Conner Curnick was a proud U.S. Navy officer, following in the footsteps of an established military family when a catalog of injuries caught up with the Southern Californian, leaving him unable to walk. With multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy now part of his daily life, the thought of squatting over 400 pounds must have seemed incomprehensible. And yet, through consistency and professional support, Curnick crushed his goal and took control of his fitness in the process. Here’s how he did it.
Curnick served for four years as a U.S. Navy Sailor, and received deployments to Afghanistan and East Africa, as well as multiple shorter tours of the Middle East. Before this, Curnick had proved to be a promising athlete, playing Water Polo internationally. “It’s a pretty brutal sport,” he says. “It is very physically demanding and took a toll on by body after many years of playing,” he reflects. Unfortunately, the wear and tear that he received playing Water Polo would leave him vulnerable to the harsh conditions of service.
Conner Curnick Went From Service to Serious Health Issues
“During my last deployment to East Africa, I was traveling to a remote area, and military planes are not exactly known for being comfortable, or even having seats,” explains Curnick of the toll that serving his country took on his spine.
“In my full kit, I weighed something like 315 pounds and during combat landing, I blew a disk in my back. This was the start of my physical problems. I had sciatica pain thereafter, and after years of physical therapy and less invasive treatments, I finally had surgery to remove the bulged part of the disk and to open up the canal that my nerve runs through (these are known as discectomy and laminectomy operations). It was here that doctors discovered additional issues with Curnick’s hips.
“I had a hip impingement, borderline hip dysplasia (where the hip ball does not sit properly in the socket), and labral tears on both sides, but significantly worse on my right side,” he explains. “I also had the start of osteoarthritis. So roughly 18 months after my spine surgery, I had surgery to remove the hip impingement and attempt to repair the labral tear on my right side. After a six-month healing process, the surgery wasn’t successful. So, about a year later I had my right hip replaced at the ripe old age of 29.”
Conner Curnick Vowed to Reclaim His Mobility
Down but not out, Curnick displayed the same grit that he had shown in the Navy, throwing himself into physical therapy following his operations. First, he gained back the full range of motion in his hips, and then he concentrated on being able to bear weight and keep his spine stable. He began these therapy classes using a walking frame, then transitioned to a cane, and was finally able to walk unaided by the time he completed his course. Still, Curnick felt that he needed to get back to his old self.
“I had been active and in shape my entire life, and after my string of surgeries I was in the worst shape of my life,” he tells M&F. “I knew heading into the surgery that recovery was going to be difficult, but I felt that getting back into top shape would be beneficial for the long run.”
6 months after his final surgery and living in Washington, D.C., Curnick joined the Ultimate Performance gym in Dupont where he received professional coaching. “By the end of physical therapy, I was doing things like kettlebell squats and lunges, and core strengthening, so I felt like the gym would be a good transition,” he explains. “I needed to start training again to prove to myself that I can be strong and not worry about hurting myself.”
Connor Curnick Set Himself a Mission to Squat to His Full Potential
Curnick’s initial training focused on improving his range of motion even further than he had in therapy, utilizing moves like “Standing exercises that eventually progressed to mini squats and balance work,” he explains. “After that, I started doing TRX assisted squats and lunges, starting with 3 sets x 8 reps and progressing to 4 x12. Once I was able to consistently hit 4×12 with assisted squats and lunges, I moved to doing them unassisted following the same rep schemes. Eventually I made it to doing weighted squats and lunges with light kettlebells,” he adds.
Curnick built his base during 3 full body sessions per week. “Lower body exercises consisted of a lot of split squats, goblet squats, leg extensions, and hamstring curls- usually in the three to four sets of 10 rep ranges,” says Curnick. “Once I gained decent strength in these exercises I started doing hack squats, and then eventually weighted back squats, starting out light and making logical progressions with the weight. Then, once I started getting into the 225-pound range, my trainer had me doing things like pause squats (holding at the bottom of the lift for 2-3 seconds to improve form and build strength).”
While making his brave change, Curnick is keen to point out that his progress was not linear. “I had good days and bad days throughout this entire process, and some days my body just wasn’t cooperating.” Still, he pushed on, leaning on the team at Ultimate Performance to keep him motivated and work around any obstacles. “I made it my mission to lift heavier than I ever have,” he says, inspiringly. “I felt like I had to prove the universe wrong.”
As Conner Curnick maintained his trust in the process, the number of plates on the barbell increased and his back squat got better and better. 18 months of sweat and determination from that final surgery led to a climatic moment when Curnick finally crushed a high of 405 pounds. “I feel better now than I did before my string of injuries,” he explains. “I’m probably in the best shape of my life and I’m the strongest I have ever been. My body can now keep up with the lifestyle I want to live, and I know how and when to push myself to achieve my goals. While I do have some limitations, I know how to work within the boundaries to achieve my goals. This wouldn’t have been possible without the team at Ultimate Performance.”
While Curnick’s mission to squat heavy may be complete, he already has his sights set on the next task. “I put on some serious mass while increasing my strength numbers,” he tells M&F. “So, lately I have been focusing on leaning back down to around 10% body fat. I’m pretty close to that now, and then I’ll be focusing on adding on another 10-15 poundsof lean mass.” With a brilliant base, this inspiring individual now wants to bring his upper body up. “Exercise wise, I’m focusing more on upper body pressing movements. The goal I have now is to hit a 255 pounds overhead press, which may take a while!”
