Colin Oczkowski, DPT, CSCS
Director of Physical Training • Physiotherapist
Colin Oczkowski, DPT, CSCS
Director of Physical Training, Physiotherapist
Colin Oczkowski is the Director of Physical Training at eFIT and a physiotherapist who believes movement should begin with understanding the person in front of you. Rather than assuming there is one right way to exercise, Colin helps members understand their bodies, work within their individual needs and limitations, and find an entry point to movement that feels safe, sustainable, and achievable.
This philosophy is central to Colin's role within the Evolve Therapy Program. For some people, movement is already a meaningful and enjoyable part of life. For others, it may be complicated by pain, injury, physical limitations, fear, low confidence, previous negative experiences with exercise, or psychological barriers that make simply entering a gym feel difficult. Colin's role is to understand that starting point and help the physical training team build from there.
Every new member of the Evolve Therapy Program meets with Colin for an initial physiotherapy assessment before beginning physical training. He takes time to understand the member's health and movement history, including previous injuries, pain, rehabilitation needs, mobility, physical functioning, and any barriers that may affect how they move. The goal is not to determine how hard someone can exercise. It is to understand what their body needs so that movement can be introduced thoughtfully and safely.
Following the assessment, Colin works closely with the Endure coaching team to develop physical programming tailored to each member. He educates the coaching staff about relevant injuries, mobility considerations, rehabilitation goals, and physical needs so that this information continues to inform training long after the initial assessment. When rehabilitation is needed, it can therefore be supported within a member's ongoing movement program rather than treated as something entirely separate from it.
Colin earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy and has practiced as a physiotherapist since 2013. He also brings a strong background in strength and conditioning and serves as an Assistant Professor in the Master of Science in Physiotherapy Program at McMaster University. Education sits at the centre of his approach. He wants people to understand their bodies, pain, injuries, and rehabilitation rather than becoming fearful of movement or believing that their bodies are too fragile to participate.
Within the Evolve Therapy Program, that work also requires understanding that barriers to movement are not always physical. Colin collaborates with the integrated Evolve Therapy Team to understand the psychological factors that may influence a member's relationship with exercise. Trauma, anxiety, depression, body image concerns, perfectionism, previous experiences of shame, or feeling unsafe in one's body can all change how movement is experienced. Physical training is therefore introduced in a way that considers not only what someone can do physically, but what feels accessible and appropriate for that person.
Colin brings a warm, empathic presence to this work. A particularly important part of his role is helping members feel safe enough to move, experiment, build confidence, and discover what their bodies are capable of without feeling judged or pushed beyond where they are ready to go. Over time, movement can become less about something a person should do and more about developing strength, function, energy, confidence, and a greater sense of trust in themselves.
This is the movement-as-medicine philosophy Colin brings to the Evolve Therapy Program. Movement is not prescribed as a solution to every psychological difficulty, nor is it centred around changing the appearance of the body. Instead, it is thoughtfully integrated into care as one way of supporting physical health, psychological well-being, rehabilitation, resilience, and a more trusting relationship with the body.
As Director of Physical Training, Colin helps ensure that Endure is not simply a gym program that exists alongside psychotherapy. By working closely with the coaching team and the broader integrated Evolve Therapy Team, he helps make movement an individualized and clinically informed part of each member's overall care.