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Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence Paperback – Illustrated, May 10, 2011

by Eric Goodman (Author), Peter Park (Author)

1,621 ratings

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A sense of fatigue dogs the fitness world. Many of the new programs that are tagged as groundbreaking are actually recycled ideas. Foundation offers something completely different for novices and athletes alike: a simple program with powerful and proven results that will remedy bad posture, alleviate back pain, and help readers break through fitness challenges and plateaus.

Dr. Eric Goodman, a brilliant and dynamic young chiropractor, teams up with Peter Park, one of the top trainers in the United States, to radically redefine the core--shifting the focus from the front of the body to the back. Their groundbreaking approach works to strengthen the lower back and the full posterior chain and correct poor movement patterns by addressing mechanical imbalances and weaknesses. Foundation training involves simple movement patterns and is equipment free, creating maximum power, flexibility, and endurance.

Word-of-mouth enthusiasm has inspired both Hollywood luminaries and world-class athletes to make Foundation training the core of their fitness programs. Eric and Peter's client list has grown exponentially to include Lance Armstrong, NBA star Derek Fisher, world-champion surfer Kelly Slater, and actor Matthew McConaughey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“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.” —Matthew McConaughey, actor

“I have always been in great shape and take pride in maintaining a certain level of fitness, but in the time I have been working with Peter Park and Eric Goodman, I have reached a new level of endurance, stamina, and strength. The program pushes me without exhausting me, conditions me, and has completely changed the way my body moves and feels.” —Derek Fisher, LA Laker and NBA champion

“I am fortunate enough to represent some of the world's greatest athletes, and after working with Peter and Eric for the last two years, I am starting to feel as strong as one! The core principles of this book have made me stronger and fitter than I ever imagined possible, and I intend to make them a part of my daily routine for many years to come.” —Casey Wasserman, chairman and CEO of Wasserman Media Group

About the Author

DR. ERIC GOODMAN earned a doctor of chiropractic degree after undergraduate study in physiology and nutrition. He developed an innovative approach to human performance and movement in his work training elite athletes.

PETER PARK, Lance Armstrong's strength and conditioning coach and one of the top trainers in the country, owns Platinum Fitness gyms. A professional triathlete and ultrarunner, he has won two World's Toughest Triathlon titles and five top-10 finishes in Ironman competitions.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1 THE BACK STORY

WHEN WE FIRST TEAMED UP, WE KNEW WE WERE ONTO SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE CONTEND WITH ONE OF THE MOST PERSISTENT AND DIFFICULT-TO-ANSWER QUESTIONS IN FITNESS AND HEALTH: "HOW DO I GET OUT OF PAIN?"

Our answer—one of the first new ideas to come about in the world of exercise in years—is Foundation training. Since we were offering something completely different, we did not know what to expect, but our simple workout has proven to be more effective than we could have imagined. The extent and speed of the improvements we see in our clients consistently surprise us. We could not have predicted what Foundation training is doing for people of any age at all levels of fitness. Based on the results we've seen, our motto has become from pain to performance.

Based on the results we've seen, our motto has become from pain to performance.

Our confidence is confirmed daily by the dramatic changes in the lives of all the clients we are training. People who had tried everything to relieve their back pain began to feel a difference in as little as 2 weeks. Many of our clients had relied on prescription painkillers or over-the-counter remedies several times a day for years. They were happy to throw away those pill bottles and manage their pain with Foundation training. Others wanted to avoid surgery, and some were frustrated that going under the knife ultimately did not solve their back problems. They were so relieved to find that these exercises did more for them than extreme measures. Our success stories range from professional athletes, the likes of NBA legend Derek Fisher and world champion surfer Kelly Slater, to everyday people who come to our weekly classes. We have seen remarkable changes in people from every walk of life. For example:

• After two back surgeries in 2 years, a client in his fifties was still stuck in debilitating back pain. He had almost forgotten what life was like without pain. In just 2 months of Foundation training, his pain was almost gone, and he was able to resume vigorous activities he had long ago given up.
• A mother of two showed no improvement with months of physical therapy after surgery to repair a herniated disc. She made great progress in a few short weeks with Foundation training. She's such a convert that she invites family and friends to join her one-on-one training sessions.
• Derek Fisher, point guard for the 2010 NBA Champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, had an impressive collection of injuries after 13 years of professional basketball. With Foundation training, he is in the best shape of his life, and he says his body feels better than it did in his early career.
• Pro surfer Kelly Slater used Foundation training to become pain free and powerful while competing for his 10th world championship surfing title.
• A larger-than-life financial genius had been taking powerful prescription painkillers twice a day for 2 1/2 years after having many surgeries for his knees, back, and neck. After 8 months of Foundation training, he hikes 2 hours a day, paddleboards with his kids, and is completely off painkillers.

