Brendan McBirnie
Bio
My love for fitness and sport started at a young age and by the age of nine I was playing football, tennis, cricket and doing cross-country. In secondary school I fell in love with rugby and never looked back. With rugby being such a physically demanding sport that requires speed, strength and power, I started devoting some time to strength training until I was attending the gym most days with like-minded rugby players.
My academic focus at school was science and biology, particularly relating to the human body and how it functions. When it came to selecting a university degree I naturally chose B.Sc Sport Science, where I majored in human physiology and biochemistry.
What Do I Do?
After completing my honours in Sport Science I partnered with my old athletics coach and we built a small private gym with the main aim of providing sportsmen and women with structured training plans or rehab programs.
While all accommodated for a range of different sports conditioning, my particular interest was rugby conditioning. Rugby is such a unique sport requiring size, speed and agility. It encompasses all training methods and also requires a good understanding of periodisation, which was another interest of mine. Understanding periodisation and how the body responds to stress formed the basis of our training philosophy at the gym.
I now don’t play rugby anymore, but I am still an armchair coach. My training has shifted to focus mainly on trail running and regular strength training to maintain my fitness.
Qualifications
- B.Sc (Hons) Sport Science, Sports and Exercise – University of Johannesburg
- CSCS – International Sports Sciences Association College of Exercise Science
- Certification in Periodization – Training for Sport
- Rugby Coaching Level 2 – World Rugby
Author Blogs
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What is Primal Flow?
The ultimate goal of resistance training is to improve the quality of movement by increasing strength and stability. -
Top 10 Conditioning Essentials
Our top 10 conditioning essentials list will help you choose the next great piece of equipment for your gym, to keep training fun. -
Top 10 Strength Essentials
Break away from your usual strength routine! These essentials will add variety to your strength sessions and increase the fun. -
Resistance Band Tips From Team GB Athlete Harry AA
Do you really make the most of your resistance bands? What you probably have not had is advice straight from the horse's mouth. -
Don't Skip Cardio
Cardio training is fundamentally different to strength training but we can all benefit from including some cardio. -
Medicine Ball Benefits
Medicine balls are highly versatile and help you to power up your training sessions. Find out more about medicine ball benefits. -
Maxing Out Your Bench Press
Have you heard that you need to push heavy weights and low reps? There is still so much more to improving your bench press. -
Are Ankle Weights Too Retro?
To make sure you get the most out of your ankle weights we need to understand the advantages of the ankle weights and how to use them. -
Is Your Leg Day A Pain In The Glute?
Learn why leg day is important and find some easy solutions if you can’t bring yourself to dedicating time to a leg session.