Scottish windsurfer Andy Brown will enter the waters of the Musto iQFOiL World Championships 2026 as the reigning titlist in Weymouth, but to beat an exceptional fleet including European and Olympic medalists, Brown tells M&F that he’s been bulking up to be the strongest possible sailor. We caught up with the athlete and his coach to learn more.
Great Britain is the most successful sailing nation in Olympic history, with more than 30 gold medals to its name, but Glasgow’s Andy Brown takes nothing for granted as he attempts to maintain his crown at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, hosted by the Royal Yachting Association, where more than 40 nations will hit the waters with everything they’ve got. While each windsurfer appears to glide with ease, practically every muscle in the body is recruited to sail through such intense conditions. “It’s a surprising sport,” Brown tells M&F. “Because you look like you’re cruising but actually, your core is tensed, your legs are burning, your forearms are pumped. You need to properly go for it.”
In order to go for the 2026 iQFOiL world title, Brown has been training on and off the water to accelerate past his rivals, including countless hours in the gym with the GB Sailing Team’s strength and conditioning coach, Will Barnes, who credits iQFOiL windsurfers for the level of physicality that is necessary to succeed. “When I first started my role, it was incredibly eye opening,” says Barnes, as final prep got underway.
What is iQFOiL Windsurfing?
iQFOiL is the high-speed evolution of Olympic windsurfing that was introduced by World Sailing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Each iQFOiL board uses hydrofoil technology, lifting the entire board out of the water, and with reduced wind resistance, iQFOiL windsurfers can hit speeds of 35 knots (65 kph/40 mph)
To win in Weymouth, surfers will be required to navigate a multi-stage race and finish in the top ten by the end of the qualifying stage. The finalists must then compete in a single day elimination series to determine the 2026 iQFOiL World Champion.
Why Andy Brown has Bulked Up for the 2026 iQFOiL World Championships
During light winds, the output required from each surfer dramatically increases as they are required to pump the sail towards them before sending it forward, creating a source of wind by manual means. “It’s like rowing upright,” explains Brown of the highly taxing process. The successful sailor tells M&F that he’s been training on the water for 25 hours per week ahead of the championships, with the gym also requiring significant time investment so that he is as strong as possible while surfing.
“We do general strength training for robustness,” shares Brown. “Because if you crash, you can get into trouble if you’re not strong. And then you go into more specific drilling sessions where you might be working on footwork, or power, or speed. And then the core of it is a lot of time on the rowing machine because that pumping motion, pushing with the legs and pulling with the arms, is actually quite similar to what we do out on the water. In iQFOiL, we’ve got a pretty big range of body sizes because you can set the gear to how you want. Generally, I would say you need to be on the heavier side, so about 88 to 90 kilos (194 to 188 pounds) plus.”
How Andy Brown has bulked up for the 2026 iQFOiL World Championships
Brown tells M&F that in training for the championships, he was attempting to hit a calorie surplus of around 600 calories per day. “Quite a lot of that is carbohydrates, because we’re fueling for the sessions on the water,” he explains.
“The workouts for Andy are whole body training sessions,” shares coach Barnes. “Windsurfers focus a lot on lower body power and strength, to make each pump as easy as possible. Key exercises might include barbell RDL’s, or squat variations like back squats, split squats, or belt squats. For the upper body, we use both horizontal and vertical pulling movements, weighted pull ups and bench pulls are usually programmed. At this point in the season the aim is strength, so we keep reps and sets low, 3 sets of 3 to 6 reps, with around 2 reps in reserve. As we are so close to the worlds, the priority is maintaining quality on-water sessions.”
Andy Brown’s Career Highlights
- 2022 Trofeo Princesa Sofia winner
- 2025 Scottish Sports Awards “Athlete of the Year”
- 2025 iQFOiL World Men’s Champion
Andy Brown has built up an incredible sporting resume and is hoping to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in LA. He is also helping to develop the next generation of homegrown windsurfers as a mentor for the Royal Yachting Association, but with the biggest test of his career now underway in Weymouth, this athlete is firmly focused on the future. “What I really enjoy is the chase of it,” says Brown.
The iQFOiL World Championships take place in Weymouth, England on September 4 to 12, 2026. For more information click here.
To follow Andy Brown on Instagram, click here.