Company
Michael Clark, DPT, MS, PT, PES, CES
Dr. Michael Clark serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor for PERFECT fit Health. In this capacity, Dr. Clark provides clinical advisory services, as well as strategic business development and content recommendations for our physical therapy, fitness and performance solutions.
Dr. Clark has been president, chief executive officer and partner of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) since March 2000. An industry visionary, he is the creator of NASM’s exclusive Optimum Performance Training™ (OPT) method used by thousands of health and fitness professionals worldwide. Dr. Clark’s innovation and leadership have redefined NASM as a global leader and authority in education for fitness, performance and sports-medicine professionals that empowers individuals to live active and healthy lives.
Recognized as one of the top physical therapists in the industry, Dr. Clark oversees new business development, new product research and development, relationship management with partners and customers, the clinical practice and the leadership of the NASM management team. Prior to joining NASM, Dr. Clark was the Director of Sports Performance with Physiotherapy Associates and Director of Physical Therapy for Peak Performance Physical Training.
Dr. Clark has rehabilitated, reconditioned and trained hundreds of professional and amateur elite athletes. His list of athlete-clients includes a MLB Cy Young award winner, world champion figure skaters, NBA All-Stars, NBA Rookies of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Players, NFL All-Pros, The World’s Strongest Man, national champions, Olympic gold medalists and hall of fame athletes.
In 2005, Men’s Health magazine selected Dr. Clark as “Health and Fitness Visionary of the Year” for his role in shaping the future of the health and fitness industry. This recognition corresponds to his long term planning in spearheading NASM’s continued growth for the next several years, managing partnerships for NASM products in a variety of channels from apparel to health clubs to corporations and designing the features and functionality of new products.
He is currently the team physical therapist to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and adjunct faculty for the master’s of science in injury prevention and performance enhancement with the California University of Pennsylvania. Prior to these positions, he served as a physical therapist for the St. Lucia national team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Team USA Boxing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Dr. Clark is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Orthopedic Physical Therapy Association, Sports Physical Therapy Association, National Athletic Trainers Association and serves on the Board of Directors for American Specialty Health Silver & Fit program. He serves on the advisory board to Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG.com. He also manages his own non-profit organization called “Starting Rising Stars” that educates and empowers underprivileged children.
He is a noted lecturer and author whose recent works include Optimum Performance Training: Basketball (HarperCollins, 2006); “Advanced Stabilization-Training for Performance Enhancement,” (Chapter 29) Rehabilitation of the Spine: A Practitioner’s Manual (Lippincott/Williams & Wilkins, 2006); Core Stabilization Training in Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation Techniques in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training (McGraw-Hill, 2004); and Optimum Performance Training for the Fitness Professional, Personal Training Certification Textbook (NASM, 2004).
He received his doctor of physical therapy from Rocky Mountain University, a master of science in human movement from the University of North Carolina, and a bachelor of science in exercise and sports science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Dr. Clark enjoys golf, basketball and reading. He lives in Chandler, Arizona with his wife, Melissa, and their three daughters.
OUR CORE VALUES
Technical Excellence
We create, deliver and advance innovative technologies.
Customers as Partners
Supporting our customers is just as important as supporting the solutions we provide them.
Respect for Our Colleagues
We value and encourage the professional contributions of others, and recognize that team effort produces superior solutions.
Integrity
We demand the ethical best from ourselves and give nothing less to our customers.