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From jump jockeys to rowers Karl has provided the guidance necessary to overcome physical injury, pain and frustration. Here are some testimonials to his work.
"I am 70 years old and three stone overweight. I had four vertebrae fused in the my lower back in December 2007. Karl started working with me in Janary 2008, at first weekly and later every three to four weeks.
What makes Karl unique, is that having had a serious accident himself he knows all about pain on a personal level, in his body, not in his head. He is very knowledgeable with regard to injury and anatomy and tailors the excercises in the moment to meet the goals I am setting myself. eg. picking things up off the floor, later dancing Tango and more recently getting into and out of the bath.
He pushes me to my limits, but never beyond. He praises, encourages, cajoles and makes me laugh. I am excercise phobic!! However, with his enthusiasm and my obvious progress I have been diligently following my excercise routine most days.
One year later I am fit and pain free, able to get on with my life. I dance Tango weekly and cannot imagine how I could have reached this point without Karl's care, support and expertise."
"About nine months ago I was driving to hospital to have another round of Cortisone in my elbows and I was wondering if I could convince them to just do a full service and shoot my knees and hips as well – help dull the sound of them coming up the stairs! Shortly after that I had my BUPA health check and had a nice chat about how I was falling in to the morbidly obese category and I should start doing some exercises so I did not start to wet myself.... Lovely.... Refreshingly depressed I thought I would add a massage to follow my usual back treatment (I have had approx 300 treatments over the last 35 years following a bad fall and a fracture to my spine) as my whole body was generally sore and complaining. I picked a sports massage because they generally are not too wimpy about going after the sore bits!!
That was the day I met Karl who gave me the full “non wimp” (ouch quit) session. During this first chat I discovered he was a sports coach, amongst many other things, and I asked him if he could teach me to vault on my horse? “I can teach you in 2 weeks”. He was right. In less than two weeks I understood perfectly the technique to vault on my horse! Nine months later I am 34lbs lighter (and still losing), I have gone from a UK size 18 to a 12 and have never been fitter or in less pain. I am physically capable, competent, and confident enough to jump on my horse and it has been the most fun journey to wellness ever!! I am nearly 50 and I get to go and buy pretty underwear and have people complement me alot!!"
'It has been the most fun journey to wellness ever'
"Fifteen years of constant back and arm pain had prevented me from considering any type of physical challenge. I had visited every specialist I could find – including an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Osteopath, Physiotherapist and a Chiropractor. It was not until I was introduced to Karl that I finally found someone who seemed to want to end my problem rather than manage it. It took a few sessions over a couple of months to identify and rectify the problem. Thanks to Karl I am now pain free.
I have continued to work with Karl to improve my fitness and achieve my goal of re-starting with my rowing – something I had not dreamed would be possible. My training sessions are fun and challenging and I am now considered to be athletic. I row, ride and run with more confidence and ability than ever and I know I will achieve even more: life has changed radically.
I have never felt fitter or been more confident. Whether you want to recover from injury, just get fit, or learn how to be well, I cannot recommend Karl highly enough."
'My life has changed!'
"I was rushing to a meeting in London, when I slipped on the wet pavement and twisted my ankle. I made the meeting, but was in a lot of pain. After the meeting I phoned a colleague who give me Karl`s mobile numbers. I called Karl and arranged to see him later that day at my home.
Karl advised me, at the time, to purchase a bag of peas and an elasticated bandage. These I applied to my ankle and drove home. Karl duly saw me 3 times over the next two days. He worked wonders and I could walk and put weight on my ankle, which was brilliant as I had to fly to the States for an important client three days after the fall. I could travel and enjoy seeing and walking in New England that weekend. Karl did the business for me. Without his help, I would have been off work, missed the US meeting, and hobbling around for several weeks."
'Thanks to Karl I was walking again and could travel'
"Following a sports injury I had suffered from the backpain, on and off, for nearly 2 years. Over this time I had seen two physiotherapists, an Osteopath and a back specialist. Karl was the first person to actually spend time finding out what was really causing the problem. Within a very short time I was actually trying a skiing holiday for the first time! What a difference from the girl who couldn't even sit or lie down without tears and a lot of pain!"
'It is wonderful to have my life back again'
"I had suffered with lower back problems for 14 years. Since seeing Karl, I have learned what my body is capable of, and what is and is not sensible. Karl showed me how to strengthen my lower back and core muscles so that I can undertake new challenges. Over the last year my back has remained in good health. My main sport is swimming, and I have found that my fitness and stamina have much improved. Sessions with Karl are challenging in just the right way, immensely rewarding, and great fun. A fantastic person - I am so grateful for everything he has done for me."
"For ten years I suffered from severe back pain resulting in major surgery on two occasions, having exercised all my life being told I could no longer continue in the same vain came as a huge bomb shell to me. I met Karl eight months ago at a time in my life where my self esteem was at an all time low and more importantly I was continuing to live in pain. Over these past months, Karl has changed my life! His unique, holistic approach to training goes way beyond a weekly session in the gym, he understands that we are all individual, with different strengths and weakness and works with each of us to reach and exceed our goals. I feel both mentally and physically stronger than I have done in years, but most importantly I live without pain something I thought I would never achieve."
