Huge physical improvements. Going from doing no exercise to being genuinely annoyed when I miss a session — Dan makes it habit. The coaching is very friendly and accommodating but knows when to push you and demand more.
Dan McCaffrey · Online coach & personal trainer, Melbourne
Stop starting over.Build something that lasts.
I spent ten years starting over. Now I coach people who are tired of doing the same — training, nutrition and habits built around the life you actually have, and explained properly, so this time it sticks.
My second wind
Same person. Different consistency.
Your body takes a long time to catch up with your habits. There's a stretch where you've changed what you do and the mirror hasn't noticed yet — and you have to trust that the decisions stack.
Age 19 – 2023 · 10 years
Up and down
From 110 kg at 19, bouncing between the high 80s and high 90s. Chasing a number, never fixing the habits.
2023 – 2026 · The habits
−13 kg
Decided to change and rebuilt the habits first. The body took a long time to catch up.
2026 · The discipline
−7 kg
Four months of consistency — no blowing it up when a week wasn't perfect.
4 yrs
Teaching in the classroom
BSc
PE & Biology, DCU
MSc
Nutrition & Health, UCD
3 yrs
Longest client, still going
Coaching & prices
Three ways in. Same standard.Online coaching, personal training in Balaclava & race preparation
Prices are published because you shouldn't have to sit through a sales call to find out what something costs. Online coaching is billed in euro, in-person Melbourne training in Australian dollars.
Online Coaching
Your training, food and habits moving in the same direction — with someone reading your week and adjusting the plan around your actual life.
Best for: fat loss, strength and building habits that last.
€125 / month
Rolling
3-month minimum
3-month minimum
€350 / 12 wks
Paid up front
Saves €25
Saves €25
Same coaching either way — only the payment differs.
- Programming built for your schedule, updated as you progress
- Nutrition guidance with the reasoning explained
- Weekly check-in and written review — your trend, wins, commitments and social calendar planned in
- Video reviews of your lifts, with one clear cue to take into next week
- Direct message access between check-ins
“Going from doing no exercise to being genuinely annoyed when I miss a session — Dan makes it habit.”Kevin · 25 kg+ lostStart here
1-on-1 Training
Learn to move well and train with intent, with someone watching every rep. You leave knowing why you did it. At Hustle Wellness Club, 27 William Street, Balaclava.
Best for: getting started properly, technique, and accountability in the room.
A$180 / wk
2 sessions a week
A$90 each
A$90 each
A$100 / wk
1 session a week
Your first 30-minute session is free.
- 45-minute sessions, warm-up done before we start
- Your remaining training days programmed for you
- Technique coaching and real-time correction
- Nutrition and lifestyle support included
- No gym membership needed to train with me
“The professionalism mixed with good banter, and the way you delivered the post-training guides and updates, really impressed me. You did your research and tailored the sessions around what I wanted.”“Jay” · In-person client, Hustle · name changed at his requestBook a free session
Race Preparation
HYROXMarathonHalf10K5K
Arrive on the start line knowing the work is done. Built from where you are now, the hours you actually have, and the day you're aiming at.
€325 / 12-week block
Event-specific · 16-week blocks available
- Periodised plan built back from race day
- Pace, endurance and engine development
- Strength work that supports the race, not competes with it
- Fuelling strategy for training and race day
- Taper and race-week plan
“It gave me the confidence to show up on race day knowing I was ready.”Aaron · first HYROXTalk it through
Not sure which one? That's what the call is for.
Not for you if you want a six-week shred, a list of banned foods, or someone to think for you forever. The goal is that one day you don't need me.
How I coach
Four pillars. Everything sits on one of them.Training, nutrition, lifestyle & mindset coaching
Get all four moving in roughly the right direction and the results take care of themselves. Neglect one and it will quietly undo the other three.
Training
Hard enough to change you, repeatable enough to keep doing.
- Built around the days you actually have, not the days you wish you had
- Every block has a target — stronger, faster, a bigger engine, or ready for a specific race
- You'll know why a movement is in there, and whether last month actually worked
Nutrition
Evidence over fads. Enough structure to work, enough room to live.
- No banned foods, and I won't take your carbs off you — they fuel the sessions doing the work
- Consistently good beats occasionally perfect. Three brutal days undone by four loose ones is a surplus and the misery
- Alcohol gets counted honestly, because it's usually what's quietly ending your week
Lifestyle
What happens around the session decides how well the session works.
- Sleep, steps, alcohol and stress — where most stalls actually come from
- The plan bends around shift work, travel, kids and a heavy week
- It has to fit a life you like. Enjoy the holiday — something you hate won't survive one
Mindset
The part that holds when physical progress swings.
- I'm the accountability at the start, until the habits are yours and you don't need chasing
- An honest look at the gap between what you say you'll do and what you actually do
- Missing a session isn't failure. Not coming back is
Their second wind
They didn't think they could either.Client results & testimonials
Real clients, in their words. Some are still with me years later.
Fat loss, confidence and habits that stuck.
2025 · Fat loss
−25 kg+
A defined fat-loss phase with calories counted: 22 kg by October (pictured), past 25 kg by December. He's kept it off since.
2026 · Performance
Half → full
Half marathon done. Now building strength and muscle, and training for his first marathon.
Consistent, motivating, and results-driven. He strikes a great balance between pushing me when needed and adjusting sessions based on how I'm feeling — keeping me progressing without burnout. I feel much more confident in myself.
