What were you fighting for? What was your ‘why’?

"Honestly I just did it for fun. I did a few months of bjj in Legacy Sydney where they ran Warrior Training in the mornings before my usual classes. I found out through the coaches there that it was also ran in Dublin so I looked it up when I got home."

What did you get out of the program physically?

"I was fairly fit before starting the program, but by the end I was in the best shape of my life by a long margin."

What were some of the mental and emotional outcomes you experienced?

"I don't think there could be anything better for building or increasing confidence in day to day situations. I noticed I'm a lot more calm in high pressure situations now too. Being comfortable with someone standing in front of you who wants to take your head off takes a bit of time to get used to, but it puts a lot of life's stresses into perspective. MMA in general is an incredible mindfulness exercise. You don't have time to worry about anything else while drilling techniques or sparring, just focusing on your body positioning and what's in front of you. "

What did you learn about yourself?

"There's always a little gas left in the tank. Also confirmed that I'm definitely not a morning person... but I've managed to maintain regular morning training sessions because I know it sets me up for the day so well. Although it hasn't gotten any easier getting out of bed so early almost 2 years later."

Did Warrior Training lead to any long term changes in your life, and if so what were they?

"I've always been a very active person, but I also always found it pretty easy to find excuses to not get up early, or just not get up off the sofa. The consistency of Warrior Training being 5 days a week and the group pressure to make it each day has had the lasting benefit of sticking to routine, rain, hail, or shine. Still good mates over a year later with a lot of the group too."

What would you say to someone thinking about starting the Warrior Training Program?

"Yeah go for it. It's not just for people who need some life changing experience, it's also just good fun. The physical and mental benefits were honestly just a convenient side effect of something I enjoyed doing."