The Angry Vegan
PERSONAL TRAINING
Meet Liam & Fran – Strength Coaches Who Actually Know What Works
Liam and Fran O’Brien run The Angry Vegan Personal Training, based at their fully private strength training gym, Yorkshire Kettlebell Club, in Huddersfield.
They specialise in helping men and women over 35 build lasting strength and improve fitness, health, and confidence - with tailored support for women going through perimenopause and menopause. Liam focuses on old-school, results-driven strength training that builds muscle, resilience, and performance. Fran brings two decades of women’s health expertise to deliver safe, effective strength programmes for women at every stage of life.
Every client trains in a supportive, private environment with a clear plan and expert coaching ensuring progress that’s consistent, measurable, and built to last.
Liam O’Brien - Strength Coach & Kettlebell Specialist in Huddersfield
Early Life and Career Before Coaching
I wasn’t born into strength training – I took the long way round.
I grew up in Wimbledon, South London, and left school at 16. My early working life was spent in the clubs of Leicester Square, starting as a glass collector at The Hippodrome with the legendary Head Doorman Lenny McLean. That led to three years in Santa Ponsa, Majorca – summer nights in the clubs, winter days on almond farms, discovering you have to knock almonds out of trees with a stick before you can eat them.
Back in the UK in the early ’90s, I spent 27 years working the doors in London, Leeds, and Manchester. It was an industry full of characters, but it taught me resilience, discipline, and how to handle myself – qualities that shaped the way I coach today. I hung up my radio in 2019, having seen nightlife at its best, worst, and everything in between.
Discovering Kettlebells and Girevoy Sport
In 2006, I qualified as a Personal Trainer with the European Institute of Fitness and began my first coaching role at Fitness First in Pontefract. A year later, I picked up my first kettlebell and never looked back.
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Qualified as an Extreme Kettlebell Instructor
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Founded Pontefract Kettlebells, which soon became Yorkshire Kettlebells
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Entered Girevoy Sport in 2010, training under Steve Cotter and qualifying as an IKFF Instructor in Athens in 2012
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Founded the Yorkshire Kettlebell Team, competing across Europe and growing into one of the UK’s largest and most successful kettlebell teams
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Trained with and coached by world-class lifters including Eddie Sheehan, Gregor and Tajda Sobocan, and Absolute World Champion Ivan Denisov (once made the mistake of trying to match him shot-for-shot on vodka in Ljubljana – never again, those Russians really can drink)
Endurance Events and Strength Sports
Between kettlebell competitions, I took on endurance challenges including:
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Limassol Marathon (twice)
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Majorca Marathon
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Sahara Desert Marathon in Algeria – part of the Run The Sahara humanitarian campaign, staying in a Sahawari refugee camp before the race
I also made a brief, unsuccessful attempt at triathlon, proving that swimming and cycling were not my strong suits.
By 2014, I moved fully into strongman and powerlifting alongside kettlebell training. Highlights include:
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My first competition at Hulks in Rotherham
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Competing at Bodypower Strongman at the NEC Birmingham in 2014, coached on the day by Mark Felix
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Competing throughout Yorkshire at Novice, Under 90kg and Under 105
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Building lasting connections and friendships in the strength community, including UK’s Strongest Man Paul Smith and World’s Strongest Woman Shannon Smith, who have since hosted workshops at my gym
The Angry Vegan Personal Training
I went vegetarian in 2016 and vegan in 2019. That same year, I launched The Angry Vegan Personal Training later joined by my wife Fran, a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Strength Coach.
We opened the new Yorkshire Kettlebell Club in Huddersfield in 2020, just before the pandemic. Despite the timing, we rebuilt and grew stronger, with many clients still training with us today.
Now, I specialise in old-school, traditional strength training for men over 35 who want lasting results. No fads, no gimmicks – just proper coaching, a full private gym, and the experience to get you stronger, fitter, and more confident for life.
💌 Email: liam@theangryvegan.fitness
Fran O’Brien – Women’s Strength Coach & Menopause Specialist
Early Life and Career Before Coaching
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 allergies ended that plan, so I trained as a nurse instead, specialising in gynaecology before moving into family planning and eventually sexual health. I spent 20 years in the NHS, helping women navigate everything from contraception to menopause.
The Wake-Up Call and Getting Fit
Like many women, my weight crept up over the years. Shift work, convenience food, and long hours meant I was slowly gaining weight without realising. One day, I stepped on the scales at work, saw my heaviest weight, and decided enough was enough.
I started with Zumba, then joined an outdoor bootcamp:
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Structured, challenging training in all weathers
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Built accountability and resilience
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Led onto running, completing Couch to 5K and hitting a sub-30-minute Parkrun
I then moved on to obstacle course racing, including:
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Major Series
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Total Warrior (including getting stuck in the mud and needing three people to haul me out!)
Discovering Strength Training
When COVID hit, I joined Liam’s indoor strength sessions. It completely changed how I saw fitness:
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Chasing heavier lifts instead of smaller numbers on the scales
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Focusing on what my body could do, not how it looked
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Building strength, confidence, and resilience
In 2023, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, a common issue for women in menopause. Strength training helped slow its progression and protect my bone density, heart health, and mental wellbeing.
Coaching Women Through Menopause
After qualifying as a personal trainer, I began coaching women in strength training, specialising in:
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Menopausal and post-menopausal women
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Women new to lifting
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Building confidence and competence in the gym
I know first-hand how intimidating gyms can feel, how frustrating it is when your body changes without your consent, and how hard it can be to find advice that actually works. My coaching is clear, supportive, and results-focused.
Lifting, Life, and Living Vegan
I wasn’t always vegan – but I never really enjoyed meat, and after meeting Liam, the transition felt natural. I felt better, and it became part of my lifestyle.
Today, I run group strength sessions, coach one-to-one clients, and spend my time proving that lifting heavy weights won’t make women “look like a man” – but it will make them stronger, more confident, and more capable in everyday life.
💌 Email: fran@theangryvegan.fitness
Ready to start your own strength journey?
Book your free first session at our private Huddersfield gym and see how we can help you build strength for life.
More about us:
At The Angry Vegan Personal Training in Huddersfield, coaches Liam and Fran O’Brien work with men and women over 35 to build lasting strength, improve health, and regain confidence. Liam is a Master Trainer with nearly two decades of experience in kettlebell sport, strongman, powerlifting, and traditional barbell training. He specialises in helping men over 35 get stronger, fitter, and more capable in everyday life.
Fran is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years in the NHS and a qualified strength coach. She focuses on strength training for older and menopausal women, helping them protect bone health, improve muscle tone, and feel in control of their bodies again.
Training takes place in a fully private gym, with expert coaching, structured programming, and a supportive atmosphere that’s free from the noise and queues of commercial gyms. Whether your goal is to lift heavier, move better, or simply feel stronger day to day, Liam and Fran provide the knowledge, experience, and environment to get you there.