Foundation serves as the backbone of not only my workouts but also my lifestyle. At first I thought that it would just make me a better athlete, but after nearly 3 years under my belt, it has done so much more. It just makes you a better functioning human being. I like it so much that everyone around me knows how much I like it because I talk about it all the time. Baseball players sit on airplanes and busses and in dugouts. We have actions that are always one direction. Our backs are a mess, our hips are screwed up and foundation helps to right all those wrongs. Everyone I come into contact with has some issue and I get to share with them the gift of foundation. I know its worked in my life and in my friends life – and I always get a kick when someone I've never talked to about it comes up to me and says “Hey, what’s this I’m hearing about your funny workout you do, can you show me?”
I have had nagging right sided lower back pain for years. My sacroiliac joint was unstable and I’d "throw it out" routinely. Now, if you've ever had back pain, acute or chronic, you know what I mean when I say that when your back hurts, it ruins everything in your life. Being an athlete with medical training, for years I stubbornly pursued many avenues of treatment, holistic and conventional. I read dozens of research articles on the subject, hunted down and visited numerous specialists in several states, and put myself through thousands of dollars of training including dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS), Barefoot Training Certification, Don Tigney’s work, the Egoscue system and even Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) sequences.
In the late summer of 2013, I had an MRI and CT scan performed. My chiro looked at these and thought my spine looked “pretty bad.” My orthopedic surgeon was more admirably direct and matter-of-fact stating “Your spine looks like sh-t.” Here I was, a lifelong athlete dedicated to the pursuit of fitness and health, and I had somehow torn my own back apart in the process. I got pretty depressed.
Sensing an epiphany, I began doing the Foundation Training exercises... I do not exaggerate when I say that within a few days (< 1 week) I noticed that I wasn't throwing my back out. After a few more days, my back felt abnormal...meaning it didn't hurt. It was so strange (and welcome!) NOT to be experiencing nearly constant pain...
Since I began using the techniques in Foundation Training, I have remained free of the back pain and instability that had plagued me for years before. Interestingly, my left knee, quite commonly a source of pain, also stopped hurting. This latter tidbit may seem odd at first, but the knee’s function is strongly influenced by central (core) body control. I incorporate parts of the system regularly in my daily life…sometimes just a couple of movements and sometimes a whole sequence. For people who have back/hip/neck pain, I strongly recommend Foundation Training because it really hits at the essential components of human movement and function. For people who don’t have pain, I recommend the practice because even if you are pain-free now, you are probably well en route to developing it as pain is a pretty late sign of long-term dysfunction. To clarify, think of a car with bad front end alignment and an abnormally worn front tire. As with our bodies, the tire wear didn’t happen suddenly, but was a result of a long-standing alignment problem.
A little about me: I am an active 50 year old male in the final year of the Human Movement Master's Program at (ATSU), former Marine, currently Firefighter/Paramedic, Tae Kwon Do Black Belt, current Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, Hardstyle Kettlebell Instructor, NASM Personal Trainer with specialization in Performance Enhancement and Corrective Exercise, DNS Sport Levels I & II, FMS I & II, Barefoot Mechanics, and just a nerd in general 🙂
I have written to you all before about how Foundation Training has helped me but I keep getting better so I wanted to give you an update. I got the MRI that diagnosed my 9mm herniated disk between L4-L5 and the 3mm herniated disk between L3-L4 that is torn in May of 2013 and was promptly told I needed a multi level lumbar fusion. I was 27 years old looking at losing my job as an RN after only working for one year. I did not feel that surgery was the right choice for me since I had all sensation and motor control. I found a wonderful chiropractor that wasn't afraid to work with me and he told me surgery was not my only option. I was there a lot but he helped me I was able to keep working. I read about Foundation Training in The Wellness Journal in August 2013 and proceeded to go for it after my chiropractor said that the exercises looked great. It got me out of pain quickly and helped me re-learn how to move the way I was always meant to. The exercises braced me for 2 car accidents I experienced in 2014 and helped me recover quickly. I share Foundation Training with anyone I meet who say they have back pain or ask me how my back is doing, I do the Founder exercise while in the Nursing station and have many of my coworkers ask about it so I go through that move with them too. This experience has opened my eyes to the sadly common problem of back pain and I want to give back so I am planning the attend one of the certifications in the Spring of 2015! I have gone from doing a 2 hour FT workout almost everyday in the beginning to about 20 minutes a few times a week because I have so little pain and because I know Foundation Training has truly changed the way my body moves at all times so it is like my whole day is FT exercises. Bending to get dinner out of the oven, picking up my friends kids, sitting at my desk, dressing/ turning patients, walking, hiking, and picking up heavy stuff looks very different now. I use the strong muscles that your program has reconnected me to for my movement and that has gotten out of some serious pain. Thank you so much!