Our program produced unprecedented and lasting results. People were stronger, healthier, and feeling better than they ever thought they would again. Foundation training gave them a new quality of life, hope, and the tools to manage their pain and maximize their energy.

FOUNDATION FIRST

Derek Fisher, LA Laker and NBA champion

I search for the best of the best when it comes to my fitness and conditioning. I have always been in great shape and take pride in maintaining a certain level of fitness, but in the time I have been working with Peter Park and Eric Goodman, I have reached a new level of endurance, stamina, and strength. The program pushes me without exhausting me, conditions me, and has completely changed the way my body moves and feels.

Our client list has grown exponentially. We never dreamed we would be working with so many influential people, movers and shakers in Hollywood, sports, and the business world. All this buzz, and we don't advertise or actively look for publicity. It has all been through word of mouth. When people break through the barriers that pain has created in their lives—often after years of trying—they want the world to know. Our clients can't seem to stop talking about what Foundation training has done for them.

Best of all, we get to write this book and to introduce Foundation training to everyone suffering from back pain who may not be lucky enough to live in Southern California, and that's a staggering number of people. More than 80 percent of the population of the United States and Europe will experience back pain in their lifetimes. It's the most common reason people go to see a doctor, after upper-respiratory infections. Americans spend more than $50 billion a year on back pain. It does not have to be this way.

Foundation training redefines the core, shifting the focus from the abs and the front of the body to the back and the posterior chain.

Foundation training is designed to strengthen your lower back and posterior chain; alleviate your back pain by correcting mechanical imbalances and weaknesses; and create maximum power, flexibility, and endurance by concentrating on your real core. Foundation training redefines the core, shifting the focus from the abs and the front of the body to the back and the posterior chain. Before we explain in detail what Foundation training does for your body, we want to tell you how we arrived at this change of emphasis.

FOUNDATION ROOTS

Foundation training initially grew from Eric's experience, his education as a chiropractor, his own back problems, and his work as a trainer. He was an athlete, a personal trainer by age 18, but his movement patterns were all wrong and were actually creating injuries. He started to get back spasms at 19. It was painful for him to get up if he sat for a couple of hours, and he had to strain to stand up straight. The pain became more frequent each year he was in college. What started as discomfort was now creating a real problem. When he was a senior in college, he sat down at his computer to study after a long bike ride, and was gripped with pain that he'd never felt before; it was more severe than anything he'd ever experienced. When he tried to stand, his right leg went weak and just wouldn't work. A sharp pain shot into his spine and down his right leg. He lay down on his back on the floor with no idea of what was wrong. The pain radiated from very low in his back down the back of his right leg. He thought all the sports and exercises he had been doing were benefiting his body, but there he was flat out, unable to move without pain.

X-rays revealed that he had substantial dehydration of the discs and degeneration of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum at the base of the spine. The discs were heavily compressed and severely degenerated. His last two vertebrae were sitting on top of each other. The x-rays showed the wear and tear of a much older spine. He hadn't even made it far into his twenties. His movement was inhibited because the muscles connected to his lower spine could not relax.

As Eric started chiropractic school, the pain persisted and worsened despite the fact that he could not have had better access to treatment. He was trying everything. He was getting adjusted frequently and had regular massages. Though treatments were effective for the short term, the pain always returned. For the next 3 years, there were very few days that he did not have some sort of back pain. He began to understand the ways in which pain can limit your life.

