Interview: Skateboarding, football and (body) building resilience
Born in Newcastle, Adrian Fowler (@adrian__fowler) is a skateboarder, football player and bodybuilder. Now living in Sydney, we caught up with Adrian to discuss his injury progress, life goals and journey so far.
Growing up, Adrian skated competitively which brought him some of his proudest moments and biggest life lessons.
"I learnt many things from my time skating, some very important life skills; The sheer determination needed to throw yourself (repeatedly) down a set of stairs to roll away with that one trick built natural resilience. Despite the falls, you'll get back up and try, try again. That kind of determination can be applied to other aspects of life."
From his earlier years skateboarding competitively, Adrian had slight scarring in and around his lateral collateral ligament in the knee joint. However, a major injury setback occurred during his last preseason soccer game playing for his local club Avoca in the BPL,
Adrian got in touch with the Bauerfeind team for his Grade 2 LCL tear.
"I was coming into the season the strongest and fittest I've ever been.
However, in contact sports, these sorts of things happen. I was taken out late after crossing the ball and I landed, twisted, popped and cracked."
"I can remember quite vividly times where my knee collapsed from underneath me. These were all brought up during my time with the physio."
We sorted out Adrian with the GenuTrain knee brace, thigh compression sleeves and the VenoTrain compression socks.
"The GenuTrain knee brace I use after games/ heavy leg days to help recover the knee. The compression in the knee area is something I've never experienced before. I immediately noticed a better range of motion and an increase in recovery time."
The Grade 2 LCL tear sidelined Adrian for the better part of 2.5 months. While the rehabilitation in the gym was slow, he has progressed in the recent weeks using his GenuTrain knee brace.
"I wouldn't have recovered so fast had it not been for the Bauerfeind brace. It's comfortable, yet has optimal compression. I had less knee pain during lifts and post-exercise, especially when squatting. Beyond the increased blood flow, I noticed my knee improved so much more as the days went on."
"I wear the thigh compression sleeves during competitive matches, back day and leg day. I/m an avid fan of the VenoTrain and wear them daily as I sit down a lot during the day and spend 2 hours commuting every day for work"
Adrian's Top Recovery Tips
"Contact sports are hard to prevent injury from occurring, however with the right training, nutrition, recovery and preparation the likelihood of serious injury diminish quite quickly."
Adrian aims to test his strength and endurance is as many sports as possible. He has plans to play football competitively and try his hands on Spartan races. We wish Adrian the best of luck for his goals and look forward to watching him hitting PB's again.