Sixth Sense

He's been the science behind some of the greatest Olympic track and field athletes the U.S. has ever seen, but he doesn't boast.

He's treated some of the world's most famous athletes, such as Kobe Bryant and Pete Sampras, and still doesn't blow his own horn.

And he's raced some of the world's toughest endurance events, yet he remains modest.

But that doesn't stop others from bragging about the man behind Robert Forster Physical Therapy (www.forsterpt.com) and Phase IV (www.phase-iv.net).

Twenty four years ago, a fresh out of college Robert Forster arrived in Santa Monica, where the native New Yorker landed a job at Centinela Hospital in the physical therapy department. Now, 46, Forster lives within a half mile of his first Southern California home and has his own practice and performance training center.

"Bob seems to almost have a sixth sense for what his patients need," said Lisa Giardino, the office manager at Robert Forster Physical Therapy. "People really count on him and respect him. Being an athlete himself really helps, too."

Although Forster's career path has taken various side roads, his desire for treating the human body has remained true back to his days in high school.

The First Taste

Forster wrestled throughout high school and into college at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. But it was the high school experiences that provided his first taste of therapy and training.

"At the time getting training information was difficult," said Forster, who wrestled varsity all four years and has recently tried his hand in some masters meets. "Coaching wasn't too scientific. My dad and I ended up building a gym at my house because I was gone all the time lifting weights. Within a couple of years the whole wrestling team was at my house."

As a captain of his wrestling team as an upper classman, Forster assumed the responsibility of helping others train. He said he was drawn to the science - the physiology and kinesiology.

In college, Forster kept his grades up and got into physical therapy school early after just two years of undergraduate study.

"I got out of school in four years and was practicing right after my 22nd birthday," said Forster, who is married with a 9 year old son. "Since then, school has never ended. I'm always trying to improve my working knowledge."

Next Stop: Santa Monica

Forster's first job at Centinela Hospital focused on the hospital side of therapy. He enjoyed it but knew his passion lied in the athletic side. Forster was interested in a position at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, one of the largest clinics in the country, but he took a job in Santa Monica in a physical medicine clinic to get some different experience, this time in soft tissue and joint protection, biomechanics, and ergonomics.

Kerlan Jobe soon came knocking, and Forster jumped at the opportunity. The job allowed him to take a broader look at the orthopedic experience, leading him to runners and endurance athletes who needed to balance flexibility, stability and strength.

Then in 1983, his life changed forever.

Forster met UCLA track coach Bob Kersee, as they were set to do a lecture together in the San Fernando Valley. Forster said Kersee convinced him that he was coaching a crop of young athletes that had a future of Olympic gold medals in sight.

Although he didn't know much about track and field, Forster went to UCLA and started handing around the athletes and teaching them general stretching, strengthening and balancing exercises. Among those athletes were Evelyn Ashford, Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Jackie Joyner Kersee and Gail Devers.

You could say Forster was in the right place at the right time. Forging a relationship with the top Olympians, Forster stayed by their side through four Olympics ('84, '88, '92, and '96) and a multitude of world championships.

"We were the first to bring our own physical therapist and massage therapist," he said. "We really supported athletes in their total efforts - nutrition, massage, recovery, physical therapy, everything. I think in the '88 Olympic we had 14 or 15 athletes, which was a major undertaking."

During his run with the Olympic group, Forster was establishing his own practice. Although much of his concentration was dedicated to the elite athletes, he began seeing more amateur endurance focused athletes, such as marathon runners and triathletes.

Moving On

He had been treating quite a few endurance athletes since opening his center on Wilshire Boulevard in 1995, but it wasn't really until after Jackie Joyner Kersee retired in 1998 that Forster decided to focus primarily on serving local athletes with the same scientific approach.

"The endurance athlete became a primary focus," said Forster, who is a household name among local endurance athletes because of his sponsorship of events and clubs, such as Velo La Grange and LA Tri Club. "The truth is, I was taking some of the programs I developed and honed for the track and field athletes and using them for endurance athletes."

Forster's reputation grew, as did his athletic endeavors. Growing up as a wrestler, Forster understood the importance of running for fitness. But it wasn't until he was in physical therapy school that he really started running.

"I ran my first marathon before I moved out here," he said. "Then I ran the old Santa Monica Marathon and kept up with my training. Since I didn't know what I know now, I started getting some injuries. So I switched to biking and really never looked back."

Forster enjoyed the challenge of mountain bike racing and eventually worked his way up to extreme endurance riding. In 1998, he attempted La Ruta de Conquistadors in Costa Rica, a three day, 300 mile stage race. He did not finish, but the following year he returned and successfully crossed the finish line.

He followed La Ruta up with a larger venture - the TransAlp Challenge, an eight day stage race traversing the Austrian Alps and Italian Dolomites mountain ranges. Forster completed that race in 2000 and again in 2001.

He said competing in events like those keeps him healthy and on top of his training, but more so it's the experiences, which are a proving ground for the physiology he is trying to understand and develop, that allow him to relate to the athletes he treats.

"A lot of it is between the ears - all mental," he said. "I've been searching for the answer to why I can do this now. I was certainly fitter at age 25. And the answer is the knowledge. I know more, and I think I'm able to take pain more."

There's no question that Forster knows more. He prides himself in staying on top of the latest techniques.

"The thing about Bob is that he has a really deep knowledge of the science of training and nutrition and exercise physiology," said Jake Winebaum, 45, who has competed with Forster in the TransAlp Challenge and World's Toughest Mountain Bike Race. "He's also very funny and entertaining to be around. Many times on those long grueling rides, he has a way of providing comic relief. I get those benefits as a friend, but I also use his services. Whenever I get hurt, he heals me."

Forster is known for his work on the healing phase, but in 2002 he looked to build up what is known as the fourth phase.

"It became so frustrating to watch athletes come in, get rehab and go make the same mistakes again," said Forster, who recently returned from a week in France, where he rode various stages of the Tour de France the day before the actual race took the course. "We've always treated in four phases, and the fourth phase of rehab is going back to sports training with a scientific guidance. (Phase one is decreasing pain, phase two is controlling symptoms through rehab and phase three is increasing strength.) So we decided to open Phase IV to address the need in the community for scientific training and fitness training by physical therapists. The thing about Phase IV is that there is a real science, it's not guessing."

Science has always been Forster's driving force in his profession, as is education. He keeps up to date on all the latest information and provides free lectures at Phase IV on everything from nutrition, stretching and periodization training. Whether he's educating himself on new shoulder or ankle therapy or educating the endurance community, Forster is just looking out for his fellow athletes.

Written by Jason Johnson. Featured in LA S&F, September 2004.