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!
Foundation Training is absolutely perfect for perfect posture in the golf swing. From set-up to finish, these exercises help with strength and conditioning for the complete game. Even with the bending over for putting. I spend a lot of time on the practice green putting and my back used to ache. But now, my back feels stronger and I have more endurance than before. I feel the positive effects of lengthening my spine which is critical because I have had two herniated disk surgeries and am 66 years old. Thank you guys. This is amazing.
Long time surfer / kitesurfer / stand up boarder, work out every day, well in my 40s. August 2015, my back went out on me for the first time in my life. Stuck on a sofa for several months, couldn't stand, sit, or even lay down on my back, got drugged up pretty bad by doctors without a clue on how to treat a herniated disc (S1 L5). Worst experience in my life, thought my ocean days were over. Deep inside I knew the solution was in moving the right way, but where I live no-one really knows how. So I kept searching the web until I stumbled upon a surfer's website. His workout were too rough for me - I was still hardly able to walk - but he mentioned Foundation Training on his blog, so I checked it out. Seemed soft enough for me to try, so I did, through the short videos. Initially I was hurting when doing the founder, but my gut feeling was to keep trying. Went on to purchase the videos, did the fundamentals day in day out for a full month. It was like a miracle for me. Slowly but surely, the unbearable hip pain that radiated all the way down to my toes began receding. Couldn't believe it. After a month or so, moved on to Daily Workouts. I found them hard, especially the forward fold, I would have never have dared do something like that just 2 weeks earlier. Kept on going. 6 monts after my back went out, and about 2 months after starting the FT program, I was back in the water. Life saver. Now I know back pain is all about posture. Learn the right postures, stretch and strengthen the posterior chain, and keep doing so forever. And you'll be fine again.
~Surfer from Morocco
I heard a pop in my groin after shooting a goal in a college water polo match in 1977. 35 years of low back pain and two weeks before my wedding last year I had a laminectomy. I had given up some sports and desperately hung on to others. While x country skiing in Central Wisconsin, my buddy says "you have to check out Foundation Training." I now enjoy work and play like a child. For the first time in years I can put my pants on pain free. How good is that.
I had been planning a cycling trip down the GDMBT for a couple of years. I am happy to say that my dedication to performing a Founder based routine daily for the year leading up to the trip and then Founders anytime I was off the bike – in the rain, on mountain passes, NM deserts put me in a position where I had literally no spinal/back discomfort at anytime over the 50 days and 4500km of off-road cycling in very remote places. A strong statement coming from a 54 yr old well worn body. I even had a couple of kids imitating me while I was taking a break going thru a reserve in NM. AWESOME BODY OF WORK. It is my go to program for my patients seen daily in my Chiropractic Practice.
I'm a former competitive / pro-athlete now in an office job with all of the aches and pains that came with both. I have been doing Foundation Training for about a year now.
A sincere thank you to you for the best workout I've ever found. The descriptions of what one should be feeling throughout each exercise have made the workouts relevant for me over the long haul, where I can constantly challenge myself to greater and greater strength. My posture is completely transformed; my digestive system operating at peak; my trips to the chiropractor are now just as a matter of quarterly preventative care.
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.
Laying in bed one night, I found myself in tears wondering how many good years I really had left to workout the way I was used to, given the lower back pain I have had for so many years. Too, my body was beginning to show signs of breaking down with new joint pain in my knees.
Amazingly, within that same week I "stumbled" upon [Foundation Training]. Eric's story captured me immediately; a student of chiropractic medicine looking to avoid back surgery was totally believable.
I have since practiced the FT exercises faithfully (with amazing results) so that I now have a story to share, giving hope to others. As a certified PT in Fitness and Yoga my next step is to attain a certification in FT.
As it turns out, FT is more than an answer to the question that brought me to tears. It will no doubt be one of the best professional opportunities to cross my path. I can hardly wait to discover where this will take me and see how many people I can help! I am truly grateful 🙂
First, I must say, I am not one of these ‘post everything that happens to me’ people. In fact, I avoid it. But I must tell you my story and about the success of the Foundation Exercises on one of the most painful ailments I have ever had—Plantar Fasciitis. For the past 120 days, this extremely painful ailment affected my left heel. My wife asked me once how it felt. I described the intense stabbing pain as, “being hit in the heel every step with a sledge hammer.” And worse, when I would let my foot dangle the pain would just continue pulsating. It was awful. Over these 120 days I have taken more Ibuprofen than at any time in my life, went to massage therapy, went to a neuromuscular skeletal therapist D.O., saw a resident M.D. got some drugs [didn’t take them], rolled my heel with a tennis ball every night, got a rolling pin and rolled my leg muscles, and then went old school placing my foot in ice water then transferring it to hot water for as long as I could stand it.
I went on vacation where a lot of bike riding, walking, and touring was required. I did not want to go on the vacation because of the pain. After one particularly long bike ride I had to sit down while my wife went shopping, I literally could not stand the pain any more. I was sitting in front of a local Church and prayed a solution would come to me to somehow help relieve the pain. Suddenly, I remembered watching one of your early videos four years ago and had tried the ‘hinging’ exercise. I was determined when we returned to our condominium I would go online and try the exercise again to relieve the pain.
I studied the promotional video very carefully, got up, took of my shoes, and began. As you would know, and if done correctly, the exercises allow you to feel the entire ‘back plane’ being stretched. Because I was so tight, I could feel the stretch from my neck to my toes—initially the hinging was quite painful as well but it was a good pain—back plane stretch, fantastic! To cut to the chase, I first did the exercise on Sunday afternoon and again in the evening. By Monday morning I was walking with just a twinge of PF pain. Throughout the day on Monday I continued to do just the basic ‘hinging’ exercise. It is now Tuesday evening and I am walking completely pain free for the first time in four months. I am not sure others will have my same success. But I can say this, if you are reading this post and are suffering from Plantar Fasciitis give Foundation Training a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
-Jim
Eric has created the perfect storm, bringing together evidence-based science and functional training that is second to none. Their approach to building a solid foundation is my prescription for everyone from top athletes in the world to their mothers! Movement is life. Life is movement. And if you are limited in how you move against the constant forces of gravity, it is only a matter of time until you are injured. I know this to be true as I have experienced this roller coaster as a competitive athlete. Not until I retrained my movement patterns did the cycle of injury after injury end. It really is a thing of beauty to see such a brilliant melding of creativity and sports science built into a practical, low-tech program that focuses on posture, core, and fundamental movement patterns designed first and foremost to provide athletes with a solid foundation to apply to their chosen sport. I'll never forget what Derek Fisher said to Eric about why he chose to work with Foundation Training: "I did not hire you to make me a better basketball player; I hired you to make me a better athlete." True, true.