Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Slaves here with your senior pickleball report powered by TNC Network. Let's get it going.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Today in our.
[00:00:13] Speaker A: People of pickleball episode, we speak with physical therapist Josh Mackey. We spoke with him about a year.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Ago, and Josh and I have been.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: Working together since January trying to get me a little more flexible, a little more strength and work on my lower back flexibility. So we talk about why it's important to do some physical training prior to playing and warming up and all those other things. And he kind of gives us an outline of his philosophy about how to do that and maintain fitness and doing it online. So really interesting conversation with Josh. So stay tuned for that.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: Like this content?
[00:00:52] Speaker A: Consider subscribing. Check all the links in the description. So, you know, subscribe to our newsletter. You're going to miss out if you don't. Everything's happening daily in pickleball as it explodes globally. All right, folks, let's get to that conversation with Josh.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: All right. Hey, welcome back to the show, Josh. Appreciate you having back. We talked about a year ago. So good to see you. And obviously we have lots to talk about.
[00:01:22] Speaker C: Thanks for having me, Mike. Excited to be here.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Yeah. So I gave a little bit of information before we came on here about you and I working together over about a twelve week period at the beginning of this year and reached out to you about doing some stuff because I've had some issues, lower back issues, strength issues, flexibility issues, like most people over 50.
So you put together a program for me and you were very diligent about reaching out to me in the mornings and specifically if I had any questions. And we were working on about three days a week and there would be a warm up and this was all done online. So talk about really your approach to working with people when they're not in person. And I was kind of the guinea pig for this channel to do it. And we'll talk about my results and things like that that I got out of. But let's hear a little bit about your philosophy about helping people online because as we all know, people are skeptical about things like this because they don't know you necessarily or the program.
So talk us through about your approach with doing things online for customers and clients.
[00:02:35] Speaker C: Yes, for sure. So as you know, we've been talking for over a year now and I've been kind of niching down and focusing more on some pickleball players and pickleball injuries, things like that. So my approach has been taking people through a full assessment, including different questions, different movements which can all be done virtually, which is great. And then from there, what I do is I deliver things through an app on your phones. You're going to get different exercises, different education videos, and these are all things that we put together based on what we find from our screening. And then from there, we tailor it towards you, towards your equipment, towards your goals, make it as custom and as specific to you as possible and then deliver that out for you until you reach your goals. And it's just great because you can do it anywhere. You know, you had me in your pocket essentially this whole, you know, past three months, so you could ask questions, we could record videos, go back and forth, we can hop on Zoom calls and go through things. And it just makes it easier, I think, on both of us, because it's not like, you know, I didn't need you coming to see me, you know, like two or three times a week, like most people do with physical therapy or other coaches that they work with. So it allows people to be a little more independent, do things at home, especially like you if you're a little more remote. So I think it just works out for everybody and it's just a very smooth process.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And you hit it right on the nose. Because I am very remote. There's a lot of people that don't have access to equipment, don't have access to a gym, don't have access to a physical therapist nearby.
For those that don't know, I've mentioned it a few times. I live in a yurt in the middle of nowhere and the closest town to me is 35 miles one direction. So to make a round trip to do something several days a week just isn't feasible. So that's why I was attracted to what you were doing online. And, you know, it was great because we used an app and it gave me the workout and it gave me the how to do it, gave me a YouTube video instruction. I could see you doing it or somebody else doing the movement. So it's very visual. And the great thing is you could do it on your own time and you could do it on your own schedule. And what worked best for me is I already had a workout program that I was, you know, implementing in my life. I could add those things into my program as well. And, you know, what worked for me, what didn't work for me, it was a great way to kind of find out what fit best.
So let's talk about, like, what I went through. I reached out to you because I had some issues we talked about earlier and what do you find that is a, I guess a reasonable amount of time for something like this. And we'll use me for the example to get some results because obviously I was dealing with some issues where this is a sport, where there's a lot of lateral movements, there's a lot of stop and go.
