Strength in Alignment Landri Peden's Journey with Chiropractic

In this episode of the ICA Sports and Fitness podcast, host Brant welcomes Dr. Todd McDougle, chairman of the board, and professional powerlifter Landri Peden. Landri shares her experiences with chiropractic care, highlighting how Dr. McDougle's non-invasive techniques have significantly improved her performance and overall well-being. The discussion covers Landri's journey through various competitions, her challenges in finding reliable chiropractic care, and the importance of collaboration in chiropractic practice. They also delve into Landri's upcoming fitness app, which aims to simplify nutrition and training for everyday users. The episode underscores the importance of specialized chiropractic care for high-performance athletes and the need for better training and collaboration in the field.

Transcript

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hi everyone. Thanks for tuning in for another ICA Sports and Fitness podcast. we are joined by two guests one of you you might recognize, and another one's our guest. Guest one's Dr. Todd McDougle, our chairman of our board, and we're also joined here by Landri Peden Would you like to go ahead, introduce yourself and tell us, tell everybody who you are and why you're on our podcast today. Sure. So my name is Landri Peden. I am a ProLevel powerlifter. I've been competing in the sport of powerlifting for about six years now. And I am on this podcast because I actually met Doc McDougle at the beginning of my powerlifting career right before the world shut down. I was experiencing. Very bad hip pain. I was having difficulty squatting and he happened to be at a fitness expo that I was working at, and he adjusted me one time and convinced me that chiropractic is the way, 'cause I was skeptical. So I've stuck with him over the years. I so that's, that's why I'm here. So that was your first chiropractic experience or had you gone to one prior? He was my first experience. Everybody was telling me physical therapy was the way and chiropractic is bad because this is gonna hurt you. And so I was very leery of it. But in one visit, I mean, he adjusted me on the floor at this expo. I went back the next week and went from barely being able to squat an empty bar to squatting over 300 again without pain. So I was, I became a believer that day. Dr. McDougle, you have a technique that you use too, especially for power lifting, correct? I. Yeah, it actually was designed for strong men athletes many years ago, and is focused on the, the non-invasive approach of, receptor hyperactivation, I guess if you will. So the whole idea goes all the way back to 1910 to a fellow by the name of Dr. Hoffman who postulated that if you go ahead and you do a static stretch, you lose neuromuscular recruitment. If you do a ballistic stretch, you wipe the rest of it out. So. At the time I decided to go ahead and work with a fellow by the name of Chad Coy, and we experimented and now we have, you know, the the McDougle Chiropractic methods and now we're able to take care of such awesome people like McDougle and, and so many other international champs. I'm guessing Landri, when you see a chiropractor before an event, being loose is unnecessarily as important as being tight and stable. Correct? I. Correct. Yes. The, the more stability we have, the better.'cause we are at risk of major injury if we're too mobile. Yeah, I think Dr. McDougle one time described as somebody saying that feel, another chiropractor, broke their back by making 'em loose and sloppy. So Yeah, Alexi Novakoff said that. Mm-hmm. He was not happy, that's for sure when that doctor did that to him. I. Landri kind of feels that out a little bit as well with some of the most recent experiences that she's been having and trying to find somebody 'cause she's, she's moved from several different locations. Landri, you might be able to share a little bit more about that. Yeah, so I was living in Ohio when I met Dr McDougle, and he was so good that I would drive three hours one way to go get adjusted usually a couple times a month. And it was changing my performance in amazing ways. But then I moved to Atlanta for the last year and the care there. It was good, but it wasn't worth the the cost that was going into it, and it was nowhere near the level of what Dr McDougle offers. And then same thing. Now, I moved to Virginia Beach back in January and. It's, I'm falling into that where, you know, I'm a high performance athlete. I need high performance care and I just don't have that here with chiropractic. I mean, I've seen a chiropractor, well a couple chiropractors here, where it's just your basic, oh, we're gonna crack your neck. We're gonna pop that T spine and we're gonna, we're gonna roll you. Which I've expressed many times that that's not good for me.'cause I've had si joint issues for a very long time. I'm previously, I come from a gymnast background, so I've got, you know, the pelvic instability, all that, that I have to be really careful about. And I'm, I'm squatting like almost four times my body weight. I mean, I'm a mid 500 pound squatter and