"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

The boys in the 5 Senses roasteries are a buff bunch. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a result of the millions of coffee beans they heft about every day — but in the case of Caleb Podhaczky, his muscles pre-date his work in the 5 Senses roastery.

Caleb’s impressive physique comes not so much from lifting coffee beans as from his relentless training regime and strict diet. For Caleb is vying for a podium finish at the Australasian Natural Bodybuilding Victorian Qualifier this October. A place anywhere in the top five will give Caleb the chance to head to the Nationals and represent Victoria.

Caleb has been building up to this for the last seven years, when he started training to improve his fitness. The last couple of years have seen Caleb seriously ramp up his efforts, resulting in him gaining 25 kilos of solid muscle, clearly visible in these photos!

Like everything worthwhile in life, the results haven’t come easily. Caleb explains that there is considerable sacrifice involved, from the nine hours of training each week, to the incredibly strict diet he follows. “The diet,” says Caleb “is the hardest part. Absolutely no processed food — it’s all whole foods.”

Imagine this:

Breakfast:	Eight egg whites, a cup of oats (porridge) and ¼ cup blueberries
Pre-Morning Tea:	A cup of his favourite 5 Senses coffee, the Single Origin Colombian (delicious), even though Caleb confesses that it’s not so good for his abs!
Morning Tea	Another cup of oats, a ‘beef cake shake’ (or protein shake, as Caleb prefers to call them) and 30g almonds
Post-Morning Tea:	Definitely not allowed another latte, but he likes to daydream about it…
Lunch:	400g lean steak, a cup of sweet potato and another 30g of almonds
Afternoon Tea:	300g chicken breast, a cup of veggies and ¼ cup blueberries
Dinner:	300g steak, ½ cup veggies and a slice of fat free cheese
Supper:	Another of those ‘beef cake shakes’

As the competition edges closer, Caleb has to cut out all carbohydrates and, in the final week before he hits the stage, start dehydrating himself to get rid of any ‘excess liquid’.

Caleb admits that he is “pushing [himself] to breaking point … weird, I know” but argues that it’s addictive; he’s hooked and loves it. He’s also keen to stress that this is the Australasian Natural Bodybuilding, meaning no steroids. “I can’t even take cold and flu tablets or aspirin,” he points out, “so we aren’t as big as the guys on ’roids, but we’re a lot healthier.” These guys get down to just 6% body fat.

This will be Caleb’s first foray into professional competition, so he admits to being a little scared — more of the fake tan than anything else! He cops a fair bit of hassle from the crew at work, both about his constant eating and his upcoming debut on stage, scantily clad (and fake-tanned, of course).

Joking aside, the whole team at 5 Senses thinks Caleb deserves top spot for his dedication and we’ll all be cheering him on in October.