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gwunspoken
We know that now more than ever, there is a growing disconnection between parents and their teens, corporates and their employees, and human interactions in general.
This can cause stress, frustration and many arguments within families and the work environment.
gwunspoken looks at the challenges people of all ages have in their relationships with one another and provides experience and advice, allowing all parties to have a voice.... and feel heard.
Join us to hear corporates, parents, educators, teens and the latest advice of how we can in fact live the life we love, in making authentic interactions, because we know... authentic connection is everything.
gwunspoken
Fitness, Nutrition, and the Power of Positive Influence
From overcoming childhood adversity to becoming an inspirational figure in the fitness world, Peter Sargent shares his remarkable journey. With roots in Mount Gravatt and Zillmere, Peter's early experiences with bullying instilled a resilience that has defined his life and career. He takes us on his path from unexpected beginnings in a garage and railways to an apprenticeship in plumbing, which he later questioned. A pivotal shift in the mid-80s towards martial arts and fitness opened doors to roles in gyms, nightclubs, and managing pubs, fueling his passion for empowering others, especially individuals with disabilities.
Peter's transformation from pharmacy work to managing personal trainers at the Genesis gym franchise in Queensland is a testament to his dedication. As a private trainer, he conducted over 100 sessions weekly, navigating the challenges of sustaining motivation in his clients and himself. His work with Darren Davis, a client with cerebral palsy, stands as a beacon of hope as he helped significantly improve Darren's mobility and quality of life. Peter’s story highlights his unwavering commitment to helping those with disabilities achieve their full potential, a cause that continues to drive him.
Throughout our conversation, we explore the broader themes of fitness and nutrition, discussing how different environments like CrossFit and F45 contribute to overall health and well-being. We touch on the importance of educating young people about biochemistry and nutrition to foster informed lifestyle choices, while also addressing the impact of social media on body image. Wrapping up with heartfelt gratitude for Peter's influence, this episode serves as a tribute to his positive presence within the community and teases future episodes featuring conversations with some of his remarkable clients.
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Well, here we are with another edition of GDR Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should, and I'm in the house of Peter Sargent. How are you, mate? Good mate. Hey, thanks for having me over. I've stung you with a podcast. I've already had your wife on the show, and now I thought I'd have you on the show too. You can't get off that lightly. No, all right, mate, let's check in. If I said to you, out of five, five is awesome and one is terrible, how are you feeling right now? How are you traveling? Yeah, four Four. You're usually pretty high, though, aren't you?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You're pretty high, all right. And what's something that Pete Sargent's really grateful for at the moment? Family, family, okay, all right. Well, I was going to introduce you, but I'm going to put you on the spot now, because you said you're not nervous about this. This is good. I'm probably more nervous than you are If I said to you let's sum up Peter Sargent in a minute. Who's Peter Sargent?
Speaker 2:Someone who likes making people be the best they possibly can. Yeah, especially as far as disabilities.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, okay, and we'll get into that, because I know that I was grateful enough to come around to your place also when I was updating my personal training and you had me over at your house and you're training some people there, which is awesome. It was a big eye-opener for me and, yeah, those are natural connections. But let's go back. Let's go to Peter Sargent when he was a junior. Let's get the audience to get to know a bit about you when. How did you grow up? Were you a local Wrecliffe boy?
Speaker 2:My early years. First five years, six years, lived at Mount Gravatt. Mum and Dad sold up and bought a house at Zillmere 1967. Yeah, moved there, probably highlighted by the moon landing 69. Went to Zillmere North State School Primary and then to Sandgate High. Okay, yeah, yeah. As far as education goes, yeah, I completed grade 12, but probably 23 years later I went to uni and did a biomed degree 23 years later, after you finished.
Speaker 2:Yeah, didn't even know how to use a calculator when I went there, yeah, and done chemistry or physics at school, but I got through it.
Speaker 1:How was school for you Like? Was it pretty cruisy for you? Did you try hard? Were you into sports? What was school like for?
Speaker 2:you? Yeah, no, I loved sports. Probably had me head in the form guide more than anything, having relations that had horses at Deegan and being at Sandgate High.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, yeah, so it was a bit of a misspent youth. You were bred into it, yes, okay, but no issues at school, much bullying and stuff around there.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got bullied a lot, did you? Yeah, I can remember one day where a couple of fellas got me and put me on a vice on the woodwork table and they put a soldering iron on me wrist. I still got the scar, but the scar was predominant for probably the next 30 years of my life. What did you do to deserve that? Nothing, no. They just I didn't dob them in so probably gained a lot of respect there.
Speaker 1:Nothing, no they just, I didn't dob them in.
Speaker 2:So I probably gained a lot of respect there because I was only. I actually had tuberculosis as probably a seven eight-year-old, and therefore I was pretty small when I was 12, 13. I only weighed about 46 kilos and I wasn't very big, you know. But, I was lucky because I suppose I'd become friends with some of the tougher guys at the school.
Speaker 1:They sort of looked after me. Yeah, Often bullies right picking on someone who's smaller sometimes. Yeah, Wow, mate, that would have been pretty tough getting through those times.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you ever look back at those times and think like you just mentioned it then I'm trying to picture it right. Do you ever look back at those times and think like you just mentioned it, then I'm trying to picture it right.
Speaker 2:Do you ever look back? Could you imagine that now?
Speaker 1:Well, that's right. You know there'd be I don't know what. There'd be lawsuits, there'd be prices to pay. But do you ever look back at those times and think that that sort of built your own personal resilience as well?