Eric observed that the baseline and plateau set by existing rehabilitation protocols were a bit too low. The fact is that 90 percent of people with back pain symptoms will feel better within 2 months, no matter what treatment is used, but the pain will return. Dealing with his own back problems, Eric found that traditional exercises and treatments seemed to have a ceiling on how much he improved; the results were less than stellar, and they were usually short-lived. It became obvious that the basic protocols and even doctoral-level training were not working for him; he had to believe that they were not working for other people, either. Eric became aware that much of the rehabilitation was based on movement patterns that were incorrect for our bodies. He realized that to stop pain for the long term, a fundamental change in movement had to occur. All the treatments and corrections he had been trying offered only a minimal shift in the mechanics of movement, and without that essential change, he would just keep reinjuring his back. He understood that the reason there is so much back, hip, and knee pain--that the statistics are so off the charts--is because we are loading our bodies incorrectly.

The reason there is so much back, hip, and knee pain is because we are loading our bodies incorrectly.

Eric had always been interested in Eastern medicine and philosophy, so he took up yoga to stay flexible and manage his pain. He studied Pilates, which focuses on the deep abdominal muscles and lower back, and modified his resistance training. He began to tweak yoga exercises in an attempt to strain and stress his body in slightly different ways. The exercises used torque and leverage to maximize the amount of tension on his weakest muscles. His goal was to build the deep supporting muscles of his spine. He wanted to concentrate all of the pull on the back side of his body; specifically, on the posterior chain--his neck, back, butt, hamstrings, and heels. With this shift in focus in mind, he developed the exercises of Foundation training, which are based on the essential principle that movement comes from the hip joints, using a braced spine and the posterior chain.

As Eric experimented with this new movement, his back started getting stronger, and the pain and uncertainty he had lived with for 4 years evaporated in a very short time. He began teaching his ideas to friends and a few patients. Around the same time he was asked to help Dr. Terry Schroeder with the USA Olympic water polo team as chiropractor and strength coach. Observing injuries the athletes were developing as a result of their demanding sport, Eric started to introduce modifications he was using himself into the team's training. He changed how people did standard exercises like squats and crunches, concentrating on the back of the body instead of the front. He worked with an entire team of Olympic athletes for nearly a year before the 2008 Games in Beijing. The vast majority of those athletes responded extremely well to the changes in their workouts. The team remained injury free while performing at a high level through the months of tough training. Their bodies did not break down. The team exceeded everyone's expectations and went on to take the silver medal. It was one of the success stories of the Olympics. Eric has been fine-tuning the exercises ever since.

FOUNDATION FIRST

Tony Azevedo, USA water polo team captain, three-time Olympian, and "best athlete in the world 2004"

Ten months of Foundation training was one of the primary driving forces behind our team's winning the silver medal in Beijing in the 2008 Olympics. We were constantly called the strongest team in the water, even though we began the competition ranked number nine in the world.

Eric moved to Santa Barbara in January 2009 and reached out to the fitness community there to establish himself. Among the people he contacted was a big name in fitness, Peter Park, an elite athlete and one of the most influential trainers in the world. He'd been Lance Armstrong's strength coach for more than 10 years. In his e-mail to Peter, Eric described the success he was having with Foundation training. Peter liked the sound of it. Even with his considerable experience, Peter had never heard of anything like Foundation. The rest is history.

We bounced our training philosophies off each other, and it was evident our ideas complemented each other very well. Eric visited Peter at one of his gyms to demonstrate his new approach. Peter was trying to remedy his own chronic back pain. Just as Eric had done, he was looking for answers and not finding them. We decided to train together for a while.

Peter didn't have any real injuries, but he was training at least 5 hours a day, which put a tremendous load on his joints. Over time, his movement patterns and the repeated stresses to his joints led to muscular imbalances. The pain he was experiencing was his body's way of warning, "Something's not right here. You need to change something."

We started with the basics. Peter was amazed by the results he experienced within a week or two. His body felt different--much more powerful. He noticed while running and biking that his back pain was diminished, and soon it disappeared. One of the best-trained athletes in the world had experienced a fundamental change in his movement patterns. He came to understand that the movements he had been working on for years and years just did not work. With the corrections provided by Foundation training, he found that his back and knees were hurting significantly less and the range of motion in his shoulders increased considerably. He became a different athlete after a few months of training.

