Neil to muscle in

Neil Browne, a chef with the Defence Forces in Collins Barracks in Cork is stepping out of the kitchen and onto the stage this Saturday to represent Ireland in the 29th NABBA World Body Building Championships at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin.

The bodybuilder who lives in Rathcormac is no stranger to titles having been awarded Mr Ireland five years in a row and he also placed very high in the finals of Mr Universe. Neil has been putting in the heavy training and weights over the last three to four years in preparation for this prestigious event and is confident about his chances.

"I'm pretty confident about Saturday and I've been knocking on the door for a while and If I didn't believe I'd been in with a shot I would have given it up long ago. This is my passion in life and I hope to do my country proud and Cork proud at this event, " said Neil.

"I train nearly every day, even at times twice a day where I do my cardio in the morning and heavy weight workout in the evening time."

As a chef it can seem hard to diet especially when he is surrounded by food all day but Neil is adamant that his diet is strictly adhered to.

"I am watching my food all the time and it's all about getting your body fat down to two or three per cent. I have been dieting very strictly now for well over the 16 week mark now. My diet is the hardest part of the prep for me and I am on very high protein low carbohydrate diet. I drink over six to eight litres of water a day and most of my six meals will be lean meat, fish and lots of green vegetables." Luckily for Neil, his partner Laura is a fitness instructor so both have similar diets.

Neil regularly trains at Dennehy's Health and Fitness in Ballincollig and has praise for the team there who have guided him in training and are open 24 hours which helps his flexible routine. He's also keen to publicise the sport in Cork and attract more press for it. 

"My body weight is now at 99 kilos mark standing over 177 cm height so I will be in Class 2 in this year's World Championship. Bodybuilding is one of the hardest sports in the world as there is so much discipline and dedication involved and it can be hard to find time for anything else like socialising with friends."

"I've had great support from my fiancé, Laura, my family and friends, the crew at Dennehy's Health and Fitness and especially from the Irish Army where I've been serving them now for over 17 years and they have been great support to me."

As the only Cork member on the team let's hope he can muscle in on this year's World Title.