in the watching.

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Watch some action

Some impressive tackling and running from the NRL in these short video clips of Try and Tackle of the year.

Here’s the scenario. I live in Kingsland, and recently I’ve been working at premises right by Ellerslie Racecourse in Greenlane. And this week my car is being serviced. These circumstances have given me the opportunity to experiment with alternative ways to travel at the start and end of the day.

My first choice of non-car transport is always to run. I like running. If my travel distance is less than about 8 km, I will generally choose to run.

 I like trains (I used to live in Tokyo, see). However, living in Auckland provides few opportunities to catch the train. We only have 3 train lines in the city, serving a very small percentage of the population. It is very unlikely that your origin and destination points will both be within a short distance of a train station. But I am one of the lucky few these days: my home and my daytime destination are both 5 minutes walk from a station. A rare event and one that should be taken advantage of.

On Wednesday I would run to and from Greenlane, and on Thursday I would catch the train.

 The crucial part of running cross-town is always selecting the shortest route. Here’s how I ran between Kingsland and Greenlane:

The door-to-door distance is 7.5km; from Kingsland to Greenlane stations is 6.5km.

Here’s something a little strange. When you use the rail journey planner to select your trip across town, the first option the service provider gives is for you to walk. Hmmm…when you specifically ask for train services, the first thing they suggest is that you walk. A vote of no confidence in their own service? A brag that trains are faster than walking?  

Race results:

Morning:

Door-to-door, the run took 40 minutes, and the train took 58 minutes

From Kingsland station to Greenlane station: run 33 minutes; train 39 minutes

Evening:

Door-to-door, the run took 38 minutes, and the train took 43 minutes

From Kingsland station to Greenlane station: run 31 minutes; train 28 minutes

What does this all mean?

• Well, purely racing the train from station-to-station proved to take about the same time. In the morning, I beat the train by 6 minutes. In the evening, the train beat me by 3 minutes.

• Door-to-door, I am faster than taking the train. Total journey was 18 minutes faster in the morning and 5 minutes faster in the evening. Why is door-to-door different to station-to-station? Because when taking the train, I walk to and from the stations. When I’m running, I of course run that same distance. That is where the train lost its advantage: the slower speed of getting from your home or work to the station.

• Actual time sitting in a moving train was 14 minutes in each direction. This is crucial. In the morning, train time station-to-station was 39 minutes. The other 25 minutes was taken up transferring trains and having to wait for the next service. Not cool.

It was the time spent waiting that ruined the train's chance of victory

What else does this mean?

• This journey distance is like a ‘break-even’ distance. Station-to-station times are about the same; there is no real time difference between running and taking the train. If the distance between stations were shorter, running would become faster; if the distance were further, the train would become faster.

You can't win a race against a long-distance train

• The train has an inherent disadvantage: the necessary train-and-platform transfer at Newmarket. Without this transfer, station-to-station time both-ways would be 14 minutes, and I would have been well beaten. The incompleteness of the Auckland rail network – not the slow speed or infrequency of the trains – is what allowed me to win. This incompleteness is currently being addressed, so I’m glad I tried this race now and was able to score victory.

• Most of the disadvantage of train travel in Auckland comes from time travelling from home or work to the train station. Only 1.5% of the population lives and works within 20 minutes walk of a train station. For everyone else, that’s 98.5% of the population, the train becomes unviable compared to road transport, or of course running.

• Given how close the times are, time should not be the critical factor for me deciding how to travel. I can therefore base my decision on other things – like whether it’s a nice day to be running outside, or whether I will use the run as my exercise for the day. That’s what’s more important than saving 20 minutes in a day.

• When my car returns from the garage, everything changes. The car journey is 15 minutes door-to-door. 15 minutes. That’s a significant time saving and is hard to resist. And it’s good when the weather is bad. And it’s probably a little cheaper than taking the train too.

Why was running faster?

1. The train couldn’t beat me beacuse of the necessary transfer of trains at Newmarket station. It took too long for me to walk between stations and then wait for a train.

2. For most commuters, the train is too slow because of the distance they have to travel just to get to a station.

Which method of travel is better overall?

That’s an easy one. Running at the start or end of the day, or both, is such a worthwhile experience. Especially if you are sitting down in front of a computer for some hours. Just being able to get out at the end of the day and get fresh air and get moving is very valuable. And in the morning too it gets the metabolism going and gets oxygen and blood flowing. It’s hard to beat that.