As a motocross racer, Foundation Training has allowed me to move more efficiently and effectively on my motorbike. The Foundation Training movements will increase the longevity of my career because they are great for prevention and treatment of many injuries (not just back injuries). On top of that, they will improve my performance because I will be better able to create power using my posterior chain. After reading the book and watching the new DVD, I believe so strongly in the principles of Foundation Training that I just had to express my gratitude through this testimonial.
18 month ago, I asked my therapist if there was any new program to "cure" my back problems. I knew she had a very bad back and she said she had "cured" her back problems with Foundation Training. I asked if she meant "cured", or just better. She replied is was "cured"... I went home and started the course and in 5 weeks my back pain went away (including spasms). In 7 weeks my knee pain went away, and in 9 weeks my neck was considerably better. Now we are recommending that golfers try this wonderful posterior chain builder. It reactivates the glutes which are the foundation for ball striking. The other obvious benefit is looser hamstrings for flexibility and an increased shoulder turn. I wish this program had been around 30 years ago.
After a decade of endurance sports racing it was becoming more difficult to move through life without an incredible amount of day to day pain. All traditional medical remedies were failing including chiropractic care, physiotherapy, prescription drugs. It wasn't just that I could no longer participate in athletic events - it was to a point where I was (1) having difficulty being active with my kids, and, (2) I was considering the very real possibility of having to give up my career as a flight paramedic. I came across foundation about four years ago. After reading the original publications I immediately ordered the DVD and began to feel better in a matter of days within starting the workouts. I now do foundation exercises everyday of my life. EVERYDAY. I move pain free now. I am constantly telling everyone I work with who I see suffering the same muscular imbalances and erroneous muscle recruitment systems I used to suffer from about how foundation can help remedy this. More importantly I can now be the active father my children need. Foundation training has given me a new lease on life.
I had huge back problems. Spinal Stenosis, herniated discs and Spondylosis from years of bad posture and sports injuries. I did yoga for many years but even some of those poses aggravated the situation and made things worse for me. I started Foundation Training and it has made a huge difference. I have no pain at all. My back feels stronger everyday. As a nutrition consultant, I find myself now telling my clients about it. I am hooked! Great program!
I have been a Chiropractor for over 30 years, specializing in Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. I was very hard on my body prior to practice, with many sports injuries, physically demanding jobs, and too much weight lifting (not the best thing for disc health). My second year in practice, I ruptured my L4-5 disc completely. It is 90% degenerated with bone spurs, etc. After retiring the practice, I have been (working even harder than I have ever worked) building a home, and as owner, laborer I did all the heavy, repetitive jobs that no one wanted to do. My back was killing me many times during the 3 years I have been working on every phase of this new home build. I found out about Foundation Training and have been doing them 3 to 5 days a week for the past 4 months and an SO GRATEFUL for Dr. Goodman's expertise, his work and research in this area. My low back is 98% symptom free and I believe these active exercises have been THE best thing I have done for my spinal health in 45 years. I am now 60 + years young, but I move, workout and work on our landscaping like I am in my 20s or 30s! Thanks for Foundation Training as a major part of my health and wellness program.
I have suffered from chronic back pain for over 20 years until I discovered Foundation Training.
Coming from a very physically demanding Military unit I returned to civilian life barely being able to put on my shoes in the morning because of the lack of flexibility and pain. I was able to maintain an active lifestyle through stretching and even some "as seen on TV" gimmicks which had some benefits, but seemed to only be temporary relief. I was even desperate enough to buy a $5000 hot tub which is very nice, but is far from the answer to back pain.
I have been determined to continue an active lifestyle and continue my career in Law Enforcement, but I began to lose time at work and about twice a year my back would "go out" and I would be completely immobilized for a week or two. Long hours of sitting in a car with duty gear pushing against my lower back and walking with the off balance heavy gear hanging from my hips had completely taken its toll and I was beginning to wonder if a medical retirement or back surgery was the only option.
I discovered Foundation Training from a fellow student on a work trip several months ago and I have been practicing religiously. It has completely turned things around for me and I expect to continue to improve and live my active lifestyle and enjoy my career indefinitely.
I thought my lower back would be my Achilles’ heel forever. Foundation Training took that thought out of the equation. I feel strong and flexible, and my posture is better than it has ever been. This stuff is just plain good for you.