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Army chef Neil Browne, centre, being presented with a framed photo montage showing him in bodybuilding competitions to mark his entry into the NABBA’s Hall of Fame recently. Making the presentation outside Collins army barracks in Cork is Paul Cullen, left and General O’Neill.

It might be the season to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of us, but Rathcormac resident, Neil Browne, has to remain disciplined in his strict diet and training regimen as he lays the groundwork for his participation in the world bodybuilding championships in June next year.

Neil was recently awarded a place in the bodybuilding Hall of Fame, in recognition of his many years of competing at every level. He is also  a judge for the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association.

Neil's interest in bodybuilding began when he was in his late teens. He found it to his liking, and, in 1998, took it up as a sport. He competed in his first national championship show in 2000, coming in first. The win solidified his interest in the sport and he committed himself to the rigorous training it requires. He'd just joined the army at the time and thought that, as a new recruit, he'd benefit from being bigger, stronger and fitter.

The next five years saw Neil compete repeatedly at senior national level. He decided then it was time to take it a step further. He placed 7th in his first international NABBA world championships in 2004. He followed that by winning first place in his height class in the NABBA Mr Ireland Universe Qualifier the following year and went on to compete in the world championships held in Dublin in 2006, being placed 4th in his height class. 2008 saw him take a bronze medal for third place.

He was a runner up in NABBA's world bodybuilding championships when they came to Dublin in 2012.

Neil trains every day and sometimes twice a day, doing cardio in the morning and a heavy weight workout in the evening. It's the diet he has to stick to that he finds hardest.

"I'm on a very high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Most of my six meals a day are lean meat, fish and lots of green veg. I drink six to eight litres of water a day."

He explains that this will drop his body fat so he can reach his contest weight for the day of the show.

It must be especially hard for someone that is a chef, dishing up foods he can't have on a daily basis to his army colleagues at Collins Barracks in Cork. Bodybuilding is one of the hardest sports in the world, Neil believes.

"Years of dieting is not easy on the body. There's so much discipline and dedication involved. At times it can be hard to find time for anything else, such as friends and socialising."

Luckily for Neil, he has a most understanding fiancée in Laura, whom the Cork native lives with in Rathcormac. He says Laura, his family and friends, people in Rathcormac and his army buddies have been hugely supportive. He trains daily at Midleton Fitness Gym, drawn to it, he says, by their state-of-the-art equipment.

Neil will compete in the Over 40s category of the world championships in June. His bodyweight is 99 kilos at present. While he'll be able to tuck into the turkey over Christmas, he'll have to pass on the Christmas pudding and cream, the mince pies, chocolates and all the other festive goodies the rest of us take for granted.

Now that really is dedication!

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