Running to commute everyday – 15 km a day and 75 km a week – will not work for me: it will be too hard on my ankles and knees. Although now that I have found an interesting running route I’m quite sure that a couple of times a week I’ll run for as long as I’m based here.

And as long as I remain faster than the train.

Enjoy your running, and commuting.

I’ve never run the 1km distance before and have always wanted to. The almost-complete new State Highway 20 motorway link through Mt Roskill in Auckland includes a straight and flat 1 km section that seems to be custom-made for running this distance. We had to get in early to avoid construction workers, but hadn’t counted on 24-hour security….

I was out on the construction site of the $186M SH20 Mt Roskill Extension a couple of months ago and immediately identified its potential as a running track. A very flat surface, straight, marked in lanes, and even with signs posting the distances along the track. How useful. There was more to it that though. Logic (of some sort) suggests that if it is safe to run on then it is safe to drive on.  So you could consider this a high-speed safety test of the road surface for the good of the motoring public.

The motorway during construction in 2008

The world record for the 1km distance is 2 minutes 11.96 seconds by Noah Ngeny of Kenya set in 1999. This record still stands – and no one has come within 2 seconds of it since. Do you think that’s fast? It’s nuts. I boldly figured I could have a go at the 3 minute mark.

Todd and Woo (seen them in previous posts?) joined me for the early morning run. Todd has been in deep training since the six-volcano run and believed that this was going to be his event.

Before running, we had to mark out exactly 1000m so we could make this all official-like. Luckily, I had some construction drawings on me which indicated exactly yardage along the route. Are you any good at reading construction drawings? We could have used your help.

Here’s the home straight of our 1km distance. Doesn’t it look appealing as a running track? This is looking back from the finish line – Sandringham Rd pedestrian overbridge. All we had to do was head down the motorway to the identified 1km start point…

We hadn’t counted on this though. A security truck driving back and forth along the motorway – a 10 minute cycle from one end to the other. We had to wait for him to pass, and then get our trials done before he returned to take us to jail.

Todd on lookout for the security truck to pass. Adrenalin was high (quite useful before a sprint actually).

The security truck was like the greyhound and we were like the rabbits on the rail (?)

Todd in optimum starting posture. A fast start is important even at this distance.

Todd with 400m to go. This is where it really starts to hurt.

That’s me just about to finish. Ouch.

Todd finishing strong

Make no mistake, this run h-u-r-t. Rapid lactic acid build-up from high running speed combined with the length of time running mean that for a couple of minutes your muscles are burnt-out and you can’t get any oxygen into them. It’s a long time to be this uncomfortable.

Another important speed trial. Can you outrun a small road-roller?

Does that sign mean no walking?

That run was a lot harder than we expected. I didn’t break the 3 minute mark; I finished at 3:15. Todd ran 3:34, and Woo was 20 seconds further back from that.  We all walked away knowing we had run until our lungs were going to burst and our muscles ached. And that’s what counts right?

I encourage you to have a go at the 1 km distance. Short enough to have to run at top speed, long enough that it’s going to make you want to quit. Try it on the treadmill tomorrow.

Interestingly, the pavement surface felt very hard. Harder than a normal road or a footpath. What do they make these things out of? Very safe though I presume.

Speaking of which, our secondary goal of safety assessment concluded that NZ Transit Agency has delivered a superior piece of motorway. None of us came off the road, and if we had there were plenty of barriers to give us a soft landing. And the white lines are very straight and kept us pointing in the right direction.

So can we deem this new motorway safe for use? I’m not sure if the 1 km sprint is an internationally recognised safety test or not, but it certainly seems like a very safe piece of road for you to drive on. What we can conclude is that this motorway conforms to the very highest safety standards for a running track.

Enjoy your next run and keep safe ok?

Making sense of the plans to mark out the 1 km distance...

...was well beyond us.

I love hill-sprints, and so created a running circuit to include the 7 steepest streets of Auckland CBD. It’s not often that you’re running through the middle of town – so why not make the most of it.

The thing was, I thought town would be quiet because of the public holiday. But things turned out to be busier – and much more dangerous – than I expected…

I invited a good friend of mine Woo along. Woo teaches Power classes (like a Pump class only different) at my gym, City Fitness in Newmarket. I have recently been to a couple of her demanding Power classes, so I thought I’d return the favour and invite her along for a few demanding hill-sprints. What are friends for.

We began in the morning, and as hoped, there were few people around and not much traffic. Perfect hill-sprinting conditions.

