Howard Bishop
Fitness Coach - Doncaster
Biography
- BSc Sport & Exercise
- Level 3 Personal Trainer Qualified
- L4 Fitness Educator
- L3 Strength & Conditioning
- L2 Rugby Union coach
I was interested in training people from a young age; inspired by my grandfather who was an Olympian at the 1948 London Olympic Games.
He also had a passion for training people, having taught physical education to Borstal boys in the West Riding of Yorkshire; helping them to get on the straight and narrow with physical activity and through the discipline, drive, self-worth and determination training brings.
My grandfather’s tutelage and influence continued into my rugby career. I have played rugby for Doncaster since I was 6 years old and have always wanted to give back to the club by volunteering as a rugby coach to children, which has spanned over 13 years to date.
What type of training do you love?
My favourite type of training is hypertrophy; I love the feeling of your muscles burning after a session.
I particularly enjoy rugby specific movements such as the sled push and Olympic lifting.
I also find it much easier to push myself in a competitive arena as most people do, which is where I strive to get the best from my clients.
I love to try new sports that will challenge me in ways that I didn’t know was possible – an example of this would be completing a 24 hour cycling challenge for charity.
I currently play rugby union & league, in which I have had many successful achievements; playing in 6 Yorkshire cup finals and winning 3. In 2007 I travelled to South America with Doncaster, where we visited Chile, Argentina, Brazil & Uruguay and won 3 out of 4 games.
After university I travelled to play semi-pro in New York City, where I came runner up in their national championship of over 250 teams, and being narrowly defeated after extra time in the final.
I also went on to sign a semi-professional contract with New York Blues in USA, but after a few seasons I was forced to return to recover from an injury and decided to focus on my fitness career.
I am a self confessed food lover! With my Mum being a chef, I have grown up around good food and enjoy tasting and testing different types of cuisine from all over the world. My guilty pleasure is playing video games or my guitar, it is my way of blocking out the outside world.
I also coach junior and men’s social rugby and have done since I was 15 years old. Since 2014 I have successfully coached a junior age group and it is a pleasure to watch them grow in a sport I love. In 2012/13 I took Doncaster ladies rugby team to win the league undefeated.
A few facts about me
- Ran family business for over 4 years before running Accelerate.
- Play guitar and my favourite song is Wish You were Here by Pink Floyd.
- Dog lover and after a recent sad event decided to wait a few years to get another.
- Love all sports but particularly American sports including NBA Basketball and NFL football and would one day like to live in the States.
- I am a family orientated guy and love spending holidays away and days out with them, and in particular with my nephews.
