Enhancing Strength and Performance for Powerlifting with Neurokinetic Therapy.
Powerlifting demands precision, strength, and stability. However, compensatory movement patterns can develop over time, leading to inefficiencies, discomfort, or even injury. Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) is a powerful tool for identifying and correcting these dysfunctions by assessing motor control patterns and retraining the nervous system.
Take Gillian Hurndell, for example—a dedicated powerlifter experiencing discomfort in her left shoulder during bench pressing. Gillian has recently been selected to represent New Zealand at the Asia Pacific’s Championships in Japan come July 2025. Over and above her short career in Powerlifting (only 5 years), she’s looking to come home with new personal bests, and hopefully some silverware too. Her next short-term goal is to represent New Zealand at this year’s Oceania’s Championships in November.
A brief NKT assessment revealed that her left wrist extensors were overactive in comparison to her left anterior deltoid. This imbalance suggested that her nervous system was relying on the wrist extensors to compensate for weakness or inhibition in the anterior deltoid, potentially leading to improper force distribution and increased strain on her shoulder joint. By addressing this pattern through targeted release of the overactive wrist extensors and activating the underperforming anterior deltoid, Gillian could restore proper muscle sequencing. Over time (normally 2-3 weeks), this correction would not only alleviate discomfort but also enhance her pressing power, stability, and efficiency. This was proven recently as she was able to improve her own record at the Canterbury Provincials on the 22nd of March 2025, and more importantly, with no pain or discomfort.
Watch her live recorded videos here (The Bench Press is the second video).
The principles of NKT extend far beyond powerlifting and can be applied to various sports and training modalities. In contact sport, for instance, athletes frequently experience imbalances due to the high-impact. An athlete who consistently uses one side of the body, for instance, may develop dominant compensations, leading to asymmetries in shoulder stability and core engagement just to name a few. By identifying these patterns and retraining movement efficiency, athletes can enhance their power output, agility, and resilience against injury.
Whether in powerlifting, contact sport, or general strength training, NKT provides an effective approach to uncovering hidden dysfunctions. By improving neuromuscular coordination, athletes can train smarter, lift stronger, and move more efficiently—maximizing performance while minimizing injury risk.
If you’d like to watch the short assessment video, click here.
Yours in health and fitness,
Hannes Schoeman
– More about Gillian –
Unfortunately even when being selected to represent her country, competitions are self-funded, so if you would like to contribute to Gillian achieving her goals, you can donate by clicking here.
Recent achievements:
- Canterbury Provincials 2025 u63 kg Champion and new record holder.
- Canterbury Raw Cup u63 kg Champion & record holder – 2024
- 2nd Place NZ Nationals – 2023
- 4th place Commonwealth Championships – 2022
– More about Hannes –
- Private Contractor – Kinetic Tensegrity, Blenheim
- More than a decade of experience in injury prevention & strength & conditioning working with general population, Olympic Athletes, and everything in between
- Hons. Sport Sci, Neurokinetic Therapy Level 3, Titleist Performance Institute certified