Written in Partnership with Amir Khan
Health is one of our greatest assets, regardless of age or gender. Staying in shape plays a pivotal role in our lives. The medical benefits are clear: staying physically active can help us lead healthier and happier lives. In addition, it comes with proven benefits like improved brain health, weight management, reduced risk of disease, stronger bones and muscles, and the overall ability to do everyday activities. Over the years, many women have broken stereotypes, barriers, and biases in the strength and conditioning industry. Gender bias has made many women feel restricted at times, especially when it comes to making a fitness career. Women are now breaking down these barriers by following their dreams and starting their own successful fitness businesses. In this regard, Lee Brandon is no exception.
The first-ever female strength and conditioning coach in NFL history, Lee Brandon, is a Certified strength and conditioning specialist and celebrity trainer who has been in the fitness industry for over 40 years. She has trained many clients, from professional athletes as well as celebrities. She is the inventor and founder of the patented AB-Inforcer® training technology as well as the Brandon Method Practitioner Training programs. From 1990 to 1991, Lee was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the New York Jets. Additionally, she was the Olympic coach for the 1984 Los Angeles, 2012 London, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020 teams. In 1979, she fell through a window, causing severe injuries to her arm, which motivated her to be an innovator, do what she does, and focus on fitness.
Several women are claiming to be the first female coaches hired by the NFL. For Brandon, it was never about being the first female to be hired; she was just doing her job. Like so many invisible yet invaluable jobs, Lee played the game of life as an offensive player, not a defensive one. She worked with dedication and commitment her whole coaching and athletic career rather than with a chip on her shoulder. Her entire point is that if someone can do the job, it doesn’t matter what race, color, creed, or gender they are.
Upon injuring her arm, she was one of the first women to receive arm reattachment in the United States. Brandon had to wait seven long years to regain full use and feeling in her hand. Put simply, and Lee has defied the odds her entire life.
Lee Brandon introduced The Brandon Method and the Neutral Spine Training Practitioner Certification Program, which act as the bridge between bad backs and elite performances by training physical therapists, exercise specialists, and chiropractors, making the overall process from simple to complex through research-based progression. She has researched, patented, engineered, tested, and marketed her technology, with numerous clinically tested results and medical and peer-reviewed references. The Ab-Inforcer® is a machine that uses sensory biofeedback to neutralize the spine and allow correct core muscle training for the ultimate Core-Score. It teaches the difference between utilizing your abs and using your hip flexors.
The Lee Brandon Method utilizes what the world’s most brilliant exercise scientists have understood and acknowledged theoretically for years. Her spinal triangulation technique is the ideal exercise tool in the arsenal as a precursor to performance, power, agility, and Olympic-level performance. She continually influences elite athletes with her expertise to continue to push the boundaries and produce new, specifically customized workouts to optimize her influence on muscle and body growth.
Lee blends her engaging personality with her expertise as a world-champion athlete to present a powerful psychological message: Do What You Love—Just Longer! Lee points people in the right direction to enhance their lives. Her experience and ingenuity give her clients an approach they can maintain. Her unique style and approach support her clients with all their imperfections until they can sustain themselves.
Lee Brandon’s patents and technology are centered on spine performance and optimal training biomechanics. Her discoveries and approaches continue to impact the golf, Olympic, fitness, health, and therapeutic wellness industries. In addition to Lee Brandon being an example-setting female in the strength and conditioning field, she is also the first woman over 55 to hit over 330 yards in the World Golf Long Drive Event.
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