It can be tough on the body. And as people know, I've heard that pickleball has been called the new crossfit as far as people getting injured and things like that. So folks like you come into the place and they provide some assistance. So what is a reasonable time for somebody to kind of get to a place where they can make some progress? Doctor Justin. Right.
[00:05:56] Speaker C: It's a good question. And so like most answers to questions, it depends, wide spectrum of injuries, so, but for the most part, I would say, you know, getting people, like somebody who's been dealing with pain for, you know, several months, up to a year, most of the time you can get to a pain free spot, you know, within like four to six weeks. But with what I do and what, but I do with all my clients as well, is I want to not only get them out of pain, but I want to make sure they're doing the things so that the injury doesn't pop back up ten weeks, twelve weeks later. Because you can get people out of pain pretty quick. But the key is you want to make sure they're going to prevent it from coming back up and also prevent other injuries from occurring. So when I'm working with people, I get them out of pain, but I also give them the things that they can do to stay pain free. So in that timeframe, usually it's going to be anywhere from like eight to twelve weeks. For the most part, you can get them there. And more chronic cases, it might be closer to 16 weeks.
[00:06:55] Speaker B: Okay. I think for me, what initially helped the most, and was a workout in itself, from where I was at least, flexibility wise and a little bit of strength wise, was the warm up.
The warm up is a workout in itself, and it's not like some sort of ball buster, but it's challenging and you can make it obviously as challenging as you want. So talk a little bit about your philosophy with the warm up because, you know, people, if they go to a gym, they just, like, they start jumping in and doing stuff, whether it's a class or whether it's weight training or cardio. Talk about your philosophy with the warm up. Because for me, I've really implemented, out of all the things I've done, the warm up the most into, you know, prior to playing even and prior to actually doing some yoga that I do as well.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: Sure. Yeah. So I developed my warm up just over a year ago. So I have three key phases that I focus on. The first one, one is where I take people through isometrics, where they're feeling different muscle groups that they're going to be utilizing with pickleball or with whatever activity they're doing, just because it's oftentimes people can get weak and they just, it's hard to feel different muscle groups that you're going to be using. So we can play isometrics. Like, I know you were a big, you love the abdominal one because you could feel those muscles working while in other exercises you might not have. So I always start with isometrics, and then from there, I take people into reinforcement exercises. So that's where we're doing, like, your crossover walk with the trying to get a full range of motion on your feet, because if we can do that, that's going to help decrease the risk of injury. And then from there, once we get through those reinforcement exercises, we go into the dynamic warmup, where we're getting your heart rate up, getting your body moving a little bit more. Which is best help going to best prepare you for the pickleball activity.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And for me, I was doing some of these things which I like. I would do the glute bridge prior to talking to you, but like you mentioned, the abdominal, the sitting ab where I would cross and then I would really tighten up down there for, you know, five to 7 seconds and then go middle and then go back. That, for me, was something that was sort of, I don't know if it was sort of an aha moment, because, you know, the bane of most of our existence is doing all these crunches and stuff as a youngster, and you're doing all, you know, you've been told 10 million ways how to do a sit up. And I think what I enjoyed about it was I felt, a, it was doing something and it was working because I was really isolating that spot in b, I wasn't just wrecked after doing it.
Yeah, it's a warm up, but a very useful warmup. You know, there's warming up, like, you know, jogging around a track, and then there's warming up, which I like. And I also like the lunge where I would twist as well. And I still implement that before I do any playing as well. So I appreciated those aspects of the warm up itself. So let's build on that when you, when you go from the warm up and you talked a little bit about this to the main workouts, and we can obviously use me as an example because that's the program we're talking about. Where do you go from there? Is there a particular order that you're looking for or is that not that important? Like after the warm up, I'm not going to go do blank because of x or is there a little more thought into that?
