My Backstory

G’day — I’m Michael.

I’m a Physio who helps gym lovers overcome shoulder pain.

I hope my story inspires you not to give up.

My Story

I fell in love with resistance training at 16. The gym gave me structure and confidence. Training became a huge part of my life.

In 2012, I tore the labrum in my right shoulder during a jackhammering job. Every time I reached or lifted something — even a coffee cup — I felt a sharp pain. There was a deep ache between my shoulder blades that never let up.

And I couldn’t train.

I lost all the strength and fitness I’d worked so hard for. I tried physio for six months, followed the rehab plan — but nothing worked. I eventually had surgery in early 2013.

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After eight months of rehab, I finally made it back to the gym. But in my first week back, I tore the labrum in my left shoulder doing pull-ups. Another surgery. And once again, I lost all my progress.

The surgeon told me I had a genetic predisposition to shoulder injuries and advised me to give up heavy lifting altogether.

At 22, that was a tough pill to swallow. Training was my passion, and now it felt like I had to walk away from it. I moved back home, quit my PT job, and had to rethink everything.

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But during that time, I realised something important:

It wasn’t the injury itself that got to me — it was everything I lost because of it.

My training. My progress. A big part of who I was.

If I could’ve kept training — even while injured — I would’ve been stoked.

But I didn’t know anyone who could show me how to do that.

The surgeon knew surgery.

The physio knew rehab.

I knew how to train — but not how to do it without jeopardising my shoulder recovery.

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That was my moment.

I found my calling.

Instead of giving up on fitness, I decided to dedicate myself to filling that gap.

I wanted to understand both sides — injury and performance — so I could help people like me keep training, maintain their fitness, and live the life they love, even when dealing with injury.

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So I Became That Person

I went back to uni and earned a high distinction average in my Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, which got me into the Master of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney — one of the top programs in the world.

I didn’t become a physio to massage sore backs.

I became one to specialise in resistance training and injury rehab — to bridge the exact gap I once fell into.

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Where I’m At Now

I’ve rehabbed both shoulders to 100%. At 33, I’m stronger, fitter, and more capable than I’ve ever been. I lift heavy, surf, run, and travel the world.

My shoulders no longer hold me back.

I run Train Around Pain, my online physio and coaching business, helping gym lovers train through and overcome shoulder injuries — without quitting the gym.

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The Truth Is

We don’t get to choose our challenges in life — but we do choose how we respond.

We can let those challenges break us, or we can use them as an opportunity to grow, to strive, and to come back stronger.

The challenge you’re facing right now could end up being the best thing that ever happened to you — if you choose it to be.

If your shoulder is holding you back, hit me up — we’ll change that.