2019. I’m staring at a barbell.

I’m sweating. Not from the weight. From fear.

Three years earlier, I was pulling heavy weight like it was nothing.

Now? I can’t even think about deadlifting without my back seizing up and that familiar nerve pain shooting down my leg.

I tried everything the “experts” told me:

Months of PT exercises that had nothing to do with actual lifting. Massage sessions that felt amazing... for exactly 24 hours.

Complete rest, thinking my body would magically heal itself.

But every time I walked into the gym, that fear followed me.

What if today’s the day I really mess myself up?

I started planning my entire life around what might hurt. Avoiding stairs. Sleeping in weird positions. Even putting on socks became this calculated risk.

The breaking point came in my student apartment.

I was fed up with this life. Living in fear of my own body.

I’m 30 years old, treating my body like it’s 80.

I wasn’t protecting my back. I was destroying my life.

So I made a decision that terrified me.

Instead of treating where it hurt, I started figuring out WHY it hurt.

Instead of avoiding deadlifts, I learned how to deadlift for MY body.

Instead of choosing between my passion and my health, I refused to accept that choice existed.

Six months later?

The pain started to disappear. Fear turned into confidence. Weakness became strength.

The difference wasn’t some miracle cure. It was understanding that my body wasn’t broken - my approach was.

What I learned during those painful years:

Generic rehab doesn’t transfer to lifting

You can’t build strength on a broken foundation

You don’t have to quit the lifts you love

If you’re tired of being told what you CAN’T do...

If you’re done planning workouts around fear...

If you’re ready to train like the athlete you actually are...

My DMs are open. Let’s talk.