Speaker 2:I suppose it got me interested in, probably martial arts in the mid-80s Okay, so I sort of got full on into that for probably nine or ten years, okay, and what happened then?
Speaker 1:You said there was a bit of a gap between you went and did a study after school.
Speaker 2:So what did you do after high school? After high school, I worked in a garage as a dispump petrol Okay, yeah, and service cars, yeah, and I had a couple of jobs in the factories. I got a job then at the railways as a fettler putting the railway lines down. Okay yeah, yeah. Then I met my first wife and that job wasn't good enough for the family, so they got me into an apprentice plumber's job, which is probably one of the biggest mistakes I made.
Speaker 1:Why is that? You hated plumbing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so then I became a plumber between 1981 and 1990. That's a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a job you don't like.
Speaker 2:But in the meantime I was sort of starting to work in gyms in the mid-80s and bouncing in nightclubs and started managing pubs in the early 90s.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's stop there. What bought it upon? Did you just start to get a passion for fitness? Did the little boy start becoming a man? What was it? Yeah, what changed boys start becoming a man? What was it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's the change? Oh, I think I had a bit of hate build up in me, yeah yeah. Through things that happened in my life, yeah, and that was sort of an outlet, but it was probably the discipline and that that was good for me.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And that was my introduction into the fitness industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So a lot of good come out of it. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:And what? You fell in love with the gym straight away, Like, how did you introduce it?
Speaker 2:Well, I actually dislocated my shoulder in a kickboxing fight and the sensei at the time said come down to the gym and we'll rehab you.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I didn't have to have surgery because I had dislocated about eight times.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I even threw it out, throwing a punch once in a fight and then one other time it got punched out. So that was my introduction to the gym and rehabbing my shoulder.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that was successful. I never went out again and I never had to have surgery. Yeah, wow. And I did all the early fitness modules. I even forget what they were called now, but you know that's back in the early and mid-90s.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you said you had a bit of build-up of hate or struggle or whatever it was. So was that, when you went to the gym then and you started and you keep boxing and stuff, was the gym the feeling of those endorphins going? Oh, I've got some confidence about myself now Is that what a feeling. It was Control.
Speaker 2:What was it? Yeah, I believe confidence, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, A lot of people do kickboxing and karate and different types don't they for confidence?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it helped me with public speaking confidence because I had my own martial arts schools. Yeah, okay, you know, I got to probationary third then, yeah, right, and I had my own fighters and stuff like that. Yeah, wow. But I let go of that about 1994 and I'm more interested in helping people, not hurting people.
Speaker 1:There's so much I'm learning about Pete tonight. It's crazy. You know half of these stories already. This is good, Okay. So you're doing the dojos? Well, you're doing your schools. You have three.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then you decide to give that away, and then is that when the study came on board.
Speaker 2:Well, my adopted dad passed away in 94 and I sort of went into a bit of a shell.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it sort of took me a while to get over that and I decided to get off the couch and put my head in books in 2000. I wasn't doing much between 94, 95 and 2000, just working at the gym.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's when I did undergraduate medicine.
Speaker 1:So, but why? Why that field of study? Because that would have been pretty tough, no doubt.
Speaker 2:Well, 660 people signed up for the degree and 33 of us made it through. That's insane. Yeah, that's insane. Yeah, and I actually originally enrolled in sports and exercise, but the PhDs up there said that because of my background and how much I knew about it, I was better off broadening my knowledge with the biomed degree. Wow, and I sort of I agree with them. But yeah, I should have did an exercise physiology module because of how the world's worked out.
Speaker 2:But at the end of the day my med degree is far harder than an exercise physiology degree.
Speaker 1:And how did you go with that? Did you find the study challenging or difficult?
Speaker 2:Well, I didn't even know how to use a calculator when I started.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Take me through the study then. How hard was it? Was the knowledge yet to learn? Was it hard or was it passionate for you that you could?
Speaker 2:I think it was passionate because things like cellular metabolism, biochem and stuff like that. I got sixes and sevens, yeah, wow. And probably one of the toughest subjects was probably physiology and anatomy, because that was tough, yeah, one and two, yeah, but no, I did pretty good yeah.
Speaker 1:And so how long did that degree take you to do?
Speaker 2:Three years full time, okay yeah.
Speaker 1:So you did that. In the meantime, were you working as well in the gyms part time? Yes, yeah, okay. And what were you doing? Were you there as a PT or were you just working around in the gym? I don't mean just, but I mean, were you working as an assistant? What were you doing there?
Speaker 2:I was just the owner of Peninsula Fitness at the time, ryan Jones. He became a fireman and I did the shifts that he couldn't do, okay yeah, and just wrote out programs and just kept the gym tidy and kept gym ethic and that, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, so you did your study, and then what happened?
Speaker 2:I wasn't working in the fitness industry at the time and I started working in pharmacology. Okay, I worked for Amdel Biotech Lab, heron Sigma, doing HPLC, gc foods. Yeah, just quite a diverse range of you know seeing how supplements break down, you know through heat, boiling temperature, seeing what actives disperse, how they're retained, yeah, and probably quality control, seeing if the actives are still, how many milligrams of certain actives are in each tablet over time, so you know when they go off or not.
Speaker 1:So what made you go into that field? So you sort of left fitness, the physical side of things, and you went into more of the medical side of things. The pharmacology side of things, yeah, yeah, but why is that? Was it just industry did it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it did. Yeah, okay, yeah, and I learned a lot about foods and supplements.
