Continued – Christian Klein Testimonial

Before I first met with Coach Kaehler in fall of 2011, my rowing career was, shall we say, not going well. For some reason that eluded me, I was unable to row with anything resembling good technique on a stationary erg due to my body uncontrollably moving outside of my voluntary control.  On the recovery, one or both arms would jerk upwards as if being pulled up by strings; on the drive, the jerking continued to the point that I couldn’t properly connect with the handle and chain during the stroke.  (Sample video from November 2011 is posted shortly.)
 

 I had barely been able to use a static erg since late 2009, and had suffered two rib fractures on both sides in the last year. The worst part was that my issues had also started to seriously hinder my on-the-water training. In sweep rowing, my blade would dig far too deep under the water leading to messy finishes (if I was lucky) or full-blown crabs (if I was unlucky, including once during international competition); and even when those problems were manageable, I still felt unable to properly connect and suspend during the stroke. Sculling was simply impossible, since the two sides of my body refused to apply pressure equally and I would have to stop every 4-5 strokes to straighten my course.
 

I had seen some six or seven physical therapists, who targeted specific areas that seemed to have problems (rotator cuffs, serratus, impinged nerves in my neck region) and assigned me exercises that provided temporary help but never solved the issue. Eventually, the frustration built to the point that I was on the verge of calling it a day and leaving the sport.
 

On the recommendation of a former coach who told me I still had potential to succeed, I went to see Coach Kaehler over the Thanksgiving break. He conducted a full evaluation, not only on the regions that had historically plagued me but on the rest of my body as well.

As a result, he identified the same problems that previous PTs but also a number of other areas that needed improvement which I otherwise would never have known about. This thoroughness is likely what had the next few months so effective at resolving my difficulties: the exercises Coach Kaehler gave me helped treat the root of my injuries, weaknesses, and imbalances, and not just the symptoms which I had been managing for the past several years.

After four months of following Coach Kaehler’s instructions (including one follow-up visit and an updated program), I returned to training in the boat and on the erg and PRed on my 2k for the first time since sophomore year of college, posting a time competitive with the best rowers in the national team training center in Oklahoma City.

Currently I am preparing to race for a spot on the national team at Non-Olympic Trials, and hope that I have a legitimate chance of racing the men’s lightweight pair at the World Championships this summer – less than a year after resting at the bottom of the squad and wondering if I would ever row again. Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance Process has been immensely helpful to me, and I am both grateful and thankful that I got in touch with him in the first place.