From Chronic Pain to Chasing Marathon Goals: Ellie’s Story
At just 21 years old, Ellie finally received an answer to the symptoms that had impacted her life for years: fibromyalgia. For five years, she...
Read moreIn October 2024, Greg – a fit and active 60-year-old – suffered a heart attack that would change the trajectory of his life. For someone so used to moving, training, and living fully, going from active to bed-ridden was a confronting fall from grace.
But Greg didn’t stay down for long.
With a deep desire to rebuild his health and confidence, Greg took his first steps toward recovery at PEAK in February this year. Initially under the careful eye of his son and PEAK physiotherapist Liam Robertson, Greg began cardiac rehabilitation with a simple goal: get back to being himself.
Over time, as his confidence grew, his rehab transitioned from basic cardio-based work to structured strength and conditioning sessions under the guidance of PEAK’s in-house S&C physio, Lleyton. And funnily enough, this wasn’t Lleyton’s first Robertson athlete – he was already treating Greg’s wife, Joanie, for knee pain.
Married for nearly 29 years, Greg and Joanie have always had each other’s backs – so it’s no surprise that they’ve made their rehab journey a team effort. Traveling from Tamborine every Thursday morning, they both Choose Their Pain and now train side-by-side at PEAK, lifting heavy, moving well, and making everyone around them smile.
Greg, who started deadlifting with a 16kg kettlebell, recently hit a lifetime personal best – 125kg for 3 sets of 4 reps – with a 140kg PB in sight. That’s not just rehab. That’s performance.
Joanie, never one to be left behind, decided to Master Her Game and has gone from deadlifting 12kg to barbell deadlifting 65kg for sets of 4 – and her sights are firmly set on reaching 80kg by the end of September. She jokes that when she can outrun Lleyton to the door, she’s finally allowed to graduate – but we know she’s only just getting started.
Greg makes the jokes. Joanie makes the threats (playfully). Together, they’ve become part of the fabric of PEAK’s Thursday morning crew. Their energy is contagious, their commitment unwavering, and their presence… well, it just makes Thursdays better.
The PEAK tribe look forward to their sessions, their stories, and yes, the occasional lunch catch-up post-training. Rumour has it the only thing Joanie looks forward to more than lunch with her son on Thursday is her weekly rendezvous with the ski ergo machine. It’s not just about sets and reps. It’s about connection, growth, and lifting each other – literally and figuratively.
Greg, now nearing the anniversary of the day that changed his life, is back in full swing – both on and off the golf course. Whilst Joanie would suggest he has his head in the clouds, he actually has it under the sea most weekends enjoying the many dive sites around south east Queensland and northern NSW. And as for Joanie? Well she accompanies Greg most weekends in case someone needs to fight off the sharks. Her knee pain you ask? Well Joanie is now pain-free and her beloved horses have never been so well fed as she marches the bails of hay right to the paddock gates. Greg and Joanie’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to take charge of your health. That even the scariest setbacks can become the starting line for something better. That strength isn’t about age – it’s about attitude.
So from all of us at PEAK – keep up the amazing work, Greg and Joanie. You’ve already inspired us more than you know, and we can’t wait to see where you go from here.
See you Thursday. 💪
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