Antony Lo - The Physio Detective
"The best gains are achieved with maximum intensity, without pain to distract the brain"
Antony Lo is an APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist based in Sydney. He specializes in the management, treatment and prevention of pain and dysfunction, particularly of the pelvis and ribcage. His sub-specialties include Crossfit and Exercise Performance Optimization, Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Care and difficult cases that have failed treatment elsewhere.
Due to the holistic nature of Antony’s assessment and treatment philosophy, he has developed a reputation of being able to help elite level sports people break through their plateau barriers and correct their sports-specific technique errors. He also works with coaches in order to support an athlete returning from injury or to support optimum performance.
His practice places a big emphasis on teaching you about your condition, what to do about it and how to help yourself.
I’ve been lucky enough to have Antony’s help on two occasions. Once at his Bullet Proof the Shoulder Workshop, where, within literally seconds, he identified the main problem with my overhead mobility (or lack there of), showed me something I could do to address it and proved to me that I could actually get far more range of motion than I had been, almost straight away.
The second time I saw Antony was in private consultation. I visited Antony about a consistent pain I was getting in my hip when squatting. I'd been putting up with it for a couple of months because I didn't actually want to go and see someone who couldn't show me a way through it or worse, someone who would discourage me from squatting.
Unlike my previous (and admittedly somewhat limited) experiences with physios, doctors, chiros etc, he didn't give me a nice massage and make me feel better for the afternoon, he gave me the ability to walk out of his appointment and take myself back to the gym to correct my own movement patterns. At the appointment, he identified the problem with my movement / bracing pattern and then we went downstairs and we actually squatted with a barbell so I could leave with a 100% understanding of how to squat without pain.
Both times, Antony was able to show me a way to move forward with my training.
Due to the holistic nature of Antony’s assessment and treatment philosophy, he has developed a reputation of being able to help elite level sports people break through their plateau barriers and correct their sports-specific technique errors. He also works with coaches in order to support an athlete returning from injury or to support optimum performance.
His practice places a big emphasis on teaching you about your condition, what to do about it and how to help yourself.
I’ve been lucky enough to have Antony’s help on two occasions. Once at his Bullet Proof the Shoulder Workshop, where, within literally seconds, he identified the main problem with my overhead mobility (or lack there of), showed me something I could do to address it and proved to me that I could actually get far more range of motion than I had been, almost straight away.
The second time I saw Antony was in private consultation. I visited Antony about a consistent pain I was getting in my hip when squatting. I'd been putting up with it for a couple of months because I didn't actually want to go and see someone who couldn't show me a way through it or worse, someone who would discourage me from squatting.
Unlike my previous (and admittedly somewhat limited) experiences with physios, doctors, chiros etc, he didn't give me a nice massage and make me feel better for the afternoon, he gave me the ability to walk out of his appointment and take myself back to the gym to correct my own movement patterns. At the appointment, he identified the problem with my movement / bracing pattern and then we went downstairs and we actually squatted with a barbell so I could leave with a 100% understanding of how to squat without pain.
Both times, Antony was able to show me a way to move forward with my training.
Thank you for chatting with The Barbelle Club Antony.
What are the biggest mistakes injured people make in terms of training? They rush back too soon. They don't come back. They’re too cautious. They’re not cautious enough. They don’t wait for the weakest part of the body to catch up - e.g.squats. Most people fail squats because their upper body/back/spine can't handle the load...it will almost 100% give way before the legs do. It's also a mistake to go it alone and try to sort it out yourself, instead of seeing a physio or even their coach about an injury.