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Yeah. So I would say with your workouts, like, same thing, kind of with the pickleball. Start with your isometrics, kind of get everything, get all your muscles turned on, everything feeling a little bit stronger, and then you could really go any direction with it. You know, you did a lot of different, like you had a lack of equipment, but you were doing different squats, you were doing like, the kettlebell swings are mimicking it and doing the job chops, right?
[00:10:51] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:10:52] Speaker C: So, like, you had other things. So really, you know, with your exercises, once you have a good warm up in, I mean, you could go really any direction after that.
[00:11:00] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So talk to me a little bit about some of the types of people you work with because, you know, I'm a 50 year old, 50 something year old guy. Give me some range of the types of people you're working with and some of the things that they're working on.
[00:11:16] Speaker C: Yeah, definitely. So, like pickleball. I mean, everybody's playing from ten years old up to in their eighties. So I would say most of the people I'm working with are younger, probably in their thirties, forties, but I've worked with people up into their sixties, seventies as well. So a wide range of different age groups. But as far as, like, common things, I'm seeing a lot, a lot of plantar fasciitis, a lot of knee pain, a lot of tennis. So really focusing on, like, those injuries are the main ones, but also seeing people who are just looking to get better on the performance side as well, who aren't dealing with pain. So who just want to be better, athletes, who want to move a little quicker side to side, who also just want to decrease their risk of potential injuries. So kind of a wide spectrum. It's pickleball. That's what's so great about the sport is there's so many different people, so many different injuries, just a lot of different things you get to work with.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I always sort of, I wince a little because, you know, I play with my couple groups around here and then I'll travel and I'll go to different places and play pickup. And I would say, honestly, that the amount of people that I see actually do what I would consider to be a warm up without a ball is probably less than 10%. And, you know, I see a lot of people who don't look very athletic. They might have some weight put on or they're kind of hunched over. You can tell they have a back issue and things like that. Do you find it's difficult to. I don't know if the word this is the correct word to convince or to persuade people to sort of not only warm up, but take, I guess, take their physicality in this game, because, you know, people see it's a paddle in a wiffle ball, and they're like, what could possibly happen? Do you have trouble kind of persuading people to take that more serious? Because longevity, if you want to play this game a while, most of us aren't gifted to just be some sort of genetic beast where nothing breaks down, but most of us, we get little aches and pains. And you mentioned some of those. The tennis elbow. There's people dealing with plantar fascia, people dealing with shin splints in my group. So is it difficult to talk to people about before you jump out there, take five minutes to do x, right?
[00:13:40] Speaker C: Yeah. So most of the people coming to me are in pain, so they're a little more open to, like, the feedback I give them, you know? Sure.
And I ask them, what are you doing to warm up? And they're like, not doing. I'll be like, okay, well, that's the first thing you need to be doing different things to warm up. So for those people, I wouldn't say it's as challenging, but I would say it's probably most challenging for people that are a little younger, like in their twenties or low, because they're still, you know, bulletproof, like those people. You know, they're. And the credits of them, a lot of them are like, gym goers and stuff. So, like, that all helps because they're developing strength, they're developing endurance and all that. So still. Still have to educate them, still have to get on them a little bit. But I wouldn't say anybody, like, older than that. They're a little more open to it because I think they understand they've had other areas in their life where they're like, I need to warm up or do a little bit more, rather than just step out on the court and start playing.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So what have you learned? I mean, obviously, you know, you've kind of been working with people who play pickleball over the last year or two. What have you learned professionally and personally about working with people in this game? Mm hmm.
