ARC+ Training

ARC+ Training Expert Personal Training to Help You Get More From Your Everyday Workouts. I specialise in strength coaching and education.

Hi, my name is Alan and I am a Personal Trainer with over 7 years experience in the industry. In my time coaching men and women to effectively change their lifestyle, work through difficult plateaus, achieve new personal records and perform better off or even on the field, I've identified clients have three major problems: They feel weak, struggle with technique and consistency, and lack the self-

confidence to achieve results. I've developed a system of assessing clients strengths and weakness, tailoring a training program to their level and progressing them so that they may no longer NEED my help to further their results; although they generally want it ;)

I started my career as a Fat loss PT. Having experienced fat loss myself, it was really my only area of authority. After continuing education, completing several mentorships and learning from the best coaches in the industry; it became apparent that strength coaching was a niche that not only had huge potential for advancing those clients with fat loss goals but could improve the safety, confidence and performance of several other types of potential clients. Most people are well aware there is a wealth of knowledge on the internet any person can just google when they want to but with so much misinformation, my clients know they are learning the right knowledge and furthering their skillset to THEIR advantage.

Age: 12Height: taller than GrandmaMatch moment: illegally tackling the other team.
12/08/2023

Age: 12
Height: taller than Grandma
Match moment: illegally tackling the other team.

So my birthday is Sunday. To be honest I haven't been that arsed about it this year but I just had this fun idea. I love...
29/04/2022

So my birthday is Sunday. To be honest I haven't been that arsed about it this year but I just had this fun idea. I love comedy and my friend loves telling people she's a comedian. Despite her gender, she's actually funny sometimes, and she gives good banter. With that inspiration I'd love for any one who wants to have a crack to Roast me!
No one likes comments that are just mean but aren't funny so give it some thought.
On Sunday I'll post a story with the option to leave your best material. Don't hold back. I'll share the best responses.

09/04/2022

Friend: how's your love life going at the moment?
Me: I talk to spiders now.
I grew up afraid of spiders. Some years ago I kinda just grew out of it. I'm appropriately cautious of anything that can cause me physical harm (including spiders with a strong bite or venom) but being afraid of little critters I could easily squash just seemed silly.
One of the things we teach people with anxiety is to approach the tasks that make them anxious rather than to face away from them. If you can consistently face small insecurities and move to ones that are bigger and bigger you can slowly conquer your anxiety.
When we train or exercise, often we are confronting a number of mental barriers at the same time. When we reach intermittent physical milestones, we also achieve a state of mental wellbeing. I've watched countless people with mental health struggles make serious progress just by setting small achievable training goals and advancing them week to week.
One thing that I do intuitively well and also because it's a passion of mine, is help clients overcome these mental barriers to achieve more.
If you have a spider that's getting a little thicc or just needs support in achieving their goals DM, 'Keen.'

08/04/2022

What a difference a proper sleep makes.
Also, this cute girl walked in and started deadlifting opposite me so of course my ego kicked in and I had to go heavy. 😆




24/03/2022

Another super underrated exercise.
✅ Great for beginners who haven't yet learned to properly squat.
✅ Great for ironing out discrepancies in strength between left/right legs or training through little niggles.
✅ Great for loading the legs but giving the tired trunk a break.
✅ Great for training at home when access to equipment/heavy load is impractical.
Cues:
1. Your leading leg does the work, your trailing leg helps keep you balanced.
2. It's not a lunge, don't stand with your feet three feet apart.
3. Go deep before you go heavy. Greater range means greater progress.

21/03/2022

Mobility Monday: Couch Stretch.
Looks painful, is painful, leaves you feeling pain free.

18/03/2022

The best Triceps exercise you're probably not doing.
First commonly used by and named after John Mark Blakley, "Who is known for breaking numerous world records, holding multiple degrees in Strength and Athletic Conditioning and Ph.D.'s in Exercise Physiology and Metaphysical Sciences."
The JM press is somewhat awkward when you first try it, there will be a brief adjustment period. It cleverly combines the joint angle of the skullcrusher with the mechanics of a press. You can go significantly heavier than the skullcrusher while still achieving the maximum stretch required to give those chicken wings a good hammering.
Cues:
Use the bulldog grip.
Lower the bar above your chest (almost at the neck).
Keep elbows tucked.
If you get stuck at the bottom, press the bar; load it up when you're confident you have the movement.