For someone who trains strength regularly and aims to make linear progression, how much pain and discomfort is "normal" to live with? The presence of pain during strength training actually inhibits your strength development. That's right, it means you are working hard and in pain for no good reason. The best gains are achieved with maximum intensity, without pain to distract the brain - this will lead to improved stimulus to the body without the threat of (real or perceived) injury. Generalised soreness that can be explained is ok, weakness is not. Sharp pain is not ok. Altered sensation is not ok. In terms of strength training and women's bodies, are there particular issues that (fairly consistently in your experience), we need to be concerned about? Are there general areas of weakness. Are there things that we are not doing that we should be doing? The Pelvic floor is the obvious one. Just by having an extra passage (the vagina) means that a lot of pressure goes through there with prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction being the 2 main problems. It is an area of concern, often it’s TOO STRONG and not much seems to be done to solve it, not just manage it - I hope to be changing that with some of my information seminars for women. Learning how to properly contract the pelvic floor, the timing of it and how to use it during heavy lifts is not well taught by traditional women’s health and continence physiotherapists. Women seem to have more variations in their hip structure which affects their squatting stance - ante versions, torsions, acetabula placement. Women in general start off in Crossfit "weaker" than guys do...this is obviously a MASSIVE generalisation but i think if you ask any Crossfit coach about strict pull ups, they will say that new guys tend to get them faster than new girls do. That is partly because of the effect of testosterone but also culturally, women with strong shoulders are often parodied and not admired. |
Lastly, the classic "men overestimate what they can do and women underestimate" is seen clinically. Often a guy will try something and say "oh, i thought i would be able to do that". Often a woman will say "Oh, I didn't think I would be able to do that"...be realistic and confident girls!!
Generalised soreness that can be explained is ok, weakness is not. Sharp pain is not ok. Altered sensation is not ok.
How can I increase my chances of being able to make strength gains and continue training well into middle age and beyond? (or, Do old people even lift?)
You can increase it by staying pain and injury-free, that might sound obvious but you would be surprised how many people ignore this advice! By continuing to always be lifting something - even a broomstick on most days (at least 5) - it doesn't have to wear you out but you are preserving the brain coordination patterns for later in life and the more you use them, the stronger the patterns become, And by varying the load/volume/intensity in waves to give the body different stimuli - good programming, programming in mobility, flexibility, stability work, as well as warming up smart and cool down properly. Do you think that there is a perfect balance between strength and mobility? How would you suggest is the best way to find this balance? Yes. Mobility to me is how well you move with what you have. Ideally, you want access to 100% of your mobility with minimal preparation. Flexibility is how far you can move/range of motion. ideally, you only need enough flexibility to meet the needs of your goals and tasks...anything more, you will have to start expending energy to maintain positions. |
At the moment, my favourite thing in life to do is lift weights and get stronger. As a consequence though, my second most time consuming hobby is lying on the floor for long periods of time. As much as I enjoy my time on the floor, I wonder if you have any insight into training and continuing to live a balanced productive life outside of the gym?
I am not sure I am the right person to ask about that one! I think you need good rest. Rowing, cycling and walking are all good at a low intensity - that will allow you to keep joints and muscles moving without catabolizing your hard earned gainz! Set aside time to do workouts and recovery. Plan the rest of your productive time around it or vice versa :) Are there any awesome secrets or life changing advice that you think women who lift should know about? Real men love strong girls. You can do it - keep working at it You don't have enough testosterone to make you "chunky" - having a powerful strong lean body is not only attractive, it will help prevent problems later in life like osteoporosis and decreases your falls risk. Perfect technique is the key to making gains when the easy gainz slow down...be prepared to check the ego at the door and regress a little. Thanks Antony! |
More about Antony
His website is www.MyPhysios.com.au. His blog is www.PhysioDetective.com.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/physiodetective Instagram @mypteducation @physiodetective
Antony has been studying and working in Physiotherapy since 1993. During this time, he has earned his degree in Physiotherapy, a Masters in Physiotherapy and is completing his Specialisation training – the highest form of recognition a physiotherapist can attain in Australia.
**All photographs courtesy of The Physio Detective
His website is www.MyPhysios.com.au. His blog is www.PhysioDetective.com.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/physiodetective Instagram @mypteducation @physiodetective
Antony has been studying and working in Physiotherapy since 1993. During this time, he has earned his degree in Physiotherapy, a Masters in Physiotherapy and is completing his Specialisation training – the highest form of recognition a physiotherapist can attain in Australia.
**All photographs courtesy of The Physio Detective