Speaker 1:Okay, Because the Peter I know was like you came to our sports in a way back I think it was at Caboolture, redcliffe High. It was Redcliffe High back then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was Redcliffe.
Speaker 1:High back then?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was at the Leagues Club. Yeah, that would have been in 2010.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right, and maybe you came up on stage and you were great.
Speaker 2:we all loved you up there and had a good chat but I only knew you as a PT because I think I met you in the gym, the couple of kids that were in that audience I actually mentored they A couple of kids that were in that audience I actually mentored. They did a human movements degree at UQ and UQ approved me as a mentor for their human movements students. I was a South Korean kid, I don't know if you remember.
Speaker 1:I don't remember. Yeah, do I get a finder's fee for that Mate? That's unreal, so yeah. But I remember I knew you as a PT. I know you had all this background knowledge. I know knew you as a PT, I know you had all this background knowledge. I know when you're speaking to people and you're around the people you're training, I can hear the knowledge and the wisdom you've got. But I knew you as a personal trainer and from that night I thought, wow, you have a wealth of knowledge. But I made you think the first time was at a gym and what stood out to me was how you connect to people and I think that was a game changer for me. When I saw you going yeah, I can see that you are physically fit and still are and how you related to everyone you worked with. They knew you gave them the time, their time was important and I don't see that I didn't see a lot around those personal training days. When I saw that, yeah, is that one of your strengths?
Speaker 2:you think Well, I suppose I had passion in helping people and I think that that comes out and people can feel it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and so I've jumped a bit ahead, I suppose. So when you're working with the pharmacy stuff, then what happened after that? So when did you branch into it and what did you branch into next? Like, let's follow that pathway now, what happens after that?
Speaker 2:Well, it was 2006 and a big gym franchise opened up in Queensland called Genesis.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:And that was at Rothwell and anyway, the owner of that at the time, a mate of mine, spoke to him and he was having trouble getting PTs there or a PT manager, and my mate said, well, you should get this Pete Sargent. So yeah, he rang me at work one day and I spoke to him and in a couple of weeks I was there running the PT. Yeah right, Good experience.
Speaker 1:I didn't, I was just stuck to order yeah, okay, yeah, and so how long were you there for?
Speaker 2:So between Genesis Rothwell and Morton, between Genesis Rothwell and Lawton. I've worked with them from 2006 to COVID.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's a good 10, 15 years.
Speaker 2:Mm.
Speaker 1:Okay, and were you doing stuff on the side as well?
Speaker 2:No, no, I managed the PT for about four years. Then I went out on my own as well. No, no, I managed the PT for about four years. Then I went out on my own as a private trainer. Okay.
Speaker 1:And does that mean you're a private trainer in that gym?
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so what would the books look like when you were thriving? How many numbers did you have? Was there many numbers there?
Speaker 2:Oh, I was doing between 100 and 110 sessions a week.
Speaker 1:Get out of it 45 sessions.
Speaker 2:yeah, oh, you really. Yeah, worked from five to about one and then come back at three to about nine, and so it does.
Speaker 1:That's insane. Did you still find that you had the energy and motivation for everyone for that period of time, or did you find sometimes you were a bit flat, like obviously you had better days with energy, but I mean, were you resenting it towards the end?
Speaker 2:No, I never resented it.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But you can never have bad days being a personal trainer, because people feed off your vibe. Even though you might have personal problems, you can't show them. You've got to be uplifted and happy and you've got to get the best out of them.
Speaker 1:Did you find that hard to do that repetitively? No, no, easy.
Speaker 2:Okay, but you know that's I suppose I transgressed from. I didn't find helping people with weight loss and aesthetics very challenging or actually rewarding, but then I started working with people with disabilities. That took on a whole new meaning.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, let's talk about that, if that's all right. So did that come after Genesis?
Speaker 2:then no, that happened during Genesis, my first client with a disability was a guy called Darren Davis with cerebral palsy. That's all right. So did that come after Genesis then? No, that happened during Genesis.
Speaker 1:My first client with a disability was a guy called Darren Davis with cerebral palsy.
Speaker 2:Okay, how old was he? Oh, he would have been. Well, he's been with me, still with me. He's been with me 15 years. Oh, okay, so he was probably about 30 when he started with me. Yeah, so I started with the results I got with him, getting him mobile. I started getting acquired brain injury clients, traumatic brain injury clients, people that had suffered strokes, parkinson's, muscular dystrophy so was this you putting yourself out there?
Speaker 1:Was it word of mouth?
Speaker 2:No, this is just word of mouth. I've never ever advertised that I could help people with disabilities. They just come to me through word of mouth. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so what made you have that passion, then, to help people who weren't fully able-bodied?
Speaker 2:Well, because I made Darren in particular. I made him abled and they took you know he's got cerebral palsy they took his cab fares away from him. They wanted to take his disabled parking, but they actually labelled him. You should do a podcast with him one day. Yeah, let's get him on. They actually labelled him. You should do a podcast with him one day they actually labelled him Andy Disabled.
Speaker 2:Really and then they said, well, we can't take his disabled parking off him because he passed all the fitness parameters. That kid couldn't walk more than 10 metres. When I got him, he couldn't do one revolution on a cross trainer and in the end he ended up doing a half marathon on a cross trainer.
Speaker 1:That's insane.
