In 2005, after 13 years of service in the Royal Navy, I found myself at a crossroads. During my time at sea, training wasn’t easy. We didn’t have the luxury of gyms or fancy equipment. Instead, I improvised, lifting chains, pulling ropes, and doing press-ups using ship bollards. This creative and gritty approach to fitness became ingrained in me, shaping how I saw exercise—not as a chore, but as a challenge, an adventure.
Immediately after leaving the Royal Navy, I attended a 12-week residential (intense) PT course, with exercise, nutrition and sports massage, after which, I was inspired, qualified and registered to bring this ethos to the public. Over some time, I launched my first BootCamp service, that was called Bootcamp Military Fitness and ran over several venues throughout the UK. We were out in muddy fields, climbing mountains, and pushing our limits together. It was intense, raw, and fun. People loved it—not just for the physical results, but for the camaraderie, the feeling of achievement, and the shared experience of doing something difficult together.
However, as the years passed, I noticed something changing in the fitness industry. The term “boot camp” started to lose its true meaning of outdoors, gritty and intense. Gyms began using it to market softer, more commercialised circuit training programs. What once stood for grit, resilience, and adventure had been diluted into something comfortable and safe. While there’s nothing wrong with that approach, it wasn’t what I believed in. I approached that problem by changing the name to Bootcamping, but that made no difference, Customers would ask me if I provide mats for sessions, as that's what the 'proper' bootcamps at their gym would do, in fact, that got so bad that people stated that my version of BootCamp (military style, gritty, adventurous etc) was not authentic as the gym uses machines and they give out mats for workouts when they venture out to train in the car park! And with that, I stepped back from the tidal wave of the benign and took a break.
The itch to reclaim the real, raw essence of boot camp training never left me. That’s how Muddy Mental was born.
Muddy Mental: A New Era of Outdoor Fitness.
Muddy Mental is the next evolution of everything I’ve learned over the years. It’s about getting outside, pushing yourself, and embracing the unpredictable elements of nature—rain, mud, wind, whatever. Based in Northern Ireland, we’ve created a fitness experience that goes beyond weight loss or aesthetics. Here, it’s not about how you look, it’s about what you can do. If you've watched SAS Are You Good Enough type shows, then this is nothing like that, but it's the closest you'll get to that without spending thousands of pounds and then being unceremoniously dumped by helicopter in the middle of a spider-infested jungle! At Muddy Mental, you make your own way to the middle of a forest, I don't have a helicopter!
What makes Muddy Mental different? What you gain matters more than what you might lose (i.e., weight loss). At Muddy Mental it's the experience that matters the most, whether it’s climbing a mountain, carrying logs up steep terrain, or working as a team to push through the mud, you’ll walk away from every session feeling like you’ve gained something, that being a huge sense of accomplishment and a huge boost your sense of personal pride and confidence.
Camaraderie builds Confidence.
At Muddy Mental, we’re about creating moments that challenge you and bring out the best in you, often via some colourful language. Our group sessions foster a true sense of camaraderie, where everyone works together to achieve something difficult. We carry kettlebells up mountains, drag logs across rivers, perform exercises under the sea and on the beach, we sweat it out in the unpredictable Northern Irish weather in all terrain. It’s hard, it’s dirty, and it’s incredibly satisfying. Best of all, on your lowest of days, you'll be lifted by your teammates, and on their low days, you will lift them.
Shaws Bridge, Belfast.
Shaws Bridge in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the perfect location for the 'regular' Muddy Mental sessions. Thanks to its varied terrain, scenic views, and natural elements, it provides the ideal backdrop for outdoor fitness that pushes you to your limits. Whether we’re running along the river, crawling through mud, or conquering a steep hill, the environment itself becomes part of the challenge. Of course, Muddy Mental goes beyond Shaws Bridge, we head for the seaside and the mountains, as they offer terrific challenges for our regular events too.
Additional Venues?
Yup, in due course, we aim to launch additional venues in Northern Ireland, the intention is to create a competitive spirit between venues when it comes to muddy mental events and when taking part in obstacle courses etc. As such I'll be looking for seasoned ex-military to work as instructors when that time comes.
Join Muddy Mental.
If you want more than simply another dose of the same, and you're looking for something real, something raw, and something that makes you feel truly alive, then Muddy Mental is for you. You’ll push your limits, embrace the elements, and come out stronger—physically and mentally.
So, are you ready to get Muddy and a little bit Mental?
There is also a personal training option which follows the same ethos as the group Muddy Mental but on a 1:1 basis.
Comments