Sean Wepener is an Australian man of many talents. He is a performer, fitness expert, model, and former rugby player. Wepener chatted with Markos Papadatos about his daily motivations, his journey performing in the hit Australian male revue “Magic Men Australia,” and fitness. He also opened up about life during the quarantine in Melbourne, Australia.
Walt Disney once said: “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. Sean Wepener is such an inspiring individual, performer, and advocate of fitness and mental health.
A former rugby player, Wepener lives in Melbourne, Australia, and he has been a vital part of the “Magic Men Australia” family for the past two years. He is also the director and owner of his gym, In2Great Fitness. His drive in life is to help other people reach their full potential, and he wants them to feel confident and fulfilled.
To learn more about In2Great Fitness, visit its homepage and follow the gym on Instagram.
Motivations
Regarding his daily motivations as a fitness aficionado and performer, he said, “In terms of physicality, I know I have to be on stage every week. In fitness, I use it as an opportunity to be a role model for my clients and my members. The way I live my life isn’t strict. I don’t live my life like a bodybuilder nor like I’m competing on stage every single week, and I show that to people by what I do every week. The point is, I have fun, and that’s what I preach. Life is about enjoying yourself.”
‘Magic Men Australia’
On being a part of “Magic Men Australia,” he said, “We are such a tight-knit family. We really are,” he said. “We have become a family with each other. Every time we get on stage, it’s exhilarating and exciting. Just to hear the ladies scream makes you want to put a 10 out of 10 performance. That’s what I love about it. We perform at the best of our abilities.”
For the fans, Wepener remarked, “We are heading into a massive 2022. We have tweaked and improved our ‘Magic Men Australia’ show so much during the lockdown and the quarantine.”
“There is so much more to come in 2022,” he hinted. “If you have seen us, come and see us again, since the show is not the same, it is getting bigger and better every week. If you haven’t seen us, you have no excuse, come and see us.”
For more information on “Magic Men Australia,” check out their official website and follow them on Instagram.
Career-defining moments
He shared some of his proudest, career-defining moments, which include making a positive impact on people’s lives as a personal trainer. He noted that a big chunk of his life has been dedicated to personal training and fitness. “I played rugby for 12 years and I made it to the semi-professional stage. I learned a lot about moving, lifting, and looking after myself. I have been taught by many coaches and movement specialists on how to avoid injuries. I manage to pass the Personal Trainer test in four months, which is normally a six-month process,” he said.
“I have been a fitness trainer for almost five years, and I have seen so many people and clients improve their health, and they are stronger now than how they came in, and they are able to live an everyday life. That’s the biggest achievement. I have learned so much about how people move and now I can manipulate that and get them stronger without hurting themselves and they can live healthy everyday lives. This is why I do what I do. My purpose is helping others,” he added.
Wepener noted that when it comes to nutrition, he doesn’t follow any specific diet. “I am just normal,” he admitted. “I don’t do anything specific, I am quite flexible with what I eat. All one needs to do is check their calories with a calorie deficit diet, especially in terms of losing weight.”
Life during the quarantine in Melbourne
While quarantine was hard, with six lockdowns (that lasted about a full year), he did all he could to make the best of the situation. “We were crowned as the most lockdown city in the world, for over 365 days, he said. “That was horrendous, but the biggest challenge was keeping people engaged.”
A silver lining for him during the pandemic was fostering and sharpening his relationships with his clients. “I had to find something engaging each week to keep their interests up. Our relationships got stronger and the bond was there,” he said.
“I even got my clients to do an aerobic ’80s dance workout, and I made a theme where they had to dress accordingly. It was all the songs that my members could relate to so they loved it. The main thing is that we all had a laugh and it was awesome,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Ambitious and Limitless.”
Advice for hopefuls in fitness and performing
For young and aspiring performers and fitness experts, he said, “Passion is key. That is 100 percent true. If you want to go into a performing career or a fitness career, if you have a passion for it, then it will inspire you, even more, to go for it. Also, find a person that you can learn from, such as a mentor. That is key. In ‘Magic Men Australia,’ I am learning from every dancer and every performer. Everybody has something to teach you, and you can learn from them. That way, you become more knowledgeable and knowledge is power. Life is about relationships and life is about networking. You can only go so far by yourself. That’s my message.”
He listed the freestyle/front crawl as his personal favorite stroke in swimming, and he revealed that if he were to do track and field, he would do the javelin. “I used to do track and field, and I used to throw the javelin, and if I had the choice, I would still pick the javelin,” he said.
When asked what skills he developed during the pandemic, he responded, “I learned how to navigate Zoom, which was a massive skill. I also learned how to zumba dance and aerobic dance.”
“Also, the lockdown was a great opportunity for me to regain my sleep, especially after five years of intense personal training, where I would have early morning starts and late-night finishes. I was able to look after my mental and physical health in terms of sleep. Learning about the mind, communication, and psychology were the skills that I enhanced,” he elaborated.
Success
Wepener equates the word success with happiness in life. “I really do. People will ask you many things in life but they don’t always ask you if you are happy. I reckon that is where success is. I really do,” he said.
“You can do anything you want in life but if you are sad and not fulfilled then you are not going to feel successful. For me, personally, I am currently happy with where I am at and I am constantly striving for many more things to come. Happiness is the main thing for me. It’s about peace of mind and being happy where you are at,” he explained.
To learn more about Sean Wepener, follow him on Instagram and his Linktree page.
