About Me: The power of training

I was never naturally talented at anything sport or fitness-related. In school, I was the person who was always picked last on sports teams. As far as I was concerned, physical activity just wasn't for me. It wasn't until I was 15 years old that I realised that there was a whole other side to the world of strength and fitness than kicking a ball around a field. I began doing bodyweight strength exercises and circuits. As a teenager, I found this immensely therapeutic for all the general anger and frustration that comes with that age. What started as therapy quickly began to fill me with a huge sense of achievement and fulfillment, as I quickly realised that I could achieve quite a lot when by consistently working hard at something.

My passion for sharing this experience with other people was ignited. I developed a fascination with the many types of physical training led me down several different paths, including martial arts, CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, and powerlifting. Though I have only competed in one competition, powerlifting is currently my sport of choice and the basis for most of my training. However I still hold health and enjoyment as relatively high training priorities so I do not necessarily always do strictly powerlifting based training.

So, what qualifies me to train you? I hold a BSc in Health and Performance Science from UCD, I am an MSc Strength and Conditioning student in St. Mary's University, and I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Currently I work as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for St. Andrew's College, where I assist in the physical preparation of the Junior and Senior rugby team, as well as physical training of any students who utilise the school's training facilities. I am also a coach and personal trainer at Pinnacle Movement. Here I use strength and conditioning to improve the health and fitness of regular gym goers, as well as conduct group and individual training sessions with athletes from sports like rugby and hurling.

My overarching philosophy is that training is reflective of life: hard, consistent work, can yield great rewards. And it's a lot easier when you have someone with experience to help guide you through it. My goal is for this page to act as a place of learning for both coaches and athletes.