Physio Paul

21/12/2021

Another year another SST Deadlifting Christmas party, this time lifting 245kg🥳

Super pleased that I was able to add 45kgs to my deadlift this year with my lower back feeling stronger than ever! My year wasn’t without a handful of lower back pain flares, but they would only last a few days and I was typically able to return to pre-strain training loads within one to two weeks. Biggest thing I learnt with my training this year was that intensity is far less important than consistency. Days feel good, lift more. Day feel s**t, lift less- but just make sure you show up!

Next goal, 260 (cause 6 black plates just look way too cool😎)

05/05/2021

I am now officially a registered Strength and Powerlifting Coach!💪

Strength training is easily the MOST effective tool we have in order to treat injury and pain. We use it to treat anything from spine and joint pain, all the way to low bone density and frailty. We are even discovering the benefits of strength training for improving cognition, which is wild!

But you see - strength training is not just about getting bigger muscles or lifting heavy weights. What it’s really about is the feeling you get when you can trust and rely on your body again. There is nothing better than saying yes to a friend when they ask you to help them move house and you’re not worrying about whether your lower back might “go out”, or booking that 4-day mountain hike and not stressing about whether your knee will hold up, or going on a fun rollercoaster without fear of straining your neck!

Strength training is not just about heaving weights in the gym- It’s about what you can do OUTSIDE the gym with greater confidence and ease😌

14/12/2020

The path to 200kg was not easy nor pain free! I’ve lived with 12 yrs of on and off lower back pain after an injury attempting a heavy barbell lift that I was not prepared for.

In Oct 2019, I signed up to Sydney Strength Training to learn how to barbell lift again. When I began, my squats and bench progressed well but my deadlifts sucked majorly! To top it off I kept tweaking by back repeatedly during training. My first back strain was at 115kg and basically every 5kg after that until I built up to 145kg. Every time I strained my back, I’d get incredibly frustrated - but I would never panic. I’ve studied pain well enough to know that pain doesn’t always mean damage, that it’s more to do with intolerance to loads. So, I would hesitantly repeat the weight again a few days later and come out ok - well ok until I strained it again on the next 5kg increase! When my coaches noticed this, they flipped my program and had me do heavy single reps to build my confidence with ‘heavy’ loads. It’s pleasantly reassuring when you approach a barbell that you’re 50/50 confident in lifting and come out the other side unscathed.
I still continue to somewhat fear the deadlift. I don’t think I’ll ever be 100% fearless of it - but it’s what you gain in confronting your fears that makes it all worth it. Next step, 220kg!💪

10/12/2020

Two more Days until this guy - Coach David from F45 Newtown attempts to beat the World Record for most chest to floor burpees in 12hrs!🥵 The current record is only a measly 5,254!🤯
Good luck Dave!🥇💪🏆

09/12/2020

Come on Coach David!💪🥇🏆

**F45 Newtown - WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT - ONLY 3 DAYS TO GO**
There are only 3 days to go before Coach Dave attempts the Guinness World Record for the most *** CHEST to GROUND BURPEES in 12 hours! All to raise awareness for ***Mental Health. Let's get behind Coach David and this EPIC World Record challenge of over 5,254 burpees for a great cause. 👉 To support raising awareness for Mental Health simply CLICK on the link https://chase-the-energyoc.raisely.com/ or join Dave's cheer squad live in studio on Saturday 12th December!

08/12/2020

04/05/2020

(Part 2 of 2)
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So now moving on to how the mat stimulates traditional Chinese acupuncture points to improve pain and health. I’m not a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor nor do I have a depth of knowledge on the subject but I do understand it a bit, so this is my take on it.
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If you take a minute to consider the theory of how Chinese medicine works, it’s by unblocking the disruption of energy flow or Qi in certain meridian lines (such as heart, liver, kidney, lung, etc). This allows the energy or Qi to flow freely though the body to result in better health. The way this is achieved is by stimulating specific acupuncture locations on the body. And by specific, I mean specific!! Just one of the many meridian lines can run from the top of your head down to your toes and have dozens of specific locations along the way! I personally don’t believe that laying on a prickly mat is able to access these points with any precision, after all, it’s just random prickly circles pressing into your back! Sort of like throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what sticks. So if you are want to improve your health through acupressure, then go and see a Doctor trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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So should you buy an acupressure mat? If you’re healthy and active and you’re using it as a way to relax and ease some tension, then sure go for it. But if you’re buying one to ‘fix’ something like your chronic pain and stiffness, raging sciatica or poor gut health, then it’s probably not going to be that effective.