Happy International Women's Day!I was very blessed growing up, to come from a family of powerful women with strong leade...
08/03/2022

Happy International Women's Day!
I was very blessed growing up, to come from a family of powerful women with strong leadership qualities. These women embraced their femininity, harnessed their masculinity and worked side by side with the men who they had partnered.
I was taught to, "Man up," by the women in my family. I was also taught to harness my feminine side. I learned what it meant to be strong, compassionate and kind. I learned how to become a better role model for future generations.
I've observed that family dynamic is a degree less than typical, that gender roles are still apparent. That an, "us vs. them," mentality still pervades our society.
Today I've heard some men jokingly say, what about international men's day?
Well this day is for you too! Just as we celebrate Mardi Gras, pride and equality in all people; This day should be just as much a celebration for the boys who come from awesome mothers, who have awesome sisters and aunties and cousins. Celebrate your Female friends and colleagues. We wouldn't be here as a species if we didn't have these awesome babes. Just don't ask them what they want for dinner. 😆

22/02/2022

Fun fact: the lenses of your eyes are controlled by tiny muscles (the ciliary muscles).
Much like skeletal muscles they can become weak with under use.
Try exercising these muscles by focusing on distant objects followed by up close objects for a few reps and sets per day.


21/02/2022

I did regret it. 🥵





100 years ago, we did not have the calorie packed treats we take for granted today.100 years ago, we had many more labou...
17/02/2022

100 years ago, we did not have the calorie packed treats we take for granted today.
100 years ago, we had many more labour intensive tasks to achieve each day.
100 years ago, obesity was almost non existent...
At least in us fu***ng peasants.
Technology has made the world faster and better connected but it could be said it has also made us lazy. Or, we were already lazy but we had no other choice.
So give yourself no other choice!
One of my most successful clients was a chocoholic.
We agreed that he was allowed to eat it whenever he wanted but that he had to walk from his house to the grocer in the next suburb (~2.5km away) to retrieve.
When he was determine to have chocolate he could eat as much as he liked, but he had a 5km round trip to get it.
He was a lazy fu**er but he was stubborn, when he made a promise he kept it.
Turns out, he was so lazy he almost gave up chocolate entirely; the treat was not worth the journey.
I'm very different. I'd happily walk 10km and sacrifice a goat for a block of chocolate so my grocer is very very very far away. The point is, you don't have to burn yourself with maximum intensity exercise all week to get results.
You just need to consolidate your life a little and make exercise and healthy choices a part of it.
Some examples include:
• Taking the stairs at work.
• Walking home.
• Switching to low sugar alternatives.
• Choosing beer or pizza, not both.
• Purchase snack size treats.
• Be the designated driver.
• Try and outrun your problems.
If you're eating like an as***le and not moving very much reach out to me.
I'm happy to roast you for your lack of self control and bully you into being more active. 😂




If you ARE the type of person who seems to lose motivation easily, listen up!Many times people have come up to me and sa...
14/02/2022

If you ARE the type of person who seems to lose motivation easily, listen up!
Many times people have come up to me and said, "I have this program. I hate all the exercises." Or, "My trainer has given me this diet and I don't like any of those foods."
There are more than one way to skin a cat (it's a pretty messed up saying) and if this program/diet is the optimal way for you to achieve results but you hate life in the process then I might suggest it's not that optimal.
Too many times I've seen this where people get caught up in the how and not the why.
The problem with this type of regime is adherence and to a degree, quality of life. I think if a client can get a result a little bit slower but is twice as happy along the journey that should be a consideration.
If you disagree then Google flexible dieting, you'll see it's quite popular.
If they're twice as likely to fall off the wagon or skip a training day, I look at strategies to manage them Instead of just blaming them for their poor self control.
So how do you get optimum results in a relatively efficient way by doing what you enjoy?
🏃‍♂️🏁Set performance goals.
You'll be much more likely to adhere to a difficult program if you're achieving some little wins along the way.
🎾⛹️‍♀️Play a sport.
If you're exercising for fat loss but enioy tennis then include some tennis style movements. There's going to be a little carryover into your game and could improve your match. Plus it's extra activity.
🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♂️Work to your strengths.
You can get a lot more work done on the exercises you are good at and you won't mind it so much either. In the mean time, you can work a little each day on your weak points; slowly getting them to where you feel happy and capable.
🍔🍆Find a balance.
80% of your diet should be foods you know will help you towards your goal or 80% of your effort will be towards keeping strict adherence. The other 20% can be foods you enjoy (within reason) or planned strategies for breaks from your strict diet.

