Max Martin
Hi, thanks for spending time checking out cExa’s page. If you are here its probably because you are at least a bit of a nerd like the rest of our team! but probably also because you are interested in taking your clients through a good rehab program and through to great performance!
There are three main influences on my work:
- on-going academic research
- extensive consultation and collaboratin with quality Allied Health Professionals
- work with clients of my exercise physiology studio, iNform Health and Fitness Solutions, including elite levels athletes
Looking back over my career, I can see how each of these have paved the way to the creation of Corrective Exercise Australia.
On-going Academic Research
Everything that I apply to my work as an exercise physiologist is informed by scientific research. I believe this is vital and the only responsible and effective way to practice in this field.
During my studies leading to an Applied Science Degree (Exercise and Sports Science) in 1998 and an Honours Degree in Human Movement in 2000, I could clearly see how rigorous scientific study opens our eyes to approaches and techniques that make perfect physiological sense while also being counter-intuitive within the popular gym culture. Don’t get me started on the issue of “crunches”!
I am currently developing a pre-exercise Movement Screen for the fitness industry as part of my PhD in Human Movement. I believe a universally understood and applied screen is the bedrock for a safe and productive industry.
While there are a number of peer-reviewed publications to my name in the areas of nutrition, obesity and physiology, the Movement Screen is most likely borne of my core professional interest and expertise in musculo-skeletal rehabilitation. As an industry, we have a large challenge ahead of us to continue probing to find ways to lift general health and fitness levels within the general population.
Collaboration with Allied Health Professionals
It is by stepping outside of my strict field of practice that I have been able to evaluate different strategies to working with this amazing machine, which is our human body. In addition, building a great network of quality practitioners has allowed me to benchmark our corrective exercise paradigms against quality standards.
Work with elite athletes
I guess what follows when you build a name for yourself in the area of rehabilitation, is that word quickly spreads within elite athletic circles where just one day of injury can cost thousands of dollars and a few weeks can cost a career.
It has been my privilege to work with many sports professionals, including:
- Adelaide 36ers basketballers
- International basketballers, including current World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist members of the Opals squad
- Professional tennis players
- Elite downhill mountain bikers
- AFL players
- Elite track athletes
- Elite tri-athletes
- others!
What I have gained through this work is an insight into the role of motivation between sessions, which often members of the general public lack. This allows us to see our work played out in full.
What is more, the nature of these elite sportspeople to push the human body to extremes, raises the stakes and underlines the importance of a sound, multi-disciplinary, scientific approach to rehabilitation.
Work with clients at iNform Health and Fitness Solutions
While I am Director and principal presenter for Corrective Exercise Australia, I relish my work as Principal Exercise Physiologist and Director of iNform Health and Fitness Solutions.
The rich mix of experience at iNform Health and Fitness exposes me to screening, planning, practise, and monitoring of the application of the latest exercise physiology with members of the general public and amateur sportspeople alike.
One of the most rewarding elements is working with allied health professionals to achieve positive outcomes for clients with chronic or acute conditions.
We have also nurtured a collegiality among our staff, which is resulting in a body of blog articles that inspire and enthuse our clients (and other staff members too). This environment of generously sharing insights into the intersection of exercise physiology research and “real life” is invaluable. It is this atmosphere, albeit at a higher and deeper level of technical discussion, that I have envisioned for cExa.
The combination of all these strands has opened doors for regular invitations to lecture on Exercise Prescription and Rehabilitation to students of the University of South Australia and other tertiary educational institutions.
I am sure you know how intriguing and rewarding a career within this industry can be, and that is why I am pleased to be a member of Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA), and a member of Fitness Australia’s Regional Industry Council in SA, and the National REPs Council.
My wish is that you will find our work here at cExa useful and engaging. Our communities are counting on us!
