Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
My name is Christian and I am a Fitness Director and Personal Trainer for Goodlife Health Clubs. I live in Brisbane and I work out of 2 Goodlife clubs.
I have been training for approx. 7-8 years and have been a PT going into my 5th year.
I have had my own line of branded clothing and currently have my own brand of CWF Booty Bands.
I have previously been sponsored by 5.4 meals, as well as clothing brands. I have been published in tattoo magazines in Australia, USA, and Europe as well as a range of website and clothing brand Ad campaigns.
My training is not only a key component in my life but is also my business and way of life. I am currently also studying a Diploma in Business.
I also run a AIPT campus for mentoring new trainers studying to become qualified personal trainers.
Describe a typical day of training
I focus a lot in time under tension
A typical day of training for me begins after my morning clients and before my Fitness Director duties.
I personally stick to a Push/Pull/Leg day program split. I generally start off with compound movements first, followed by isolation work.
My rep range varies regularly, I focus a lot in time under tension. I keep the weight down a little bit and focus on slow controlled reps, I rarely every do 1RM’s. I find muscle growth is promoted a lot better with quality time under tension reps.
I personally do limited stretching, often use a trigger ball or roller before my session.
I usually train alone with headphones in so I can really focus on the task at hand and not become distracted. Working in a gym it’s very easy to chat to members and other trainers which takes away from the quality of my session.
Being lean naturally I don’t do any cardio, I don’t really have a need for it unless I am trying to lean right down.
I also take limited amounts of supplements. I use a pre workout, creatine/dextrose/BCAA’s in my intra workout shake and have a carb meal after training.
How do you keep going and push harder?
I have had a lot of injuries throughout my life, broken bones, fractured spine, dislocated knee, tore my knee off my patella tendon just to name a few.
For me that’s what keeps me going, knowing my body needs to be strong to sustain a long term healthy life. Having so many injuries I need my muscles to be strong to take good care on my bones and ailments.
I also love the mental challenge of pushing myself mentally through as many barriers as I can.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
My training for the future will look much the same as it is now. This style works best for me physically and mentally. It keeps my interest in my own training and gives me the best sustainable results.
Aside from fitness I will continue my career as Fitness Director and mentoring and developing other trainers.
Once I finish my Business Diploma I will also invest in other business’s and develop my business and investment portfolio.
How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
I eat approx. 4000 cals a day and sleep about 6 hours a night.
I recover quite well so I have very limited rest days. I personally find my body holds up better and feels better with limited days off from gym.
I find remaining consistent and training everyday is when I get the best out of my body. Huge sessions that make you sore for days I find are often counter productive.
I’ve had A LOT of injuries over the years so as I get older it gets more and more important to train smarter.
I eat approx. 4000 cals a day and sleep about 6 hours a night. For me I find this is optimal for my body. A lot of people require more sleep but for my body I find more than 6 hours makes me feel more sluggish.
How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
Being natural very lean I have found a high carb diet is best for me. I’ve tried every type of diet over the years, Keto, fasting, plant based, you name it I’ve tried it.
I don’t eat a lot of meat, and eat plenty of carbs. I eat approx. 2g protein per kg of bodyweight, a steady number of fats and the rest carbs.
As a general rule I eat approx. 600-800g carbs a day. I have 2 refeed days per week. My body seems to work best with this kind of diet.
I don’t enjoy eating and I don’t enjoy cooking so I keep my food easy to cook and easy to eat. Plenty of rice and pasta, oats and beans. I eat very little meat, and drink approx. 3L of water a day.
Supps I touched on earlier, I don’t go overboard with them. I stick to pre workout – creatine/dextrose/BCAA’s in my intra workout and my protein I use in a smoothie in the morning.
What has inspired and motivated you?
I get inspiration from people who have done great things and faced huge adversities in life. I enjoy the mental side to training as much as the physical, so I like to listen to motivational speakers and content to keep me motivated.
Words can be a very powerful tool and it can inspire us on days we couldn’t be bothered. Listening to inspiring people speak can change your entire mood and mindset and make you wants to do and be better.
I prefer to get inspiration from ordinary people who do great things and have actually done great things as opposed to some ‘influencer’ on Instagram who has done nothing but get a nice set of abs.
Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
Win each day and you will win your life.
Consistency is King! I’ll say it again, CONSISTENCY IS KING. There are no secrets to success, hard work and consistency lead to success.
You must be disciplined and remain consistent to your goals. If you are doing something that isn’t bringing you closer to your goals then cut it from your life.
Do all the small things right every single day. All the small things make up the big things. Doing those 1%’ers everyday is what builds success both in and out of the gym.
Feed your mind with quality content (podcasts/youtube/speakers) and feed your body quality food on a consistent basis.
Don’t look at how far away you are from a goal, look at the very next step. The next meal, the next workout, the next rep. Look at the next thing and be consistent in your actions. Win each day and you will win your life.
Are you taking on clients right now?
I am always willing to take on clients, provided they are willing to put in the work. I have a vast array of clients and will give everything to my clients as long as they are prepared to give everything to themselves.
I focus on what each client needs, the training they need, the discipline they need, the improvements they need to make in all areas. I coach all aspects, as opposed to just training a client in the gym for a workout.
I focus a lot on mindset and how it relates to any form of training and in life. Each person is different and has completely different needs from the next person.
The principles of hard work, mindset, and discipline are the same no matter what type of training or program a person needs.
Where can we learn more about you?
I have my own website christianwallfitness.com.
I am also on Instagram @christianwall and facebook Christian Wall Fitness.
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