If the body is a race car, I could just drive it around an easier race track. I could driver slower and on smoother roads, and that is exactly what I am doing right now. My training program is based around the movements that hurt my body THE LEAST and provide a road where it can heal faster than I can damage it. That said, my vehicle is in bad shape and it has needed repair for a long time now. I'm at a point where I either spend some much needed time in the shop or I have to consider retiring from racing.

When did it all begin? Probably about 2 years ago when I, out of absolutely nowhere, decided that I wanted to start training for Strongman again and I did no preparations to get my body "in shape to train for Strongman". I just jumped right in and embraced the pain. And more pain. Till the pain wasn't just soreness left over from the training sessions but to the point where I can barely walk and, more importantly, I can't train Strongman! All of the tiny muscles and movements that I had not done in years...were not done and I was not ready to be pushed...but I pushed anyway. And...well...I'm here.

The idea of physical therapy or physiotherapy just absolutely pains my brain. For me to pay someone to do some "trivial science" on me hurts every bit of my pride...but at the point I was at...what did I have to lose? I had already told myself that the months of January and February would be 9 weeks of me doing nothing at an intense level but simply just trying to fix myself...or to at least establish a path of me fixing myself before I start pushing again. I contacted Jay and he agreed to stop by my gym on Wednesdays before I train and see what he could do for me and right off the bat we established that I could barely move. At this point it would take me nearly a full minute to get down onto my knees and then fall onto the floor just so he could try and stretch me. I was not able to do any of the actual THERAPY movements because I was in so much pain that I could not relax. I had several muscles that were so tight he had problems determining if they were muscles or bones and that is no joke.

So I want to make it clear, I'm a firm believer in Jay. Mostly because he hasn't given up on me and he has always found a solution to every problem that my body has thrown at him...and my body has thrown over 40 years of problems at him all at once.

I will say that I've learned a few things that I absolutely hate about Physical and Physio Therapy in general...

1) Every freaking video, photo, book, demonstration of any mobility or therapy move/position/pose is done by someone with ZERO mobility problems. Yeah...so you got someone with no problems to demonstrate a position that will what? A position that will demonstrate that I have no pain? Wait...I'm in so much pain that I'm searching The Internet for exercises and stretches and ritualistic bath oils that I can use to give me any kind of relief and you show me some sort of stretch that resembles something similar to a gymnast in short shorts with her legs behind her head? Give me a break! Show me a video or a photo of someone that is beaten up, broken down, or is progressing. Show me how someone LIKE ME can actually do whatever it is that you want me to be able to do. I can't freaking touch my own face with my left hand. I can't touch my finger tips behind my back. Every joint on my body is ate up from Rheumatoid Arthritis. My back is in a freaking ton of pain. How do you expect me to do some double jointed yoga pose to relieve my pain? You are some sort of mobility therapy God but you can't find one single patient that has a problem that you can demonstrate and relate to me? Even fake fat loss commercials have BEFORE photos!

2) I continually forget that Physical Therapy and Physio Therapy is...well it is PHYSICAL, it is THERAPY, and it is WORK! It is freaking hard work to be honest and the more that I put into it the more I should get back. I'm not sure what I expected but I think it was along the lines of someone showing up and stretching my body out, using some types of exotic oils and special music, the option to change religions, possibly a ritualistic dance, and after an hour or so I'd stand up and all of my pain would be gone. The reality of the first session (and every session afterwards) is that I eventually rolled myself off of the floor with sweat dripping off of my nose, my face red, and the smallest of muscles in my body being worked so hard that I could barely squat afterwards much less do anything progressive OR feel like all my pain had been gently cleansed away. But...I should know this and it hit me pretty fast that my father has had both knees replaced and he complained both times that physical therapy hurt too much for him to do...he quit...and he is still in such bad shape that he can barely move. He forgot that it was supposed to be physical, it is not going to be easy, and it would be WORK which meant that your body would have to work just to recover from it too. I had forgotten that too! As soon as I remembered this, I started going overtime and extra hard on all of my home session workouts he gave me and quickly found out that I can't recover from TOO MUCH no matter what I do. I should have been smarter from Day 1!

3) It is expensive. I could buy a huge loin of some of the most amazing ribeye steaks in place of every session with him and that is a tough pill to swallow. I'm already at the point where I can not afford to continue having therapy any longer but I'm also at a point where if I don't get my body fixed I won't be able to walk into the butcher's shop to pick up my steaks, much less stand to cook them, OR - gasp - Train Strongman! The painful idea that I could no longer train like I want to train hurts me to no end and if you and I have had a conversation in the last couple months then you know how depressed (and just generally painfully SAD, deep in my heart and soul) because I've felt like retirement is being forced upon me and I don't know how to get out of this pain. The day that I am never again able to train like I want to and compete like I want to will be a day where I'll need a lot of friends by my side holding me up because I'm not sure I'll be able to stand on my own two feet. THAT PAIN is much more expensive than any physiotherapy session. Heck...haven't we all been THAT DESPERATE where we would literally pay ANYTHING just to have a great training session? Yeah...you know exactly what I mean.

So PT is often extremely impractical and contains some of the worst marketing scams that can be found in our industry, filled with people demonstrating without having the practical knowledge to actually help you. PT is actual WORK and it will change how you recover from your normal training sessions and often will negatively change your immediate strength performance...it sure does mine! PT is not cheap but nothing about being GREAT ever is if we are being honest with ourselves.

If you have never seen a physical therapist or a physio therapist...find someone that comes highly recommended by someone who has been severely jacked up AND GOTTEN BETTER. If that person and you don't connect...find someone else. We are smart enough to know that just as a highly used very important family car needs to be serviced for your family's safety...so does our highly used and important body. From someone who let theirs get way out of line far too long before they did anything about it, do not wait!