The Goolwa Gym

29/05/2026

Lots of good people doing great things this week!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1493724825891988&id=100057634531334

🏆 CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS HARRISON 🏆

South Lakes Golf Club would like to congratulate Chris Harrison on being awarded the prestigious 2026 Volunteer of the Tournament at the Women’s Australian Open.

This award is a wonderful recognition of the countless hours Chris dedicated to ensuring the event was a success. From recruiting and coordinating 26 South Lakes volunteers, to running pre-event information sessions, creating communication channels to keep everyone connected, and being a positive and welcoming presence throughout the week, Chris played a vital role both before and during the tournament.

In announcing the award, Golf Australia's Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, Hayley Gorman, wrote:

"The nominations we received spoke so highly of the dedication, organisation and enthusiasm you brought, not just across the four days of competition, but in the months leading up to the event. From recruiting and briefing 26 volunteers from South Lakes Golf Club, to running pre-event sessions at the club, creating the WhatsApp group to keep everyone connected on course, and being a constant, positive presence every single day, it was truly exceptional."

Hayley went on to say:

"What you and the South Lakes crew brought to Kooyonga was something really special."

This is an incredibly well-deserved honour for a member who gives so much of her time to both South Lakes Golf Club and the game of golf. Chris's passion, enthusiasm and willingness to help others is admired by all who know her.

Congratulations Chris. We are incredibly proud of you and thank you for being such a wonderful ambassador for South Lakes Golf Club. ❤️⛳👏

29/05/2026

A very impactful program doing great things for the community and it’s fantastic to be involved and contribute. To see such a wonderfully diverse group of people come together and grow and develop themselves is a treat.

‼️ FFLP2026 Foundations Week Day 3 - WOW! ‼️
Yesterday was absolutely jam-packed and chocka-block!

We kicked off with an early workout led by FFLP2023 alum Troy, owner of The Goolwa Gym, followed by a delicious breakfast from FFLP2020 alum Sean from Bees Knees Catering (the other powerhouse behind Bees Knees, Tarsh, was off the tools - busy taking part as an FFLP2026 participant!) We got to enjoy our breakfast in the Fleurieu Arthouse space with some incredible coffee thanks to artist, manager, and FFLP2019 alum Anna Small.

And that was just the AM! Over lunch, our leaders heard from creative dynamo Tony Mitolo, talking all things Tales from the Vale, Pizzateca, One Sneaky Cheetah, Cucina Strada and more. The group also got time to listen and learn from FFLP2017 grad Anita Schneyder, owner of Teams on Purpose.

Our big day continued after hours with our annual Alumni Evening! This year, as our alumni welcomed the 2026 cohort, we were honoured to hear from some incredible speakers. FFLP2024 grad Stacey, owner of Terminus Hotel Strathalbyn and Commercial Hotel Strathalbyn, FFLP2025 grad Jacob, Director of Engineering at Motherson Group, and Matt Wadewitz, Co-Founder + Managing Director at Aleda, all had inspiring stories to share.

If you're still here reading, thanks for sticking with us! We love the passion that our alumni hold for the FFLP and for supporting the next group of leaders taking on the program. Day 3 is a big celebration of the magic of community! We hope our leaders were up bright and ready for their 7:00AM Yoga session this morning. Foundations Week is almost at a close!

26/05/2026

It’s always an honour being in the room and helping the next generation of leaders develop in our community! Big thanks to Face the World and the Community Bank Fleurieu for making it possible. Bendigo Community Bank - Fleurieu Future Leaders Program

11/05/2026

Science is always about testing …..

07/05/2026

Super Awesome new hooded gym towels (that don’t slip off your bench) have landed!

Thanks to Plus Printing Victor Harbor for the goodness

29/04/2026

There was a very inspiring event at the gym this week - with our lovely Instructor Extraordinaire Lynne hitting a significant milestone and really showing life is what you make of it.

I would like to personally thank Lynne for her contribution to our community and the inspiration she provides on top and I would also like to thank the wonderful group fitness gang that went to such an effort to make the day special.

Ps I am also pleasantly suprised I wasn’t lynched for making her have the weekend off…….

