A great pleasure to speak with BRANDON BONINE from Houston, TX.

Brandon is a stand-out spartan racer, stadion racer, and currently an elite hybrid athlete racing in Deka and Hyrox.

• Location and age. What do you do? (occupation/business etc)

37 years old

Owns a seamless gutter business along with Bold fitness.

• How many kids do you have (please include ages)?

2- Brody is 5 and Baylor is 2

• What was your biggest accomplishment as an athlete?

Probably Deka Worlds last year getting 2nd in Mile, 3rd in Fit, and 4th in Strong. I let strong for most of the race.

• What is your biggest accomplishment as a father (non-athletic)?

Just watching my kids grow and learn every day. Luckily with my jobs, I am able to be around them all the time and we get to do everything together and travel to most of the races together.

• When did the competitive side of you begin? and please walk us through the sports you may have played as a kid into an adult

I have always been competitive since day one. If I am going to do something I am all in or not gonna do it. I grew up racing motocross and playing basketball, football, and baseball. I turned professional in motocross when I was 18 and did that for a little bit but I was never good enough to make a living doing that haha.

• What kind of competitive events did you compete in before kids as an adult?

I didn’t really start running until 2016 or so. I did some 5k when I was younger but that’s it. Brittany signed me up for my first spartan super in Austin back in 2015 and I thought it was dumb to run 8 miles haha. After I did my first one I was hooked. I qualified for Spartan World champs a couple of years and then shifted my focus to short-course stadium and sprints in 2018,2019. Then covid hit and I didn’t really do anything but run for 2 years. I found Deka and Hyrox which is more my style. Hybrid Racing.

• What did your training schedule look like before kids?

I just mostly worked before kids. I didn’t really have a set schedule to train. We just kind of trained whenever we had time. I was busy building my business so that when we had kids we didn’t have to work as much.

• What kind of competitive events do you compete in now as a father??

My focus now is mostly on Deka and Hyrox

• What does your training schedule look like now as a father? (hours per week est)

I usually train 6 days a week. I mostly do our functional fitness classes and then mix in some specific training as well. I would say I train maybe 10 hours a week or so.

• How have you adapted/adjusted and what changes have you made competing and/or training as a father?

I take my kids everywhere, That’s one thing I said is whenever we have kids we are still going to travel and race and let them enjoy the experience as well. You just have to make it all work.

• What are some things or ways you stay present as a father balancing training and fatherhood?

Bring the kids along, and include them in what you are doing. I used to push the stroller with them in it whenever I went to run. Now they are a little bigger so they will stay with Brittany if she doesn’t run or we switch off.

• Why do you train and/or compete? What drives that bug in you to compete?

I’m just competitive. I always want to get better and be the best version of myself that I can be. You either win or you learn. I put in a lot of work. I didn’t come from an athletic background or anything so that just makes me work that much harder.

• What are the most notable improvements you’ve noticed from staying fit and/or competing in fitness events? What changes have you experienced that you would most likely brag about to a friend?

Staying fit just makes you feel better overall inside and out. You just have to make time. 24 hours in a day. No excuses.

• What benefits do you get out of training and competing?

Overall better health and fitness. Mentally is good for the body.

• What kind of time management hacks have you conquered? Training in am or pm etc?

I mostly train in the morning after class or I jump in with a class. In the summertime, I like to train in the afternoon when it is the hottest. I will try to train when the kids are sleeping or whatnot that way I have more time to spend with them if they don’t come to the gym.

• What advice would you have for those men out there that lost connection with their health when they finished competing as an athlete or as a first-time dads that lost touch with their competitive edge and respect for the man in the mirror?

Everyone starts from somewhere. Just start back up again and get better every day.

• What big races, or events, coming up for you this year?

Deka and Hyrox Events. Hyrax World championships in Europe. Deka World Champs

• How can everyone find you and follow what you're doing (IG handle, website etc)? any sponsors or upcoming items you want to share?

@brandon_bonine IG, @boldfitnesstx