Deckline Leitao's Train Right Philosophy
“Your training investment should build both Physical and Mental strength — not go to waste.”
Deckline Leitão is an Exercise-Science and Psychology professional based in Bengaluru, India who brings together decades of experience, education and hands-on teaching to help people achieve lasting improvement in both body and mind.
He received his sports science degree from the University of KZN, South Africa in 2003. He then completed his post-graduate qualification in Sport Culture from the University of Roehampton, London. He is also an MSc Psychology post-graduate from St. Mary's university, London. His research thesis focussed on the safety of elite Indian sportswomen such as Olympians, reflecting his long-standing commitment to athlete and youth wellbeing.
He now teaches the specialized online course ‘Strength and Conditioning for the Indian population’ for IIT Madras’ NPTEL platform. He presently consults out of RxDx multi-speciality health centre in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru.
His wife being Japanese he often travels to Japan and is deeply influenced by their approach to work and life. Being a long-time health, fitness and martial arts practitioner even when he studied in St. Xavier's College, Mumbai he participated and won the college Strongman title.
He has studied under various organizations including the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), YMCA hydrotherapy, sports massage and has also qualified as a yoga teacher from the Yoga Institute, Mumbai.
Some of his greatest learnings have also come from senior medical mentors and his brother Dr. James Leitao FRCS (SA), a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in the spine who has practiced in London, South Africa, Holland and the gulf. This has helped enhance Deckline's knowledge of injuries and healing of the Musculo-skeletal system.
With decades of experience, education and worldwide exposure, Deckline now believes in a practical wisdom-based approach towards fitness, mental-health and strength & conditioning. He calls it the Train Right philosophy.
In today's world of excessive social media where fitness and any form of exercise is attached with a story to hype up the whole process, Deckline believes in producing results without the drama. He says that fitness, exercise science and psychology have to make training simpler and effective, rather than complicated and confusing just to make it appear dramatic to people, parents, players and coaches.
Over the years he has strongly espoused three concepts.
1) Indians and South-Asians have to be trained with a load that is applicable and appropriate for their physical structure and nutritional habits.
2) If one is a competitive sportsperson then we have to realize that medals are won on competition day and therefore we have to prepare and protect the body to peak for that particular day.
3) Young Indian and south-Asian athletes are more prone to injuries when trained with loads that suit Europeans, Asians, Africans, etc and these injuries lead to going through physical and psychological pain as they miss prime competitive years of their lives.
"Be a Player and not a Patient" is his mantra towards training, mental health and rehab for athletes as well as the general population.
You can subscribe to his YouTube channel (in the link below) where along with other professionals he explains the above in simple terms.
