Founder & Physical Therapist
13-year military veteran, board-certified orthopedic specialist, and fellowship-trained manual therapist. Dan founded PT Liftology because he believed athletes deserve more than the insurance model allows — more time, more specificity, and a PT who actually competes.
Background
Dan grew up near Los Angeles playing baseball and skateboarding before enlisting and spending 13 years in uniform — 3 with the U.S. Navy Seabees and 10 with the U.S. Army, including tours with the 101st Airborne Division and USAREUR Headquarters. He earned the Army Physical Fitness Badge for Excellence multiple times, graduated from Air Assault School in 2010, and served as his unit's Physical Fitness NCO for two years.
That background shapes how he practices. Military service taught him that fitness isn't optional, that the body can handle more than it's given credit for, and that the standard of care should be set by what's actually needed — not by what a system finds convenient. After leaving the Army, he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas State University, went on to complete Fellowship training in Manual Orthopedic Physical Therapy (2024), and pursued the OCS — held by fewer than 10% of licensed PTs in the country.
"Most PT clinics treat 'getting back to the gym' as the finish line. For our patients, it's the starting line. We're not done until you're back to training at full capacity."
— Dr. Dan Cole, DPT, OCS, CSCSHe competed in NPC Men's Physique in 2016 — so he understands competition prep, peak timing, and the stakes of a training disruption better than most clinicians. Today he's deep into HYROX and Olympic Weightlifting. He treats athletes the way he'd want to be treated: with full attention, actual time, and a plan built around getting back to the sport — not just getting out of pain.
Clinical Focus
Dan has particular depth in musculoskeletal injuries common to strength athletes, competitive runners, and Hyrox/functional fitness competitors. If your injury relates to lifting heavy, running far, or competing in multi-modal events, you're in the right room.
Powerlifting & Olympic lifting injuries
Running overuse injuries & stress fractures
Hyrox & functional fitness injuries
Shoulder impingement & rotator cuff
Low back pain in lifters
Hip & groin injuries (FAI, labral tears)
Knee pain (patellar tendon, meniscus, ACL recovery)
Tendinopathy & chronic overuse conditions
Post-surgical rehab (ACL, shoulder, spine)
Education & Credentials
Beyond the Clinic
The military instilled in Dan that standards exist to be raised, not just met. That's how he approaches continuing education — running courses designed to sharpen clinical skills that most PT programs leave underdeveloped, particularly in manual therapy and return-to-performance programming.
When he's not treating or teaching, Dan is competing. He stepped on an NPC Men's Physique stage in 2016, and he's currently in the middle of two new sports — HYROX and Olympic Weightlifting. He understands what's at stake when a training cycle gets derailed. That understanding is not incidental to his clinical work — it's central to it.
Start with a free 15-minute intro call. Dan will listen, tell you what he thinks is going on, and explain exactly how he'd approach your case.
Book with Dr. Dan