Andrew Menechian

Head of Fitness, FitCommit

Sydney, Australia

Profile reviewed and updated June 11, 2026

Andrew Menechian is Head of Fitness at FitCommit and Founder & CEO of Peak Performance, a Sydney-based coaching practice for busy professionals. He has 12+ years in the fitness industry and has mentored 100+ personal trainers through education roles at The Fitness Playground and Clean Health Fitness Institute. He is the 2015 IFBB Australasian Men's Physique champion and unofficially broke the under 90kg RAW Australian Deadlift mark of 320 kg at 89 kg bodyweight.

Andrew is the architect of the macro calculation framework used across FitCommit's tools and content. The framework is built on the Katch-McArdle BMR formula, which accounts for lean body mass rather than total body weight, and uses sliding scales for calorie deficit, calorie surplus, protein, and fat that adjust to the individual rather than applying one fixed number to everyone.

As FitCommit's Head of Fitness, Andrew owns the macro and nutrition framework that powers FitCommit's calculators and is the sign-off authority for fitness methodology. Before founding Peak Performance, he was Head Coach at Clean Health Fitness Institute and Education Manager at The Fitness Playground, where he ran trainer workshops on training, nutrition, and coaching.

Achievements

Bodybuilding

2015 IFBB Australasians Men's Physique Tall Class Champion. 1st place.
2011 ANB Asia Pacific Junior Bodybuilding. 2nd place.

Powerlifting

2014 CAPO Bondi Strength Co Arnold Qualifier 90kg Class RAW Champion. 1st place with a 700 kg total.
Unofficially broke the under 90kg Australian RAW Deadlift record. Unofficial because the lift needed to happen at a national-level competition to count.
2013 CAPO Australian Strength Coach Challenge 90kg Class RAW Champion. 1st place with a 692.5 kg total.
2013 CAPO Australian Strength Coach Challenge 90kg RAW Class Champion. 1st place with a 678 kg total.
2012 Powerlifting Australia Western Sydney Hardcore Challenge 83kg Open RAW Champion. 1st place with a 560 kg total. Result source
2011 Powerlifting Australia Singleton Strength Triathlon 83kg Junior RAW Champion. 1st place with a 540 kg total. Result source

Coaching

100+ personal trainers mentored. Through education roles at Fitness Playground and Clean Health.
12+ years working in the fitness industry. Started self-study at age 13, professional coach since 2013.

Areas of Expertise

Macro calculationTDEE and BMRCutting and fat lossLean bulkingKatch-McArdle formulaBody compositionProtein periodizationCalorie cyclingPowerliftingBodybuilding contest preparationPerformance nutritionProgram designStrength and hypertrophy

Certifications and Credentials

Nutrition

Precision Nutrition Level 1 · Precision Nutrition · 2017 Issuer
CHFI Performance Nutrition Coach Level 1 · Clean Health Fitness Institute Issuer
CHFI Performance Nutrition Coach Level 2 · Clean Health Fitness Institute · 2019 Issuer
The Science of Nutrition · Layne Norton
Gut Health and Hormone Optimization Mentorship · Dave O'Brien · 50 hours

Personal Training

CHFI Performance PT Level 1 · Clean Health Fitness Institute Issuer
CHFI Performance PT Level 2 · Clean Health Fitness Institute Issuer
Certificate III and IV in Fitness · Australian fitness qualification

Strength and Hypertrophy

Poliquin PICP Level 1 · Poliquin Performance Centre
Poliquin PICP Level 2 · Poliquin Performance Centre
Poliquin BioSignature Level 1 · Poliquin Performance Centre
Deconstructing the Gym Lifts · Strength System Education
Program Design · Strength System Education
Advanced Program Design · Christian Thibadeau
Advanced Strategies to Program Design · Kilo Strength
Training the Physique Athlete · Layne Norton
BFI Level 1 GPP · Boutagy Fitness Institute
BFI Level 2 Strength and Hypertrophy · Boutagy Fitness Institute · 2017

Body Composition

BFI Level 2 Fat Loss · Boutagy Fitness Institute · 2017
Shredded By Science Certificate · Shredded By Science · 2018

Special Populations

Pre and Post Pregnancy and Exercise Course · Mind Body Fitness

Experience

Founder & CEO, Peak Performance · Sydney, Australia · Apr 2020 to Present
Head Coach, Clean Health Fitness Institute · Chatswood, Sydney · Sep 2019 to Mar 2020
Education Manager, The Fitness Playground · Marrickville, Sydney · Sep 2015 to Sep 2019
Founder & Head Trainer, Andrew Menechian Fitness · Marrickville Fitness Playground · Apr 2013 to Sep 2019
Level 3 Personal Trainer, Fitness First Australia · Bond Street, Sydney · Sep 2014 to Sep 2015
Senior Personal Trainer, City Gym · Darlinghurst, Sydney · Apr 2014 to Sep 2014
Senior Personal Trainer, Clean Health · Apr 2013 to Apr 2014

FitCommit Review Standards

Andrew reviews FitCommit fitness methodology for calorie targets, macro targets, protein ranges, body-composition guidance, and practical coaching language. His review focus is whether the advice is useful for real training decisions, aligned with evidence, and clear about where an estimate stops.

FitCommit content is not medical advice. Topics involving diagnosis, medication, pregnancy, eating disorders, or clinical nutrition require qualified medical review before being treated as health guidance.

Evidence and Sources

Public records are linked where reliable source pages exist. Older bodybuilding, CAPO, and coursework records that are not cleanly indexed online are listed from Andrew's supplied credential record.

Andrew's Macro Framework

BMR Formula

Katch-McArdle: 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg). Lean mass estimated from body fat percentage rather than total body weight.

Cutting Deficit

Sliding scale from 15% (Gentle) to 40% (Very Aggressive) below TDEE. Default 25% (Recommended). Larger deficits suit higher body fat; smaller deficits protect lean mass at lower body fat.

Cutting Protein

Sliding scale 2.3g to 3.1g per kg lean mass, scaled to deficit size. Higher protein at aggressive deficits and for leaner individuals to minimise muscle loss.

Bulking Surplus

Sliding scale 5% (Lean Gain) to 15% (Aggressive) above TDEE. Default 10% (Normal). Protein 2.3g per kg lean mass.

Fat Targets

Cutting: 25% to 30% of calories, scaled by deficit. Bulking and maintenance: 25% fixed for hormonal support. Carbs fill the remainder, minimum 50g.

Fat Safety Floor

Floor = max(0.5g per kg body weight, 20% of calories). Protects testosterone, joint health, and overall hormonal function during aggressive deficits.

Content Reviewed by Andrew Menechian

Macro Calculator: Protein, Carbs and Fat by Weight and Goal

Interactive calculator for cutting, bulking, and maintenance macros, reviewed by Andrew.

Cutting Guide

Deficit strategy, protein targets, and muscle preservation for a successful cut.

Lean Bulk Calculator

Surplus targets, lean bulk vs dirty bulk, and protein timing for muscle gain.

Calories Per Day by Sex, Age and Activity Level

Calorie targets based on TDEE, covering every activity level and common age groups.

Body Fat Measurement Methods Compared

DEXA, InBody, Bod Pod, calipers, Navy method, and AI body scan rated by accuracy, cost, and convenience. Reviewed accuracy claims against peer-reviewed sources.

Blog Posts by Andrew Menechian (6)

Body Composition7 min read