Convinced that by combining forces we could really help people, we decided to partner up. Together, we have refined Foundation training with the goal of helping everyone at all levels of fitness to break through pain and exercise more effectively. Eric's focus is on fundamental movement patterns and building the initial strength needed to go forward. Peter works with clients to reinforce that strength and those movement patterns, bringing our clients to a pinnacle of fitness. Foundation training not only reduces pain but also opens a road map to fitness, giving people the tools to go wherever they want to go with assurance.

There is a reason we call it Foundation training. Learning these exercises will give you a strong structural foundation on which you can build, a baseline for any sport or exercise program. If you can create perfect movement for your body, everything else becomes so easy to do. With Foundation training at the center, you can branch out to whatever physical activity interests you--yoga, Pilates, P90X, weight lifting, tennis, golf, etc.

With Foundation training at the center, you can branch out to whatever physical activity interests you--yoga, Pilates, P90X, weight lifting, tennis, golf, etc.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1609611004
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rodale Books; 1st edition (May 10, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781609611002
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1609611002
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.57 x 0.6 x 9.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #28,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #33 in Stretching Exercise & Fitness
- #38 in Pain Management (Books)
- #114 in Healing

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1,621 ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book effective for pain relief, particularly for resolving back and hip issues, and appreciate that the exercises and principles work well. The book is praised for its clear, simple explanations with high-quality photos, and one customer notes how it redefines core and biomechanics. Customers report improved posture, with one mentioning walking taller and straighter, and feel more confident in their movements.

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Pain relief Exercise effectiveness Ease of use Picture quality Foundation training Value for money Posture Confidence

305 customers mention "Pain relief"292 positive13 negative

Customers find the book effective for pain relief, helping them overcome low back pain and achieve a pain-free lifestyle by strengthening their lower back and resolving hip issues.

"...weeks introduces the basic exercises of Foundation and concentrates on fixing acute pain (reoccurring pain); the second two weeks is to fix chronic..." Read more

"...So while this book got me on the road to recovery, the real solution was to work with an expert to strengthen my whole body and change some body..." Read more

"...They will not do miracles as promised, but will relieve mild back pain, tightness and, most importantly, will strengthen the posterior muscles which..." Read more

"Well done. Easy to understand. Effective. Helped my back." Read more

262 customers mention "Exercise effectiveness"247 positive15 negative

Customers find the exercises in the book effective, with multiple reviews confirming they truly work and are excellent for their purposes.

"...incorporating yoga into my Foundation workouts and the results have been amazing. A lot of mornings I wake up without back any pain...." Read more

"...I am pretty sure that the Foundation exercises opened my spinal joints and allowed blood into the area to help reduce the inflammation...." Read more

"Well done. Easy to understand. Effective. Helped my back." Read more

"...and have found other helpful tips along the way, but the exercises worked really well within two weeks of starting them...." Read more

162 customers mention "Ease of use"147 positive15 negative

Customers find the book easy to use, as it explains things in a simple, non-complicated way with clearly described exercises.

"Well done. Easy to understand. Effective. Helped my back." Read more

"...a little tai-chi just to get the whole body in motion, the routine takes about 30 minutes and I do it seven days a week." Read more

"...quality photos of the different exercises which even illustrate which muscle groups you are working with the exercise...." Read more

"...It's simple, and it worked. 5 stars is not enough." Read more

49 customers mention "Picture quality"49 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's illustrations, particularly noting the high-quality photos of exercises and how they help understand movements.

"...As a final note: The pictures of the exercises are high quality and the book is well edited." Read more

"...the quality of the paper is excellent and there are very good, imaginative, quality photos of the different exercises which even illustrate which..." Read more

"...in an organized way, with 3 levels of training, and has very clear demo pictures and descriptions...." Read more

"...because I don’t look in bigger, my clothing fits fine and I look slightly better. I am assuming this will continue...." Read more

22 customers mention "Foundation training"19 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the foundation training approach, with one noting how it redefines core and biomechanics, and another highlighting its comprehensive anatomy and physiology content.

"...levels of excercise, starting pretty basically and then progressing to more advanced. It seems like a cross between Yoga and Pilates...." Read more

"...I also love that the program they have developed is low tech and needs nothing other than a patch of floor to do the workouts...." Read more

"...After two weeks of working with the program I began to have more lasting relief from the pain. Within a month I was back to running almost pain free...." Read more

"...The book provides the basics, with enough detail to refine the moves. I'm getting the DVD next." Read more

21 customers mention "Value for money"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be well worth the investment.

