Tyler Martin - Compound Case Study

• Cohort 2 member.
• Tyler Martin is a water polo player of Australia. He was part of the Australian team at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
• Tyler and his team (the Drummoyne Water Polo Club) recently claimed their first AWL title.

“The testing and analysis through Compound were the most comprehensive I have experienced, even more so than during my professional sporting career.” 

‍Q&A With Tyler Martin

Former Olympian, recent Compound member

Tyler Martin is an Australian water polo professional, previously competing in the Australian team at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

Nowadays, you’ll find him working in a few different domains. He’s a founder and director of multiple companies, an investor, advisor and a partner of Athletic Ventures. 

Multiple pursuits and limited time made Tyler the perfect candidate to join our second ever Compound cohort. 

He references the Compound program as a contributing factor to his performance while helping his team (the Drummoyne Water Polo Club) recently win their first Australian Water Polo League title. 

In this Q&A, we’ll dive into the improvements and insights he gained during his 12 week Compound program.

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Question: How did you find out about Compound?

Answer: I am an old friend of one of the founders of Eucalyptus, Charlie Gearside. I was chatting with him about general health and wellness, as I regularly do. During our conversation, he told me about the program and thought I would be a likely candidate.

Question: What prompted you to become a member?

Answer: I had a moment of realisation last year in September. I had always been pretty fit and maintained a strong focus on health and wellness, but I noticed myself becoming sluggish and not feeling as fit. Work was getting stressful, and with two young kids, I felt overwhelmed. After chatting with Charlie, I was looking for a reason to get back on track. I also played elite water polo and still play at the highest level in Australia, and I hadn't won a title. I thought this was an opportunity to get back into really good shape, have a strong season, and hopefully win a national championship, which ended up happening.

Question: What was the most useful or interesting piece of information you learned from the diagnostics?

Answer: A lot of the information was not new to me since I played sport and considered myself reasonably well-educated in this area. The positive was that my visceral fat was reasonably low as a base point, and my VO2 was reasonably high. I had carried a fair bit of fat around my stomach and upper legs, which I knew, but it was interesting to see the exact numbers. The testing and analysis through Compound were the most comprehensive I have experienced, even more so than during my professional sporting career (having played in 5 countries and competing in the Olympics and world championships).

Question: What part of the program inclusions are your favourite or most beneficial?

Answer: I loved the convenience factor, having the monthly delivery of my supplement stack. As someone educated in this area, it’s a minefield to figure out the best BCAAs, protein, creatine, etc. Having someone I trust within the Compound community to source and supply these was a huge benefit. Additionally, the meal planning and prep specifics were very helpful. Despite doing millions of exercises in the gym, I still need a program to follow. Having a well-programmed and set-up routine was awesome and very beneficial.

‍Question: What were your results?

Answer: My VO2 increased by 10% despite my 12-week program being semi-compromised by a water polo season. My strength improved, my muscle mass increased by about 3.5 to 4 kg, and my weight reduced by about 2 kg. The swing from fat to muscle was very important. My goal was to reduce my weight by a couple of kilos or even maintain it but convert the composition to muscle mass.

Question: What was the intangible benefit?

Answer: I think of health and wellness as a virtuous or vicious cycle. For me, it starts with physical health. If I am feeling better, training better, and eating better, it starts a virtuous cycle. Conversely, if I am eating poorly and not training well, it becomes a vicious cycle. The program has helped me start a virtuous cycle, improving my physical and mental health, motivation, and overall mood.

I’ve also adopted a sauna and ice bath protocol, which has been a great reset. Although I was aware of the benefits of these, having data and insights from the Compound team provided the impetus to implement them into my routine.

My fiancée has noticed a much happier disposition in me. She sees a better mood, which is probably the biggest intangible benefit. Physically, there have been noticeable changes, particularly during the water polo season when you’re often in Speedos. By the end of the season, which was about two-thirds through the Compound program, I received several comments about my fitness. At 34, people remarked that I looked or seemed as fit as I did during my prime playing career eight years ago.

Winning the grand final and being the highest goal scorer on the team was a significant personal milestone and was significantly impacted by the program. I felt the fittest I had in seven years, even though I’ve played every year. 

Question: What would you say to anyone considering Compound?

Answer: I would say that it's a really good platform for kickstarting the changes you know you need. It's one thing to know what to do, but another to actually do it. Having support and a bit of accountability from Compound helps you take those necessary steps. The convenience of having on-hand resources to remove decision fatigue is a significant benefit. For instance, I’ve taken photos of protein shake sections in a store and sent them to the Compound team for advice, receiving instant feedback. This kind of support is invaluable, especially for busy people who might have kids, a stressful job, or have slightly let themselves go. The combination of accountability, support, and convenience helps alleviate friction points where things can fall apart.

Question: Anything else to add?

Answer: Even though I played at an elite level, and despite training 75% less, I felt 80% as fit as I did in my prime. Winning the grand final after 16 years and significantly contributing to the team's success with only a fraction of the training shows the program's benefits. It demonstrates the efficiency and impact of the Compound program.