CLINT STANAWAY HAS a hectic schedule, to say the least. He quite literally bookends Australia’s day, spending five mornings a week waking up Melbourne on Nova 100, the other two mornings waking up the nation on Weekend Today, and the evenings as Channel 9’s sports presenter. Spare time is hard to come by in Stanaway’s routine. Unsurprisingly, that started to take a toll on his physique.
Earlier this year, Stanaway found himself at his heaviest. With a trip to Paris to cover the Olympics – where he’ll be side by side with the world’s fittest athletes – on the horizon, he decided it was time to make a change. He’s spent the last 12 weeks pushing himself to the limit with a gruelling workout routine and ruthlessly strict diet plan. The result? Stanaway has shed nine kilograms, built a mountain of muscle and is in the best shape of his life at 41 years of age. Now he has every intention of staying that way.
Here, Stanaway takes us through his transformation experience, in his own words.
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“I’ve always been an active person and I’ve never been shy about going to the gym, but over the last few years, I was shirking the hard work that was needed to get the results I wanted. For years I’ve wondered what it would be like to actually go all in, to stick to a consistent training regime and see what I was really capable of. I finally decided to give it my best shot.
I had a pretty busy summer this year and started the new year with a really hectic schedule working seven mornings a week. I lost track of my personal time and found it difficult to manage my fitness. From there, I started to put on weight and before I knew it, I was the heaviest I’ve ever been at 92.5kg.
My lifestyle didn’t help. Seven mornings a week of radio and TV while eating on the run and not sleeping in meant that my mental health was suffering too. But really, I just hated seeing myself in the mirror. There are some things I’ve struggled to stick with in the past like a regular gym routine or consistent diet, but something clicked when I saw myself in the mirror and thought I’ve got to find the time. That was the catalyst for change. All of a sudden I found the motivation I needed.
I didn’t really have any specific goals in mind when I started. I wasn’t aiming to get down to a certain weight or build a certain amount of muscle. First and foremost, I wanted to make genuine change and I wanted to look good and feel good. With the Paris Olympics coming up, I was approaching what would be one of the biggest professional moments in my life. I put those dates in my diary because I decided that, when I’m over there, I want to be feeling my best.
The timeframe I was working with was 12 weeks. My typical routine involved training in the gym four days a week, then on weekends I’d fly to Sydney and try to do some sort of cardio. Usually that meant going for a run, as horrendous as it was. The bunny hopping between Melbourne and Sydney was probably what made it the hardest, but ultimately staying consistent helped me get to where I am now, which is nine kilograms lighter at 83.5kg.”
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The training routine Clint Stanaway used to drop 9kg:
Trainer Matt Boland had Stanaway on a four workout per week routine, with push, pull, upper body and lower body days. Each workout targeted multiple muscle groups to maximise all-around strength gains.
Day 1 // PUSH
- Flat dumbbell press 4×6
- Cable crunch 4×8 (2211 tempo)
- Incline dumbbell bench press 3 x 8 (2211 tempo)
- Push ups 3×8 (1 & 1/4)
- Cable flyes 3×15
- Lateral raise 3×8
- Dumbbell overhead tricep extension 2×12
- Tricep push down 2×12
Plus three rounds of:
- Ski erg x 150m
- Seated Russian twist x 6 each side
Day 2 // PULL
- Pull ups 4×6
- Russian twist 4×6 each side
- Seated row 3×8 (2211 tempo)
- Underhand lat pull down 3×12 with partials
- Incline dumbbell curls 3×8
- Hammer curls 3×8
Plus three rounds of:
- Ski erg x 8 cal
- Renegade row x 6 each side
Day 3 // LOWER BODY + CONDITIONING
- Hameer curl 4×8 (2211 tempo)
- Leg extension 4×8 (2011 tempo)
- Romanian deadlift 3×8
- Bulgarian split squat 3×8 (2011 tempo)
- Smith machine reverse lunges 3×8 each side
For conditioning, three rounds of:
- Ski AFAP x 200m
- 1min rest
- Farmers carry x 30 seconds
- 1min rest
Day 4 // UPPER BODY
- Incline barbell bench press x8
- Dragon flyes x8
- Seated row x8
- Dumbbell shrugs x12
- Incline bench press x 1 & ¼
- Lateral raise x8
- Tricep extension x12
- Air bike
- 3×10 cal efforts
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“Finding a training partner was instrumental. Having someone there to hold you accountable is so valuable. For me, that was Matt Boland, who was my trainer but also a mate. Matt was really invested in me. I mean, most personal trainers are invested in their clients, but he was especially invested in me given our friendship.
