Dr. Rori Alter is an accomplished powerlifter and physical therapist. Some of her achievements in powerlifting include:
Arnold Classic Sling-Shot Pro American 2017 - 1st place 72 kg Women Open USA Powerlifting Raw National Championship 2016: 4th place 72kg Women Open USA Powerlifting Raw National Championship 2015: 4th place 72kg Women Open 2015 USA Powerlifting Raw Open Rankings:7th place 63kg Class and 7th place 72kg Class USA Powerlifting Pro Raw Challenge at The 2015 Arnold Classic: 3rd place 72kg Women Open USA Powerlifting American Open 2014:1st place 75kg Women Open USA Powerlifting Raw National Championship 2014: 5th place 72kg Women OpenFrom her website Progressive Rehab & Strength, Rori is a Full Body Certified Active Release Techniques Practitioner, a Starting Strength Certified Coach and a sought-after Physical Therapist and Coach within the powerlifting community.
Rori holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Boston University. At Boston University, she specialized in Human Physiology, a topic that has fascinated her since she was a young dancer training in New York City.
Rori transitioned from the performing arts to racing triathlons in her early 20s. She not only competed, but also started the Boston University Triathlon team and competed on the regional and national collegiate level during her undergraduate and graduate careers.
Some of the topics we discussed included:
What got you interested in PL? What got you interested in working with hurt athletes? What different modalities of care do you provide? How did Progressive Rehab and Strength get started? Who are some of the big names you’ve helped rehab? How did they find you? The medical community within powerlifting - how do we build it up so that powerlifters have more services/doctors they can choose from and become better educated on how to take care of themselves? What are some things that you would suggest that could be done to connect PTs and others to the PL community? Lower back injuries tend to be most common among powerlifters - why is this? What could be done to minimize potential back issues? There is some debate on the usefulness of foam rolling - useful or no? Same with static stretching - useful or no? What is the biggest single thing an athlete can do to improve his longevity in the sport of powerlifting? What frustrates you the most about the PL community and what can be done to improve that? Between active and passive therapy, which do you think is the more effective?