located just above and to the inside
of the knee cap] strength through
the knees. If all these areas are not
properly addressed, performance
is limited and injury is likely.”
Tuinauvai’s unique training
system has his athletes hitting a
set weight within a specific period
before they are allowed to change
their program and progress to
“doing all the cool, fancy stuff.”
Says Tuinauvai: “Until they have
shown me that they’ve earned
the right to change their program,
they’ll continue to do the core
fundamental work.”
Tuinauvai is quick to answer
when asked what he considers to
be the most important performance
aspect: “Mindset,” he says. His
experience has shown him that
elite competitors will leave no
stone unturned when achieving
their goals and will do whatever is
asked of them – no excuses. “When
I was working in the normal gyms
I often trained people who didn’t
want to be there,” says Tuinauvai.
“They were there because they
were paying a membership and
this drove me further into working
with people who really wanted to
train. Any athlete who has pushed
boundaries like [professional
boxer] Sam Soliman, who won the
IBF world middleweight title at
age 41, as much as I can give him
physically, as a coach, he is the one
in the ring going 12-rounds.
“It’s a balance, encouraging the
right mentality, but the more I do
this the more I see that if they don’t
have the mental capacity they’re
not going to achieve anything.”
Tuinauvai is also known for
“getting amongst it” with his
athletes, a major part of his
philosophy of leading by example.He says he’d never give a client
something he himself has not done.
To ensure his athletes remain honest
and on task he guards against corner-
cutting and keeps all prescribed
protocols as basic as possible.
Above all, Tuinauvai believes
in empowering his athletes by
increasing their training knowledge
and fostering a sense of community- a family culture that builds close
bonds between athlete and coach.
“A lot of trainers reinvent
the wheel,” he says. “Working
alongside [NRL legend and State
of Origin head] Ronnie Palmer has
taught me to keep it simple and
basic to get athlete buy-in, to
forge strong relationships.”
To empower his diverse roster
of athletes, Tuinauvai tailors all
programming to each athlete’s
learning stage. When an athlete
reaches a certain training level
Left: basketballer Elyse
Penaluna working hard in
the gym; top right: American
football player Tali Amosa
pushing it; bottom right: Dave
with little brother Dylan Lumbo.BUILDING CHAMPS