Advanced Clinical Series:
Mastering Lower Body
Lifting Mechanics

Overview

A Deeper Dive into the Squat and Deadlift

This course is designed to elevate your expertise in physical therapy through advanced movement assessment and specific neuromuscular techniques. This is not just about learning — it's about mastering the art of the squat and deadlift to optimize both your patients' outcomes and your own understanding of loaded movement.

You'll walk away with effective cuing and coaching techniques you can immediately apply — helping your patients lift safely, reduce pain, and accelerate their recovery. Small class sizes (8 spots) ensure you receive personalized, hands-on training that translates directly to improved patient care.

"Elaine and Daniel provided a well-organized immersive course with many valuable assessment tools and simple manual interventions that produced immediate improvements. I was engaged throughout the entire two days and left eager to immediately take what I learned into practice." — Victor

What This Course Offers

Learning Objectives

• ✓ Earn 10 CCUs approved by the Texas Physical Therapy Association
• ✓ Learn from fellowship-trained physical therapists who are innovators in the field
• ✓ Apply effective cuing and coaching for the squat and deadlift immediately with patients
• ✓ Gain confidence integrating loaded movements like squats and deadlifts into therapeutic practice
• ✓ Understand the biomechanical demands of the hip hinge and knee-dominant squat patterns
• ✓ Identify and correct common movement faults driving pain in lifting patients
• ✓ Develop load management strategies to keep patients training through rehab
• ✓ Leave with a systematic clinical framework for evaluating any patient who squats or deadlifts

Schedule

Course Day — May 3, 2026

• 8:00 – 9:00 AM
  Foundations: Biomechanics of the Squat & Deadlift

  Lecture — joint loading, force vectors, tissue demands under load
• 9:00 – 11:30 AM
  Squat Assessment Lab

  Live movement screen, fault identification, corrective cuing — hands-on partner practice
• 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
  Break
• 12:00 – 2:30 PM
  Deadlift & Hip Hinge Assessment Lab

  Conventional, sumo, and RDL variations — clinical assessment to corrective intervention
• 2:30 – 3:00 PM
  Break
• 3:00 – 5:00 PM
  Integration Lab & Case Discussions

  Full patient scenarios: movement assessment → diagnosis → treatment → programming

Requirements

Who Should Attend & What to Bring

• → Active PT, DPT, or PTA license — or current enrollment in an accredited DPT program
• → No prior barbell experience required — clinical assessment background is sufficient
• → Wear comfortable athletic clothing — you will squat, hinge, and move throughout the day
• → Athletic shoes recommended; bring your own if you have lifting-specific footwear
• → Course materials provided — nothing to purchase in advance

Your Instructors

Taught by Dan & Elaine

Dr. Dan Cole (DPT, OCS, CSCS) and Dr. Elaine Tsay (DPT, CMT) are the fellowship-trained co-founders of PT Liftology. Dan competes in HYROX; Elaine is a competitive Olympic weightlifter. They built these courses around the exact clinical problems they face weekly — not theory, not research presentations, but real cases from their practice in Cedar Park and Leander, TX.