ALEXANDER UNG
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST
Our resident Kiwi, Alex grew up in Auckland before his family relocated to Australia when he was 11. After a gentle prompt from his mother that he would be good at helping people Alex enrolled in a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Sciences at The University of Queensland and graduated with honours and a major in Clinical Exercise Physiology in 2016.
Alex is a Rugby Union diehard and has played the game since he was 5 years old. He currently plays for Souths Rugby Union Club in Brisbane and has enjoyed several years playing in Premier Grade. Alex was also a gymnast, representing QLD in State gymnastics and breaking a New Zealand record for most dips in a minute - 46!
Having played tennis competitively, Alex was recently employed as a trainer at the 2016 Vietnam Open and as an Exercise Physiologist at the 2016 Brisbane International; training American tennis player Stefan Kozlov for the tournament.
When a friend from Colorado sustained a spinal cord injury skiing, Alex became interested in spinal cord injury rehabilitation; even completing his honours research project on the subject - 'A Review of the Strength and Flexibility Guidelines for Optimising Upper Limb Function in Manual Wheelchair Users with Tetraplegia'. When a rugby teammate who sustained a spinal cord injury after diving into a pool began attending Making Strides, Alex found a passion for activity based therapy and completed his clinical practicum at Making Strides before securing a position as an accredited exercise physiologist with us.
Things you NEED to know about Alex:
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Alex's dream job was to work at Making Strides which is a long way from his first job as a fruit and vegetable picker.
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If you are in Brisbane, Alex recommends the Sichuan Fish Chilli Broth at Happy Boy.
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Alex is afraid of grasshoppers and would one day like to learn how to iron.
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A seasoned traveller, Alex would love to go to Peru or Brazil for the food and dancing.
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Alex measures success by whether or not you own a Dyson.
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While Richie McCaw is his idol, it's his cat Harry that he would be taking with him to a deserted island.
