My motivation for starting 949strength was pretty simple really, my profession since I graduated from University in 2007 has been as a Strength and Conditioning coach, I have been the head of Strength and Conditioning for London Irish RFC in the Gallagher Premiership, worked in Premier League football, consulted for World Rugby across the world and continue to aid them as a High Performance Consultant.
Alongside all of this I have competed as a Powerlifter, I have been incredibly privileged to represent GB and compete in the top international competitions and World Games. I still to this day hold a number of equipped British records in the 83kg and 93kg categories and hope to continue getting stronger even though I would be a masters lifter now (I don’t believe age is a limiter to strength)
My time in professional sport came to an abrupt end in 2023 with the downfall of London Irish and me finding myself without work for the first time in 20+ years. I have always known I couldn’t perform a job that I wasn’t passionate about I decided to start 949strength and use my skillsets and experience working with the best athletes, sports science and medical staff in the world to help Powerlifters. One thing I can guarantee is that there are very few practitioners working with Powerlifters currently who have been lucky enough to learn what I have from the people I have and also have the experience of elite competition within the sport itself.
The Pain Free Powerlifter is a culmination of a few different inspirations
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1 - The work of legendary track and field coaches Dan Pfaff and Stu McMillan alongside the best hands on practitioner I have ever witnessed, Gordon Bosworth. The performance therapy model they developed and use to this day is the foundation of my current practice with lifters. It requires a deep understanding of functional anatomy, treatment modalities and more importantly the sport and demands of Powerlifting itself.
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2 - My own wife’s history of receiving physiotherapy and feeling overwhelmed by the language used, the exercises prescribed and the lack of information and follow up outside of booking another appointment. She was left more confused and overwhelmed. I always took for granted what I had learnt but could fully understand how she would feel this way without the understanding. This just led to her not being able to execute the program effectively and never feeling like she had the result she had paid for.
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3 - Following on from the above point would be my dislike of the current model of physiotherapy as a business. It is founded on repeat visits, speed of treatment and getting as many patients through the door as possible. That for me is not how it needs to be conducted for competitive athletes. Competitive athletes need time, care and attention, as the goals you have as competitive lifters are important to you and deserve a higher level of service
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My view is that “you” as the athlete need more time and attention taken to establish what the root cause of your issue is, relate that all back to Powerlifting (or your strength sport) and then provide an thorough and detailed rehabilitation program to solve it with additional support built in to improve execution.
I want to help as many Powerlifters achieve success in the sport and that is the motivation for developing The Pain Free Powerlifter. To get as many people back lifting and enjoying their sport as possible.
Please click to the following page to find out more about the process