Get to know Brennan below:
“I struggled with my weight for a long time. I was in reasonable shape while in high school as I attended PE classes but I was no longer physically active after graduating. Shortly after graduating, I took some general education at Vancouver Island University. Eventually, I shifted my focus toward computer science. While studying, I never worked out and had a very bad eating habit. I carried on a sedentary lifestyle for many years while attending university, gradually getting heavier and heavier. I didn’t like my self-image & I didn’t feel good about myself. Eventually, I decided to try out CrossFit. When I first started, I walked in as a fat guy weighing 220 lbs who could barely complete one pull-up. I struggled to push up and could not lunge without crazy pain in my legs. Slowly but surely, I kept attending CrossFit classes, doing what I could and working on my mobility.
I struggled to run as I would usually get cramps and shin splints within the first few minutes of a trail run. So I started booking physiotherapy appointments, trying to resolve the issue so I could begin to start running again. After about a year of CrossFit training, I developed plenty of functional strength & managed to reach 190 lbs, but I still continued to eat fast food regularly as I was still pretty addicted to it. In 2017, I decided I would take a little bit of time off CrossFit. A couple of weeks later I stood on the scale once again and was shocked to find out that I ballooned up to 235 lbs. I felt frustrated from gaining all the weight back and then some.
In early 2018, I decided that I was no longer going to be overweight, that I was radically going to transform myself and my body no matter how hard or painful it was. I started a Keto diet and started to lose weight again. While I was on my weight loss journey, I decided then that I was going to dedicate the rest of my life to pushing through discomfort. I decided that I was going to start training in martial arts & learn how to fight. I started training at Cascadia martial arts which was a local cardio kickboxing gym not too far from where I lived.
After a couple of months of kickboxing training and a better understanding of nutrition, I lost about 80 lbs and felt like a completely new person. I ended up later moving to Vancouver in April of 2019 to study at BCIT. While attending tech school, I began training religiously in Muay Thai & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After School was finished, I landed a job at Industrial Light & Magic and began to double down on my martial arts training as well as earning a Personal Training certification from CanfitPro. Over the last few months, I started attending a wrestling club as well, not too far from my home, and I found it to be much more physically and mentally demanding than Muay Thai sparring or Jiu Jitsu. To this day I am still in love with martial arts and will continue to train throughout my life.
My goal is to become a professional fighter and have at least one professional MMA fight in my life so that I can reflect on where I started and how far I have come. I want to continue training and ultimately find out who I really am on the inside and I would like to share my love and passion for martial arts & fitness with others so I can help transform their lives as well.”
Certifications:
- Canfitpro Personal Training Certification
- CPR/AED Training – OFA2
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt
- 3 Years of Muay Thai & Boxing experience
Brennan is also a Coach for our Family Fitness Program.