Speaker 2:Well done, fun runs so good, he actually won a standing disabled bodybuilding comp when he actually qualified for seated disabled. Yeah, yeah, so yeah, no, he's achieved a lot of stuff and you know he went from sitting in a call centre earning $400 a week to driving silver service taxis, being able to, you know, put luggage in and out of cars oh my God. And then, you know, $2,000 a week.
Speaker 1:Let's get him on. Let's get him on with you. Have a big chat together. That'd be awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting, that's unreal.
Speaker 1:And so is he still a client now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow so you. It changes the quality of life.
Speaker 2:I've made him the best he can, helped make him the best he can possibly be. He's actually had to put the work in. He put some hard yards in. Yeah, yeah, he used to train five, six days a week in the first seven years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so are they the things that I'm just trying to presume here and correct me if I'm wrong? So are the things that motivate you now in this space is because it's a challenge, but it's also, you see, the massive results or what you can get to the results. Is that what the difference is compared to, for example?
Speaker 2:you're training an average mo like me. No, you see tremendous improvement. Yeah, okay, and the rewarding thing with this is their results. I can't help everyone and I haven't been able to help everyone, okay, but probably 90% I have.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And their progress is spiralling and continues to spiral, which is really enthusiastic for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:I think you met that one lass with cerebral palsy, quadriplegia.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:She'd come to me as a 17-year-old, with a bone density of an 80-year-old. She'd never done any weight-bearing is a 17-year-old, with a bone density of an 80-year-old. She'd never done any weight-bearing. She'd actually broken her femurs in a standing frame with some fitness professionals. Yeah wow, and she was very gun-shy. I've trained her. You've met her. Yeah, yeah, and in two years I got her bone density of that of a 50-year-old.
Speaker 2:I got her out of yeah, yeah, and she's actually becoming weight-bearing now and standing up in the pool and she does leg exercises and her progress is just continual improvement.
Speaker 1:I think this is the one that you sort of gave a bit of a character and said guest speaker put on stage or something, wasn't it that one?
Speaker 2:Well, she wants to be a motivational speaker standing up one day, that's what she wants to do yeah. That's fantastic.
Speaker 1:And you notice that a lot of people you work with in this space people give up on them or doctors misdiagnose or, like you're finding that, the Pete Sargent way is like hang on.
Speaker 2:I think the best people to ask for this are their parents or people involved with them. Yeah, I've got quite a good results with all of them, really Okay you're being politically correct now, aren't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, done so. How many people do you work with at the moment, then? How?
Speaker 2:many people do you work with at the moment? Then I've got three with cerebral palsy, two with Parkinson's, one with muscular dystrophy no-transcript. A couple of bodybuilders Okay, just a few clients that I've trained for many years, yeah, yeah, and a few people in their 70s and that.
Speaker 1:There's still a bit of variety there too. Yeah, there's plenty of variety and you're still enjoying it. You're still enjoying what you do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, most of my clients have become my friends, yeah good.
Speaker 1:And what about yourself, pete? Like you're fit for I was going to say for your age, I can't say that You're very fit. Obviously you would drive past on your bike with your shirt off and I have a joke with your wife about that. I was going to the staffer and saying I saw this guy today flying down on his push bar. I go, no shit. And he goes oh shit, oh my God, oh my God. And I said oh yeah, and he goes hey, he says good day. What else do you do besides cycling yourself? What kind of training do you do for yourself?
Speaker 2:Oh well, I was big into running and jogging. I've done marathons full and half. I walk more nowadays and ride the bike and my weights.
Speaker 1:You just do your weights.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and do you design yourself a program like goals, or do you just go?
Speaker 2:No, I just train intensely with weights for an hour and a half once a week. Yeah, wow, okay, is that? Here, or gym.
Speaker 1:No here just train intensely with weights for an hour and a half once a week. Yeah, wow, okay, and is that here or gym? No, here.
Speaker 2:Okay, I just work from home now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everything's from home. Yeah, that's handy. Yeah, no, I don't miss the… the commercial gyms.
Speaker 2:The commercial gyms? Not at all. No.
Speaker 1:And what's your thoughts about I want to get a controversy maybe here. What's your thoughts about I want to get a controversy maybe here the people like I don't want you to necessarily bag anyone because you wouldn't do it anyway, but what's your thoughts about the traditional gym system strength and power of training and endurance training in the gym compared to these. You know fit stops these F45s like does everyone have a place or a balance? Because I know way back when I was doing my level one strength conditioning I was talking to some of the Broncos people there and I forget who I was talking to now.
Speaker 1:I think it was Dan Baker, I think, and I said you know you must do a fair bit of like. You know the different kind of phallic training, or the high intensity low. You know he's like no strength and power, strength and power, that's it, just strength and power. That's what he was about. So, are these other gyms? Can they become more dangerous? Are we more suited to doing our typical strength programs in traditional gyms? Like, is there a balance? You know what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think as long as someone's doing something, it doesn't matter what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm not going to say one area has more injuries than other areas.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:But if they attract people into the fitness industry and it makes people healthier, well, I support them all yeah okay.
Speaker 1:Would I see Peter Sargent at a CrossFit gym?
Speaker 2:You might have 30 years ago. Yeah, Not now. Not now no.
Speaker 1:What about when I see him at yeah, not now, not now. No. What about what I see in an F45, jim, not now.