Matt was willing to bend over backwards for me to work around my schedule. There were some days where we had to train at 4:30 in the morning – which was horrendous, but we made it work. That wasn’t the norm, but there were some crazy days where I had radio and TV doubling up and no time during the day, so we just had to bite the bullet and find the time wherever we could.
Most people would say that leg day is the hardest part of going through a process like this. I wouldn’t disagree with them, but I think the 4:15 alarm was the toughest part for me. I had to really push and grind to get through that, but thankfully I had my trainer there to greet me and help me get used to it.
Matt made sure that we got that stuff done and he held me accountable if there was an opportunity for me to find an excuse. In a really gentle and supportive way, of course. The social aspect of it was really powerful as well. Whether it was just getting into the gym with other people or being with a run club, I’ve met a lot of really fun, likeminded people in those environments that have been intrigued by my progress and helped me stay on track.
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but breakfast working hours can break you, especially when you haven’t had enough sleep. I’ve never been very good with time management, which is ironic given the hours I work. That was probably the hardest part of this experience for me. When it came to time management and squeezing things in and dedicating enough time to the right things, that was something I struggled with.
Committing to this routine has changed me though. With dieting and meal prep, I had to get into the habit of prepping the night before, which is something that I haven’t been big on in the past. I’m probably more of a pick up the phone and order Uber Eats kind of guy.
Breakfast radio also has a few other unique challenges. You should see the food deliveries we get into our studio. Some mornings I come in and there’s just boxes of doughnuts laying around and people saying “hey our friends from down the road sent these in, why don’t you try some?” So the temptations were always there, it was constant. Also, giving up chocolate was rough. I’m a sweet tooth from way back and I’m actually staggered that I was able to limit it.
Giving up alcohol was another one of the most challenging things. I gave up the grog for 12 weeks, which, given my lifestyle where I’m regularly at events and functions where trays of beer and champagne are being passed around, was difficult. But I got through it.”
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The diet plan Clint Stanaway followed to build lean muscle
Stanaway’s trainer had him on a lean, green and protein-heavy diet to build muscle while shedding weight. In addition to his regular diet plan, Stanaway was allowed pasta or another of his favourite meals 1-2 times per week. The only caveat? He could never over eat.
Breakfast:
- Omelette – 3 eggs + 2 handfuls of veggies on a bagel
OR
- Greek/protein yogurt
- 2 handfuls of fruit
- 1 handful of nuts
- Relatively generous serve of honey
- Protein shake
Lunch:
- Chicken/white fish/red meat: 150-200 grams
- Large serve of greens/veggies
- Half an avocado
- Small amount seasoning/sauces
Dinner:
- Chicken/white fish/red meat: 150-200 grams
- Large serve of greens/veggies
- Half an avocado
- 150 grams of sweet potato or pumpkin.
- Small amount seasoning/sauces
Snacks:
- Protein shake
- Mixed berries/fruit
- Mixed nuts
“A lot of guys in their 40s probably question how much they can still achieve physically and start waving the white flag. I know I did. I’ve never been able to do chin ups, for instance. I never had a flat stomach. Now I can and I do. It sounds a bit wanky, but I’m now really keen to tell my mates that even in your 40s, it is possible.
The improvements haven’t just been physical. Be it confidence, mental health, sleep, all of the above, I’ve found benefits in areas I didn’t expect to. I feel a level of confidence I never have before. I’ve never been one to strip down into anything less than a T-shirt at the gym and that doesn’t really bother me now. It probably sounds really vain, but I just feel a lot more comfortable in my skin. I’m sleeping much better, which I’d probably put down to shutting off the alcohol. I’ve also become a better time manager, which is helping me in so many ways.
When I set out to do this transformation, I wanted to prove to myself that I could be the fittest I’ve ever been – and I’ve done it. At least in terms of strength. I’m still a shit runner, but I feel stronger and fitter than ever before. I’m going to stay this way.”
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Related:
How Sam Mac Transformed His Body In 8 Weeks
How this Aussie school teacher lost nearly 20kg in nine months
