Biography
My career started ten years ago with a degree in Sports Science, leading to my involvement in professional sport. I started out devising fitness programs with a biomechanical foundation for football and then working as a fitness and conditioning coach at Brentford FC. I also co-founded the health and fitness company, Motive8.
As a coach working with elite athletes across a variety of disciplines and sports, I use an innovative approach to fitness which provides both efficient and realistic solutions to improve performance, but without an individual having to drastically change their everyday lifestyle.
In equestrianism for example, a top rider probably spends up to eight hours a day in the saddle, and would rarely have time for traditional activities such as driving to a gym or running for an hour. Combining this approach with human physiology, I’ve designed specific exercises for riders that help them improve their technique, strength and overall performance as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation – all within the confines of their hectic daily lives.
Working with the British Equestrian Federation as we move towards the 2008 Olympics, I regularly coach the Team GB riders including William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Daisy Dick, Laura Bechtolsheimer, Pippa Funnell, Tina Cook, Sharon Hunt, Carl Hester and Polly Stockton. Being physically prepared is also just as important for riders in any discipline and my work specifically targets the key physical requirements for horse riding in general, focusing on balance, coordination and reaction in response to the horse’s movements.
At the British Racing School in Newmarket, I work with jockeys including Paddy Brennan, Mark Bradburne, Seamus Durack and William Kennedy, again to develop individual support programmes but within the constraints of their strict diet regimes. I also helped three times champion jockey Richard Dunwoody to prepare for his record-breaking South Pole expedition, which involved weight gain, rather than the usual weight loss!
And I work with footballers, rugby players, golfers, motor racing drivers, RAF pilots, sailors and the odd businessperson who put similar pressures on the body to elite athletes!