Speaker 2:Not now, no, when I was younger, I would have given it a go.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, okay, all right, I was going to say we're talking about a series on movement at the moment and you're very experienced in this space, but is there like three or five or a top thing that you see that movement physical activity does for people? Like, obviously, physically it's huge, but is there something that you, if you're trying to promote someone to get them back into exercise, for example, what are the top things that you're saying that exercise produces for them?
Speaker 2:Well, cardiovascular fitness is of utmost importance. The more mitochondria you have in your cells, in your body, well, cardiovascular fitness is of utmost importance the more mitochondria you have in your cells in your body, the less your heart has to work.
Speaker 2:Okay, so yeah, as I said, the more cardiovascular fitness you do, it just takes a lot of the workload off your heart. Okay, do it just takes a lot of the workload off your heart, okay, as in at a cellular level, your, your body, will um, metabolize sugar and things like that at the cellular level and and just take stress off the heart. Plus, there's muscle pumps through all at every muscle in your body and if they're active, they they add, they aid in venous return. That means those muscle pumps pump blood back up to your heart rather than your heart. See, people that are sedentary and don't do much, if they get up quickly or go and do something, their blood will pool at the bottom of their body and the heart has to suck the blood up Heart's working harder.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so you want your heart to not work hard, and you do that by cardiovascular fitness. High intensity is good. It makes you fit up, but it doesn't necessarily help you with establishing mitochondria in every cell in your body. That's more like steady state walking jogging. Yeah. Yeah, they're both good and you should blend them, but you know, walking is probably best.
Speaker 1:Okay, so walking, jogging, swimming, rowing, all the things that have some kind of rapid effect, yeah, yeah, as long as.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I don't favour anything as long as people obviously weight bearings are better for bone density, yeah yeah, heart health circulation Okay yeah.
Speaker 1:Is there a rule of thumb or does it depend on the person and their age and their circumstance, Like if you suddenly said, Gary, you need to work on your cardiovascular fitness? Typically that's five days a week, 20 or 30 minutes a day. Is there an average that we should all be aiming for?
Speaker 2:Well, a 40-minute jog equivocates to about an 80-minute walk, yeah, double, which equivocates to about nearly two, two and a half hours a ride if you want to get something out of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, yeah, okay. So that's what we should be aiming for. Yeah, how often Every day? 40-minute run every day or an 80-minute walk? Yes, I'm a bit embarrassed over here. A 40-minute run every day or an 80-minute walk? Jeez, I'm a bit embarrassed over here. What about yourself? Did you find that physical activity gave you more than just the physical machine that you are Like? Did it give you more of the mental clarity and the energy, like a lot of people say you've got to exercise that energy and some people go why are we talking too lazy off the couch? What would they make sense? No, it of people say you've got to exercise that energy and some people go why are we talking too lazy off the couch? I mean, what would that even make sense?
Speaker 2:No, it definitely energises you. It's great for mental health as well. Yeah, you know, you do get endorphins often, yeah, and I mean, we all have our own natural heart rate. Yeah, and obviously if you go for a jog and a walk, your heart rate elevates.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and people say, oh, you know, you only have so many heartbeats your heart and all this sort of thing, yeah, but when you exercise and your heart rate goes up, when you stop, your heart rate actually falls below your normal resting level and it stays there for quite a while. So you actually you're banking some heartbeats.
Speaker 1:I know that Really, that's what it does. Yeah, yeah, right, what about? Okay, so we talked about, like, cardiovascular fitness. What about if, like, I've got young kids in the gym and, of course, when the boys' stereotypical question is, how much can you bench, sir? And I try and say, it's not about that for you guys, especially now, or me, by all means, but is there, like again, a rule of thumb that young guys and girls let's say 16, 15, 16, should be aiming for Like I'm not talking about sports specifically at the moment? Is there? Should they be doing like three lots of 12, or four lots of eight? Or should it be a periodised program? Or would you still say no, it just depends on what their goals are.
Speaker 2:It depends on what their goals are and whether it's sports specific. Okay, obviously, you know teenagers around 14, 15, 16, they haven't stopped growing Mm-hmm. So for longevity you're better off probably sticking to weight-bearing. You know things like chin-ups, dips.
Speaker 1:Okay, body weight exercises. Yeah, yeah, rather than loading, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because we do. You know, it's all good to be the strongest guy in the gym, lifting the heaviest things, but it does take a toll later in life, and I'm very lucky that I trained smarter earlier.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know, use less weight but higher intensity, slower negatives, because you know you can build quite a lot of muscle more with slowing the eccentric movement down than you can by, you know, lifting heavy weights.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah. So what if you're someone like myself who's pushing 50 and you're going, I want to go to the gym and still do my cardio. Am I best off doing like, because I'm not going for a sporing, I just want to try and stay healthy, try and maintain weight? Am I still best off doing like a whole body workout three times a week, three sets of 12, eight exercises, or does it have to be? You know? Variety of, or does it have to be you know?
Speaker 2:variety of. Well, it depends on your goals, I mean, you know, I mean there's plenty of ways to skin a cat, even with bodybuilding. As you know, I competed at a fairly high level in the Masters and stuff like that, yeah, and I was at my best when I did three weight workouts a fortnight. Wow, mind you, that was a maintenance thing for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I went through all the different training regimes, like you know three-hour workouts, morning and night training. Yeah, all your muscle types. You know, yeah, insane, but sometimes less is better. Yeah, yeah, all your muscle types. You know, yeah, insane, but sometimes less is better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, okay. So there's still no rule of thumb, there's no real no as long as you train, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:And you train with purpose and you train with intensity. Yeah, you know, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, here's a question for you. I asked Steve to answer this question the other day and said you know, how do you motivate someone to get back into exercise? And he said well, you know? He said I can tell people as much as I want the benefits of exercise, but there still has to be something within them to get them going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, generally it's a disease state. Sometimes it's even too late.
