Like most lads in the trade, I spent years grafting hard and looking after myself last. Long days on site, grabbing whatever food was easiest, collapsing on the sofa every evening. I told myself I was tired because the job was hard. Turns out, the job was making me tired because I wasn't looking after myself.

By the time I hit 17 stone, my back was a constant problem, my energy was through the floor, and I knew if I didn't make a change I'd be forcing myself off the tools before I was ready. That was the turning point.

I didn't join a fancy gym with a personal trainer. I started educating myself — learning what the body actually needs when you're already doing physical work all day. Generic fitness advice doesn't account for tradesmen. Everything out there is written for someone sitting at a desk. I had to figure out what worked for us.

What I found is that it's not about smashing yourself in the gym on top of a long shift. It's about training smarter — building the specific strength and resilience your trade demands, recovering properly, and fuelling yourself like the physical worker you are.

Construction Athlete is the programme I wish had existed when I started. Everything I learned the hard way — packaged into a system built specifically for tradesmen. Not gym bros. Not office workers. Us.