Karina Burt

Work: The Boss Lady. 
Gym owner and strength & conditioning coach. Accredited and insured sports nutritionist.

Where: PDH (Performance Driven Health) Gym. https://www.instagram.com/pdh.gym/

Lives: Newcastle

Age range: 35-39

Old Bull products: Testosterone & Immunity Formula.

Last, but not least I chatted with Karina, who owns and operates the PDH gym in Newcastle (NSW), about life, her journey, and her approach to health (given her qualifications and experience), and why she uses and sells our Testosterone and immunity formula at PDH Gym. (We have a growing female customer base,)

Karina started in health with a co-owned a cross-fit gym for about three years, which she then sold before starting her own business. She purchased a preexisting gym with all its equipment and pivoted it to strength and conditioning training as the core focus.

The gym now runs 5 classes a day, 6 days a week, with a diverse range of members ranging from 14 to 73 years old, with an equal mix of male and female. members including people just wanting to be fit and healthy, through to high-level sports people, and those competing in functional fitness competitions. Classes include tiered programming (tier 1,2 or 3) from beginner to immediate and advanced, to ensure people train to their ability, and know who is training at what level in the class.

Karina also talked at length about having a holistic approach to health, mixing longevity and quality of life, or as she calls it, performance-driven health. 

Karina and her partner Liam have just purchased a new fit-for-purpose facility, with a grand opening scheduled for the first week of January 2025. Liam who is also a big advocate for Old Bull knows how important it is to set yourself up for a great future. They both believe using Old Bull Health supplements, alongside purchasing the new gym space is a great investment in both their health and longevity.

The new facility is located at unit 4, 3 Ranton Street in Cardiff, and if you are in the Newcastle area, it might be worth a visit. We wish Karina and Liam best of luck in the new gym.

Exercise?  What does that mean for you?

Everything: my physical and mental health, longevity, quantity, and quality of life.

If we are going to enjoy living a long life, we need to stay mobile!

Movement (not necessarily always exercise) is critical. We need to challenge our bodies and our brains constantly. PDH training is designed to do just this from a physical and psychological perspective.

Social connection is so important, we built PDH around social connection. While people are doing individual exercises, we operate as a team in each session. We support each other.

Have you always exercised?

Yes, I started at age 3 with dance, then got into team sports, including netball, at age 7, and played as many sports as possible.

Team sports dropped away as I began working, so I got more into the gym space. I try to lead by example, but I know full well and understand how many people may not have had these opportunities and access to exercise and nutrition. But having said that,

I believe it's never too late to start.

I now enjoy diversity in my training. I enjoy the multiple aspects of strength and conditioning training brings, including weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardio.

What is the biggest health challenge men face over 50? (In your view).

We have many male masters' members. They are "beasts" when it comes to workouts. I have so much respect for those who work with me and see first-hand what they are capable of. Old Bulls can be strong.

The key, however, is consistency.

It's essential to remember that it's not all or nothing, and with respect to consistency I find the biggest thing affecting their exercise regime is shift work.

After that, managing to prioritise health against work and family priorities. If you can prioritise your health, you can get some form of balance across your priorities, putting your health last never works out as well for you or the people around you.

So, how would you fix that?

Consistency and routine are key. Set sustainable goals, which are things you can do week after week. Then, consider the longer term and what is achievable.

You can't go to the gym every day, but you can go twice a week.

(Make that your goal.) You can't deadlift 400 kg from scratch or go from 100 kg to 400 kg in a week. Your body, and brain need to adapt.

Simple, but many of us forget. When you start exercising at 50, you are starting from scratch, remember that, not where you left off at 25. Many of us forget that.

The Why?

Being consistent with movement and exercise. This is so important. Simple things can make a big difference, like walking. Also, the right supplements can fill gaps resulting from some poor lifestyle choices. Ensure your approach to health is holistic to ensure longevity and quality of life during this time.

Nutrition

This can be a complex topic, but at the same time, quite simple. There are some fundamental basics I believe we can all agree on:

Total energy in and total energy out.

Think about the calories you consume and the quality of those calories. Optimise your daily calories. Say your target is 2000 calories daily. What are the best 2000 calories you can sustainably achieve? Get good protein sources, micro and macronutrients, and understand how you feel.

If you don't feel 100%, what can you change? Continually optimise, then overlay that with your objectives, be they to lose fat, increase muscle, or both.

Build a nutrition baseline. Then try adding one or more good things and minimise things detrimental to your health. Create balance. It's a process of improvement. 

Beware of social media trends and fads. They can be confusing and often lack any scientific or proven basis.

Growing up, I lived a simple home-cooked life from a nutrition perspective. My mum was a chef, and her cooking greatly impacted my nutrition later in life. Remember to look after yourself form a nutrition perspective and learn what's going into your food. Try to enjoy preparing your meals and controlling what goes into them.

Supplements

I use Old Bull Health's Testosterone & Immunity Formula. I know it is sold as a product for men over 50, but I did a deep dive, and I really like what's in it.

My nutrition is good, so I avoid multivitamins and the like, but the ingredients in Testosterone & Immunity Formula support female hormone optimisation and have anti-inflammatory properties, which are important for me.

I also use Creatine for physical performance and to support brain health. I take it every day and use it diligently.

When high-loading in the gym, I will take extra magnesium; the sleep component also helps calm me. I add additional protein powder if required.

Last words.

Life can be better.

Whatever you're feeling right now, you can be better, feel better, feel happier, and it's not a complex process. Start with the basics, one step at a time, and don't stop.

Thank you, Karina. Great talking to you, hearing the passion and all the best with the launch in Jan.