The Access Bar is a high-tech, internationally patented exercise & activity bar which provides your body with the means to use its own fat stores as an extra energy source.

So what's so special about that?

Fat is the largest source of energy in the body but before it can be burned, it has to be converted to fatty acids that cells can use - just as crude oil must be refined into gasoline before it can be used in a car. As a person exercises for longer periods of time, the demand for fat increases.

Instead of allowing you to tap straight into your fat, the body does the reverse. It produces a chemical compound called adenosine, which literally slows down the amount of fat you can use, resulting in a drop  of energy available and a feeling of fatigue or muscle soreness.

The breakthrough formula of the Access Bar works by minimising the impact of adenosine, thus allowing your body to continue to turn fats into fatty acids - meaning you stay fuelled up!

Most skeptics are probably thinking right now - this just sounds too good to be true...

Well the Access Bar is amazing but it's not just a gimmick. There way the bar works is complex and often not easy for us mere mortals to understand - after all there was 17 years of research involved by world-renowned scientist, Dr Larry Wang at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

How has the Access Bar helped me?

Marathon swimmers expend an incredible amount of energy largely due to the long duration of the events, which can last anywhere from 5-20 hours. Other factors such as waves, tides, wind and low water temperatures all place extra demands on the body & contribute significantly to total energy output.

Meeting these huge energy demands has always been a challenge and going through periods of extreme fatigue or, in athlete terms "hitting the brick wall", used to happen to me all the time before I started using the Access Bar.

The Access Bars give me so much continuous energy that I'm now able to maintain a high pace during the whole swim. In essence I don't get big drop offs like before, and my recovery has improved out of sight. Normally you'd expect someone who has been swimming for twenty one hours non stop to be fatigued and sore the next day...right?

Breaking all the rules, I competed at the Victorian Royal Life Saving Titles where I won the Ironwoman event. Not only that but I won the swim wade, belt race and malibu board race - the very next day after my big marathon swim.

I've used the Access Bar to help me set five world records - Bass Strait, Loch Ness, Cook Strait, Gippsland Lakes and during my 2438km swim down the length of the Murray. In all of these swims I used the bars for my preparation training and also during the event. Because it's a bit hard to actually eat a bar while you're in the water, I've found it's easier to grind them up into a powder form, then add hot water and use them as a drink. For more information on how I do this, scroll down to the bottom of this page.  

How did I discover the Access Bar?

I first discovered the bar many years ago whilst watching a television program called "Beyond 2000". The story was so impressive that I really wanted to try them. I immediately contacted the bar's creator in Canada, Dr Wang, and the rest as they say, is history. I've become an Access Bar addict!

Take it from me - when it comes to achieving peak performance you just can't go past the Access Bar.

How do I use the Access Bar?

The Access Bar has many applications depending on what you're trying to achieve. As a marathon swimmer I've used it for the following:

a) TRAINING & WORKOUTS. I take the Access Bar 15 minutes before my swim training sessions. My workouts normally last 2 hours but if I do a longer session, then I'll eat another bar just before the two hours is up (normally at 1hr 45 min mark). I also go to the gym and run for extra fitness. I use the bar in the same way as for my swim sessions (15 minutes prior to workout and on an empty stomach).

b) COMPETITION & EVENTS. I use the Access Bar for all my long swims - they're safe to use in a back to back fashion. The most number of bars I've eaten in one go is eleven - that was when I swam the circumference of Port Phillip Bay which took 21 hours. I also ate on average four bars per day for 106 days in a row when I swam the Murray River.

c) WEIGHT LOSS. Pre Access Bar I never really lost much weight during a swim - normally just 2-3 kilograms. When I started using Access Bars this scenario changed, particularly in my cold water swims.

Before the Bass Strait swim I deliberately put on 12 kilograms to help insulate me against the cold (this is not a typographical error - it's true I actually gained weight!). It took me just under 18 hours to complete the crossing and during this time frame I lost 10 kilograms! 

Loch Ness was a similar situation...I gained 15 kilograms pre swim for cold protection and lost 10 kilograms during the 9 hour event. Same with Gippsland Lakes...I gained 8 kilograms and lost 6kgs in 10 hours.

Whilst I don't recommend this extreme method to lose weight, the Access Bar can help you to trim down if used in conjunction with exercise. Because it allows your body to utilise it's own fat as a fuel source for your muscles - the more you exercise when using the bar, the more you'll notice results... so get exercising!

d) INCREASED TOLERANCE TO COLD. I initially used the bar for this reason because the Access Bar is scientifically proven to increase your tolerance level to cold by up to 50 per cent.

My brother John and I had just come back from an unsuccessful English Channel attempt. John had become hypothermic just 4 kilometres away from France and had to be resusitated. We went back the following year but this time we used the Access Bars to help us. And the results.... John & I set a new record and became the first ever brother and sister to swim the English Channel together.

A new Peanut Krisp Access Bar with my picture on the box and bar. Unfortunatley not avail in Australia yet






Access Bars are only available exclusively from Melaleuca.

Things you need to know about the Access Bar

1. The Access Bar has taken years of scientific research to develop and needs to be used correctly or you won't experience the fantastic results that I've had.
   Always take the Access Bar drink on an empty stomach (2-3 hours after last meal).
2. It will take approximately 15 mins for the bar to work, so take this into consideration when calculating your two hour time frame.
3. Don't eat or drink anything containing sugar after you have taken an Access Bar. It will immediately negate the Access Bar - which means you have just wasted the opportunity to enjoy the many benefits that burning fat provides your body, such as increased endurance, reduced muscle fatigue, higher energy levels and significantly enhanced recovery.

   Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade will all stop the Access bar from working - so do not use during Access Bar time. To be safe - it's best just to consume only water during the two hours after you have consumed an Access Bar, or black tea or coffee (no milk or sugar).

4. It's safe to use the Access Bars in a "back to back" fashion. I have swum over 60, 000kms in my career and set 5 World Records using only the Access Bars for nutrition and nothing else other than water for hydration, and sometimes herbal tea or black coffee (no sugar or milk), if I'm swimming in particularly cold water.

How to Turn your Access Bar into a drink

1. Break the Access Bar into small piece.
2. Place the pieces into a blender/mixer.
3. Grind the bar in blender until it becomes a powder mix (similar to Milo in texture).
4. Remove Access Bar powder from blender and place into a cup.
5. Add warm water and stir well.
6. You now have two hours of fat burning time!

How to Turn your Access Bar into rum balls

1. Break the Access Bar into small piece.
2. Place the pieces into a blender/mixer.
3. Grind the bar in blender until it becomes a powder mix (similar to Milo in texture).
4. Warm the powder mix in the microwave for approx 10 seconds - just enough to make the chocolate soft.
5. Roll the mix into bite size balls.
6. Place in the freezer to set.
   NOTE - remember to keep tally as to how many balls equals one bar. eg If five balls equals one bar, then you must consume the 5 balls consecutively during your run/ride/swim. The ingredients in Access Bar are unique so you must eat the equivalent to one bar to get the fat burning effects.