Jeremy Lin Focused on Rehab at Fortius Sports Where Steve Nash Consults

Jeremy Lin posted an update on his Instagram account that he and the Nets agreed on a comprehensive rehabilitation program at the Fortius Sport and Health in Vancouver to rebuild his body from the ground up.

It would take most of the season to rebuild each of the muscle, joint, and not just the injured patellar tendon. He can’t wait to get healthy and come back even stronger next season.

Fortius Sports and Health Center

Steve Nash has consulted at the Fortius facility and Toronto Raptors have also used the facility for its Training Camp for three straight years by the end of 2016. Alex McKechnie, a renowned sports physiotherapist, seems to be the bridge between Toronto Raptors as the assistant coach in charge of sports science and a Fortius advisory board member.

Stars like Steve Nash and Trevor Linden offered advice for the facility, which offers a hat trick of sport medicine, science and training facilities and services. CEO Craig Thompson likes to say it’s for athletes of any age or any stage. While financials are closely held, Thompson said it attracts 6,000 users a month.

Fortius hosted the Toronto Raptors for the third straight year in September, as the National Basketball Association team came west again for its training camp. Canada’s only NBA franchise and Fortius were introduced by Alex McKechnie, a renowned sports physiotherapist who sits on Fortius’s advisory board. McKechnie is also currently the Raptors’ assistant coach in charge of sports science.

Bobby Webster, the Raptors’ vice-president of basketball management and strategy, describes Fortius as a “state of the art” facility.

“It’s world class. We love going there and we look forward to going back there in the future,” Webster says.

Possible Steve Nash and Rick Celebrini Connection

There is possibility that Jeremy was introduced to the facility through Steve Nash who has worked closely with the co-founder/BC physiotherapist, Rick Celebrini, to overcome a wonky back during his NBA career. Rick has helped to design grinding physical drills to make sure Nash’s back and body held up to the physical pounding of professional basketball.

Jeremy has participated in several Steve Nash Soccer Charity Tournaments in the past and Nash had a cameo in a fun “Lindorsements” Youtube video so he has strong connection with Steve Nash, a two-time NBA MVP who managed to play 18 seasons until he retired at 41 years old in 2015.

The roots of the program and its methods start with Steve Nash, the retired Canadian basketball legend, and his work with B.C. physiotherapist Rick Celebrini. With the help of Celebrini, Nash, as a young professional player, overcame a wonky back, a condition called spondylolisthesis that causes vertebral slippage. On the court, Nash was one of the best passers and shooters in National Basketball Association history – but it was made possible off-court by careful, grinding physical drills to make sure his back and body held up to the physical pounding of professional basketball.

Early in his career, Nash connected with Celebrini and the two came to work closely together. The key period was when Nash had turned 30. It was 2004, and he was about to join the Phoenix Suns, where his career would really take off. Nash and Celebrini spent the summer working at the University of British Columbia, on the court, in the weight gym, on forested trails and in the ocean. They devised a series of exercises, focused around core strength, that fortified Nash and his back.

Fortius, where Celebrini co-founded the medical-services program, is best known as a place for top-level sports. Canada’s national women’s soccer team has trained there and the Toronto Raptors have staged several training camps at the centre. But Fortius has also strived to welcome as diverse an audience as possible. With KidsMove, Fortius brings the kids into a facility they might not otherwise see.

MVP Workout

After winning 2 MVPs in 2007, Steve Nash shared his two-a-day workout for 6 weeks with Rick Celebrini when he left Dallas to sign with Phoenix in 2004. The main goal was to help him correct and economize his physical movements. Rick said they changed the way Nash ran and especially the way he changed direction. By correcting movement dysfunctions, they were able to prevent injury, optimize the bio-mechanical efficiency of the body and bring about performance enhancement.

It would be interesting to see if Rick will work with Jeremy Lin to also economize his physical movements to prevent injuries.

On PBS’ Charlie Rose Show over the summer, Nash talked about how he designed his game around the natural talents that he possesses. His one-legged running floaters, body-contorting passes and lane-carving penetrations are the result of an analysis of how he could be most effective. However, in order to complete those plays and moves, he needs to possess the balance, quickness and flexibility to perform them. He also had to have the endurance to sustain an intense pace for over 35 minutes a game.

Nash focuses intensely on his cardio-vascular conditioning. Daniel Banks/Suns.com

In order to create these specific athletic movements, Nash began to work with physiotherapist Rick Celebrini. A former Canadian national and professional soccer player, Celebrini was first recruited by Nash early in his career to help him with his ailing back.

Nash’s congenital back condition, spondylolisthesis, has been well-publicized, but it has been kept at bay due to the technical work that Nash has performed during his summers. After experiencing success with Celebrini early in his career, Nash re-enlisted his help when he left Dallas to sign with Phoenix. During that summer, Nash and Celebrini underwent two-a-day workouts for six weeks in order to help him correct and economize his physical movements.

“We changed the way he ran and especially the way he changed direction,” Celebrini said. “We both recognized that there were ways in which he moved that were a direct result of his weaknesses and past injuries.

“We had to break down those movements and slowly recreate them through repetition. By correcting movement dysfunctions, we are able to prevent injury, optimize the bio-mechanical efficiency of the body and bring about performance enhancement.”

Nash believes that the correctional exercises he performs allows him to persevere through the grinding NBA schedule.

“All of Rick’s philosophies and exercises are about pure movement and moving properly with the right sequence and firing the muscles,” Nash said. “They allow me to prevent injury, sustain fitness and maintain my level of play through all of these games despite having a bad back.”

That’s why at the end of practice, one can find Nash doing footwork and other exercises that help with his body’s mechanics. In addition, the Suns playmaker follows his own workout regimen in the weight room, engineered to enhance his performance on the floor.

“I’m not very explosive,” Nash claimed. “I’m not going to beat too many people in a race, jump over or out-muscle anyone. Instead, I try to use my coordination, balance and momentum to my advantage.”

Nash expects that the training that he undergoes in the weight room translates to results on the court. The All-NBA guard adapted a customized workout routine for his specific goals – one that focuses on the core strength and balance necessary to optimize his game on the court.

Whereas most players take off anywhere between two weeks and a month at the end of the season to allow their bodies to recover, Nash only takes between three and five days off.

“I can’t sit still and since I’m getting older, I don’t want a big hill to climb when I come back,” he said. “And since I like to eat, I don’t want to get fat.”

Trainers say Nash knows his body better than most athletes. Barry Gossage/Getty Images/NBAE

The two-time MVP claims that he has basically trained the same he did when he was younger, except when he was younger, he played basketball all summer. Now, he doesn’t play until September.

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