One day I woke up and said to myself “ I want to be doing this for a long time”

One day I woke up and said to myself “ I want to be doing this for a long time”
For the longest time I built my identity around competing. I was “the bikini girl with the powerlifter strength”. In retrospect, I don’t blame myself, it all happened so fast. I started hitting “elite” numbers in my lifts early in my training, and my body changed. My first 6 months at the gym in 2016, trainers, friends and even strangers would come up to me and ask “ Do you compete?” “Are you a powerlifter?”. I didn’t even know about the world of competing.

It was 2017, a year after I started training consistently at the gym that I decided to compete. I had a goal- to break three provincial records in powerlifting and place top 5 in my first Bodybuilding show…. and I did it, 4 weeks apart. It was the most unconventional prep, but I trusted the process and followed my program exactly.
I wish I could just end the fairytale here, but it was just the beginning. I was not ready for what happened next. I thought it was my body fighting back- lower back pain, hip impingement, elbow tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis. In reality, I just completely ignored my injuries and dysfunctions during prep, and my body finally shut down because I refused to listen when it was crying out for help.
Here is where the story gets interesting, I am a Physiotherapist.
I was a physiotherapy student at the time and I should have known better. My end goal was fogged by my ego, my “ant strength” identity and “no pain, no gain” mentality. Eventually I changed my programming, but I never stopped working, and the numbers I had to hit were non-negotiable. I got so stressed out about getting stronger that I would never rest, even though my body was crying out for a deload. One day I woke up and said to myself “ I want to be doing this for a long time”
I took my rehabilitation and recovery seriously. I fuelled my body properly. I focused on my physiotherapy craft. In turn, I was finally pain-free, I uncovered my value beyond the stage and platform, and I fell in love with my body and brain.

 
As I Physiotherapist I always say- “ I get you because I’ve been there”. I know how tough it is to “stop exercising” especially when you have a goal in mind. My job is to educate you on the risks, minimize the repercussions with therapy, and set you up with a program that meets your needs. Sometimes that means I’m the “needle lady” and I use dry needling to improve your thoracic rotation and lat girth before your show, other times that means I give you a proper rehab program that bridges the gap between rehabilitation and training.
If you have seen me train before, you know that I don’t need help sweating. I was introduced to Drip Fit back in 2017  and to be honest, at the time I was a skeptic because there were many other “sweat enhancing” products like Dripfit on the market and I have no problem sweating without Drip Fit #sweatqueen. It wasn’t until 2018 when I was prepping for my second show that I truly saw the benefits of DripFit. I strained my hamstring during my first attempt of my deadlift for my powerlifting meet and it never fully recovered. I started putting DripFit on my Left hamstring during my morning steady state cardio and sprints and immediately noticed a difference- I was able to minimize the discrepancy in my stride length and recover faster from my workouts. It was the best my hamstring felt since the injury, despite the increase in training volume. I was in a car accident in December and the first thing I did when I got home was put Drip Fit Polar Ice on my neck and back.
As a Physical Therapist now, I often opt to use Drip Fit on my patients over Bio Freeze or any other creams. My patients appreciate that is filled with only natural products and I am a strong advocate of the product because of the Magnesium, as it is a natural calcium blocker to help muscles relax.
If there is anything I wish that you take away from this blog it is this:

1. You only have one body and it is your vehicle for life. Listen to it Build a relationship with it. Take care of it. I promise you it will return the favor
2. Develop strong motor patterns, Move Right before you Move Fast and Move Heavy. “Practice does not make perfect, only PERFECT PRACTICE makes perfect” – Vince Lombardi
3. Get your hands on some DripFit. It’s not just about sweating. If you aren’t recovering, you aren’t optimizing your training. 

Jean Hu

@thephysiquephysio