Physio and fitness rolled into one

After our ab-burning and back-straightening Physio Fitness class at Sportwerk we caught up with our trainer Jan to learn more about how fitness and physio are the dream combination…  

USC: Hi Jan! Can you tell us a bit about Sportwerk?

Our founder started the gym as a place to train in taekwondo. As you can see from all the trophies, we train a lot of taekwondo champions and our founder is the physiotherapist for the Olympic team in Germany. Our founder is also a physiotherapist so he launched the sports club as a place to combine these two passions.

So we really aren’t a normal gym. Our members can come here and workout alone but we also offer personal training, physiotherapy and holistic workout programs where we monitor your progress week by week.

USC: Are your classes an extension of physiotherapy treatment?

Yes they are. I’m a physiotherapist but I use lots of different fitness elements in my classes. I love to row and am a rowing coach so this kind of core work is a key component in my classes. The class you tried this morning is quite advanced as the people have been attending for 3 or 4 years.

USC: Do your classes help people recover from injuries?

Yes – the class is great if you have back problems because many of the exercises help with your posture and alignment. People spend too much time at computers these days! Our aim is to offer boutique fitness for everyone. While kids train in taekwondo the parents can use the  downtime to workout in our gym. Everything you need for health and fitness you can find here at Sportwerk.

USC: Have you had any moments as a trainer that have made you proud?

I like helping people. Seeing my clients get fit and healthy makes me very proud.

USC: What’s your background with sport?

I grew up with sports and have played all kinds  ever since I was small. I started with football and then began swimming, fencing, table tennis and badminton. I started rowing in 1999 and haven’t stopped since – I loved it so much I decided to complete my qualifications in Sports Science. After I completed that I moved to The Netherlands to study Physiotherapy. So sports is a very big part of my life.

USC: And what are the biggest challenges to being a physiotherapist?

I don’t think Physiotherapy is a challenge at all! I used to hate school. I was terrible – I found no joy in learning and I had to sit my exams twice. But as soon as I started learning Physiotherapy I suddenly enjoyed learning. I found it easy and fun because I was so interested in it – it didn’t feel exhausting like it did at school.

The biggest challenge to being a Physiotherapist was learning Dutch. If I wanted to study in Holland I had to pass a language test. If I didn’t pass it then I wouldn’t be able to continue my course, so learning Dutch in just one year was the biggest challenge. Apart from that, I enjoy every bit of it.  

If you’d like to learn more about Sportwerk and the classes on offer, take a look at their website.

And  Urban Sports Club has tons of physiotherapy and Pilates partners across Germany, Italy, France and Portugal. Take a look at our site to see what’s happening in your area.