Here's the Story:When I first started working out, it was embarrassing.
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I was active and loved playing sports but with working out I was clueless. I would get hurt frequently – sometimes doing the most basic things. I'd tweak my chest muscle using a piece of workout equipment… strain my rotator cuff while doing push-ups… or pull my low back lifting weights in my basement. Then one day I really messed up… I was lifting weights in the gym when I put down a 135-pound barbell and accidentally rounded my back. I instantly felt a pop in my low back followed by a shooting pain down my calf. I tried to walk it off, shake it off and sleep it off. But the next day I was... Limping Around Like an Old ManI couldn’t straighten my leg.
I couldn’t bend over. I couldn’t even tie my own shoes (my little sister had to help me). Normally a few days rest and I’d be back to normal but this shooting pain lingered for weeks and I struggled to move - let alone exercise. Finally, I went to the doctor, got an MRI and was instantly referred to a spinal specialist. That’s when I discovered I had slipped a disc in my low back. Discs are basically squishy ‘shock absorbers’ between each vertebrae of the spine. But when discs get abnormally compressed the gel-like substance inside of them… Squeezes Out Like a Jelly DonutLong story short:
The spinal specialist sat me down and said, You have three options: 1) Surgery 2) Cortisone shot 3) Or physical therapy Then he added: If you were my son, I'd tell you to start with physical therapy. I'm forever grateful for his advice. Not that other treatment routes don't work (they all have a time and place) but because it was exactly what I needed. Because I ended up meeting a physical therapist who opened my eyes to movement health. He was not your typical physical therapist. He didn't just treat my symptoms... restore my range of motion... and give me temporary relief. He helped me repair “weak links” throughout my entire body - areas that didn't hurt at all. But directly impacted my lower back. In fact, years later I'd learn these "weak links" were making me a... "Ticking Time Bomb" for Serious InjuriesThroughout these powerful rehab sessions, this physical therapist helped restore my hip flexibility… activate terribly weak stabilizing muscles… and build real core strength. Not the kind from doing hundreds of sit-ups and crunches.
After just a few weeks, I started standing taller, walking normally and resuming my normal activity level. More importantly, I was feeling athletic again and sensing a new level of physical resilience. Before that back injury, I was clueless in my workouts. I just wanted to throw around heavy weights in the gym... build bigger arms... and get a six-pack. I didn't care about mobility work... muscle activation... or core training. So my body became terribly out of balance, couldn't handle the workouts and began to break down in unexpected ways and my frequent injuries were... One Flashing Red Light That Something Was WrongWhile I would never want to go through that painful experience again, it taught me a life-changing lesson: the importance of moving better first.
Since that fateful day, my low back troubles have been a thing of the past. I don’t struggle with constant aches and pains and frequent injuries like I used to. I don't believe it's luck. I believe it's because of a focus on movement health. No matter if I'm trying to get leaner... build more muscle... or become more athletic - it's the ultimate foundation for all fitness goals. And that’s one reason I’ve spent the last 16+ years studying functional movement further to help others avoid all the dumb mistakes that I made on my fitness journey. So they can better… "Bulletproof Their Body" and
|
