David Armitage was told last October that he had a weaker back than people aged between 50 and 70. After spending more than two years exploring a range of resolutions to fix his debilitating back issue, the star midfielder was at a loss before he tried the Kieser program.
Coming off an almost non-existent pre-season, the 28-year-old managed to play every game in 2016 but just got through, not reaching anywhere near his career-best form from 12 months earlier, where he finished runner-up in the Trevor Barker Award.
After seeing surgeons and specialists, Armitage decided to give the Kieser program – a combination of physiotherapy, rehabilitation and strength training – a go. He hasn’t looked back since with the unique blend of physiotherapy and conditioning helping rejuvenate the Queenslander.
“We had to explore other options and that’s when a few guys at the club hinted that there was a Kieser program that a lot of older people do to strengthen their joints,” Armitage told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“I started at the start of pre-season going three times a week and I was put in the bracket of ‘a very old man’.
“I was told that 50 to 70-year-olds have stronger backs than me. That was a little bit of an eye-opener.
“I’ve been doing (the program) since the start of October. Now, I’m a lot stronger and it’s been able to let me do every session this year.
“I still have my ups and downs where it still gets quite sore and stiff, but I’ve certainly built up my strength in my lower back to be able to do leg weights and do a full pre-season.
“It’s worked wonders for me so far. I obviously haven’t played a game yet for the official season, but it’s felt so much better.”
At the completion of last year’s pre-season competition, Armitage hadn’t featured once. He entered the season underdone and tried playing catch-up throughout.
In stark contrast, Armitage has played all three JLT Community Series games and is raring to go in 2017 following his most comprehensive pre-seasons in years.
With St Kilda’s campaign starting against the Demons in 11 days’ time, the Saints leader says he is in a much better frame of mind to get the most out of himself this season after overcoming an exhausting battle with his body.
“When you’re in a good head space, you generally play a lot better footy. Having that frustration of last year saw me not have the best year,” he said.
“You hear it all the time that it’s a game 90 per cent above the head and you’ve certainly got to be in a good frame of mind to play good footy. This year I’m certainly just as enthused as the young boys are, for sure.”
