The Angry Vegan
Vegan Personal Trainer and Strength Coach
Lifting, Coaching & Laughing – Meet Liam & Fran
Liam O’Brien – Strength Coach & Kettlebell Specialist
I wasn’t born into strength training - I took the long way round.
I grew up in Wimbledon, South London, where I quickly figured out school wasn’t my thing. I left Rutlish High School at 16 and swapped textbooks for the bright lights of Leicester Square, London, working in the clubs, originally as a glass collector, too young for the doors myself.
At The Hippodrome, I worked under the legendary Lenny McLean, back when he was head doorman, before heading to Santa Ponsa, Majorca. That turned into three years of summer nights working in the clubs and winter days working the almond farms, where I learned that almonds don’t just appear in bags at Tesco -you have to beat them out of trees with a stick first. Who knew?
I returned to the UK in the early ‘90s and spent the next 27 years working the doors, mainly in London, Leeds, and Manchester. It was an industry full of ‘characters’, to say the least, but it taught me a lot about resilience, discipline, and how to handle myself - lessons that carried over into my life as a coach.
I eventually hung up my radio in 2019, having seen the nightlife industry at its best, worst, and everything in between.
Discovering Kettlebells & The Road to Girevoy Sport
In 2006, I trained as a Personal Trainer with the European Institute of Fitness, starting my first coaching role at Fitness First in Pontefract. A year later, I picked up my first kettlebell - and that was that.
I qualified as an Extreme Kettlebell Instructor and started Pontefract Kettlebells, which soon evolved into Yorkshire Kettlebells. In 2010, I dipped a toe into Girevoy Sport - turned out, I was diving in headfirst.
I trained under Steve Cotter, qualifying as an IKFF Instructor in Athens in 2012. That same year, I launched the Yorkshire Kettlebell Team, training out of Yorkshire Kettlebell Club in Rotherham.
At first, we were a handful of lifters competing at the Scottish Open in Glasgow, but by 2013, we were one of the biggest and most successful kettlebell teams in the UK, travelling across Europe to compete.
Those years were a blur of flights, competitions, and training with some of the best in the world. Every Saturday, it was first flight to Dublin, hire a car, drive to Kilkenny, train with Eddie Sheehan all day, last flight home. No days off, no excuses. I also regularly travelled to Slovenia to train with Gregor and Tajda Sobocan and, of course, Ivan Denisov, the Absolute World Champion and one of the strongest men on the planet.
Training with them was an honour, but one of the more questionable decisions of my career was trying to match Denisov, shot for shot, on vodka. A bad idea in every possible way. It ended exactly as you’d expect - a 78kg Englishman thinking he could drink like a 95kg Russian World Champion.
I had the privilege of coaching some outstanding athletes, but by 2014, many of the original members had moved away or gone on to compete individually for the national team, and I started shifting my focus.
Alongside all of this, I also took up running marathons, because clearly, I thought my body wasn’t suffering enough. Amongst many others I ran the Limassol Marathon (twice), Majorca Marathon, and the Sahara Desert Marathon in Algeria - a brutal race across the desert, staying in the Sahawari refugee camp for a week before the event as part of the Run The Sahara humanitarian campaign.
And because I never learn, I also briefly attempted triathlon - a career that was both short-lived and spectacularly unsuccessful due to my inability to swim properly or ride a bike like a functioning adult.
Strongman, Powerlifting & Strength Training
By 2014, I was moving away from kettlebell competition and concentrating on strength sports. I entered my first Strongman competition, and was now training in powerlifting, strongman, and kettlebells to build real-world strength. One of my best competitions was at Bodypower Strongman at the NEC Birmingham, in 2014, a huge event where I was coached on the day by none other than Mark Felix himself.
Over the years, I made many friends in the strongman world, particularly Paul & Shannon Smith, both of whom have since hosted strength workshops at my gym and have been instrumental in helping my coaching develop.
The Angry Vegan, Strength Coaching & Life Now
By 2016, I was vegetarian, and by 2019, fully vegan. That same year, I launched The Angry Vegan Personal Training with my wife, Fran, a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner & Strength Coach.