"...underrated method for solving lower back issues, It's definitely worth a try." Read more

"...via a youtube video which was very difficult but worth the 12 minutes of time investment...." Read more

"...It will be a little bit of hard work, but incredibly worth the effort. Just don't quit early because of how challenging it feels...." Read more

"...this book cost less than half of my standard co-pay it was well worth the investment...." Read more

12 customers mention "Posture"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on posture, with reviews mentioning improvements in standing straighter, walking taller, and maintaining proper form.

"...Holding the poses properly is really important and when you have to mess with the book and turning pages that makes that pretty impossible in the..." Read more

"...After just the first session I felt like I stood taller and straighter when I was done...." Read more

"...stronger, I bounce back from any discomfort easily and quickly, I stand straighter and am able to do things just a few months ago I wouldn't have..." Read more

"...not only the videos that were online but also how to properly have the right form to get the most out of the exercises...." Read more

8 customers mention "Confidence"8 positive0 negative

Customers report improved confidence in their movements, with one mentioning they walk and run better after using the book.

"...Thanks to FOUNDATION I am back on track and feel confident with each work out I do...." Read more

"...that I no longer have a "bad back", I have a great back; a confident back. I am 53 and can keep up with those much younger than me." Read more

"...After 30 years of back pain, I am feeling stronger and more confident in all my movements. I now swim a mile a day and run 2.5 miles a day...." Read more

"...i can sleep better, walk and run better ... i began slowly to understand all exercises. i didn't want to make mistake and doing bad thing...." Read more

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S Davies
Foundation Results Over Five Months
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2016
Verified Purchase

I purchased the Foundation book to see if I could relieve my back pain where other methods hadn’t worked. Some background. I'm 52, active, and am in relatively good shape. (I also like long walks on the beach and drinking red wine. Oops, wrong web site.) Two years ago almost overnight I began having chronic lower back pain, which means I was in pain or discomfort 24/7. For over a year I tried cortisone shots, working with a massage therapist and sports chiropractor, going to 3 different medical doctors, etc. Nothing helped the problem. An MRI showed I'd degenerative discs. In total I spent several thousand dollars trying to recover including a new mattress, desk chair for posture, and other devices and gizmos. The upshot is this: I didn't have any success in relieving my lower back pain using non-exercise methods. (Although I did go to physical therapy, it was a huge disappointment. The exercises were so tame I didn't really get any benefit.)

Several months ago I began researching exercises to cure back pain and came across Foundation. I did a fair amount of research on it including reading 80% of the Amazon reviews on the book. I'm going to repeat several things from those other reviews. The most important point is to make sure to watch online videos of Dr. Eric Goodman showing the Foundation exercises. You will get a much better idea of correct form. The video I found especially helpful was of Dr. Goodman showing Dr. Mercola how to do the basic exercises. One of the negatives of the book is it doesn't show alternative techniques if you're experiencing back pain for a particular exercise. The videos will occasionally show these alternates.
The book takes you through a six week training regimen. The first two weeks introduces the basic exercises of Foundation and concentrates on fixing acute pain (reoccurring pain); the second two weeks is to fix chronic pain (pain all the time, which is what I have); and the last two weeks on exercises to strengthen the core and prevent future back pain. The basic idea of Foundation I believe is to both strengthen the back and stretch different muscle groups.

I kept a diary of my progress and thought it might benefit people to know my results over time. On a side note, I should mention I was very dedicated to the program and went beyond what was suggested. I would do the Foundation workouts between 4 to 6 times a week and would hold the poses 30 seconds instead of the 15 to 20 as they state in the book. (After six weeks I started alternating Foundation every other day with core exercises, which mainly consisted of planks.)

For the first three days of starting Foundation I concentrated on making sure I was doing the exercises with the proper form. That meant before each exercise I'd study what it said in the book, watch Youtube videos, and then perform the exercise. It took me about a week to get comfortable with the positions. Are the exercises easy to perform? I found them initially uncomfortable because they are poses I hadn't done before. You will definitely work up a sweat holding the positions. I don't think you need to be an athlete, but if you've never worked out, you might not like Foundation at first. Stick with it though. After only a little time you'll get comfortable with the exercises and the results are worth it.

