The first 10 years of my career were characterised by variety. This was a deliberate choice to work under as many mentors, take on as much information, and observe as many training strategies as possible. I switched from a biomedical degree to Sports Science and eventually pursued a Masters Degree in Strength & Conditioning. Along the way I worked in different colleges and clubs with youth athletes in swimming, netball, gymnastics, rugby, and football. I worked as Strength & Conditioning coach for Bristol Bears Rugby Academy for 6 years, with post-rehab clients as part of Resolve Health for 4 years, and with long term inpatients at a Mental Health Hospital for 5 years addressing holistic physical health.
In my own training I experimented with many different methods with the goal of improving strength and mobility. I believed that a well applied approach to these qualities would be the best way to improve my performance in rugby and reduce the risk of injury. I experienced good results in the gym and started competing in powerlifting with some success and assumed the effectiveness of my practice despite ongoing regular aches and pains. I wondered how much pain I would be in had I not invested so much time and effort into these recognised protective measures, and it was a number of years before I identified this cognitive dissonance.