Move Better, Breathe Better, Trust Your Body & Get Strong: The Nick Davidson Approach

"Your body is your home. Treat it with love and respect."

As a mother of three daughters and a woman in her 40s, I embarked on a journey to build strength and pursue my dreams among the oceans and mountains. During this time, I had the incredible opportunity to train with Coach Nick for a few years (since 2024).

Nick's expertise and innovative training methods have significantly enhanced my approach to restoring quality movement and building greater strength capacity.

A crucial aspect of our training has been focusing on a full range of motion, stimulating and hydrating fascia and stimulating the nervous system.

Essentially, Nick has shown me how to engage parts of my body that have been stuck for some time.

We also returned to the basics: reestablishing the connection between the feet and the body's main hinge, the hips.

We also trained and prepared for specific goals in 2025 :

• February 2025: High-altitude 6961m: Speed ascent on one of the 7 Summits, Aconcagua360 Argentina - Blog Post

• November 2025: Ultra-Trail Kosciuzko 120 km

Year 2026:

• July: Ultra Trail Run 100km

• September 2026: climbing 8000m without supplemental oxygen

• November: Ultra Trail Run

2024-2026 prep for high-altitude 6961m speed ascent and a 120km ultra run

There’s a big difference between training your body to build muscle and strength, and training your body to access strength in positions it naturally avoids.

While focusing on output matters: how much weight you can lift, how much load you can move, how hard you can push - it is only a part of the picture. 

Because strength isn’t just about force - it’s about access.

If your body can only produce force in a narrow range of positions, you’re strong… but only under specific conditions. Outside of that, you’re compensating, shifting, and relying on patterns that may not serve you long-term.

That’s where proper function comes in.

Function isn’t just about lifting heavier. It’s about how you move, where you can move, and what positions your body can actually control.

It’s about whether you can get into the positions your joints were designed for - and whether you can own them once you’re there.

One of the most important places to start is reconnecting the foundation of the body -the feet with its primary hinge: the hips.

Your feet and hips are deeply linked. The way you load your foot affects how your hip can rotate, hinge, and stabilise. If that connection is lost, the body finds workarounds. 

It’s not flashy work, but it’s foundational.

Before adding load, before chasing strength numbers, the first step is simple:

• Train the position.

• Train the pattern.

• Train your body’s ability to access these positions easily and consistently.

Once that’s in place, strength becomes more meaningful. 

Nick has reinforced this by starting each practice with loaded mobility exercises and by assigning his clients daily 20-minute mobility work.

Training with Nick has provided me with a wealth of benefits: from improving my range of motion and joint access to enhancing my strength and mobility, and also adding control under load to the specific movements;

each aspect of our training has contributed to a more resilient and capable body.

Put it simply: I trust my body more nowadays which is a great feeling as I'm getting older.

I am incredibly grateful for the knowledge and guidance I have received, and I look forward to continuing this journey of growth and improvement.

Thanks Nick!!

One thing I truly valued was Nick's positive and calm attitude, as well as our barefoot training!

Reach out to Nick at @rise_with_Nick

Videos and updates are on my Instagram page @ mia_highaltitude

Below is a summary of what we have been focusing on:

As an aging athlete and a woman in her late 40s, this is something I also wanted to understand and improve:

Full Range of Motion

Nick has started me with a daily loaded mobility sets that I perform every morning, and then we trained 2-3 x per week building the strength around these joints.

Needless to say, my shoulder strength (hips and ankles) has never been better!

I'm excited to continue building. It's fun to be able to do monkey bars with my kids :) and to also feel confident planning ice-climbing adventures in my late 40's.

Hip Openers

The importance of hip mobility cannot be overstated, and Nick has incorporated various hip openers into our training routine. If you can't open your hips, you can't really access them, and this limitation can hinder overall athletic performance. Starting every day with pigeon stretch or some form of hip mobility has been fantastic. "Hips don't lie ;-)"

Knees Over Toes

The "knees over toes" technique has been instrumental in improving my lower limb strength and stability, which is critical for athletic movements such as jumping, running, and squatting. The loaded mobility exercises have not only increased my strength but have also enhanced my balance and coordination, something we could all benefit from as we age.

Lower Back Muscle Tension

One of the most significant benefits I have gained from training with Coach Nick is better access to my lower back muscles by learning how to breath better and also how to adapt my nervous system to trust the movement (not by static stretching and pulling!). Taking the time and learning how to breath better is key.

And I'm still practising, processing and learning.

Loaded Mobility and Shoulder Strength

In addition to lower body training, Coach Nick has prioritised loaded mobility and shoulder strength in our sessions. This has given me the confidence to pursue adventures at high altitude, especially at 48 years of age, and to push my limits. Shoulder, hip and ankle strength and mobility are key drivers of strong and healthy body as we age.

Handstands, chin-ups, pull-ups, loaded knees over toes, single arm hangs, monkey bar swings etc, I have built significant upper body strength and stability.

These movements require not only raw strength but also coordination and control, which have translated into improved performance in other areas.

The focus on shoulder strength has been particularly beneficial, as it has helped me to maintain proper posture and to prevent injuries, especially during activities that require overhead movements.

This will be key for my High Altitude climbing on steep walls in Nepal this year.

Timing and Fast Twitch Training

Incorporating timing and fast-twitch muscle training into my sessions has also been a game changer. Short sprint intervals and plyometric exercises using powerful movements have increased my explosive strength and speed (relatively speaking for my age). Better neuromuscular connection was key for me during 2024 onwards.

Rotational Movement

Nick has also emphasised the importance of rotational movement in our training to help develop my core strength and stability.

Rotational movements are essential for many sports and physical activities, as they mimic the natural movements of the body.

By incorporating these exercises into my routine, I feel like I have improved my agility and coordination, critical for adventures I engage in: mountaineering, high altitude climbing, rock climbing, trail running, swimming, basketball, tennis, etc.

Neuromuscular Training

Lastly, the inclusion of neuromuscular training has been invaluable. This type of training focuses on the connection between the nervous system and muscles, enhancing coordination, balance, control and reaction times. As an aging runner, this type of training was key as it's given me greater confidence to adventure.

Balance, stability, quick reaction time, calm mindset and quick reset time is critical at high altitude no matter one's age.