Neil Santiago, MEd, ATC, CSCS, On Establishing A Multidimensional Approach To Elevate The Performance Of Military Personnel, And Being Innovative As A Certified Athletic Trainer

In this episode, Andrew interviews Neil Santiago, a certified athletic trainer, and strength and conditioning coach for military personnel and athletes of all types.  For over a decade, Neil has been working as a human performance program specialist at the US Army Schofield Barracks Health Clinic.  Neil works with servicemen and women daily, applying innovative and effective techniques for elevating their performance.  As an athlete growing up in Hawaii, he was introduced to athletic training after an injury during fall camp his senior year of high school.  From this experience, and through what he learned, he was inspired to become an athletic trainer himself.  He pursued athletic training at Oregon State University and then went on to continue his studies as a certified athletic trainer graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii.  

Neil and Andrew share a lot of the same philosophies and talk about blending the worlds of athletic training and strength & conditioning.  In this conversation, they dive into the subject of approaching rehabilitation from a different perspective.  Neil takes a very personal and multi-dimensional approach to training and rehabilitation.  He believes in looking at all aspects of each client’s life.  Most people focus on three main categories for optimal performance, which include activity, sleep, and nutrition.  He addresses the importance of these areas, but he takes a further approach to include social aspects, professional development, and emotional health of each person.  He believes in being a personal resource for each client, instead of giving them a plan and sending them off.  He encourages his clients to pay attention to their physiological responses, something major that he learned himself while in the military.  This is a useful skill to develop a preventative mindset, which saves time, frustration, and injuries.   

This episode is packed full of great advice, strategies, and of course, stories.  Listen in for some knowledge and inspiration from these two experts! 

Did you enjoy this episode?
Please subscribe and leave a review on:
Apple
Spotify
Google
Pandora
iHeartRadio