Street 1: Queen St (the top end). A nice not-too-steep start to the day and not many pedestrians to dodge.

Street 2: City Rd. By far the steepest street in the CBD, and actually one of the entire city’s steepest street. Thankfully it’s relatively short. Don’t try running down this – it’s not that good for your knees. And your legs might be jelly if you’ve just run up.

Street 2: City Rd. Woo half-way up City Rd. Ouch!

Street 3: Wakefield St. I actually hit the wall a little half-way up this one. It was quite long and sneaky-steep. I needed a rest at the top. I weigh twice as much as Woo – so my excuse is all the extra weight…

In-between climbs allowed for some nice jogs through the city. We didn't hold traffic up much.

This incline gave us a nice view across the downtown area of the city. This was about an hour into our run, and there was now much more traffic about. The combination of tired legs and having to continuously cross busy streets (we weren’t waiting for the green man) can be a little dangerous. Onwards and upwards (but watch for traffic).

Street 5: Chancery St & Kitchener St. Right in the heart of the city. This is the second-steepest section of the day. You won’t find many runners in this part of town but what’s to lose? Nice views of downtown buildings make a change from running round the usual sights of the Domain.

Street 5: Chancery St & Kitchener St. Drive with the arms, see?

I needed a little rest at the end of that bit.

That's the city's tallest building (is it?) I think so. Not counting Sky Tower.

Street 6: Shortland St. Woo at the start of this incline, which appeared easy at first. However, we were into our second hour of running and by the time we reached half-way up things got a bit serious. Very dangerous blind intersections at the top of this street – for both motorists and pedestrians crossing the road. My day almost finished here on the bumper of a Toyota Corolla.

Crusing along Queen St. By now, the city was very busy and we were focused simply on avoiding a nasty collision with walking folk.

Street 7: Nelson St. Safely to the end. And a nice incline to finish with to take us back to Sky Tower.

Street 7: Nelson St. That's enough for today.

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What is great about the central city are the variety of streets available to run up. Of all different inclines and all different lengths. Plus, the scenery is always interesting. As a workout this event provided a great test and gave us the opportunity to run on streets that we had never run on before and would likely never run on again.

Who knows what people thought of us running right through town up and down the steepest streets? Did anyone even notice? Or care? I don’t know. What I do know is that the central city is not the ideal place to run. Dodging traffic and breathing in vehicle fumes gets a little tiring. And can be dangerous. Dodging pedestrians, however, is actually kinda fun.

Run hard and watch for traffic, Phil.

Mt Eden - the endpoint of the run. I started by the sea just right of the tall buildings in the background.

To prove my time and to capture my level of effort, I decided to run with a camera to take a photo of myself at various points along the way. Please excuse the faces that I pull along the way. It’s just that I was getting quite exhausted…!

Stats: beginning elevation O m

Final elevation +196 m

Total horizontal distance 3.2 km

Here’s how I would have looked if you were walking down the road past me…

Time: 00:35 Vertical height: +30m Feeling: energetic

Time: 02m:12s Vertical height: +81m Feeling: ok

Time: 03min:10sec Vertical height: +105m Feeling: difficulty breathing

Time: 04min:35sec Vertical height: +122m Feeling: spent

I was lucky enough to have a nice break after the first incline: a downhill jog for a few minutes that took me to the base of the volcano. And very welcome it was too becuase my legs were shaky. Onwards and upwards…

Time: 04min:56sec Vertical height: +102m ...what was left to do

Time: 08min:46sec Vertical height: +122m Feeling: revitalised

Time: 10min:05sec Vertical height: +134m Feeling: stable

Time: 11min:32sec Vertical height: +151m Feeling: tiring fast (nice view though)

Time: 12min:14sec Vertical height: +162m Feeling: now exhausted for real

Time: 14min:57sec Vertical height: +181m Feeling: holding on for dear life...

Time: 16min:07sec Vertical height: +196m Feeling: Spent

That was one of the runs of the year. It was very tough – and that’s a good thing! And like every other run, once it’s done, all the difficulties and stuggles are forgotten and you can bask in your accomplishment. Best wishes for your next run. Give it heaps.

About Mt Eden:

Maori name: Maungawhau, ‘Hill of the Whau Tree’.
Location: Auckland City, map reference NZMS 260: R11/677790.
Height: 196m.
Age: Formed 20,000-30,000 years ago.
Volume lava: 162 million cubic metres (equivalent to 32,400 Olympic sized swimming pools).