I'm 170 pound female. Like I can't be. Messing with that. And so it's been very frustrating because it's, it's been, you know, financially draining. It's been emotionally draining and then it's taking a toll on my body. You know, I've been battling adductor pain for quite some time. Shoulder pain for quite some time. Neck everything. And it's like I save up money so that I can like fly out or drive out to see Doc right before a major competition because I know nobody else can help me like he does. I always tell young chiropractors that are getting into taking care of athletes, that the athlete has one major investment and that's their body. They've done everything they could to make their body their investment. That's what they have. That's, that's their, how they earn their living is through their body. And when you ignore an athlete. Who knows their body way better than you know, their body. You're definitely making a foolish mistake. And that's exactly what you're ex echo. That's what I'm hearing. So, I guess. if you're in Rockford though, I did take Dr. McDougle's method, so if you drive through Rockford, I'm here for you. Okay. Okay. It, it's further than where he is from you now, but I'll, I'll share that with you. Well, and, and Okay. the goal, right? I mean, you know, with the, the ICA Sports Council, the Sports Fitness Council, we're trying to help young doctors become experts in care for athletes and. You know, just because you may take a, a, a sports course in chiropractic college, or you're with the sports club at the chiropractic college, or you have a master's degree in sports something, and then you come out with a, a, a, you know, a, a vibration gun and a, and a tent a flat table does not mean that you're ready to go full tilt on high level performance athletes and, and, and. I'm so glad McDougle's here because you're, you're getting it from the athlete right now. You're not, you're not hearing from Dr. Todd. You're not hearing it from, from Dr. Brant. You're hearing it from an athlete who desires to perform her best and she just needs help. it Landri is it, is it not impossible, mean? To to choose amongst the advertisement noise and all the high level recommendations that you get because everybody wants a piece of you but don't want to give their best to you. Oh yeah, it's exhausting, like sifting through everything, like trying to find somebody that actually hears me and it's like, you know, I'm in meat prep right now for a pro level con. That is in October, and right now I have massage therapy and physical therapy set up every single week. But the thing that's missing is chiropractic. Like I just can't bring myself to commit to that because there's nobody in this area that I'm willing to. Sacrifice, potentially my performance because they might adjust me incorrectly or just sacrifice my financials because it's not cheap. Like here, you know, the average is between 65 to $90 a visit, depending on where you go. It's like, I, I can't justify that, you know, I don't leave feeling better. You know, I've even, I've even been specific about certain adjustments that I know that will work like it, and it's just basic stuff. It's not even close to what Doc does, but I'm just like, please reset my pelvis like this, and I know I will be better.'cause I live alone. I don't have somebody here that can do it for me. I was like, please just do this. And they won't. And it's like, you know, I, I had a minor injury about two months ago with my ankle. My left ankle has always been a problem. Doc knows that my, my range of motion has always been limited, but my dog got the zoomies one day and decided to run through me like a freight train, and I sprained my ankle and I really cranked the front of that ankle joint pretty badly. And it's still bothering me two months later. And I, nobody will adjust it. Nobody will like. Do anything. I've got some massage therapy and stuff going on in there, but it's like I need to reset that joint. It's 'cause it's out of place and I've got nobody, so I feel it. Every time I squat, I hit the hole. I have a little bit of a shift in that sharp pain shoots across the front of that ankle joint every single time and it's, it's not fun. Well, I tell you when. There's three main reasons why people come see me. One, I was in a hurry. Two, I was helping somebody. And number three reasons people start the story with my dog. So you're like the third living call is why people come see me. You yeah. echoing our point that we're getting this council up and running. We're gonna start putting the classes together starting in 2026, where you can come learn from Dr. McDougle and come learn from Dr. Jackson, other people to learn the stuff that they know that can help athletes. So you're not in Virginia struggling to get the care Right. can help you make you better and effective. And that's, that's our. task goal. So I really appreciate you coming on and sharing your side of the story and letting other people know that there's a real need and demand for this just from the athletes alone. So that's, that's gonna help more chiropractors learn our technique and learn how we help with athletes. So, really, really wanna say thank you. Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here. Like I, I swear by what Doc does, like I said, I will literally travel across the country to go see him before all of my major competitions because my body is money and I know that he's gonna get me ready for any competition that I need like nobody else can. And it's. You know, I love being able to do that, but it's like I shouldn't have to do that. I shouldn't have to, you know, drive 15 hours to go see him or fly to go see him when there should be somebody local that I could just go down the street and get the help that I need. What, what other things do you find in the chiropractic offices that are offered? I mean. it, is it like a cereal box? You know, I always like to, to think that, you know, most chiropractors who are, you know, skilled will put chiropractic first. You know, I think Brant feels that as well. But you know, there are some offices that you kind of go through the list and it's like, oh, okay, well the highlight is the free massages, or the highlight is acupuncture, or the highlight is this. And chiropractic is like, you know, in the ingredients with the corn and the oats. And I mean, what has that been your experience? And if so, what kinds of services do they kind of throw at you? So here I haven't really seen too much.'Cause like the, the, the one clinic that is near the gym that I train at is kind of one of those churn and burn. Like, you come in, you sign in. He's adjusting. There's like four beds, crack, crack, crack, next crack, crack, crack next. And it's just kind of like, you feel like an assembly line almost. When I was in Atlanta, it was they had a, a massage chair. Where they would sit me in that for like 15, 20 minutes before my session to kind of loosen me up. And then they did, they offered like this foot scan.'cause like I have neuropathy in both feet from a cold weather injury from the military. So I, I can't feel my feet. So I've gotten stability there. But they had this like foot scan that like shows how I'm distributing weight and all this, and. They had a guy that did some like active release techniques on grounds, but it was so expensive. I mean, it was hundreds of dollars a month and I'm like. It wasn't, they were great people, don't get me wrong. They really took care of me. But not in the, the medical sense, not in the, the, the, the needs that I had deep, like, because I, when I was there, 'cause doc you remember I was having terrible knee pain for like the longest time. Could not get it figured out. Same thing with this shoulder. Could not get it figured out. And then he would adjust me right before my comp. And then it was like, okay, I can function again at least enough to perform what I need to do. And then, you know, then I come back and I'm like, crap, okay, we're back at ground zero Mm-hmm. and it's like hundreds of dollars a month out the window for it just to keep repeating the cycle. And yeah, it's just a lot of gimmicks. And unfortunately the ones that I've seen in this area, none of them offered x-rays. So like they have no idea what's going on internally, it's just going by. we set you up to go ahead and have x-rays with you too. And, you know, how often do the other doctors even look at the, the the discs? I don't even think that they even reached out to you, did they? No. offered to have with you? Yeah, because every chiropractor I've seen, I'm like, Hey, I've seen this high level doc. Like he has all my X-rays, he has all my history. Here's his information. Mm-hmm. Not, not a one. And, you know, collaboration I think is important. I mean, you know, you, you go ahead and you see that, and Brent, you know, as a, as a sports chiropractic doc working for the, the ice hogs and that, that, you know, you have a team there. You know, you've got, you know, your athletic trainer, you've got you, you've got maybe pt, you and everybody's working together. But isn't it interesting how chiropractors can't work amongst themselves? They can't lean on each other. I don't even know what to think about that. I don't know what that is. What, what is that about? Do, do you have any idea? It's sad that you're coming in there and saying, Hey, I want to be a really good chiropractic patient and I want you to gimme a good chiropractic adjustment. I know someone that knows how to do it really good. Can you just reach out to them and if you do it like this, I'll be your patient as long as I'm here and they won't do it. And so that's, that's the crazy part to me. I've never, I love when a patient comes to me from a different chiropractor.'cause I don't have to figure it out. I just call the little chiropractor and say, what, what did you do? Make my life easy. So to me it's just, I don't, I don't wanna say the word, but I think it is on the podcast here.'cause it says a rated G podcast, but it's it's ridiculous. How's that? Yeah. Yeah, I, I've never. you Go ahead Landri. I'm sorry. No, no, you're good. No, I just, it, it's, it's boggled my mind since I have been on this journey as a high performing athlete because it's like you would think that, you