Outside the Classroom #1: 4 PTs Who Have Influenced Me the Most that You Should Know About Too

1. Kelly Starrett (mobilitywod)

As Biggie once said, “It was all a dream.” At one point that’s all being a physical therapist was to me, a dream. Specifically, back around the Fall of 2014 when I decided being a personal trainer was not for me and that I was going to, instead, become a physical therapist.

Kelly Starrett’s mobilitywod project had a major role in creating that dream within me at that time. I came across his material a few years prior when he initially started mobilitywod with free youtube videos. Initially I saw it, thought it was interesting and cool, but never really tried applying any of the principles. I was too interested in being fat, but thinking/pretending I was jacked to be worried about mobility. You fucking kidding me bro? Mobility? I’m trying to be JACKED I don’t give a fuck about mobility. Fast forward to 2014 when I’m personal training. Now I’m doing more in the way of research that will help benefit my clients. And through that process I gained an appreciation for the role mobility and corrective exercise had in making someone a well-rounded performer no matter what the fitness goal. I also have always been a “practice what you preach” guy. So, this time around I dove in and started doing some of the mobility drills and exercises Kelly posted about on mobilitywod. Afterall, I have always been pretty “tight.” I could definitely benefit from this shit. So, I start doing it consistently and start seeing improvements in my own function both in and out of the gym and thought, “wow this could help out a lot of my clients that have your normal aches and pains most people have AND help them perform better in the gym during our sessions.” Through this process, I became a much better trainer, I started to become more well-rounded and started using well thought out warm-ups and putting a real emphasis on programming mobility work and corrective exercises into my clients’ programs. And it produced great results with my clients.

Anyway, this is all a long-winded way of saying Kelly had a huge impact on me and is a legit bad motherfucker when it comes to the physical therapy and human performance game(s). I highly recommend any and all of his materials and teachings. What initially impressed me so much about Kelly is his ability to make videos that perfectly blended being engaging and entertaining with extremely high level understanding of anatomy, biomechanics, etc. One view of any of his mobilitywod videos will make this very evident.

Here is a guide to get your started on Kelly’s materials:

1. His website – mobilitywod.com – everything and anything mobilitywod can be found here. You can find his free videos here, information on mobility courses offered, order his books, etc. He also has a very affordable monthly membership you can sign up for too
2. His Books – Becoming A Supple Leopard (The book I recommend starting with. Gives you a complete intro to the mobilitywod system all in one place, pictures of the exercises, and strategies for working it into overall programming), Deskbound, and Ready to Run.
3. YouTube – just search something like “mobilitywod Kelly Starrett” and plenty of free videos will pop up.
4. Social media – simply search mobilitywod on twitter, facebook, Instagram, etc.

2. Ron Hruska (Postural Restoration Institute)

Ron is the creator and founder of Postural Restoration Institute (PRI). He is the only person on this list that I have actually met in person. Last February (2017), I took the first of PRI’s 3 major core courses, Myokinematic Restoration, which Ron was one of the instructors for. Meeting him only further confirmed that he is someone in this game that I will drop whatever I’m doing to listen to when he has to say about physical therapy. Partly, due to him being incredibly nice, humble, and willing to offer his expertise and knowledge to anyone interested. Hell, he even took time to talk to me for a few minutes. That’s all the proof you need.

PRI is all about taking anatomical and biomechanical knowledge of respiration, myokinematics and posture and assessing these areas to uncover dysfunctional patterns and imbalances and then perform specific interventions to return these systems to functioning properly.

Those are my words above, which may not be worth a whole hell of a lot to you, so let me also provide their words explaining what they do, which can be found in the mission statement on their website, where they state, “The Postural Restoration Institute® (PRI) was established to explore and explain the science of postural adaptations, asymmetrical patterns and the influence of polyarticular chains of muscles. Our mission is based on the development of an innovative treatment that addresses the primary contributions of postural kinematic movement dysfunction.”

Here is your guide to getting started with Ron’s and PRI’s materials:

1. Their website – posturalrestoration.com – here you can find various articles and videos explaining some of the core tenants of PRI and how it is integrated into patient treatment. You can also find information on the courses they offer and the dates/locations of each course for the calendar year.
2. YouTube – once again, a simple YouTube search of “PRI” or “Ron Hruska PRI” will offer you plenty of PRI content.
3. Social Media – @RonHruska on Twitter. And find PRI on Instagram – @posturalrestorationinst and on Twitter – @postrestinst

 3. Mike Reinold

I was introduced to Mike’s material due to my first love in life – baseball. Mike was formerly the head physical therapist for the Boston Red Sox and now owns his own physical therapy practice named Champion Physical Therapy and Performance up in Boston. I was initially drawn to Mike’s material when physical and athletic performance were my main interests. I have always enjoyed the straight forward and easy to comprehend approach to his content. Both articles and videos. He does a great job of explaining the science behind the movement and performance principles he is discussing, but also offers straight forward advice and ways to take immediate action for implementing what he is talking about. If you are a baseball guy or someone who is interested in working with baseball players, Mike should be at the top of your list for professionals to take advice and learn from.

Mike is also a great physical therapist and provides a lot of content relating to topics in physical therapy. He has a weekly podcast, “The Ask Mike Reinold Show,” where he and the other PT’s at Champion take listener questions, often being asked by students in PT school. This is a GREAT podcast to listen to if you are currently in school, as it offers a look inside the mindset with which Mike and the other PT’s at Champion approach various aspects of patient care and rehabilitation.

Here is your guide to getting started with Mike’s materials:

1. His website – mikereinold.com – The “Start Here” tab on his website basically gives you a step-by-step breakdown of how to find all of Mike’s materials and content online
2. His podcast – The Ask Mike Reinold Show – Can be found on YouTube, iTunes, etc.
3. His newsletter – which you can sign up for on his website
4. “Inner Circle” offerings – find out more on his website.
5. His book – The Athlete’s Shoulder – Mike teams up with Kevin Wilk and Dr. James Andrews for this one. That should tell you all you need to know there.
6. Social media – just search his name on twitter, Instagram, and facebook. Plenty of free content here.

4. Gray Cook (Functional Movement Systems)

Gray Cook is a co-founder of Functional Movement Systems, or FMS, which many are probably familiar with at this point. I believe FMS provides a great, straight forward approach to being able to objectively assess movement pattern strengths and weaknesses and then put a plan in place for improving on an individual’s weaknesses to improve overall function and performance.

If you are not familiar with the FMS system I highly suggest looking into it and considering it as an option when treating patients. It began, I believe, as mainly a system for assessing athletes and improving athletic performance, but I believe it has its place with other populations as well. The basic movement patterns that form the foundation for athletic performance are also used in various functional activities throughout anyone’s typical day.

FMS offers a ‘level 1’ and ‘level 2’ certification that are open to anyone interested. They also offer a more advanced course/system called the SFMA for specific healthcare professionals (DPTs, chiros, etc.).

Here is your guide for getting started with material from Gray Cook and the FMS system:

1. His website – graycook.com – all of Gray’s materials, tons of free articles, videos, etc. can be found here.
2. FMS website – functionalmovement.com – information about the various courses offered and when/where they are offered this year.
3. Social media – Twitter – @GrayCookPT @FunctionalMvmt – Instagram – @FunctionalMvmt
4. His book(s) – “Movement” by Gray Cook is the main one to start with IMO.