Speaker 1:Is it something that's?
Speaker 2:negative. That's what wakes people up.
Speaker 1:Ah, yep, Yep, Yep. There's no magic formula of trying to get someone to say you used to love exercise you're getting you can't lead oars to water. No, can't make them drink, all right, so it's usually the negative that gets them going.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately. Yeah, okay, like when I first got into gyms and exercise it was really unfashionable. Yeah, okay, like even jogging people would go what who?
Speaker 1:are you running from?
Speaker 2:Who are you running from, pete? Well, seriously, it was unfashionable and it was only, if you like. As I said, I worked in gyms in the 80s and early 90s and you had your footballers, your martial artists, your boxers, rowers, but apart from you know, your normal John Smith, they never went to the gym. Yeah, I can remember the Peninsula only had the PCYC, peninsula Fitness, and that was it. Yeah, now I don't know how many gyms you have in the Peninsula. There's heaps, you know. So, yeah, there was a fitness boom in the mid to late 80s, early 90s, and you know media had a lot to do with that and you know television shows on TV like the Biggest Loser, and I think social media had a lot to do with the explosion of the fitness industry, for right or wrong reasons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's quite ironic, isn't it? When you think about Biggest Loser? Because, although it might be interesting what you see, actually you have to sit on the couch to watch it. So it's pretty Catch-22, isn't it ironic when you think about Biggest Loser? Because, although it might be interesting what you see, actually you have to sit on the couch to watch it. So it's pretty Catch-22, isn't it when you think about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, actually a mate of mine won the first one, adro. Oh really yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, nice. Yeah, I didn't know him at that time when he won it but when he wanted to do a bodybuilding I actually coached him for it. Yeah, Because I knew one of the guys who came second in a twin or the only brother-sister edition and he was doing something insane at the time when at the end he really nearly killed himself just to cut weight.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like crazy crazy, crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had to cut him how much he lost, but it was a phenomenal amount of time, yeah.
Speaker 1:How did you enjoy your bodybuilding days? How did?
Speaker 2:you enjoy your bodybuilding days.
Speaker 2:I first competed in 1997 and I did it the traditional way no carbs Nearly killed me, I just hated it, yeah. And, as I said, I did a major in nutrition and learned about you know how to eat with certain exercise and stuff like that, and how to optimise fat burning. You know with heart rate. Yeah and yeah. So then I went back into competing in 2010. Yeah, and I won probably five Queensland titles placed in Australia three or four times won Asia Pacific came fourth in Olympia four times in America, second in the universe. I won about nine or ten titles, yeah, oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Do you have to have lots of supplements for that as well? Crete and lots of protein powder.
Speaker 2:Most supplements don't work.
Speaker 1:They don't. No, no, no. You need to come and talk to our kids. They're all about the Crete at the moment.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying I mean creatine does work and if it's done properly that's one of the supplements that does work. That's one of the supplements that does work, but there's not too many others. I mean, they cherry-pick scientific facts to sell products.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Like L-carnitine, for example, its job in the human body is to help mobilize fat. But if you supplement L-carnitine, your L-carnitine levels will go up in your blood but it doesn't increase the fat mobilization, All right. So lots of the things that cherry-pick fats to suit certain supplements and to sell them and supplement companies back in the day never really liked me, don't they?
Speaker 1:No, okay, and I guess you would have a massive background too, wouldn't you? With all the stuff that you've done, like all your study you've done, to complement the exercise and your goals. And you know your nutrition, yeah, Do you have. Is there rules of thumb now around nutrition for yourself?
Speaker 2:No, I just enjoy food and eat what I want to eat. Okay yeah, in moderation.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think the three keys to life are to eat sparingly, have a rewarding job and pick your parents.
Speaker 1:And pick your parents.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how do you do that? Genetics are everything, see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I've lucky, I've got good genes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, have you had like a favourite decade of your life? You look back at all the things you've done and, I suppose, the friends and relationships you've had. Is there a time where you've gone? Yeah, I'll just actually remember that period as being my favourite.
Speaker 2:I think the favourite decade of my life is right now. You do, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, why is that mainly?
Speaker 2:It's the grandkids family and my clients.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I've got some really rewarding ones at the moment that I'm working with.
Speaker 1:That doesn't actually feel like a job, does it?
Speaker 2:No, no, it doesn't. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, mate. Well, I was going to ask you is there anything else that I haven't sort of covered that you wanted to talk on or mention about? It feels like there's little pockets of little stories we're talking about, because, going to those for like ages, I'd love to come and get you back on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's plenty to talk about, yeah.
Speaker 1:Anything, burning issue, any advice, anything out there that you know, what if I was talking to you, saying to you like if you had come to talk to Pete, to our high school, for example? And we know there's a lot of eating disorders, particularly with young women at the moment, especially around anorexia and not eating during school time, not feeling their body around boys, you know still how much can you bench them in the gym two hours at a time? 16 years old, is there a common?
