Let me say from the outset I am incredibly strong. You know how they have drug-free sporting competitions just to give everyone a fair chance. Well, in powerlifting they have Humba-free competitions just to give everyone else a chance.

I'm widely recognised as a fierce competitor as well as a pioneer in the powerlifting world. In fact, I invented the Squat. Yes, that's right. I recall it was a fresh Saturday morning and I was training with a few guys and we had just finished doing some deadies and bench and we all felt like we had a little more left in the tank. "Hey guys," I said, "why don't we put the barbell on our back and bend at the hips and knees and see how many times we can do that?" Well, the idea caught on from there... SLAP!!! Hey, did someone just wake me up.

In truth, I'm a 43 year-old father of two who isn't all that strong but I do train regularly since RD introduced me to strength training a bit over 4 years ago. I used to train with RD, Frank and Nige but since moving to the country I mostly train on my own. Since taking up strength training my deadlift has gone really well, my squat is hibernating due to lack of access to a powerrack and my bench is frustratingly going nowhere. However, I have come a long way with pull-ups and dips and many other lifts so I am a lot stronger than I used to be.

I am also proud that I have learnt heaps about something I never knew anything about before (i.e. strength training) and have trained consistently right through the exhaustion and hectic pace of having two young kids. Certainly better than sitting watching TV! I also read heaps on the web about strength training and nutrition. I think it would be great if more people knew the benefits and enjoyment of strength training. Once you start reading about strength training nutrition invariably becomes an equal focus.

Eating more protein and less carbs is something RD loves to promote and I've been converted. In fact I've just begun a trial of the Paleo diet and so I'm on my second week of only meat, seafood, veggies, fruit and nuts. No dairy, grains or legumes. So far I'm doing well at it and am interesting to see how it goes with my energy levels and weight.