Take 5 with Paul Cribb

HH had the opportunity to Take 5 with Dr Paul Cribb PhD. CEO & Founder mp-body.com recently. Paul has an amazing outlook on life, so positive and focussed; and is a leader and mentor to many of the best trainers around the world.

1.What’s your favourite exercise?

Right now, it’s Stand Up Paddle (SUP) surfing & wave riding. Shar (Paul’s wife) and I got into this relatively new form of surfing just over a year ago and we’re both completely hooked. It’s a complete body workout that can be ICE or LIA. Best of all anyone can do it, I had my 8 year-old nephew and my 38 year-old sister in-law out there with me today. My sister in-law can’t even swim and never been on a board in her life.

2. What has been your biggest fitness/health/sport challenge?

In 1998, I had two ruptured lumbar discs removed and 4 titanium cages bolted through my lumbar spine. Six weeks in hospital learning how to walk again was hard. It took me 5 years to relearn how to stand up on a surfboard. Deadlifting, squats, presses and most of the good barbell exercises I cannot do. But I learned how to train and build a physique around any problem or injury. There are always alternatives.

In January this year, I ruptured the c7 disc and had an artificial disc inserted. I still have a lot of neural damage and loss of strength in my right arm but I employed a trainer who has been amazing at helping me rehab my condition. I’m probably functionally stronger now at 45 than I was in my 30s.

3. What motivates you?

Great question! I think it comes down to a core desire to be the best you can be. To live an extraordinary life you truly love and tolerate nothing less. I have never accepted the status quo. I realized a long time ago, there is always a great solution to every obstacle life puts in front of you. Nothing troubles me, nothing worries me.

4. What’s your best health/fitness tip?

Again another great question. This one I learned from Shar – eat small. Shar looks amazing all the time because she always eats small but often. I’ve loved Shar for nearly 15 years and in that time I’ve never seen her eat an entire piece of cake. Always a few spoon-fulls but never an entire piece. Same with ICE cream, chocolate, alcohol – nothing in regular amounts – always small. I see women on facebook claiming to be 95% MP compliant then I read their posts how they devoured a whole tub of ICE cream, bars of chocolate, or got plastered by drinking copious amounts of alcohol and I see how they struggle. Shar would consume a small chocolate bar over the course of a month. I think a lot of MP Trainers and clients could learn a lot from that.

5.What’s your biggest achievement in health/fitness/sport?

Considering when I was in high school, my Dad would tell people “Paul majors in Football and Romance, and is failing both”. My school grades never gave any inclination to my future achievements. I was a C average student at best. Even through my first Bachelors degree, I scraped by with passes (I only got into University on a football scholarship). However, I went on to complete three degrees, Health Science, Chemistry and Biochemistry and then completed a self-designed, self-funded PhD. I also designed and created the funding for several other PhD programs whilst completing my own PhD at University. However, its what I’ve managed to do with my degrees, is what I’m the most proud of.