In the 3 months leading up to the trip, Karen committed to weekly kayaking lessons in Cleveland to build her confidence and skills on the water. Learning how to paddle efficiently and control the kayak meant she felt far more prepared for the conditions she would face in the remote Antarctic environment.

At the same time, she continued working on strengthening her core and shoulders through our exercise-led prevention classes at PEAK, which Karen has been attending for years to keep the pain associated with her shoulder tendonitis and bursitis at bay. During that time, she had worked hard to manage symptoms by leaning on members of the PEAK team for physiotherapy treatment and her classes for rehabilitation. She focused on kayaking-based exercises to gradually improve the strength and stability around the shoulder. Knowing that kayaking would place significant demands on her shoulders, she made it a priority to build strength and resilience before the trip. The aim wasn’t just to manage pain, it was to prepare her body so she could confidently take on the adventure ahead.

This kind of mindset progression is something we love seeing at PEAK. Often the biggest changes happen when people realise their bodies are capable of far more than they initially thought. That beyond pain there can be performance, with a prevention mindset.

Karen’s journey embodies PEAKs’ pain > prevention > performance framework fantastically. 

Even after completing a once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic adventure, she’s already thinking about the next goal. After returning from a long holiday, Karen is focused on getting back into her exercise routine and continuing to build her lifting strength. With another birthday approaching, she has a fun challenge waiting for her. Her previous goal was to back squat her age plus 1kg, and with her next birthday around the corner, the target has just increased slightly. It’s a goal that perfectly reflects Karen’s approach to training: keep showing up, keep progressing, and keep challenging yourself.