Evgeni Pogorelov

My story I was born in Kazakhstan, in the incredible and culturally rich city of Almati and moved to Melbourne, Australia with my family in 2000. Growing up in Almati was a child’s dream, with most of my time spent outdoors, climbing trees and being an active, healthy kid.

At the age of 8 I began swimming lessons, however when we moved to Australia I had the urge to push the limits of physical abilities.

I had always been a massive Arnold Schwarzenegger fan and watching his movies as a young kid I vividly remember seeing a monster of a man on the screen.

The image of his physique, his strength and stature, not only inspired me to begin training, but to acquire the knowledge and skill necessary to achieve my maximum potential.

At 16 I joined my first gym, and became instantly immersed in learning the aesthetics of body building and weightlifting. Not only did I love the feeling physically, but the mental satisfaction kept me going too.

Every day I trained, and every day I learned and developed new techniques. Having moved away from the inner city, I ensured that my training continued. I worked hard and bought my own gym equipment. I also build a shed in my backyard and set up a home gym that became my little paradise.

However, after completing high school in 2007, I joined the Australian Defence Force.

This was an exciting time in my life, but it also became the longest time I had away from the gym. Army training became main priority, and while physically demanding, it wasn’t the same.

I was in shock, as my weightlifting and personal training came to a halt. After my basic army training, I started a cooking course at TAFE to be a chef within the ADF.

The course was extremely taxing, but I always found the time to sneak out for a workout. I worked as a chef in the army for 4 years, and during that time, did everything possible to be involved in physical training side of the ADF.

I seized every opportunity to help out the physical training instructors (PTIs) and my passion remained strong.

Eventually, I became a PTI myself and this remains my current role. As a physical training instructor my job is to motivate, educate, physically and mentally prepare soldiers of the Australian Defence Force. I honestly love what I do and I am extremely passionate about my role.

Ultimately, this is my dream job and I have reached my goals and dreams through my passion and motivation for what I do. Training In the past the majority of my training has revolved around bodybuilding. I have kept it very basic: 4 sets, 10-12 reps.

As I learned and developed my training techniques, my training routines started to change. I started to experiment with different workouts, splits, reps and sets. Nowadays, I like to mix things up to keep my body guessing, and be open-minded about training because everything has its’ place.

I do bodybuilding routines, powerlifting programs, cross-fit workouts and other various training techniques all the way down to pump and spin classes.

Achievements - My body

2009 - NORTH QUEENSLAND NATURAL BODYBUILDING AND FIGURE CHAMPIONSHIPS TOWNSVILLE.
Under 80 1st place.

2008- NORTH QUEENSLAND NATURAL BODYBUILDING AND FIGURE CHAMPIONSHIPS TOWNSVILLE.
Junior 3rd place

Advice

I encourage people to be open-minded about their training, first and foremost. There are so many various techniques, and it’s important to try new things and not get too comfortable. Never neglect or trade your leg workout for something more ‘fun’.

My biggest mistake was not training legs at all, or limiting myself to once a month. It may be difficult, but it has to be done! Nutrition is a massive part of your training, and too often people train hard but sabotage their efforts with a poor diet.

If you are not satisfied with your progress, whether it be to lose weight or gain mass, you need to reassess your diet. The food you eat is what fuels you, and it’s extremely important that your body receives food that serves a purpose.

Conclusion

The most important thing is to have a goal and be consistently passionate about it. Write that goal down, stick it on a post-it note where you can always see it, take the first step towards achieving those goals and before you know it you will be there.

Remember that you are not alone; there are always people on the way that will help you in your journey.