[00:14:57] Speaker C: Yeah. I would just say the biggest thing I've learned is just the diff, like, the complexity of all the different injuries, because most of the time when somebody comes to me, it's not just, like, a single problem. Like, for example, somebody dealing with, like, tennis elbow. They also are likely going to have something with their shoulder, something with their upper back. So most of the time when people come to me, it's more than just the one complaint that they have. So I would say the number one thing I've learned is just to take a look at everything. So, like, assess the shoulder, assess the back, assess the knees. I mean, assess essentially the whole body for all types of injuries, because sometimes your pain in one spot might be coming because of something else somewhere. You know, I would say just. That's the number one thing I've learned, is just to assess everything.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: Yeah. And I totally can relate to that because as somebody who's been athletic for most of my life, it's never the spot. That's actually, it's something usually near it or sometimes not. You'd be surprised if you talk to people like Josh about the things that can impact your physicality. I talked to a guy the other day who's in chiropractic, and he said, mike, you wouldn't believe if you drink more water, what will happen?
Something like that. I'm thinking, well, that's my lower back is that he's like, yes, that will make a big difference. If you can drink, you know, a couple liters of water a day. And I'm like, oh, a couple liters, that's a lot. But that's an example of, you know, kind of looking beyond the actual area that's. That's bothering you, stuff like that.
[00:16:36] Speaker C: So, definitely, yeah. And there's a lot of, especially with pain, you know, back pain, like, most commonly, like, assessing everything, stress levels, sleep, hydration, your food. I mean, all of that can play a role. So.
So, yeah, definitely need to assess everything with pickleball players.
[00:16:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So, okay, before we get you out of here, if you're going to talk to somebody and you're going to talk to an audience right here, what do you tell people that are looking to not only become a little more pain free, obviously, but improve their chances for becoming injured and investing in a service like you have?
[00:17:13] Speaker C: Yeah. So I always tell everybody, if, you know, if you're dealing with something and you're not real sure, you know, speak to a professional, whether it's me, whether it's somebody close to you, where you're located, I always say just find somebody, you know, get an assessment and then kind of just go from there. You can only YouTube videos and exercises for so long and play the guessing game because at the end of the day and in the long run, it might just end up costing you more time, more money.
So if you're not sure, you know, talk with somebody, and then also if you're just looking to stay pain free, it never hurts to be proactive. So there's different things that I can offer, other people can offer, too, that, you know, are developing things to help prevent injuries in the first place.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: Right on. So what's the best way to find you and contact you if somebody's interested in your services?
[00:18:02] Speaker C: Yeah, so easiest way to message me is on Instagram. Doctor Joshmackey and then, so, yeah, if you just direct message me there and then we also actually, I don't even tell you this, launched the Facebook, Facebook group where we're putting together some live streams going over injuries, stuff like this. So yeah, if you want to, if you're interested in that, you can message me and I'll send you a link for that. And then, yeah, you can check out some of our stuff on there.
[00:18:30] Speaker B: Right on. Doctor Josh Mackey. Thanks for your time. If you want to find all the links he talked about, they're in the description. If you want to go back and check out our first interview from a year ago and find a little bit more background about Josh, that link is in the description as well. And that interview is there for you to peruse. Thanks for your time, Josh and I couldn't be happier with how it went. You are very prompt and you're very conscientious. And we met several times during all this. And I filled out a five question questionnaire every so often about where I was, how I was feeling about things and simple questions that are very important, like what are you grateful for? So it's all, it's holistic, it's very well done and I can't recommend it more. And I appreciate your help and I'm in a better place than I was in Japan. January for sure.
[00:19:19] Speaker C: That's awesome, Mike. Yeah, you were, you were a good guinea pig for me the past few months, so I appreciate it.
[00:19:24] Speaker B: I appreciate you. All right. Thanks, Josh. And all right, hey, folks, don't forget links in the description. And check out our merch page and our newsletter as well. All right, Josh, we'll talk to you soon.
[00:19:34] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: Hope you enjoyed our conversation with Josh Mackey.
[00:19:39] Speaker B: Great guy.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: Knows what he's talking about. Helped me out tremendously. So all the links in the description, if you want to get a hold of him and seek his counsel, so to speak. All right, folks, folks, at the end of the day, let's pickle.
