Local Legends

Graduated: April 2008
Current Employer: Champion Pro Boxer

April 20^th 2009 Daniel 'The Rock' Dawson left Perth Western Australia relocating to Los Angeles California to commence training under Justin Fortune at the Fortune Gym located on Sunset Blvd Hollywood.

Daniel Dawson's sponsors Rigcool and Bushcool have given him the opportunity to live and train in America providing him world class trainers and sparring partners preparing him for his World Title shot.

The Fortune Gym is a 1950s style Boxing gym found in the Heart of Hollywood, run by Former Heavyweight Contender, Justin Fortune of Australia. With his twenty years of professional fighting experience and his refined body conditioning techniques, Justin is shaping up some of the world's top contenders. For six years now, Justin has been training World Champions such as Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquaio, Israel Vasquez, James Toney, Brian Villoria and Johnny Bredhal.

Graduated: July 2008
Current Employer: Lifestyle Coordinator for Sodexo International

Dave completed his course in August 2008 and has stepped straight into a management role as a health and lifestyle coordinator for Sodexo International.

"The great friendships I formed and the adult learning environment were all great parts of my course. A really beneficial part of the course was the practical components as it is a great confidence builder. My new job as a Health and Fitness coordinator means my main role is to get as much of the mine sites employees involved in some form of recreation or sport. This means I coordinate anything from team sports to group fitness classes and social events. The interaction and sporting side of my job is really fun and definitely provides a great social side to everyday work. My work is only limited by my imagination as I have the freedom to create new and exciting activities every day.

"Be happy and have a positive attitude"

Graduated: June 2008

Current Employer: Club Sierra

"The best part of my job is definitely customer satisfaction, getting people to overcome physical and mental barriers is really rewarding. I have worked with a really wide range of clients, all have their own specific needs and goals. One of my most impressive clients had a full shoulder reconstruction and I helped them gain strength and mobility again without a physiotherapist. I have spent an enormous amount of my time and money reading and learning as much as possible. The fitness industry will always be growing and changing so keeping up to date and continuously studying is a great way to stay in touch. I want to be able to focus on strengthening and conditioning, my main aim with every client is to make them more efficient. At the moment I am running my own business through Club Sierra and its great to choose my own hours and have the flexibility to be my own boss."

"Always keep studying and learning, look beyond the data"

Graduated: May 08
Current Employer: Lifesport Health and Fitness

When Monica decided to work with a Personal Trainer she soon found herself not only getting great results, but really enjoying learning about healthier lifestyle habits. Friends and family were soon asking Monica for advice and would often comment that she would make a fantastic Personal Trainer herself. It was the support of friends and family that also helped Monica make the change and start her Master Trainer. Monica stepped straight into a Management position with Lifesport Fitness, opening a new proto-type studio in South Perth.

"The best part of my job is definitely client gratification. When your clients know that you do genuinely care about their achievements, to see the results after their hard work is amazing. I have also competed in sports modeling, achieving something like training for a competition was a massive stepping stone for me. It is also great for my clients to see I have been on my own fitness journey as it's a confidence builder for them.

"Ask as many questions as possible keep educating yourself, it benefits you and your clients"

Graduated: July 2007
Current Employer: Self Employed Swanky Fitness

"My family have always been into fitness, and I see the enjoyment they get from exercise. I love exercise and I wanted to help others to see, not only the benefits exercise has, but the enjoyment and fun you can get out of training.I loved the hands on work we did during the Master Trainer. Doing jacobs ladder, circuit training- putting us through what we would eventually be putting our own clients through. I loved the coaches and the amount of effort they put into the classes, to make them enjoyable and easier to learn, was amazing! Everything I do in the fitness industry is an achievment to me.

I loved the fact that I was around people who loved what I loved, exercise and fitness. The environment was exhilarating, I woke up everyday excited to experience another day at the institute. If you enjoy exercise, then help others to enjoy it too there's a lot of people out there that just need a little bit of encouragement and motivation I think it is one of the most rewarding jobs, just knowing that you have brought something positive in to someones life. Its not all about weight loss, it is about health as a whole, get people producing those feel good hormones!

Graduated: November 2006
Current Employer: Fit Kids Australia

Paula was Western Australias very deserving recipient of The 2008 Monty Dortkamp Scholarship. Her contribution to the fitness industry is truly outstanding.

Enliven Fitness became and still is Paula's own business, she has a solid client base that just keeps growing. Paula is also the area manager for Fit Kids Australia and plays a vital part in developing this new school based business. A lot of focus has been placed on the importance of fitness for teenagers and Fit kids Australia is aiming to support this through fun and enjoyable fitness activities. While working for Fitkids Paula hopes to create more programs for the business while still maintaining her clients with Enliven.

"Make the most of your eight weeks and your informative coaches and most importantly have fun!"

Graduated: February 06
Current Employer: Self Employed RESULTS PERSONAL TRAINING

"Being fit and active has always been a passion of mine. As a result, I completed a Human Movement Degree and Diploma of Education before teaching Physical Education and Outdoor Education in a couple of schools. This lead in to a job in the Outdoor Recreation industry and then a working holiday in Canada with my wife.

I had thought about becoming a Personal Trainer a long time ago and contacted the Australian Institute back around 2000, but it wasn't until I returned from Canada in 2006 that I followed through. The Australian Institute provided the fastest route, and by April I had finished and returned in May as a coach. By October I had begun working for myself from a fantastic gym in Claremont - Results Personal Training. Small and friendly, it provided an opportunity that was too good to pass up. On my busiest weeks I will do almost 60 half hour PT sessions from Monday to Saturday, with clients age 7 to 60+, with all types of goals and training requirements. My training at the Institute gave me a greater understanding of some of the finer points of training people safely and effectively, with the coaches always going above and beyond the call of duty to provide information and assistance when needed. I am now well established after 9 months, and am in a job that will allow me ample opportunity to spend time with my wife and new baby due in November. Make fitness fun. People need to want to move."