Rob Blair

Military Prep | Mountain Leader | Strength & Movement Specialist

Rob Blair is the founder of the award-winning Commando Temple Gym, an elite independent strength and movement facility built with one purpose—to remove pain and make people as strong as a bear.

With thousands of hours of hands-on coaching experience, Rob specialises in bridging the gap between rehabilitation and true strength. He has worked with elite military units and emergency services personnel, including:

✔ Royal Marines
✔ Parachute Regiment (Paras)
✔ 21 SAS
✔ Fire Brigade & Police
✔ Navy, Army & RAF
✔ Bodyguards & Close Protection Operatives

A no-nonsense coach with a direct, results-driven approach, Rob believes in hard work, discipline, and relentless self-improvement. If you train with him and do your homework (there will be a lot of it!), he will transform you.

A Soldier, A Competitor, A Problem-Solver.

Rob is not just a coach—he’s a world-record-holding athlete with national titles to his name. His journey into elite training began in 2000 when he joined the Royal Marines, where he spent eight years surrounded by some of the world’s toughest, most resilient individuals.

In 2006, everything changed. While thriving in peak condition, Rob suffered two prolapsed discs in his lumbar spine and underwent spinal surgery at just 24 years old. The life he had built was thrown off course, but quitting was never an option.

“I can’t stand negativity, laziness, or procrastination—this kind of attitude wastes time and denies us life’s adventures. My only choice was to fight back. No excuses. Pure focus.”

Rob dedicated himself to recovery, studying strength, movement, and rehabilitation to not only heal but to come back stronger. His mission is now to help others overcome pain, injury, and setbacks—whether that’s preparing for military selection, rebuilding after an injury, or simply becoming the strongest version of yourself.

KEY NOTES AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Royal Marines Commando, eight years
• 1000s of coaching and treatment hours working with clients, sports teams and professional athletes!
• Regular contributor to various health, strength magazines, National press and podcasts
• motivational speaker to corporate businesses and organizations
• Have raised over £25,000 for various charities including £22k for the Walking with the wounded charity
• Anatomy Trains Level 1
• Anatomy Trains ‘Walking the lines’ With James Earls (Gait assessment)
• Specialist Exercise Instructor in the management of lower back pain
• Integrating strength and conditioning with the rehabilitation of runners
• Osteopathic techniques for the foot and ankle complex
• Simplifying the Shoulder with Martin Scott MSc, BSc, MCSP
• IAM TOOLS Advanced Course
• Osteopathic techniques for the foot and ankle (Claire Slater)
• Sport and Remedial Massage Practitioner DIP (LSSM)
• Myofascial Release Certification (Taught by Alex Fugallio)
• Myofascial Release ‘The Function Junction’ and Iliac Crest! (Noah Karrasch)
• Full Body Assessment and Postural corrective Coaching (Jason Anderson)
• Functional Tissue Release ‘Foot, Ankle and Knee’ (Jason Anderson)
• Functional Tissue Release of the Spine (Jason Anderson)
• First Aid at Work
• Dan Johns Intervention workshop
• Andy Bolton and Benedikt Magnusson powerlifting workshop
• Strongman coaching and training with Laurence Shahlaei (Twice Britain’s strongest man)
• Kettlebell sport workshop with Gregor Sobocan (Slovenian head coach)
• Integrating strength and conditioning for runners.
• Gym Jones ‘first degree instructor certification’ Taken by Mark Twight and Rob MacDonald
• Mike Mahler’s ‘Aggressive Strength Training’ Level One Hormone Optimisation Workshop
• Steve Maxwell’s Workshop in Advanced Bodyweight Movements and Mobility Drills
• Strong First Lifter certified
• Strong First Instructor Level 2
• United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) Level 2 Associate
• UKSCA Level 1 Workshop
• UKSCA Plyometric, Speed and Agility Workshop
• UKSCA Olympic Lifting Certification
• UKSCA Planning Effective Programs Workshop
• ‘Bulgarian Bag Specialist Instructor’ (Taught by Ivan Ivanov)
• Advanced CRB – checked for working with juniors
• Insured up to £5 million for working with top level athletes and associations
• Has been known to increase camaraderie on more than one occasion!
• Grip training and steel bending coach, World and British record holder

RACES/ADVENTURES/CHALLENGES in the last few years

• Marathon Des Sables Finisher (5 marathons in 6 days in the Sahara Desert) 2 days later climbed Mount Toubkal @ 4200 meters
• Dartmoor Dreadnought survivor (Carrying an 80kg log over Dartmoor between three people over three days…. plus kit)
• 110 mile walk self supported from London to Brighton…and BACK! 39.5 hours straight)
• The Wall ultra marathon: 69 mile foot race in 24hrs from Carlisle to Newcastle
• Atlantic Coast Challenge (Three Marathons)
• Ascending Mont Blanc
• Completing the three peaks in under 20hrs (Twice)
• Completing Tough Guy three times (top 30 finisher)
• World record holder in several grip events including the meathook deadlift @ 286kg (a record over 5 weight divisions)
• Worlds strongest hands winner @ 83kg class
• Britains Strongest Hands under 83kg class winner 2014
• Britains strongest hands winner 2015
• 48kg pull up-55kg Get Up-120kg farmers (each hand) over 50metres
• flipping a 512kg tyre
• Sub 18 minute 5K sub 38 minute 10k
• 48kg KB Mill press
• Bending the Iron Mind red nail and horse shoes