Brandon Thibodeau

Brandon’s own personal fitness journey began when he was just 14 years old- he had a
congenital chest deformity called Pectus Excavatum where the sternum does not attach to the ligaments in the rib cage properly which made him very self-conscious and only exacerbated his being underweight. It was through exercise that Brandon worked through this and improved his appearance and his confidence, as well as improved his athletic degree during his high school years and even made NH Division III 2nd team all-state soccer team.

These experiences made him want to share the satisfaction he derived from the process with other people with similar struggles. It was this motivation that drove him towards a career focused on exercise so in 2016, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Health Science from Franklin Pierce University- covering general biology and chemistry courses as well as exercise physiology, kinesiology, anatomy, physiology, and human nutrition. While there, he also spent two semesters interning for strength and conditioning coaches and acted as a teacher’s assistant for an upper level strength and conditioning course.

The more he learned, the more he wanted to share his knowledge with other people to help guide them to their own fitness success story and keep people moving as long as possible- and he is very excited at the prospect of being able to do so at UVAC.

“We cannot change something until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it only oppresses.” – Carl Jun

• Favorite Exercise: Clean and Jerk, Barbell Back Squat, Barbell Deadlift and all of their many variations
• I like working with people who are looking to improve themselves in any way through physical activity. My passion is using my skills and knowledge of exercise to help others become more confident, pain-free, and as content with themselves as possible- for absolutely anyone.
• While I enjoy working with all sorts of people, I have over 200 hours of working with division 2 athletes as an intern for strength and conditioning coaches so I find working with current or aspiring athletes especially fun!
• I believe fitness is a core pillar of a healthy life for absolutely everyone, and it should be based around scientific evidence for safe and effective training, but it should always be tailored to each individual and that includes making it fun!
• I also believe the best kind of medicine is the kind that keeps people from getting hurt or sick in the first place, and exercise is certainly that kind of medicine!
• In my spare time, I like working out in all sorts of ways (the olympic lifts are my favorite), playing soccer, hiking, kayaking, swimming, and skiing.
• I will be teaching Kettlebell Strength
• Favorite Quote: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston
  Churchill