Meet the Team
Deadlifts & Deathmetal is known not just for combining deadlifts and death metal but for the quality of our coaching. Regardless of your experience level, you can expect to be looked after by coaches with a depth of knowledge, empathy and experience. e
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Michel Py
Services:
1on1 personal training
Online coaching
Consultations
How and why did you become a coach?
Prior to fitness, I worked in manufacturing as a fitter-machinist. I was made redundant in 2016 and during that time, I started spending more hours at the gym, which eventually inspired me to complete my Cert III & IV in Fitness — initially just out of personal interest. One thing
led to another and before long I’d switched careers.
Who is your ideal client and why?
Beginners, especially those who are nervous or feel out of place in the gym (been there myself). Watching their progress week to week and seeing their confidence grow is incredibly rewarding. I also love training advanced lifters and combat sports athletes, especially those focused on hypertrophy because it lets me experiment with advanced methods and really push the limits. I enjoy coaching people with a strong work ethic and genuine
commitment to self-improvement, regardless of starting point.
What bands first got you into metal?
The first two CDs I owned were Metallica’s ...And Justice for All and Cannibal
Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated, both given to me by my older brother — that’s what
started it all. I also have early memories of stage-diving off the kitchen table to
Slayer’s Raining Blood, which is still one of my top spins — and, it’s the same vintage
as me (1986).
Do you have a particular method or training style you particularly love?
My first ever program was a 5x5 variation, and I’ve always had a lot of love for big,
heavy lifts. That said, I’m also a fan of high-volume training — drop sets, giant sets,
and intensifiers. These days, my favourite way to train sits somewhere in between: heavy primary lifts combined with volume and pump work.
How would your clients describe you?
Depends on what training day you ask them!
But generally — hardworking and supportive.
What's your favorite lift?
Of the main three, the deadlift is easily at the top of the list for me. But I also love
hypertrophy-focused movements that demand focus and control, mind–muscle connection and hard contractions, like dumbbell rows
or lateral raises.
When you're doing an intense session, what's on your playlist?
Right now, Suffering Is a Gift by Portrayal of Guilt. Anything mid-tempo and heavy
lends itself well to an good weight session.
Founder / Head Coach
Elissa Jewell
Services:
D&DM group PT sessions
How and why did you become a coach?
20 years ago I hired a coach for a
12 week challenge, only to wind up with multiple eating disorders and body dysmorphia for years afterwards. I became a coach because I wanted to prevent others from going through the same experience.
What bands first got you into metal?
I was introduced to Acid Bath when I was 11 and haven't looked back since. (Child abuse, or just good taste? Who knows.)
Do you have a particular method or training style you particularly love?
I'm a big advocate for structural balance and biomechanics, and enjoy getting deeper into why there might be a lack of mobility, strength or function deficits in my clients. Using exercise selection and programming methods to solve problems has been a hyperfocus for the past decade and is unlikely to go away any time soon.
How would your clients describe you?
Knowledgable, caring and empathetic. Also, awkward.
What's your favorite lift?
Bench, glute ham raises, Bulgarians or Hatfield split squats.
When you're doing an intense session, what's on your playlist?
Changes constantly, but I'm on a bit of a dissonant death metal fix right now, so currently Dormant Ordeal, Supreme Void, Depravity, Ossuary.