know, some of these chiropractors that are getting someone like me where that's so high level, like that's great on their resume. Like, look what I did for this athlete. And it's like, you've got me coming from one of the best in the industry that can help give you the knowledge to take it to the next level. And they're just like missing the mark. And I'm just like. You know, you know, I'm a, I'm a high level nutrition and strength coach, and I primarily do nutrition for athletes and I always collaborate with my athletes that are just doing nutrition with me. If they're a strength athlete with another coach, you best believe I'm talking.'cause it's like their performance reflects directly on us, like what we're providing them. And it's like. I want to be able to help that strength coach take their athlete to the next level. So it's like, why are people so afraid to work together? Like you said in chiropractic, it's like you're helping each other out. Like it's literally like you're kind of getting a freebie here, guys. Like you've got like one of the best, giving you all the tools and you're just like, no, I'm good. Good. Well, you know what I, and I think that's another thing too. I mean, would you kind of go through some of the things that you've done? I mean, you've, you've just got back from Ireland not too, too long ago, right. Landri, Yeah. there were several competitions over there. You would, you kind of, you know, give Brant an idea of, of, you know, some of the places you've been. So I've been all over. I mean, I compete all over the US but I just got done with kind of a European hiatus. I've competed in Germany, I've competed in Poland, Dublin, Ireland, Scotland. It's been an incredible journey these last couple of years. Being able to do what I do. And there's not many US athletes that go overseas and compete in power lifting.'Cause it's a whole different animal and you know, so it is essential for me to be able to perform at the very best because it's like when I come over there, you know, these, these different, european federations are just like, oh, there's an American. Like, whoa. You know? And they treat you like royalty. Like, I like competing overseas way better than I do in the States.'cause I get treated so much better. Like, they're like, what do you need? Do you wanna go sightseeing? Like they're, they're feeding me like all these things. I'm like, gosh, this is great. Like in the US they're like, thanks for your meat entry. Have a good day. Like, look, Yeah. oh my god, you know, but just. Just to be able to experience different things. And you know, I've met different practitioners overseas as well that I've been very impressed with. Like, and it seems like over there they, they're more into collaborating.'cause like I, when I, I just competed in Germany back in March. And there's this very high level physio over there Nico Huber. And he's, he actually helped me in the middle of the competition because I was struggling with the nerve pain down my right arm. And when I came back to the States, he was like, how can I work with you and your team to help you get performing better?'cause he's like, you have so much potential, but this is holding you back. And I mean. It was great to have something like that, but it's like, why is it someone like overseas that I can't have access to on a regular basis? Because we were doing everything via video and it like poor guy, like he, he primarily speaks German, so he is like trying to translate in English too, like, but it was great, but it helped like what he did. But it's like, why can't we do that here? You know? Yeah. Speaking of helping others, am I correct to say that you are trying to help other people within nutrition too? Yes. Yes. Yep. help like everybody, everybody, like through technology? I am, yeah. So I am adventuring into creating my own fitness app, which I'm in the process right now of filming all of my demo videos. So I'm trying to like, do that where I don't create too much fatigue since I'm in meat prep. But, so you'll see me with like five pound dumbbells, which will be kind of funny 'cause of how much I lift on a normal basis. But it's, it's geared towards the normal, everyday person. I'm, I'm more excited about the nutrition side of things on the app because I feel like, and I was just having this conversation with Doc the other day, 99% of the clients that I work with currently. Don't necessarily need to be paying that high ticket price for my specialized coaching because I am highly educated, highly experienced in women's hormones, rebalancing. I work with a lot of difficult cases like thyroid, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, those types of things where. Unless you have mastered the basic fundamentals of nutrition and understand it, you do not need you. You, you can't just jump to me like you need to learn the basics and progress just like you do in anything else. You can't go zero to a hundred. So I'm very excited about this app because it's gonna allow us to do that without overwhelming people, because I wanna work with people that have never stepped a day in their life, in the