AKPT the Reluctant Guru

Who says physical therapy has to feel like work? Who says it has to be boring?

Alex has turned his methodology into a nationwide sensation among patients and doctors alike.  His technique and modalities are teachable and implementable on an individual, group and medical practice level.  

A former star wrestler and athlete, Alex Klurfeld maintains his physique and his health by working low impact, high resistance exercise into his daily routine. From swimming to body-weight training Dr. Klurfeld, PT is able to build and maintain muscle mass over the long haul. And that, says Alex, is what it's all about:

"The trap that most athletes, young and old, fall into is believing what they read. There is a lot of pseudo-science out there that focuses on more of everything. From protein powder, which, by the way no one needs, to "burn out training" and "progressive overload," and "reverse pyramid" training, the patient is convinced that they need these things to improve their health and well being. This is nonsense concocted by the health industry and personal trainers out for profit. You don't need any of this for either performance enhancement or muscle building, and certainly not for recovery. The patient is being sold a bag of magic beans. But not only are the beans not magical, they are potentially harmful and can lead to injury."

- Alex Klurfeld

Alex doesn't view his training methods as revolutionary, and that's the point. The genius behind his methodologies is that they are grounded in pragmatism and tried and true techniques that predate the armchair trainers and "bro-scientists" of today.  

Interview Q: (by Recovery Art):  But hasn't everything improved over the years? Technological advancements have improved nearly every aspect of our lives, from the car, to the microwave oven to the cell phone to TikTok, ok well maybe not TikTok. But you see what I mean. There have been advancements in medicine. Physical therapy can't be the exception, can it?

A:  Alex Klurfeld:  Actually it can. And it is. Listen, there have been plenty of advancements in physical therapy and in the testing and surgical procedures that lead to physical therapy as the final stage in improving patient outcomes. And we've come a long way in learning new techniques, such as Blood Flow Restriction training and musculoskeletal imaging modalities. We can talk about those at great length another day.  

Recovery Art:  Ok.  So then what's the problem?

Alex Klurfeld:  The problem with physical therapy is that people have been led to believe that they don't need the proper education and training to advise on it. Physical therapy overlaps into the unlicensed fields of 'personal fitness" and 'strength training' and even yoga, pilates and meditation.    

Recovery Art:  Overlapping how?  You don't have Yogi's opening PT clinics I assume.

Alex Klurfeld:  (Chuckles).  No, but now we have bloggers and fitness coaches penning articles about protein absorption timing paired with "muscle overload" as if there were scientific studies on this being run by Pfizer.  There aren't. Because there isn't any money in it.  They talk about "recovery time" and "how to keep going to the gym while recovering from an injury." You find personal trainers at the local gym walking elderly patients through exercises designed to strengthen their ankles after surgery, with varying degrees of precision. And most of the time this is only loosely based on science, and mostly based on speculation, on conjecture. Conjecture is fine for the classroom, but not the weight room. My patients are living proof.  I'm living proof. You absolutely do not need to set yourself up for harm in order to perform at your peak levels."

Recovery Art:  So we should just all start exercising like its 1955?

Alex Klurfeld:  Click Here to Continue to the Full Interview