Clint's change from September to November 2008

Over the last few years – with a young family to raise and a business to grow – Clint had found that his former exercise habits had started to slip. And alongside that, going into his 30’s, the inevitable slowing down of the bodies metabolism meant that Clint’s body was starting to age quickly. Like many in their 30’s, he was filling out and getting weighed down as time went on…

Clint’s story shows us that even a busy small business owner with a young family has time to completely transform their body. Clint began his 10 week Body Transform Program at the end of 2008, and found that the eating plan was the secret to his success….

Clint has an open attitude, and so when he discovered Body Transform he quickly decided to give it a go. What better time to ‘catch’ the process of aging and filling-out than right now! He began his program in September 2008. In just 10 weeks Clint has dropped the fat and carved out a lean and impressive physique. At the same time as he was burning fat, you can see Clint grew impressive amounts of lean muscle on his upper body. He has picked up his energy and learned some lifelong habits along the way.

For Clint it was the eating plan that made the most difference. The workouts were not difficult for Clint – he has always enjoyed exercising. Getting up half an hour earlier each morning to hit the gym or go for a run was just a matter of deciding to do it. Plus, it’s such a great kick-start to the day. Changing his eating habits from the incidental ‘when I remember’ to eating more frequent balanced meals was the essence of his change. It’s eating for a purpose. And as his photos show, the food certainly helped Clint’s purpose.

And as is always the case, the changes for Clint when he changed his physique in such rapid style went beyond the body. The increased energy that frequent and balanced meals provide allows much more to get done during the day. And for Clint this means more productive time in business and more quality time with his family. And for Clint that is worth just as much as having the lean and fit body.

Clint is a great reminder that the filling out and slowing down that happens to most people in their 30’s doesn’t have to happen to you. You can very quickly change the path that you are heading down to something much better. If you are strong enough to try, you will do it.

Clint's dramatic body change sets a great standard

It was very worthwhile, so the next weekend I decided to sprint up 6 of Auckland’s urban volcanoes. To help celebrate this being the first post on my new blog, I thought I’d invite my very first client through Body Transform, Todd Mohi. Todd completely transformed his body almost two years ago (read about it). The question was, what kind of shape is he in today? And would he make it up all 6 peaks that I had mapped out for us? As it turned out, we got an extra challenge along the way…

Volcano 1: One Tree Hill

You see, when we began the day was overcast and misty. Perfect conditions for a gruelling day of uphill sprinting. One Tree Hill was the longest of the climbs and was a great warm-up.

Summit of One Tree Hill. Fresh and ready for the next one.

Volcano 2: Mt Hobson

No problems here. Todd really took off at this 50m stair incline and I really could not chase him down on the way to the top....

....although he clearly burnt up some fuel doing so and was feeling spent.

Volcano 3: Mt St John

This volcano is very dear to me. I used to live at the base of it, and would often spend my mornings grinding my way to the top and back. A great homecoming for me, and I set a new record time to the top.

I was dazed for a few seconds by my intense efforts.

Both fatigued and fearful, knowing next up is Mt Eden –the steepest climb of the day.

Volcano 4: Mt Eden

Really steep and really off-track. Slow going and our calves were screaming for mercy. None was given.

No easy way out of this situation. Up Mt Eden with 3 more minutes of discomfort to go.

The top of Mt Eden and a great victory. However, right at this point the clouds parted and the sun came out. And it was hot. We did not anticipate having to run in heat, and by now it was midday...

Volcano 5: Mt Victoria

I don’t know what the temperature was at this point, but the black surface reflected heat like hot coals. This was a difficult climb. The unexpected heat of the middle of the day caught us out without water supplies.

Now just one more to go. Dehydration was real.

Volcano 6: North Head

Mission accomplished. Six volcanoes in one day.

Behind is the reward: pristine Cheltenham Beach. That is a swim well-earnt. The great news: almost two years after completely changing his body and his health and fitness, Todd is fitter and stronger than when I first taught him. That is success.

Run hard ‘til next time. Phil.

Steve proves to us that you can get into great shape regardless of whether you have any prior experience exercising or eating well. For the first 47 years of his life, Steve had done very little exercise – he just didn’t see himself as the ‘sporty’ type of person. He perceived himself as the ‘intellectual’, and for most of his life that had been his focus. Certainly he has had great success in his professional career, but at what price to his health? When Steve came to Body Transform he knew that his very life was at risk due to his unhealthy lifestyle, his weight, and where he was heading.

