Kieran is a UK-based business owner and copywriter who has been into fitness for around 10 years.
He came into the pain-free athlete program with a 3 year recurrent shoulder injury, after going around in circles with different physical therapists.
After 2 months working together, he fixed his shoulder issue and was back to training 100% pain-free.
He went from feeling restricted in the gym, unable to push himself or make any meaningful progress (like building strength or muscle)… to moving 100% pain-free and training without any issues or limitations.
Now?
He’s in the best shape of his life.
So what was the ONE thing that made a difference?
Because he was clued up on training before joining the program. He was working out 3 times per week. He turned up to every single physio appointment and followed their advice.
But it wasn’t going well.
His pain still got in the way of his workouts, and he continued to avoid movements for fear of making his pain worse.
And no matter what the physios threw at him:
• Foam rolling
• Quick fix stretches
• Cookie cutter exercises
None of it was effective long-term.
Why?
Because they completely MISSED the root problem, and so Kieran wasted time trying to correct an issue he didn’t have, while leaving the root cause unsolved.
See little did Kieran’s physios know:
There was an issue with Kieran’s workouts that kept causing recurrent injuries and nagging pains. Some of the exercises did NOT fit his body.
Over time, they were destroying his joints, and the damage would have been irreversible if we didn’t reach out for my help when he did.
Let’s go deeper…
Exercises Were Not Built For Him
Most programs suck, because they are not made for you.
They fail to acknowledge ONE vital truth:
NO TWO PEOPLE MOVE THE SAME. YOU ARE UNIQUE. AND EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR WORKOUTS SHOULD BE TOO.
See Kieran’s anatomy is unique. Yours is too.
• Your bone structure.
• Your proportions.
• The shape of your joints.
So if this is the case, why are we all told to move in the same way, and use the same ranges of motion?
Here’s an example:
See how different the hip joints are below?
The hip sockets are completely different to one another.
And with that in mind…
It would 1) be ridiculous to think they move the same (squats for these 2 hips will look very different), 2) ridiculous to think they have the same range of motion (ass to grass), and 3) ridiculous to think both can “do the splits” if they stretch enough.
Like 99% of workouts…
Kieran’s training did not fit him. Instead of doing exercises that worked with his body, he ended up doing (damaging) stuff that worked against it instead.
This is why he ended up:
- Haunted by niggles and nagging pain
- Doing exercises that felt crummy
- Suffering with overuse injuries
- Stuck with mediocre results
- Unable to progress
The truth is, exercise should be the medicine. Not the cause of nagging pain, weakness, and injury.
And so if you experience any of the above:
You can be confident You’re training in a way that WILL damage your body permanently if you don’t address it.
This is exactly what we did for Kieran:
We ditched the “cookie-cutter” bollocks and arbitrary rules (like “Bench bar to chest”, “Squat ass to grass”), and precision-built exercise to his fit his body like a Savile Row bespoke suit.
Exercises Were Not Built For Him
Custom-fit exercise is resistance training that is designed to fit your body precisely.
Have you ever bought a suit off the rack?
Might have been baggy around the waist. Or a little tight in the shoulders.
On the flipside, (good) bespoke tailors build a one-off unique piece around you. They adjust it with precision and attention to detail so it fits you perfectly, and it complements all the idiosyncrasies your body has.
It works WITH your body. Not AGAINST it.
Here’s a comparison:
On the left above, you have a cheaply made suit. Low skill. Poor quality. Mass produced. On the right, you have a coat I had made at Chittleborough and Morgan on Savile Row. Elite standards. High quality. Made with precision and attention to detail.
Compare the shoulders.
Waist suppression.
How sharp the lines are.
Now the good news?
Worst consequence with an OTR suit is you just look a bit rubbish.
It doesn’t destroy your body.
The bad news?
Poorly fitted exercise DOES destroy your body.
- Irritates your body
- Damages your joints
- Causes inflammation
For some people it affects them instantly. They get nagging pains or recurrent injuries in the gym. But for others, the real damage takes decades. And all of a sudden like a ticking time bomb, they get permanently damaged joints that reduces mobility forever.
(take note of “forever”… you will NEVER change this once it’s happened)
On the flipside:
“Custom-fit exercise” means exercise built to fit your body. Custom range of motion that doesn’t destroy your joints…
ie. You only go into ranges you’re able to move or contract into yourself. Altered profiles to match your goal or tolerance. (eg. lighter where you’re weaker, more sensitive, or get pain).
Take the example above…
I’ve done a range of motion test, and identified I have around 160º of shoulder flexion. Deadhangs, pull ups, vertical shoulder presses and vertical pulldowns are NOT a good fit with my structural anatomy.
The consequences if I do them?
Joint irritation, joint inflammation, pain, and structural (permanent) damage.
But…
If I set up pulldowns so they suit my unique range of motion (see the middle bottom image above)…
I won’t get any haunting niggles. I’ll be able to train without hating my joints. Injury will be minimal, and I’ll achieve incredible results faster than ever.
Kieran’s Recap
When Kieran came into the program, he had 3 years of limiting recurrent shoulder pain.
It stopped him pushing hard and progressing in his workouts. Stopped him building muscle and getting stronger.
The problem?
He was cramming his body into ill-fitting, generic and damaging exercises that violated his structure.
Once we resolved that issue…
And customised exercise to his body:
He could train 100% pain-free and progress without limits. Now he’s in the best shape of his life and the strongest he’s ever been:
