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When Andy O’Brien was nine years old he was mesmerized by the training montage in the movie Rocky 4, where Rocky Balboa defeats the Russian.
He was so inspired by that movie (he watched it more than 100 times) he developed a keen interest in exercise and conditioning, a passion that would lead the now 31-year-old Charlottetown man to become a personal trainer.
For the past eight years, he’s worked with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, helping the Cole Harbour, N.S., native become one of the top athletes in the National Hockey League. They spend about six or seven weeks together each summer.
O’Brien, the son of Mike and Patricia O’Brien of Charlottetown, has worked with more than 100 NHL players in a variety of organizations.
He was the strength and conditioning coach with the Florida Panthers from 2005-09, working with players like Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Ed Belfour, Roberto Luongo and Jay Boumeester.
“I had an older brother, Rob, who played football at St. F.X. (university), and he showed me how to work out when I was about 14. I have been a gym rat ever since,’’ Andy O’Brien said.
When he was 19, O’Brien started training AHL players — P.E.I. natives David Ling and Jason MacDonald — were his first two clients.
“I can remember staying up until 3 or 4 a.m. reading online and learning about what other trainers were doing. I would write to physiotherapists and chiropractors and trainers from different areas, sharing ideas and refining my own philosophies so that I could give my clients the best results possible.’’
This past May, O’Brien moved to Calgary to take on a five-year assignment as director of high performance training for the Edge School, a training facility for 300 students, providing those students with the resources they need as well as attracting top-level amateurs and Olympic athletes.
Brent Devos, founder, president and CEO of Edge School, raves about hiring O’Brien.
“This is a significant coup for us,’’ Devos said.
“We’re setting a high standard by bringing Andy to Edge School and the greater Calgary area. Andy is the complete package as a trainer and mentor. Having a guy who will attract this much attention — who will attract this many professional athletes, high-quality amateur athletes and young student-athletes — is a tremendous opportunity for us.’’
O’Brien is currently working with Hayley Wickenheiser, captain of the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team, and swimmer Dara Torres, a five-time U.S. Olympian with 12 Olympic medals to her name. He helped Torres make a comeback at the age of 41 (she captured three medals at the Beijing Olympics last year).
Of all the athletes he’s worked with, O’Brien says Crosby stands out. He describes the Stanley Cup champion captain as fiercely competitive, never satisfied with second place and focused.
“He is a winner in every sense of the word, always trying to get better and accomplish greater things. He has incredible visual acuity and peripheral vision. He can identify small objects far off in the distance that most people couldn’t see. Every time we are walking somewhere he notices the strangest things, like a safety pin lying in the grass about 50 feet away. He’s like a bird sometimes, it’s crazy.’’
“My philosophy with athletes is on developing functional movement efficiency. I usually start with really basic, corrective exercises to improve posture and muscle imbalances. I then gradually progress to highly dynamic movements emphasizing global stability and mobility. I’m not a big fan of heavy weightlifting or isolated muscle building. I like exercises that stimulate the central nervous system.’’
O’Brien has two distinct roles at Edge School. He’s responsible for general athletic development and sport specific training for all students.
“My role is to build a business which caters to elite athletes, both locally and worldwide.’’
The Rocky movie may have inspired him at a young age, but the Charlottetown trainer now finds inspiration just by going to work. Edge School just opened a state-of-the-art, 9,200-square-foot Fitness Training Centre, part of the school’s recently opened $37-million campus and Jim Davidson Sports Complex, which features two NHL-size ice sheets, two gyms, an indoor gold training area, a pair of dance studios, a sports medicine area and outdoor soccer, field lacrosse and rugby facilities.
O’Brien says he’s got a lot to be thankful for.
“I still enjoy every minute of it and I never lost that thirst for knowledge and the desire to keep learning every day.’’
Andy O’Brien
* Youngest son of Patricia and Mike O’Brien of Charlottetown. He grew up in Sherwood and attended local schools before pursuing a degree in kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario.
* He developed a passion for training after watching the movie Rocky 4. “I watched it over 100 times, admiring the technology the Russian had to train with and the passion and determination Rocky displayed. From that time on I always had a keen interest in learning about exercise and conditioning as it related to athletic performance.’’
* Started training AHL athletes when he was 19. His first two clients were David Ling and Jason MacDonald.
* Served as the strength and conditioning coach with the Florida Panthers from 2005-09, working with the likes of Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Ed Belfour, Roberto Luongo and Jay Boumeester.
* Works with Hayley Wickenheiser, captain of the Canadian women’s Oympic hockey team.
* Helped swimmer Dara Torres make a comeback at 41 and has worked with her for the past three years. Torres won three medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
* Has served as strength and conditioning coach for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for the past nine years.
* Was named strength and conditioning coach at Edge School in Calgary this past May.