10/04/2026

Creatine was once thought is as only for body builders, Nowdays the science indicates it’s great for everyday people and especially as we age.

Most people think creatine makes your muscles bigger through water retention, or that it "gives you energy" the way caffeine does. Neither is the primary mechanism. Creatine is the raw material for the fastest ATP regeneration system in your body.

Your muscles store enough ATP for about 2 to 3 seconds of maximal contraction. A heavy squat, a sprint start, a vertical jump. After that, ATP would be gone if nothing replenished it. The system that refills it fastest is not glycolysis. It is not oxidative phosphorylation. It is creatine kinase transferring a phosphate group from phosphocreatine to ADP, regenerating ATP in milliseconds. No oxygen required. No multi-step pathway. One enzyme, one reaction.

What makes this more interesting than a simple buffer is the shuttle. Creatine kinase exists in two isoforms in muscle: one (CK-M) sits directly on the myofibril where ATP is being consumed during contraction, and another (CK-mit) sits in the mitochondria where ATP is being produced. Phosphocreatine carries high-energy phosphate from the mitochondria to the contractile site faster than ATP itself can diffuse through the crowded cytoplasm. Free creatine then returns to the mitochondria to be recharged. It is not just a buffer. It is the transport system.

During the first 3 seconds of maximal contraction, phosphocreatine breakdown provides roughly 70% of ATP regeneration. By 10 seconds, PCr stores are 50 to 70% depleted. By 30 seconds of all-out effort, they are nearly empty. At that point, glycolysis and oxidative metabolism take over, but neither can match the rate of ATP supply that PCr provided. That is when power output drops.

This is what creatine supplementation actually does. Harris et al. (1992, Clinical Science) demonstrated that oral creatine monohydrate supplementation increases total muscle creatine content by approximately 20%. That means a larger phosphocreatine pool at rest, which means more ATP can be regenerated before the system is depleted. The effect is most pronounced during repeated high-intensity efforts with short rest periods, exactly the scenario where the PCr system is the dominant energy source.

Three practical points worth noting.

First, creatine does not increase resting ATP levels. It increases the buffer that regenerates ATP during demand. The distinction matters. You will not feel more energetic sitting at your desk. You will notice more capacity during your fourth set of heavy squats.

Second, the PCr system matters beyond muscle. The brain uses 20% of total body ATP despite being 2% of body mass. It has its own creatine kinase isoform (BB-CK) and its own phosphocreatine pool. Rae et al. (2003) showed creatine supplementation improved working memory and processing speed in vegetarians. The same shuttle that powers muscle contraction powers cognitive output.

Third, the response to supplementation depends on baseline stores. People with lower initial muscle creatine (vegetarians, low meat intake, older adults) show larger responses. People already near the ceiling (~160 mmol/kg dry muscle) show little additional benefit. This is why some people are "non-responders." Their tank was already full.

3 to 5 grams per day of creatine monohydrate is the dose supported by the literature. Loading (20g/day for 5 to 7 days) fills stores faster but is not required. Hultman et al. (1996) showed 3g/day reaches the same endpoint, it just takes about 28 days instead of 7.

Wallimann et al., Amino Acids, 2011.
Harris et al., Clin Sci, 1992.
Hultman et al., J Appl Physiol, 1996.

29/03/2026

We’re hiring…

If you’re a “turn up, run a session, go home” type — keep scrolling.

At The Goolwa Gym, we actually give a damn:
✔ Our members stick around for years
✔ We coach properly (not guesswork)
✔ We hold standards — for ourselves and our team

Right now I’m looking for:
- Coaches with presence
- Future coaches with work ethic
- Potential leaders who want more than just “sessions”

A willingness to keep learning, sharing, and improving will always matter more than experience.

If you’re someone who:
Shows up
Brings energy
Wants to learn and get better
And actually cares about helping people

We should talk.

This is a real coaching role — not a rent-a-space setup.

You’ll have support, structure, and genuine opportunity to grow — both professionally and personally.

01/03/2026

The crazy humidity currently is causing some moisture problems at the gym - we have dried the floor as best we can and put in some temporary safety measures. Please be careful while training with this much moisture in the air.

16/02/2026