My Inner Warrior, Awakened

Every day is a new challenge, and whether you choose to face it head on or run away depends on how much steel you have in your mental armoury.

- Thaaqib Daniels

Tyson Brinkley thought he’d lost his fighting spirit after his rugby days were over. But after completely devoting himself to a new, fit and healthy lifestyle, he is now equipped with the confidence and the muscle power to take on life’s obstacles. This is his story.

1 THE PROBLEM

“I’ve been a rugby player all my life; my training was largely power-based, and related to rugby and performance on the field. However, after hanging up my boots I gained some weight. Because I wasn’t used to being fit outside of rugby. I decided I needed to shift my training focus slightly, to balance it out.“

THE LESSON Tyson realised he needed to drop a few kilos, but also increase the cardio and still maintain strength, which is needed in events such as Warrior races – his new-found passion.

2 THE CHANGE

“I decided to change gyms, and try something new. I was getting bored with the same old isolation and rugby based exercises. So I decided to join Fit strong (owned by Trevor Lagerwey). Fit strong is a functional training gym, focusing on improving your functionality, flexibility and well-being through key body movements and obstacle-course type training. After doing a few classes and finding myself gasping for air and sweating like never before, I decided this was home.”