After an accident I was unable to do anything without pain. Working with Karl I regained my life and lost two dress sizes in 6 sessions, with no diet!
I had had a really bad car smash and gone from being a very fit person to ballooning to a clinically obese size 18-20. I got no joy from the hospital where they said I was fine even though I was unable to safely do any form of exercise, even walking, without pain. My doctor recommended physiotherapy but there was none on the NHS near me. So I decided to go for it and get a professional sports therapist to help me not only recover, but to get fit and slim again.
Karl actually threw me out after his first assessment and said I needed more x-rays for an area that had not even been looked at in the hospital at the time of the crash. He was right and we started work after that bearing in mind the extra injuries he had spotted. But still he maintained that I was more seriously injured than the doctors at the hospital had said and worked with me accordingly. I recovered an amazing amount of movement and lost a lot of pain very quickly as well as shaping up and losing two dress sizes in only 6 sessions!
After a few months and at Karl's urging, I saw an expert consultant who repeated word for word everything Karl had diagnosed about my injuries and also expressed admiration for the fact I had so much movement so quickly considering the severity of the injury, which, as Karl has said all along, will require more treatment.
I'm not so panicked at the thought of major corrective surgery now as I know I will be able to get going really quickly afterwards, with Karl's help, and won't get obese again. It helps tremendously that Karl also knows as much as the surgical experts do about the injuries and explains in more depth, than they ever try to do, about exactly what will happen and how to recover.
The exercises are easy and he has taught me how to do things at home without needing to go to a gym. No pain and plenty of gain! I have also gained more confidence in myself and better posture than I've ever had. Karl has a great manner if you're shy and feel self conscious and a knack for getting you going and enjoying yourself.
Karl has impressed me with his level of expert knowledge and professionalism. He doesn't keep you going and going in order to keep getting money from you. If there is something going on that he thinks another professional should look at or deal with, he will tell you. In fact he'll insist you drop him to see them!
From the get go you get taught exactly how your body needs to be looked after, what exercises you can do every day to achieve impressive results without spending a fortune or killing yourself on running machines! No body facism, no measuring of fat, no weighing, just a good assessment of where your body is at, in terms of strength and balance and what you want it to be. He will also take every care to ensure that you get the right medical help and support at all times if you are recovering from injury, even if the doctors won't listen at first!
So if you want to see a professional who will tailor make a program that will get you results, see Karl. If you are injured or suffering old and debilitating injuries and are afraid to work out, see Karl. If you want someone who will make it feel comfortable, fun and easy, see Karl.
'Without Karl I'd still be on the watch for whale hunters and accepting a life of constant pain.'
When I became engaged in February of this year I decided I needed some help in attaining my goal of being a toned bride. I spoke with Karl who reassured me that what I am aiming for is not impossible and he outlined how I could achieve my goal and the way he explained it, made me feel confident I could do it.
We're now in June with six months to go to the Big Day and I feel fitter and more active than before. It's not all about going as fast as you can on the hard levels on machines. My particular programme involves a lot of floor and strengthening exercises which I really enjoy and I actually enjoy going to the gym now, it's no longer a chore, I want to go.
Karl is enthusiastic, he tailors each session to your particular needs on that day and if you don't like something, he'll change it. I know that when December comes I'll be the size and shape I want to be - and that will be thanks to the hard work and encouragement of Karl.
I had a serious car crash and was left with whip lash injuries. I was told that I would take 9 – 12 months to recover and so I started a course of physiotherapy. Previously I had enjoyed a good level of fitness.
Although the physiotherapy helped me to re-gain a certain amount of movement, I was still not totally free of pain and stiffness from the muscles in my lower back. When the physiotherapist said that there was nothing more that could be done for me I arranged to see Karl.
From the moment of my first consultation I felt reassured by Karl’s quiet confidence and knew that he would help my recovery. He seemed to be very discerning about my injuries and seemed to understand my body and its current limitations more than I did.
Karl’s programme of exercises started off very easily and gently as he began to find out what I could do whilst being careful not to inadvertently make matters worse by asking me to do anything beyond my capability. I did not have to follow some torturous regime or some strange mystical practice. Far from boring each session was to prove more interesting as we both discovered my increasing mobility.
We soon settled into a regular improvement plan from which I gained immediate benefit. I found that as I loosened up the stiffness and pain began to subside. Each week Karl encouraged me to do more with regard to the stretching exercises. His systematic approach meant that at no time was I put at risk in aggravating my injuries.
With the help of Karl’s programme I am able to do the exercises at home now and all I can say is that his intervention was what I needed at just the right time. I looked forward to the sessions and I shall miss Karl’s relaxed friendly style, quite apart from his obvious professional knowledge and expertise which he used to great effect to help me overcome my injuries.
"I had been struggling with regaining my fitness after having surgery, chemo and radiotherapy treatments for breast cancer. This had been compounded by a long standing back problem affecting what I was able to do. Karl tailored a programme to meet my (very) specific needs and provided lots of support in meeting the challenge.
I am now far stronger and fitter than I have ever been and can do exercises which I never imagined I could achieve before.
Some of the results of my hugely improved fitness have been that my confidence has soared, my poise and balance have improved dramatically and I am looking forward to the next challenge.
'a pupil from whom nothing is ever demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can.' John Stuart Mill
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