13/02/2022

Ok, he secretly cares a little bit.
People occasionally ask me, "Why don't you have many clips of your clients on Instagram?"
I say, "Most of my clients prefer that I don't film them while I'm training and most of the time I'm so involved in the session that I forget to capture anything."
So I never get asked that question and I made that part up because no one seems to care if businesses lie on social media; but it doesn't change the last part about forgetting to capture the moment.
I don't have a problem with trainers that choose to capture their clients winning moments on social media and I especially don't have a problem with people reviewing their lifts for coaching purposes but at a certain point, you have to wonder how present some trainers really are.
I've had colleagues like posts I've put up while their clients were mid set and I could see them on their phone.
So anyway there's really no point to this post, I just had to get that out there and move past it. How's this guy smashing goals in the rain though? That's some dedication people.




Time and again I've had clients said they felt like everyone is looking at them when they train. I'd respond, "They are ...
11/02/2022

Time and again I've had clients said they felt like everyone is looking at them when they train. I'd respond, "They are all thinking the same thing about you looking at them. Their self consciousness sort of cancels out any judgement they have for you."
The logic is sound but it's quite dismissive. It also isn't true. Everyone is looking at you at some point and they are judging you subconsciously. The thing of it is, you'll never know what they think, so you have the power to decide what that is.
We've all heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover."
I'd be willing to bet we've all done this at one point in our lives.
When you did this was it positive or negative? When you look at a room full of people exercising do you think, "They're all working hard on themselves." Or do you think of them as hopeless idiots interrupting your private visit to the space?
When I was starting out I would look at big bodybuilders and think, "They're probably big stupid meat heads that think I'm some sort of weakling." After meeting them I realised they were the most supportive and kind folks at the gym.
Turns out I was the judgey as***le pigeonholing them. 🤦‍♂️
A lot can be said about how you view others. If you start to see other people in a positive way, you will start to think and feel like they view you that same way. When you stop hating others, you stop projecting their imaginary hate onto you.
Try going up and introducing yourself. I think you'll be surprised at how kind people really are.
And if they turn out to be a hater? Tell em Al said they can go and get fu**ed! ✌




"They say you shouldn’t keep dolphins in concrete tanks, because the endless sound of their own sonar bouncing back at t...
08/02/2022

"They say you shouldn’t keep dolphins in concrete tanks, because the endless sound of their own sonar bouncing back at them eventually drives them mad."
-Stewart Lee
I've been receiving some positive feedback on my latest posts. People saying that what I've shared has helped or is useful. While I value feedback and I'm glad I've hit the mark, I do have a hard time with it. Not because I'm one of those people who hates compliments but because I worry it could affect my ego in a way that is of no benefit to humanity.
I don't believe I'm overly narcissistic on the whole but I can certainly be arrogant at times, a little bit elitist and definitely overconfident.
A healthy debate can be humbling, reflective and mind expanding. That is why I follow a number of varied social accounts. People I may be inclined to disagree with, people that frustrate the hell out of me, people that get mad at my comments and usually block me.
The thing I see they all have in common is the sickeningly positive feedback they receive for every trivial thing they do. Comments sections that make me just want to vomit.
I'm all for a bit or positivity but sometimes people are as***les; they could do with being told as much.
So thanks to any one that saw fit to challenge an opinion I've shared or call me out on something. I truly value your candor and it's a good opportunity for me to learn. By all means, keep the positive feedback coming but every now and then if you could just randomly tell me to go f**k myself, society would benefit.
Cheers.




Don't cut calories...Yet.Ask anyone who has switched to a plant based diet, what's the first thing they tell you?"Oh I f...
07/02/2022

Don't cut calories...
Yet.
Ask anyone who has switched to a plant based diet, what's the first thing they tell you?
"Oh I feel great."
While there's sufficient evidence to support the health benefits of a vegan diet I'd argue the likely short term benefits are immediately apparent because they went from eating like an as***le, to not eating like an as***le. I've literally had friends say they switched from eating McDonald's and sweets to a plant based diet and they feel amazing. It's called nourishment you goof!
One of the immediate shortcomings of dieting is the switch from high calorie, hyper palatable foods to low calorie, bland foods. You are simultaneously depriving your body of energy and flavour. Is it any wonder folks tend to come off the wagon?
Before you cut calories; maintain your intake as it is. No calorie restrictions but limit your food intake to whole foods, boring salads etc. You'll be amazed at how hard it is to over eat salad compared to chips and ice cream. Furthermore, you will learn to enjoy those foods before you begin the painstaking process of dieting down the track.
There's nothing worse than feeling super hungry on a diet with your only food options, things you don't really enjoy. At least if you enjoy those healthy snacks it's a little more bearable.
And stop eating like an as***le.




Address

Surry Hills, NSW

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 5:30am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 5:30am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - 5pm

Telephone

+61401012325

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