Personal Training Client: Tyrone Almeida
Age: 43
Occupation : Marketing Manager
Personal Trainer : Samuel Hsu
I have always been into competitive and adventure sports. Playing soccer and squash (local and regional tournaments), Scuba diving and trekking the world over. I had a 5 day a week training regimen to support these activities. Unfortunately, I had a severe case of a ‘slipped’ disc during a squash game and after many months of being bed-ridden had to finally undergo multiple rounds of spinal surgery before I could walk again.
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In the 2 years since the sports accident I have not been able to indulge in any exercise or even moderate physical activity (just walking in a pain free manner was a considered a huge feat). Post-surgery I continued having sciatic pain, though less severe vs pre-surgery. I also developed muscular pain in different areas (arms, legs, shoulders, back) perhaps due to lack of exercise and/or overuse of some muscle groups. I tried many different approaches to address the lingering sciatica and the new muscular pains – yoga, ayurvedic treatments, stretches I saw on the internet, special diets… all of them provided only marginal relief at best. My GP who had pain issues of her own recommended FTI and I decided to give it a try.
I came into the programme very sceptical - after all I had tried so many things before. However, on day 1 itself, I was already impressed with the technical rigour of the FTI programmes. They invested a lot of time in understanding the issues through first-hand attempting to examine and isolate different issues. They diligently followed up almost every day to check on my pain conditions after each session and also made sure I was doing the exercises right and regularly. I haven’t seen this kind of diligence and perseverance at any other place! Based on feedback, exercises were modified, changed or discarded. Every session was a mix of things that worked earlier and something new based on what residual issues I still had pending. The sessions were intriguing (as I had never encountered some types of exercises before), challenging and fun.
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The sciatic pain that been with me for the last couple of years slowly but surely went away over multiple weeks. I’m finally off pain killers which I was taking daily for the last 2 years. My muscular pains are also down to just fraction of what they were earlier (I’m only a few weeks into fixing the muscular issues).
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I have been at FTI for 3 months so far. Beyond being largely pain free (which I never thought possible – and neither did many of the doctors I consulted), I am more confident about getting back to an acceptable level of physical fitness. It’s more than I imagined possible and I am immensely grateful to Samuel Hsu and other trainers at FTI who helped me literally get “back on my feet” and have another shot at living my life.
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I love their curiosity and perseverance to really tease out the underlying issues, coupled with their rigour and diligence (they push you hard but within limits but track and monitor your progress). I love that they are flexible and adjust things to suit you. They keep it challenging and fun while being cognisant of what your body can take.
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I would recommend FTI and ‘the FTI way’ to anyone who is :
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Looking to fix their bodies and mind after a severe trauma
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Looking for a fun, challenging way to get fit and stay fit