Team

Sander Starast

Physiotherapist / personal trainer

Member of the Estonian Physiotherapists Association / Occupational Qualification Certificate no. E001761, level 6

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from the University of Tartu. During my studies, I had the option to get familiar with the intricacies of the fitness industry and managed to finish as many classes as possible on the subjects of fitness, personal and group training. In addition to that, I have completed the Estonian Defence Forces senior paramedic training course and used those skills and knowledge while working in the Tallinn Emergency Medical Services as part of an ambulance team.

 

Since 2015, I have been working as a physiotherapist, strength & conditioning coach and masseur with clients of various age, level, illnesses, restrictions and needs – from a trauma patient recovering from surgery all the way to a competitive athlete. I have worked as a strength & conditioning coach in various swimming teams, providing young athletes with my physiotherapy and S&C coach services in both a training and competition setting. In addition to that, I have worked at the MyFitness chain of gyms and wellness clubs as a group and personal trainer and physiotherapist.

Füsioterapeut ja personaaltreener Sander Starast foto / Photo of physiotherapist and personal trainer Sander Starast

The majority of my clinical physiotherapy experience is limited to the various clinical practices that were part of my university studies. During these practices, I managed to understand and obtain the basic knowledge and skills of various physiotherapy disciplines (special needs children, neurologic disorders and illnesses, internal diseases and orthopaedic physiotherapy). Even though I was lucky to see, how much a physiotherapist can help improve the quality of life and relieve pain of children and adults with various illnesses, diseases and ailments in a clinical setting, I quickly understood, that my knowledge and skills were of more use in a different setting.  That is why I have chosen to mainly work with clients in a private setting, focusing on recovery from trauma or operations, injury and illness prevention and sports physiotherapy.

 

My primary purpose as a physiotherapist is to provide my clients with a high-quality, multifaceted service that serves to improve the clients’ quality of life and help achieve the healthiest possible version of themselves. I am a firm believer of the idea that in order to achieve long-lasting positive outcomes, it is imperative to at first thoroughly understand the problem at hand. That is why I am very focused on educating the client regarding his/her health-related problem, the underlying causes and possible outcomes in a manner that is completely clear and comprehensible for the client. If that is achieved, we can start working on fixing the issue at hand.

 

I have a similar approach to personal trainings as well, focusing heavily on client education. Regardless of the the level and chosen discipline of the athlete, I believe a well-rounded physique and proper movement patterns are an excellent foundation for achieving great results and reducing risk of injury. As a personal trainer, I am happy to help both beginner fitness enthusiasts with taking the first steps in their fitness journey as well as intermediate or professional level athletes looking to maximise their potential. However, if it becomes clear to me that my knowledge and skills are not the most optimal solution for the client, I am more than happy to help the client find the best possible coach or therapist among my wide network of committed specialists to help with achieving their goals.

 

Outside of my office and professional career, I spend the majority of my spare time with my family and am happy to always try out new sports and hobbies that provide me with new challenges and ways to explore human movement, kinesiology and biomechanics in general. Over the course of 20 years, I have been practicing various different sports, ranging from Greco-Roman wrestling and muay thai to swimming, padel and multiple extreme sports.

Professional & vocational education:

  • University of Tartu, Bachelor’s degree of Physiotherapy (2013-2016), Bachelor’s thesis subject “Low-level laser therapy in the treatment of idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome”
  • Medical Training Center of the Estonian Defence Forces, senior paramedic training course (2016-2017), volume: 720 hours
  • EOC level 3 swimming coach (2019)
  • Youth camp worker-manager certification (laagrikasvataja-juhataja osakutse), level 6 (2019)

Professional work experience:

  • Optimistic OÜ / Gymnasium Füsioteraapia – physiotherapist, personal trainer, movement consultant (starting from 2015)
  • Orca Swim Club – strength & conditioning coach, physiotherapist, swimming coach (2017-2020)
  • MyFitness chain of gyms – group and personal trainer, physiotherapist (2015-2018)
  • Kiirmassaaž OÜ – masseur, physiotherapist, office gymnastics instructor (2015)

Professional development (courses, classes, etc):

Medicine, physiotherapy:

  • international medical conference Arab Health Expo 2024 (host: Informa Markets)
  • international medical conference Arab Health Expo 2020 (host: Informa Exhibitions)
  • various emergency medicine classes, courses and workshops, i.e. advanced cardiac life support, advanced trauma life support, co-operation exercises with the fire department, etc (host: Tallinna Kiirabi; total volume: 132 hours)

Sports, strength & conditioning, psychology:

  • EQF level 5 swimming coach  specialised training (host: Eesti Ujumisliit; volume: 70 hours)
  • EQF level 4 swimming coach general and specialised training (host: Eesti Ujumisliit; volume: 100 hours);
  • EQF level 3 swimming coach general and specialised training (host: Eesti Ujumisliit; volume: 55 hours)
  • Learn to swim & coach conference (host: Finnish Sports Institute; volume 12 hours)
  • Strength & Conditioning: Content & Delivery for the Swimming Coach (host: John Watson; volume: 10 hours)
  • Acro-yoga basic level training (host: Kadri Romano; volume: 12 hours)
  • Neuro-linguistic programming practicioner level training (host: Estonian NLP Institute; volume: 192 hours)
  • The Movement Fix Workshop (host: Ryan DeBell; volume: 7 hours)
  • Kinesiotaping basic level training (host: Lauri Rannama; volume: 5 hours)
  • Champi Indian head massage training course (host: M.I. Massaažikool; volume: 8 hours)