gym, or know what a macro is, or understand food tracking. It takes the hard work out of it because like this app, it creates meal plans. So it's all of my programming, but it's gonna be customized meal plans based on dietary needs. Easy swap. So if you're a picky eater and you get your meal plan, it gives seven days worth of meals and snacks. If you're like, oh, I don't like that, there's a swap option that will give you other recommendations of foods that fit within that macro target. And then there's also, you can take a picture of your food, it tracks it. There's a shopping list so you can shop for however many people are in your household and it will create a list by category of every single food item that you need to do. If you wanna do, say, day one and day six of your meal plan, it will map out that for however many people in your household, like I just did it yesterday. I did it for seven days 'cause I'm gonna eat the same thing. From, so I picked day one, did it for seven days, and it literally told me exactly how many of each item I need to purchase to be able to get me through that week of food. So it literally does everything. And I'm like, Awesome. you, because it's like I write right now, I hand write everything. And I have clients constantly coach, I don't like this. What can I have instead of this? And I'm like, oh my God. Like, you know, it's like I need like 10 of me to be able to keep up with the workload that I have. So this app is just gonna simplify it. It's great for busy people, it's great for beginners. And then we can work up to, you know what, what I can do. That deep dive into real nutrition and improving wellness hormones, all of that. It's not just as simple as, Hey, my hormones are messed up. Can you teach me how to fix that? It's like, no. Can you track for a month? Like, Yeah. no. No. Okay. Yeah. We have to, we have to start somewhere, so. Well, I am gonna have you email me your names where people can find you and I'll make sure Okay. on the comments wherever people are listening or watching this podcast so they can follow up with you if that's something they desire to continue Awesome. Yeah. I'm so excited. Yeah, it's, it's gonna be called Grace and Grit, violently injury. You know, I I'm known in the community as having a big heart and kind of being like that mama bear. So that's like the grace side. But then I'm also like, I've got quite the story. So like, I've been through the ringer, so I've got some grit behind me. You know, there's been a lot of times where like I've shown up on platforms that I had no business being on 'cause of what was going on in the background. But I, I wanna show women out there that you can survive, you can be strong, and you can live. A long, healthy life and build confidence. That's like my big thing. So that's why I'm creating this. Awesome. behind the scenes knowing her, she is a trooper and a machine, and I'm so proud of her. I'm so proud of you, Landri. Thank you. It means a lot. Well, thank you for, It. for joining us and I'm really excited to actually get to talk to you here and meet you too. And if anybody has any final words, I always like to throw the, throw the microphone back to anyone have the final words? Anybody? Doc, you. I, I think the big message, you know, that, that you bring, which is so important, is that not everybody should be a sports chiropractor. Okay. And that if it is something that you want to do a chiropractor, please reach out to us are already engaged and who've been doing it. know, I for one, have been involved in strength sports for almost 30 years. I've worked with more than half of the title holders for World's Strongest Man. I've taken care of all the title holders for Strongest Man on Earth. I. I think I have the ability to share some knowledge of value, and I'm approachable for the most part, right, Brant. Yes. But I, but I, I, I worry about what's going to happen after I'm gone. worry about. You know what's going to happen after Brant is gone? Who are the new warriors with skills that are going to step up and take care of Landri and all of her people and those future athletes that without help, will never reach their fullest potential? And that is kind of the big message for the sports council. Future members as well. How can we make this solid and make chiropractic great, for the benefit of those we serve? Awesome. Absolutely. both of you for joining our podcast and tuning in with us. McDougle will have your information on the, like I said in the details. If you, anybody wants to continue to follow up with you, follow you on Instagram or YouTube and stuff like that Yeah, absolutely. please like, subscribe and share it and, continue to tune in because we are, Dr. McDougle and I are aggressively scheduling events so you can come learn these techniques. Whether it's Dr. McDougle's technique he uses for strength athletes, whether it's Dr. Jackson's technique he uses for sub-concussive forces, Mm-hmm. a variety of different sports chiropractors teaching the best. So look forward to seeing, hearing more from you later and to my guests. Thank you and we'll see you again, real soon. Thank you.