Philosophy
The program we deliver at Live Athletic is the culmination of generations of coaching within my family, a long term commitment to training and an approach informed by the latest research and a commitment to evidence based practice. Whether we are guiding an athlete's career, rehabilitating an injury, shaping the physical wellbeing of a child or adolescent or helping someone strive toward optimal health, a strong philosophical underpinning forms the basis of our approach.
The Science
Our approach is grounded scientifically in a process called mechanotransduction: the physiological process where cells sense and respond to mechanical loads. This may be all the science we require to understand why the coaching methods in gymnastics strength training, weightlifting and track and field are so effective in achieving physical and athletic excellence and why these methods form the basis of our training approach.
From a rehabilitative perspective, movement and exercise has also been described in the scientific literature as mechanotherapy: turning movement into tissue healing. A study of the scientific literature surrounding mechanotherapy describes how load may be used therapeutically to stimulate tissue repair and remodelling in tendon, muscle, cartilage and bone. http://m.bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/4/247.long
The concepts of mechanotransduction and mechanotherapy form the basis of our approach to rehabilitation and is why our physiotherapist’s and exercise physiologist’s use exercise and movement as our primary method of rehabilitation in our program.
Generations of Coaching
My father was a premiership winning rugby league coach in the NRL for 15 years. I was fortunate enough to spend much of my teenage life within the confines of a professional rugby league club every afternoon after school. From a very early age surrounded by coaches, physical trainers and a wide range of health practitioners unknowingly shaping my own approach to health, rehabilitation and athletic performance.
My sister is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology and my brother a professional rugby league player has completed a degree in biomedical science and is now undertaking a PHD in the area of concussion within rugby league. These relationships have helped inform my philosophical approach to coaching and continue to support my commitment to best practice.
University
University taught me a respect for research and also how to think critically. While this involves building an approach grounded in research, I developed the critical thinking skills to apply this knowledge in a way that ensures limitations in research does not limit our approach to training. To say that you have an approach to training and rehabilitating the human body that is entirely 'research based' is grossly limiting. Research is often a step behind what coaches have known and implemented for many years. Remember there is an art to science and a science to art. Our approach at Live Athletic is informed by both experience and research.
Training
From my late teens and through my entire adult life I have committed my life to training. My own experience of training has allowed me to develop an understanding of:
the process of training your body to perform physical feats that are not possible without a progressive movement based approach.
overcoming physical limitations due to flexibility and strength
the limitations of strength gains made in the gym when applied to motion.
thresholds of physical capacity
thresholds of pain in injury rehabilitation
manipulating programming to work through training plateaus
what the different stages of tendinopathy feels like. How exercise based loading programs can be used to control pain at these different stages and ultimately how to overcome tendon pathologies.
what a joint feels like due to instability of a labral tear. How you can rehabilitate an injured joint and continue to develop high level strength and movement in a joint without surgical repair.
All of our exercise physiologists have strong movement based backgrounds and it is these experiences together with our progressive movement based training program, that can help our clients to overcome adversity and believe in their goals and aspirations. We believe that it is possible.
Our Program
Finally there is our program. I have this saying: "it is all movement and load applied to the body". Ultimately we adapt whatever training methods necessary to help each individual within our program reach their personal goals without bias or preference. This may incorporate applying external load to the body as in barbell strength training. It may involve using ones body weight as resistance and manipulating the leverage position of the body as in gymnastics strength training. It may involve working at a more isolated level around the joints of the body to strengthen a weaker area, which may be considered Pilates based and rehabilitative exercise. It might involve moving dynamically, incorporating the use of power as in jumping, sprinting, tumbling and rapid movements.
A closer look inside our program will highlight how our understanding of the training process allows us to look beyond names of training methods, such as gymnastics, weight lifting, track & field and focus on the training methodologies behind each approach. Regardless of the name you put to each method of training ultimately it is all movement and load. Our expertise is in the application of movement and load for maximising physical and athletic performance, rehabilitation and health & wellbeing to people of any age and level of physical functioning.