Speaker 2:message. Well, a lot of that's social media driven.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know, there's so many experts online see, and actually what schools should do is teach basic biochemistry at school, in high school, just to to um aware kids of um what carbs are? Yeah, simple, complex, yeah. What fats are? Um omega-3, sixes, you know, saturated, unsaturated.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um and teach kids awareness of what they should put in their body. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you'd be going as a nutrition focus first.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think so too. Yeah, give them an understanding so that when they go online and see all this crap that's put on, there they can make some educated decisions themselves on what they should be eating. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I mean, it really did open my eyes when I went to uni and did human nutrition. Yeah, you know just simple things. Like you know, two gases make water. You know timber is full of glucose but it's joined by beta bonds. We can't eat it, but a termite can. They can break the beta bond down and suck the sugar out. It's just nuts it's nuts yeah, and everything's made of the same stuff.
Speaker 1:They're crazy I was gonna ask you. I'm gonna ask you another question what do you think about the um? I can't how there's always different. I want fad diets like there's a paleo diet, there's an atkins diet and there's a one where you know you starve yourself. All these different fad diets, like there's a paleo diet, there's an Atkins diet and there's one where you know you starve yourself for 16 hours what's that called?
Speaker 2:Well, there's intermittent fasting and intermittent fasting does have benefits, yeah, especially for probably people like me who are more advanced age.
Speaker 1:You're looking at me there for a pause. I know you're talking about me?
Speaker 2:No, and it does really help women. You know, 40, 50 plus, I feel but it's something that you shouldn't abuse either. If you do it three times a week, I think that's good. Okay. Intermittent fasting is good because it promotes autophagy, which means if you're not eating, your body will break down. Cells that are broken Okay, they give off incorrect signals and stuff like that yeah, and your body gets a chance to actually utilize them up, because if you're eating all the time, your body won't do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:So intermittent fasting here and there is a good thing. Yeah Look, carb consumption is obviously a very contentious issue.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But you know, low carb, protein, good fats, veggie salad, you've got it, yeah. Yeah, if you're active, obviously you can eat more carbs.
Speaker 1:I thought you were going to say have you sweets and sugars too? I thought you were going to say have you sweets and sugars too? I thought you were going to say that.
Speaker 2:There's nothing wrong with sugar either. Yeah, I mean, if you're really active, sugar is quite important in protein synthesis because if you train really hard, do a hard weight workout or you know a long run and stuff like that, simple sugar straight after your workout will replenish lost glycogen stores. Plus you'll get an insulin spike and that will assist in protein synthesis.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So there's, you know, it's a tool that you can use Manipulate yourself, yeah, but if you're sitting on a couch all day long just, Sucking back the ice breaks. And the sodas. Well, yeah, you're only going to put on weight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's where diabetes, where you know the whole thing is being 15 kilos above your right weight after 15, 20 years, your chances of cardiovascular disease, like atherosclerosis, increased by like 40%. Yeah, wow, you know. So you know, you've got to remember you're born with one heart, yeah, Right, and it's a bit like if say, you know you're 19, 20, you're at your right weight for your heart, and then you get a sedentary job and you don't play sport and then after 10 years you're 15, 20 kilos overweight. Well, that heart was to serve as seven paddy fields. Right Now it's servicing 27 paddy fields.
Speaker 1:So it's got to work harder.
Speaker 2:Right Now the hypothalamus, the brain, goes. Well, we don't want the heart to work harder, so we'll shrink the pipe work. So shrink the pipe work, so the heart doesn't work harder. Therefore, you've got increased blood pressure and as that blood goes around the corns and stuff, the endothelial cells split. And when they split, an LDL receptor will lodge there to plug the hole. And when it lodges there and a molecule of cholesterol comes along, it gets stuck there and that plugs the gap right. A smooth muscle cell will come along there and smooth it over. So therefore you get a bit of a buildup that forms a thrombus. Yeah, so you've got a bit of cholesterol in there that'll calcify. So that's where you're getting.
Speaker 1:So everything becomes narrower still.
Speaker 2:That's where you get your calcification from. Yeah, you with me, yeah, so you know that can cause aneurysms blockages. So that's what atherosclerosis virtually is. So you know there's no rule of thumb. But if you are over 15 kilos above your right weight for more than 15 years, you're opening yourself up to cardiovascular disease for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Do you think that the knowledge that you've got now sort of keeps you in check too? Does it help you? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Look, I can see myself overweight at the moment. So you know, I'll go on and lose five kilos and then I'm smick, and then I'll go off the rails and put my five kilos back on. But that's all right, you know you can do it. You've just got to find a balance. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, it is Christmastime too, mate, so you know yeah. You know what happens at Christmastime, yep. So yeah, mate, it's a wealth of knowledge, it's so good. And yeah, I could just see if we could get into the scientific part of it too. It would be so good.
Speaker 2:We'd probably. But the thing is, science is not complicated, if you talk in layman's terms. Yeah, like if anyone wants to learn things about the human body, they should just have a scientific dictionary with them and look up the meanings of the fancy words, because the fancy words just mean simple things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it makes people sound smart though.
Speaker 2:Well it does. The dog is all the time yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, mate, it's been a pleasure. Now I'm going to hit you with some really difficult questions. If that's all right, a bit of fun on the show, if that's all right. But you make things like that noise, it's unbelievable. Here we go. I'm going to call this segment Quick Questions, so I'm going to give you a list of what your favourites might be, and you have to keep trying to answer it within a sentence or so. That's all right. Within how long? Just a sentence or so here we go.
Speaker 1:Favourite exercise the climb bench. Favourite excuse not to exercise that you've heard.
