Former Wales strength and conditioning coach Paul Stridgeon is heading into his 25th season in professional rugby, and he now looks worlds away from how he did while working under the likes of Warren Gatland and Wayne Pivac.
An integral part of the Welsh backroom team for eight years, Stridgeon helped the national team to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019 before leaving the set-up four years later, while he also worked under Gatland on three British & Irish Lions tours. The 45-year-old has also held roles with England, Wasps, Toulon and, most recently, Racing 92.
Health struggles and transformation
But while he is one of the highly-respected strength and conditioning coaches in world rugby, Stridgeon - known as Bobby - has faced struggles with his own health, with his weight reaching 95kg (15st) ahead of travelling to the Rugby World Cup with Wales. At the time, he also required blood pressure medication - but seven years on, he looks the picture of health after undergoing a remarkable body transformation.
Today, Stridgeon - who is also a former Commonwealth Games freestyle wrestler - is around 30kg (4st 10lbs) lighter than he was back in 2019, having committed to losing weight to "give himself the best chance to live a long, happy life full of adventures".
Wife shares journey
His wife Hanlie - who is an elite sport physiotherapist - shared the strength and conditioning guru's incredible transformation earlier this year, explaining that he had "lost his why" after stopping wrestling.
"Bobby was a freestyle wrestler competing at 60kg at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 for England," she wrote on Instagram. "Once he stopped competing, he basically stopped training altogether and didn’t really care what he ate… he lost his why.
"This obviously had a really bad effect on his health. He weighed 95kg at his heaviest just before the Rugby World Cup in 2019, and ended up needing blood pressure medication in 2023. In 2023 he made some changes but we weren’t consistent."
Hanlie added: "For the last 6 months we have been really consistent with exercise and healthy eating. This morning, he woke up early (unplanned) and did a half marathon just cause he felt like it."
The cardiologist has taken him off the blood pressure meds. And he’s never felt better He’s changed his life. Not just because he wanted to lose weight, but because he wanted to give himself the best chance to live a long, happy life full of adventures.
"He doesn’t feel tired, and stressed any more. He wakes up fresh every day. He could not be a more unlikely person to love going to the gym and eating veg… if you know him you know this! But here he is."
25th season celebrated
Now, Stridgeon is heading into his 25th season in professional rugby, with his wife once again celebrating his achievement on social media. Sharing a photo of him on Instagram, Hanlie wrote: "25th season in professional rugby... 25!!! No point writing a long caption about this because nothing will do it justice. IYKYK. I see you and appreciate you, always."
Among those to pay tribute to Stridgeon for his latest achievement was Leigh Halfpenny's wife Jess, while Wales international Josh Adams wrote: "Legend Bobby the goat [Greatest of All Time]."