We opened the new Yorkshire Kettlebell Club in Huddersfield in 2020, weeks before the pandemic shut us down for two years. Timing, as always, impeccable. But we survived, rebuilt, and have gone from strength to strength. Many of our pre-COVID clients are still with us today, and we’ve built a strong community of lifters who train hard, support each other, and take strength training seriously, whether in-person or online.
Our coaching is no-nonsense, effective, and built to last. Whether you train with me in Huddersfield or online, you’ll get real training, real results, and a coach who’s been there, done that, and probably got the competition t-shirt.
Fran O’Brien – Women’s Strength Coach & Menopause Specialist
I didn’t take the usual route into fitness - in fact, for a long time, I didn’t think I’d end up here at all.
I was always active at school, playing hockey and competing in athletics (hurdles were my thing!), but I never saw myself in the fitness industry.
Originally, I wanted to be a veterinary nurse, but a rather inconvenient set of allergies put a stop to that, so I turned my focus to nursing humans instead.
After college, I started working in a residential home for the elderly, which led me to train as a nurse, specialising in gynaecology before moving into family planning. The appeal? More sociable hours, and a natural progression from my work in women’s health. Eventually, my role expanded into sexual health, and I spent the next 20 years working in the NHS, helping women navigate everything from contraception to menopause.
The Wake-Up Call & Getting Fit
Like a lot of women, my weight crept up on me. Shift work, convenience food, and a diet full of ‘quick’ meals meant I was slowly gaining weight without really noticing. Then, one day, I stepped on the scales at work, saw my heaviest weight, and thought, enough is enough.
I started with Zumba, then a friend convinced me to try an outdoor bootcamp. It was brutal, the weather was usually awful, and I loved it. Bootcamps gave me structure, accountability, and that brilliant feeling of pushing past what I thought I was capable of. I even took up running, using Couch to 5K to get my fitness up and (just about) breaking the 30-minute mark at Parkrun.
Obstacle course racing came next, because clearly, I like a challenge. I took on the Major Series and Total Warrior, and while I have fond memories, I also have flashbacks of getting completely stuck in the mud and needing three people to haul me out. Some of the water obstacles were a struggle too, but that sense of achievement, that team spirit.. it was addictive!
Then came strength training.
Discovering Strength & Becoming a Coach
Like a lot of women, I thought fitness had to mean running, circuits, and endless cardio. Then COVID hit, and I found myself training indoors with Liam’s strength sessions. It was a game-changer.
Strength training felt different. Instead of chasing a smaller number on the scales, I was chasing heavier weights. Instead of focusing on what my body looked like, I was focusing on what it could do.
Now, strength training is my priority. In 2023, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, which means I have lower bone density - a common issue for women as they hit menopause. But I can’t help but wonder how much worse it could have been if I hadn’t been strength training. Lifting weights doesn’t just make you stronger, it protects your bones, your heart, and your mental health as you age.
After qualifying as a personal trainer, I now coach women in strength training, with a particular focus on helping those going through menopause. I know first-hand how intimidating gyms can feel, how hard it is to figure out what actually works, and how frustrating it is to feel like your body is changing without your permission. But I also know that strength training is one of the best tools we have—not just for fitness, but for confidence, energy, and resilience.
Lifting, Life & Living Vegan
I wasn’t always vegan. I ate meat, but never really enjoyed it, and would often choose the veggie option when eating out. Then I met Liam, and transitioning to a fully vegan lifestyle just felt easy, it suited me, and I felt better for it. Now, it’s just part of who I am.
These days, I run group strength sessions, work with women to help them train through menopause, and spend my time proving that lifting heavy weights absolutely will not make you ‘look like a man’ (if only it were that easy!).
I want more women to feel confident stepping into the gym, picking up a barbell, and taking control of their own health. Strength training isn’t just about lifting weights, it’s about building a stronger, healthier future. And if that sounds like something you’re ready to do, I’d love to help.