Even after two weeks, I still wasn't convinced I was making progress. I felt less stiff in my lower back but my pain level remained the same. It wasn't until the start of the third week that I really could tell that my back pain was slightly better. It wasn't much of an improvement but an improvement nonetheless.

Before Foundation if I did yard work for 15 minutes, this translated into several days of a fairly bad back pain. By the fifth week of Foundation I could work in the yard 15 minutes and only have bad back pain the next day. This might sound minor or not worth using Foundation to some people, but to me it was a huge improvement. It also let me know that I was making significant progress using Foundation.

By the fourth month I felt like I'd reached a plateau and wasn't noticing any more improvement. However, I was really doing well as compared to before I started doing Foundation. Now I'd wake up in the morning with the usual amount of back pain but by lunch feel fairly good. By evening I wouldn't really feel any back pain. This still wasn't where I wanted to be because I was looking for more dramatic improvement (to reset the clock to the months before my back pain even began).

It was during this fourth month I decided to take a yoga class. I experienced slight back pain during the class, but when I woke up the next day I felt really good. I started incorporating yoga into my Foundation workouts and the results have been amazing. A lot of mornings I wake up without back any pain. This is a novelty to me. Morning back pain has been a part of my life for almost two years.

I think yoga and Foundation are complimentary. I would suggest doing what I did: start with Foundation and if that doesn’t fix your problem, consider adding yoga to your routines. I don't think I could've even done yoga before I started Foundation. It would've been too painful, and I suspect I might've injured myself. Foundation gave me the basis to move on to yoga.

Two final notes: First, if you're considering either the DVD or the book on Foundation, definitely get the book. Maybe get the DVD later for additional exercises, but from a beginners standpoint the book is much better. I can't stress this enough. Second, consider adding the bird dog exercise into your routine with progressively higher ankle weights. The book The Multifidus Back Pain Solution book by Jim Johnson makes a strong case that this exercise can be one of the best to fix lower back pain.

To conclude, I highly recommend Foundation to anybody experiencing lower back pain.

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mj
Foundation exercises are restoring my life
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2011
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Up until Memorial Day this year, I was playing soccer and refereeing at age 60. But then I torqued my back doing yardwork. I didn't have sciatica, but I could no longer run, bend over, get out of bed, and I could barely use the toilet in the morning. I tried celebrex, mobic, PT, chiro, yoga, massage, and personal training to change how I walked/ran. My pain level remained at around a 7. I finally got an MRI, which indicated advanced disk degeneration and a small disk bulge. Then I read that San Jose Earthquakes player Ramiro Corrales had spinal cortisone shots and followed the Foundation exercises throughout the season.

So 6 weeks ago, I started the exercises. My back was so weak, and I had to go so slowly, that one set of the basic 5 exercises took me 45 minutes. I could only hold the poses for a few seconds each. I had some immediate pain relief that first day, so I kept at it, building up to 20" poses. Each day my back improved. After 2 weeks, I realized I was supposed to do 3 sets of the basic exercises, so I increased my workout. Then I moved to the intermediate exercises, and now I am doing the advanced workout. My back is now strong enough, that if I trip, or if someone bumps into me or vice versa, I no longer get stabbing pain running up my spine. My pain dropped to a 3-4. I am pretty sure that the Foundation exercises opened my spinal joints and allowed blood into the area to help reduce the inflammation. I have also found that I need to do them almost every day.

Do you need to be an athlete to do these exercises? No, but you need to develop an athlete's resolve to keep at them. Remember, I was so weak I could barely do them in the beginning, so I had fallen out of an athletic state and had even become pre-diabetic.

Am I cured? No. Can I go back to soccer yet? No. Yesterday I got spinal cortisone shots in the hopes that they will eliminate the remaining inflammation in my facet joints. I also read Esther Gokhale's book and am working on my posture so that I do not sit or stand in hunched or slouched positions, and I try to walk with an "inner corset".

For the first time in 6 months, I am hopeful that I may be able to run again. I don't think the shots alone will do the trick. I think these Foundation exercises will be crucial to my continuing recovery. Wish me luck! And good luck to you in finding a solution for your pain as well!

