Below you’ll find a number of Case Studies and Testimonials which demonstrate the way in which Craig Coaching works. Each person is assessed individually based on their unique requirements and then a combination of exercise and nutritional strategies are used.

Jan Pretorius, Weight Lifter and Pub Owner

Jan came to see me in June 2010 with the goals of raising energy levels and reducing body fat to be able to train harder plus compete in rugby the following season. He had been weight-lifting for 11yrs, for the last 7yrs internationally. He displayed the following symptoms:
• Sinus infections, with 7 courses of antibiotics over the prior 1 ½ months.
• ACL Ligament rupture in 2008, with 2 knee operations since
• Digestive bloating with certain foods and sometimes loose stools
• Stress – he owned a pub so worked long hours and had the financial strain of running a business
• Body Fat – he weighed 130kg and had a body fat of 25%. His goal was sub 120kg
• His diet consisted of a lot of pub meals and about 5 coke zeros per day
• He took a lot of supplements, including muscle-building and fat-burning ones

I decided to focus on: the cleanliness of his diet since excess body fat and low energy can indicate excess toxicity; blood sugar levels which also affect energy and insulin control; de-stressing because I thought he was tired from trying to run a business and train hard at the same time. Instead of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, I suggested scrambled eggs, rye bread and lots of vegetables. Instead of the burger or fish and chips for lunch and dinner, I suggested combining fish, eggs or steak with starchy vegetables like butternut and fibrous vegetables like broccoli and green beans. I also suggested that he intersperse his meals with snacks such as fruit and raw nuts or crackers plus sugar-free peanut butter. I removed bread from his diet which seemed to cause the bloating problems. Lastly, I stripped some of his sports nutrition products out of his regime (including the dreaded fat-burner), changed to plain whey and amino acid products and added in some herbal adrenal support.

As he says above, 4 weeks later he was a changed man! He had lost 5kg (half way to his goal) and his energy was fired up – a very rapid turnaround. In the 3 months since then, his energy has stayed high and he’s still training well. His weight has gone up and down based on his lifestyle, but we discussed a daily walk-jog routine which is starting to help with fitness and body-fat. I’ve also introduced some nutritional support for his old knee injury (glucosamine, chondrotin and fish oils) so he can still tolerate the bigger lifts. I’ll continue to see him once a month to make refinements and support him towards next year’s rugby season.

Liesl Ribeiro, 1st Time Ironman Competitor

Liesl came to see me in September 2009 with the goal of completing a ½ Ironman in December and then Ironman South Africa in April 2010. She had competed in marathons and the Comrades previously, but this was her first attempt at long distance triathlons. She was a remarkably healthy woman with strong immune and digestive systems and a determined mind. Her diet was okay, but as is commonly the case, it was too reliant on cereals, bread and crackers through the day and her first quality meal was at dinner time. She needed coffee in the afternoon, a sign of blood sugar dipping and had a little bit of weight gain around her hips and waist (more noticeable to her than to me)!

I started by adjusting her diet with the aim of introducing more food variety and focusing on protein at each meal and snack to stabilise blood sugar levels. 4 weeks later, her energy had improved and she had dropped 1 ½ kgs. We then focussed on race-specific nutrition in the build up to the Jailbreak ½ Ironman – she loved her DIY diluted grape juice sports drink plus she successfully balanced the intake of solid food and gels throughout the race.

At that point I took over her training towards the Ironman and developed a 16-wk periodised plan that included a marathon race 6 wks before the big day. She was a model client and followed the training to the tee, combining forces with a friend when she did the really long brick (bike-run) sessions, such as a 7 hr cycle & 2 ½ hr run! By the time it came to race day, she was very well prepared physically and mentally plus she had thoroughly practiced the feeding strategies. She had an outstanding race and even enjoyed the whole experience, coming home and in a very well-deserved time of 12hrs 34mins.