Black Sheep

/ˈblak ˈSHēp/, noun

: an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest

The origin of Black Sheep PT and Performance was born out of necessity. I started undergrad as a civil engineer who loved everything to do with sports, competing, and fitness. During my freshman year, I developed a severe ankle injury that prevented me from doing what I love. I went to physical therapy, orthopedic surgeons, and foot specialists; if there was a specialist available, I had an appointment with them. None of them were able to get me back to playing sports and competing.

I was told to give up playing sports—that I "had a good run." That answer didn’t satisfy me.

I dove headfirst into trying to solve my own problem. After eight months of burying myself in kinesiology and nutrition textbooks, I switched my career path to exercise physiology while applying to a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at UMass Lowell. I became obsessed with finding the answers to how to integrate performance and rehab. I shadowed at PT clinics, gyms, and strength and conditioning facilities; participated in strength and conditioning internships; and worked as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and rehab aide—all while opening my own remote programming business and earning my doctorate in physical therapy.

In the final year of my doctorate, I helped open LIFT Training Collective, a strength training gym in Burlington, MA, where I became the Director of Performance and Programming. This allowed me to put all of my ideas surrounding performance and rehab to the test. In the process, I started to lay the groundwork for my own practice.

The goal was always to open a practice that allowed for the best possible treatment: to take someone from injury to beyond their former levels of performance. That has never wavered. This was a goal eight years in the making. Now, I can say my goal is a reality.

It takes a village when it comes to rehab and/or performance. We partner with some of the best practitioners and businesses in the Greater Boston area in order to provide the best possible service.

LIFT Training Collective

Location: 20 3rd Ave, Burlington, MA

LIFT Training Collective is a premier strength training facility. In addition to partnering with on-site Physical Therapy services, they offer:

• Personal Training

• Semi-Private Personal Training

• Small Group Strength Training

• Youth/High School Fitness and Performance Classes

Carol Sullivan Nutrition

Carol is a Registered Dietitian with over 15 years of experience. Her background includes more than a decade as a Senior Clinical Dietitian and Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition at MGH. In addition to her clinical expertise, she has spent the last 10 years working with athletes of all abilities.

Specializations:

• Sports Nutrition

• Weight & Muscle Gain

• Mindful Eating & Lifestyle Medicine

• Digestive Issues (including IBS-C and IBS-D)

• Plant-Based Diets

• Prevention of Chronic Disease

• Tube Feeding