Speaker 2:Oh, a favourite excuse. I've heard yes From a client. Yeah, anyway, okay, I had one come in. Yeah, I've heard from a client yeah, anyway, okay, I had one come in. Yeah, I've got a heap. So I had one that come in in a wheelchair and this is after training calves and she had DOMS. She thought she was in some critical.
Speaker 1:That's pretty good. Does Pete have a favourite movie?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Hang Em High. Okay, hang Em High. Favourite drink Jimmy and the Coke. Okay, do you have a favourite food?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Crumpets with Vegemite butter, bacon and tomato sauce.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's random. Where did you get that from, was that?
Speaker 2:just your favourite, I love it Okay. Favourite song or song type It'd have to be Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll yeah, rolling Stones. Probably Did you want to sing and roll? Rock and roll, yeah, rolling Stones. Probably Did you want to sing any of that, chuck Berry?
Speaker 1:No, okay. Do you have a favourite animal? Horses? Do you have a favourite sport?
Speaker 2:Australian rules. Okay Column supporter.
Speaker 1:Do you have a favourite age group to train? No, no, no, no, okay. Favourite holiday destination oh, new York, okay.
Speaker 2:Favourite TV show Is it a Netflix show?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it can be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Blacklist.
Speaker 1:Okay, favourite leisure activity.
Speaker 2:Exercising Okay.
Speaker 1:Do you?
Speaker 2:have a oh yeah fishing.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, do you have a favourite quote?
Speaker 2:or saying oh, surely, as a PT to someone there. Oh, what a tangle web we weave when first we practise to deceive. Surely there's a PT to some of that. Oh, what a tangle web we weave when first we practice to deceive, that's.
Speaker 1:Shakespeare. That's pretty in-depth, eh, one of the big ones at the moment. All right, you've nailed that, by the way. The next one is called word association. I'm going to give you a word or two and you have to say only one word that sort of relates to that for you. All right, here we go Bike riding. Happy Yep, early morning starts.
Speaker 2:Fantastic Cold beer On a hot day.
Speaker 1:Okay, excuses Nah Free weightscuses Nah Free weights. Pardon, free weights.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love them.
Speaker 1:Coffee.
Speaker 2:Nah, not my thing. Okay, protein powder Definitely not my thing.
Speaker 1:Horse racing, love it. That was a quick answer, by the way, friendships oh, I'm blessed.
Speaker 2:I have lots of friends over 40 years.
Speaker 1:Recovery.
Speaker 2:Recovery yeah, love, recovery, love, rest time Family yeah, most important, yeah, swimming.
Speaker 1:Detest it Doing this podcast, yeah, fun.
Speaker 2:Sleep, love it. What this podcast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fun Sleep, love it. What's the recommended hours?
Speaker 2:Eight.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, once again, you've nailed this. This is too easy for you. I'm going to have to come back. The next one is called Hypotheticals. All right, I've got four questions for you here, pete's down to his last 20 bucks.
Speaker 2:I know what he's doing. For sure I'll put it on a horse. Try and make a hundred.
Speaker 1:I couldn't even finish the question. All right, what about if you inherited $2 million? What are you doing with the money?
Speaker 2:I'd set up something for the grandkids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice, nice. If Pete was to have a last meal, what would it be?
Speaker 2:Slow cooked lamb.
Speaker 1:Oh nice All right, Stuck on a dessert island and you can only take three people non-family members. Who are they and why? And they could be anyone in the world, past, present, living.
Speaker 2:If I was stuck on a.
Speaker 1:Dessert on. You know they'd take three people Right now, yep, and you can't take family. So who are the three people you can take? It could be anyone.
Speaker 2:I'd take an Indian American, I'd take an Aboriginal and I'd take a chef. Okay, why? Because they can get all the food for me.
Speaker 1:Well they can live off the land and that's something that we are.
Speaker 2:Look, if something happened in this world and we couldn't get water electricity, most of us would die yeah yeah. Most of us would die. Yeah, yeah. So I really admire the cultural side of the hunters and gatherers. We should all be able to live off the land and learn how to do things, that if we can't go to a shelf and just grab something, yeah, I love asking that question because people often think, like, do I go to Entertainment Valley or do I get some like Bear Grylls to survive?
Speaker 1:It's always like you never know what we're going to get, so it's always interesting to see people's answers. I have got one last question for you. What does Peter Sargent see when he looks in the mirror? So I'm not talking about physically.
Speaker 2:As a man. When he looks in the mirror, what does he see? There's someone trying to make things right. Yeah, nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice Mate. I want to thank you for coming on the podcast I hope you don't have spoken. It's been a pleasure, it's been my pleasure. I'm a bit selfish. I like to hear. For coming on the podcast, it's been a pleasure, it's been my pleasure. I'm a bit selfish. I like to hear.
Speaker 2:I think your brains mate, it's unreal and I'd love to have you know talk to your clients if they're keen to jump on.
Speaker 1:It'd be great to have them on. Yeah, Three or four of them at the same time. Yeah, we could organise that. Happy to do that and know that you are doing good things. But I don't think you know the impact you actually have on people's lives, mate. So you know you're changing people's lives, even with your friendships. You've been that constant person for them on the peninsula here and people always talk highly of you and I hope you know that. But I just want to thank you for all that you do and how you reshape people's lives and make them for the better always. So thanks for coming on the show, mate. Cheers, mate, Cheers mate.
Speaker 2:Appreciate it.