"I feel so much more like *myself.* My technique and movement patterns feel “right,” and even when sessions are a grind, I know I’m there because I want to"
What was the frustration you were having before you started doing individual program design and PT?
“I’d been training in olympic weightlifting, exclusively, for at least six years – which meant that I was long past the “linear progress” phrase, and feeling stagnant and generally burnt out with the sport. As I’m moving up in the masters age brackets, I’d also started to see repetitive “minor” injuries – not enough to sideline me completely, but it seemed like every time one issue would resolve, another would pop up in its place.”
What did that frustration feel like?
“Not great, Bob.” I hate to use a cliche, but I can’t think of a better way to phrase it: my early-morning weekday training sessions were always my “happy place.” The sport that I choose to do for fun, with that wonderful uninterrupted stretch that let me start my day by moving a barbell around and getting some endorphins going, was suddenly a chore.
Do you remember the moment that you knew this was going to work?
Probably four or five weeks in, when I realized that the novelty of a new program and new structure had worn off – and I was still looking forward to my sessions.
What is it like now since you feel and see it working?
Number one? I feel so much more like *myself.* My technique and movement patterns feel “right,” and even when sessions are a grind, I know I’m there because I want to be. I’ve had challenges since starting, of course, but Coach Justin programs FOR THEM. I’m a transactional finance lawyer, which sounds fancier than it is, but my workload can be unpredictable and, at times, downright unreasonable. If I have to miss a 6am session to get into the office earlier, or if my CNS is shot because of work-related stress, he always seems to have an adaptation or 10 handy. I’m 40, and sometimes it seems like my body is held together with chewing gum and masking tape – and whatever the odd new pain or stiffness or ROM issue may be, he has a sixth sense for whether it requires a couple extra warmup movements or a complete change of movement. I’ve had a longer-term respiratory issue since recovering from COVID that’s left me coughing uncontrollably mid-lift – and he’s patiently and slowly been working with me to progress through that so that maybe, one day, I’ll be able to be able to both clean AND jerk heavy, instead of having to choose one or the other. And maybe most importantly, I get to do FUN things – just because they seem fun. My goals are different than they were six years ago, and my programming fits that.