- - - - - UPDATE AUG-5-2012. - - - - -

I made about a 90% recovery, but it wasn't directly from either book. The cortisone shots reduced my pain to a level of 1-2, which enabled me to start working with a personal trainer. I worked out with an exceptionally knowledgable trainer at the Equinox gym in Palo Alto. Over 3.5 months, we developed my core and gluteal muscles. I truly developed the inner corset that Gokhale talks about, but it was through vigorous weight training. I lost 5 lbs of fat and gained 5 lbs of muscle, and my body fat went from 21% to 16%.

My posture is now erect, and I also focus on Using my glutes (the largest muscle in the body) to walk and lift, instead of my back. This plus the tight abdomen reduced my back pain to almost zero, and the trainer also showed me how to break down tightness in the hip flexors, psoas, piriformis, glute and leg muscles. It turns out that much of my low back pain nowadays comes from tightness of the first two muscles, which I can break down by rolling on a softball and using the body back buddy.

So while this book got me on the road to recovery, the real solution was to work with an expert to strengthen my whole body and change some body mechanics. Working with my trainer was like physical therapy on steroids. One downside of weight training though, is that it can never stop. I work out on my own now, but If I go 4 days without weight training, my core goes flaccid and my back pain returns. So My back is a chronic problem and will always be a work in progress. But at least I returned to playing and refereeing in July. And then I tore my meniscus, of course.

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Good simple book that has a good explanation of what ...
Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2014
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Good simple book that has a good explanation of what exercises and why. Also has "tips" after each exercise to show good and poor form, very helpful.

I've only used for 2 weeks but am seeing improvement in my back pain posture and awareness. Good book for anyone with a weak posterior chain (that's probably you). Lots of sitting and cycling and little else has left me imblanced. This is helping.

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Nicholas FRANKLIN
buen libro para gran público
Reviewed in Spain on October 18, 2013
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son buenos ejercicios, aunque muy básicos, con buenos consejos de vida - alimentación etc.
para los profesionales lo veo bastante limitado

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_Gods of Iron_
Very good book
Reviewed in India on December 28, 2016
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Beautifully written, with related anatomy and physiology... Recommended for people with disc prolapse/chronic back pain.

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Pluckyohare
Changed my back for good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2023
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The foundation training method has helped me to recover from a debilitating chronic back problem I've had for over 15 years. There is a 12 minute video online as well which is a great walkthrough and addition to the book

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Patrick
Die Speerspitze der Rückenheilung.. Antidot des Sitzens im Büroalltag :)
Reviewed in Germany on May 10, 2019
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2 x wöchentlich das Basis Training (5 Übungen, ca. 8 Minuten insgesamt) und meine Rückenschmerzen und ungesunde Haltung sind komplett Weg.
Zu mir, ich bin 26 und habe so ziemlich alles gegen das eintönige Sitzen und die damit einhergehenden Haltungseinschränkungen versucht was sportlich an Informationen dargeboten wird. Davon hat auch einiges funktioniert, aber nichts auch nur im Ansatz so gut wie das Foundation Training das hier angeboten wird.

Für die lesefaulen => Einfach das Basis Training 2 Wochen testen.. die Ergebnisse sprechen für sich selbst wenn man sich nicht für das Interessiert was dahintersteckt.

Kelly Starret (KStar) bietet auch ein hervorragendes Buch zum Thema Sport und Schmerzvermeidung, auch was den Rücken angeht. Doch was Einfachheit und Umsetzen und Integrieren in den Alltag angeht ist das Buch nicht zu toppen.

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Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence Paperback – Illustrated, May 10, 2011

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5.0 out of 5 stars Foundation Results Over Five Months

5.0 out of 5 stars Foundation exercises are restoring my life

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Good simple book that has a good explanation of what ...

4.0 out of 5 stars buen libro para gran público

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my back for good

5.0 out of 5 stars Die Speerspitze der Rückenheilung.. Antidot des Sitzens im Büroalltag :)

Foundation Results Over Five Months

Foundation exercises are restoring my life

Good simple book that has a good explanation of what ...

buen libro para gran público

Very good book

Changed my back for good

Die Speerspitze der Rückenheilung.. Antidot des Sitzens im Büroalltag :)