I ACTUALLY enjoy running. My taste palate has changed, my partner now joins me on runs, I have more energy and confidence. Overall lifestyle changed for the better — it had a waterfall effect on so many other aspects of my life.
As someone who used to train five days a week but see no progress over years, I didn't think I would be able to change my physical appearance. But with direction from Dan, realistic goals and accountability, I realised these goals are achievable.
I had zero gym knowledge — I’d have been swinging the weights around. Now I understand technique, programming and why I’m doing it, and I’m confident enough to put my own sessions together. The evidence behind the advice empowered me to make my own decisions. The best empowerment is getting rid of you in the end — which is a compliment, even if it doesn’t sound like one.
HYROX and road racing — arriving on the start line ready.
From barely being able to run 2km at race pace to running a half marathon at 4:35 pace in 12 weeks. My VO2 max climbed drastically. You had literally been in my shoes before and knew so much in relation to prep — it made everything so much easier.
The best training experience I've had to date — 100%. Supportive but demanding, completely tailored to my goal. It gave me the confidence to show up on race day knowing I was ready. There is literally no downside, so go for it.
Physically a lot faster and fitter now compared to when I couldn't even run a 5K. Training six days out of seven is something I never thought I'd say, but it's just become the norm. I went into my second race knowing I'd improved a lot from my first.
I felt extremely prepared going into my first HYROX, which definitely helped with the nerves. The accountability pushed me to actually do the hard sessions — finishing runs with wall balls is something I never would've done on my own, but it really made a difference. If you have a specific goal in mind, I'd 100% recommend having a coach to help you get there.
A few of the people I've worked with. There are plenty more.
- BSc Physical Education & Biology — DCU
- MSc Food, Nutrition & Health — UCD
- Level 3 & 4 Personal Training
- Hybrid athlete — running, HYROX, strength, rowing
About Dan
I took the long way to get here.About Dan McCaffrey, coach & personal trainer
I'm Dan McCaffrey — Dublin-born, Melbourne-based, and a coach mostly because it took me a long time to take myself seriously. So I know exactly what that costs.
The teacher
I taught in a secondary school for four years and started coaching online in 2020 while I was still in the classroom. Teaching taught me to show up when the day isn't perfect — and that the surest way to understand something is to have to explain it. That's why you'll always know why you're doing something.
The evidence
The industry is full of fads and loud opinions, so I did a master's in nutrition to stand on actual science. When something's in your plan, there's a reason for it I can point to.
The long way round
I spent two years in construction, hedging — if I never fully tried, it could never fully fail. Then a hard year forced the decision: I broke both feet and lost my job inside a few months.
Why Second Wind
Not the perfect comeback story. It's deciding to take control and keep showing up, whatever the day-to-day feedback says — because what you're building is the person and the life around it, not a single number.
Free tools
Know your numbers.Free race pace & calorie calculators
Not ready for coaching? No problem. Two calculators I built for my own clients — free, no email required.
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Required pace per km
Per mile—
Speed—
Halfway split—
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Target calories per day
Maintenance—
Protein—
BMR—
Estimates only — the calorie figures use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is a starting point, not a prescription. Your real numbers come from tracking what actually happens over a few weeks. Want them tailored properly?
A number on its own doesn't change anything.
Leave your email and I'll send you the short version of what to actually do with it — how to eat around that figure without tracking every gram, and how to tell in three weeks whether it's working.
Got a HYROX coming up? Get the free race guide — stations, pacing and what to train.
Get the guide
FAQ
Good questions.Coaching & personal training FAQ
Why are some prices in euro and some in Australian dollars?
Online coaching and race preparation are billed in euro. In-person training in Melbourne is billed in Australian dollars.
Is there a minimum commitment?
Online coaching has a 3-month minimum, then it rolls month to month. Real change takes longer than a few weeks, and the first month is mostly learning how you work. Paying 12 weeks up front is the same coaching — it just saves you €25.
What happens on the free call?
Thirty minutes on your goal, your history and what's been in the way. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help — and if I can't, I'll say so. You'll leave with a clear next step either way.
Do I need a Hustle membership for 1-on-1 training?
No. You don't need a membership to train with me at Hustle Wellness Club in Balaclava. Your first 30-minute session is free.
How long are in-person sessions?
45 minutes of coached work. You do your warm-up before we start, so the whole session goes on the training that matters. Your other training days are programmed for you.
What races do you prepare people for?
HYROX, marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K. Blocks are 12 weeks as standard, with 16-week blocks available if the race is further out or you're starting from further back.
How soon can I start?
Usually within a week of the call. We start with a Week 0 baseline so the plan is built on where you actually are, not a guess.
I've tried coaching before and it didn't stick. Why would this be different?
Because the aim isn't to keep you following a plan. It's to teach you why it works, so the habits hold when life gets busy. Most of the people I work with have tried before.
Start here
Ready to find yours?Book a free 30-minute coaching call
It starts with a conversation. Thirty minutes, free, no pressure — an honest talk about where you are and what's actually possible.
- We'll talk about your goal, your history, and what's been in the way
- No judgement — beginner, returning, or years off, it's all the same start
- I'll tell you honestly whether I can help, and say so if I can't
- You'll leave with a clear next step whether you work with me or not
- Melbourne in person, or online anywhere in the world