Steve's 18kg lighter in a matter of weeks

Steve had tried working with Personal Trainers in the past, but the piecemeal approach of just addressing exercise had had no impact. Steve needed a complete solution to address his health – and he knew that it was now or never. Steve showed great courage in taking this step, and investigating whether he could indeed become a ‘healthy eater’ and a regular gym-goer. He knew that he needed to do something, and that he had to create a new identity for himself to get the job done.

Could he do it after years of letting his health and physique slip away?

How He Changed

Right from the first week Steve showed a level of focus and determination tha t was inspirational. He committed himself to following the straight-forward actions, and his reward was fast change. Steve’s body was more than ready to ‘let go’ of the excess body-fat! Now Steve has a very busy professional career and is also raising a young family, so his time is in demand. However, he continued to exercise week in and week out, as well as learn and practice the right nutrition habits. Once Steve started seeing the changes – there was no stopping him. Look closely at the photos of Steve – especially his face – and you will see that Steve left his ‘old’ self and self-image somewhere on a different planet.
What can you say about someone who completely turned around a lifetime of inactivity within 10 weeks? It’s a new standard of success on all levels.

Beyond 10 Weeks

Steve began a new 10-week Program soon after finishing his first. His focus now is on further muscle development and growth. Steve knows what he is doing now, and he wants to keep doing it. Exercising regularly and eating balanced nutritious meals is the new Steve, and you can bet his life is easier and much more fun because of it.

Steve:

“Phil Stewart is a hero. I have just finished my Program (and plan to carry on with Phil’s programmes). During my 10 weeks I lost 18kgs of fat, gained 3kgs of muscle, learned how to use a gym, improved my body shape, came down 2 clothing sizes, replaced my wardrobe, improved my skin, increased my energy levels, improved my relationship with my wife, inspired my son, increased my self-esteem, I now work better, and am envied by friends who have been struggling trying to achieve results on their own. Phil is worth every cent. I have changed my life in 10 weeks, and I know I can maintain it.”

Steve's body change certainly represents his total change

Todd shows that this Program works for 30-somethings who want to recover their health and fitness after ‘living it up’ in their 20′s. Often times as 20-somethings we spend a lot of time socialising and partying, all the while allowing our health to slip. It’s very common! However, there comes a time for many of us that it’s time to do something about it. Todd had come to this point – not only was he out of shape, he was struggling to get through his days due to low energy and motivation. Unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise had carried over from his 20′s and was holding him back…

Todd puts on 6kg of muscle in just 10 weeks

The one thing Todd had – and it’s all you need at the start – is a desire to change.

Once he was introduced to effective weight-training there was no keeping Todd out of the gym! He found it very envigorating to lift weights – for him it was a challenge that he could face and win each and every week. The eating style was completely new for Todd and within a very short period of time he felt the increase in energy that comes from smaller more frequent meals each day. As a younger person, Todd’s level of physique change was rapid. After 6 weeks he had created a lean and muscular physique that was getting the attention from all his co-workers and friends.

Todd:

“In the months leading up to my body transformation I guess you could say I was pretty dissatisfied with my life in many different areas. Physically I have never been fat or over-weight, but because of bad eating habits and no exercise my physical shape had become weak and flaccid, and my energy levels were at an all-time low. My sleeping patterns were erratic and my mental focus was zero. When I had the great fortune of discovering Body Transform, I saw not just a chance to get fit and have a great physique, I saw an opportunity to change my life.
Now 10 weeks on I can tell you that my life has changed. The skills you learn throughout the Body Transform Program allow you to transform not only your physical shape, but also your mental focus and your ability to apply yourselves to challenges and succeed. I feel like I have the energy of an 18-year-old, and my work-mates have all commented on my appearance and new-found enthusiasm and passion for life.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Phil and Body Transform for this experience, and recommend to you to take this opportunity that he is offering you.
Transform your body. Transform your mind. Transform your life. Go for it!”

Todd used effective exercise combined with simple and effective nutrition. What did he eat? The links below take you to a website that describes the eating plan that he followed.

Eating Right Made Easy

Learn about the right foods and how to get the right amount for you

Eating Right Guide 
The Guide will tell you how to get the right amount of protein and carbohydrate to get at every meal

Food to Lose Weight 
Eating protein and carbohydrate together in the right amounts will help you to lose weight. See how.