“ARGH, MY BACK!”

“OH! That hip smarts!”

“WOAH. Gosh my neck is stiff”

“Knee’s too bad, I can’t go on the hike.”

What do all of these body pains share in common?

I would treat each unique problem in a similar way:

From the Ground-Up

How Are Pains and Injuries Typically Treated?

While I may not be decades long into the Personal Training game,

I have extensive experience working with dozens of clients, helping solve each’s unique problem.

And the story of each of these fine folks’ fitness journey always sounds the same:

• Ignored the pain

• Tied to fix it themselves

• Went to physical therapy for lengthy periods of time

• Went to chiropractic doctors for multiple adjustments

• Hired a trainer to help fix the problem

• Got a doctors recommendation (Why is it that surgery is ALWAYS on the table??)

More than a few of my past clients have suffered the frustrations of trying ALL of the above options, only to have their pain and mobility problems persist.

So Why Do None of the Above “Solutions” Have A Great Track-Record?

I’d be spouting nonsense if I failed to acknowledge that people DO indeed find relief from their pain and injuries via the typical "solutions” mentioned above.

There are definitely folks who find their problem solved.

There are definitely folks who find relief from their problem.

These mainstream healthcare and fitness professionals mean well, I’m absolutely sure of it.

These are good people, doing the best job they can with the resources provided.

But here’s where the heart of the problem lies:

They Are Treating the Pain, Not the Problem

It’s a cost effective, outdated method of treating folks’ pain.

But the problem with this method is… It’s temporary.

What seems to happen is that time and time again…

These hardworking folks fall right back into the same hell they just crawled out of:

• Pain dictating how they live their lives

• Pain distracting and reducing their productivity

• Pain preventing them from enjoying their favourite activities
  

And what’s so hard for me to watch, as someone who’s experienced this very thing,

and what gives me such cause to step in and break the cycle is:

When Pain Takes Hold, Sedentary Lifestyles Take Over

If your body hurts…

If it hurts to move…

Then you’re going to naturally move less.

That’s what our instincts tell us to do; avoid pain.

And those instincts are good. Pain is the body’s way of warning you of damage.

So if we aren’t moving as much, if we aren’t being active,

Then we start to experience a whole HOST of new problems:

• Back pain where it never troubled you before

• Joints that stiffen up and refuse to work right

• Overall physical atrophy

• Fat gain

• Etc. Etc.

So here we are, in an endless cycle of…

Pain, Immobility, & More Pain

Here’s how I broke out of the cycle, here’s how I’ve broken my previous clients out of the cycle, and here’s how I’m going to continue to break future clients out of the cycle:

By Attacking the problem from the GROUND-UP.

Remember at the top of this article, when I mentioned that I would treat all those different pains and injuries in a similar manner?

I truly meant just that.

While of course every problem and pain is different,

and every persons condition and fitness history is completely unique,

and every program gets written in special fit to the client and their situation,

The baseline methods of solving their problem remains the same:

1. Taking great interest in what/where/how they are experiencing pain

2. Understanding the clients history living with pain, and how they’ve dealt with it

3. Generating an objective understanding of what movements trigger their pain

4. Then I set about developing their unique and personalized program for success.

How My Programs Are Different (and so effective💪)

It’s really not that complicated, but it takes a dedicated perspective to appreciate just how effective this method is at solving joint/body pain, and preventing it from EVER coming back.

The difference lies in how I divvy up the program’s exercises:

• 20% of the program is engineered to alleviate painful symptoms of their problem

• 80% of the program is engineered to build from the ground-up

What that means is, if you have a shoulder injury, & you rightly come to me for help,

Only 20% of your programmed exercises will be “shoulder focused”.

The other 80% will be dedicated to patiently, and strategically building your base.

This does 1 of 2 things:

1. Ensures that you’re ENTIRE kinetic chain is structurally balanced and incredibly durable so as to prevent injury and resist pain above and below the source of the problem

2. Gives your shoulders a base from which to excel. If all we did was turn your shoulders into invariable machines of power and durability, while neglecting to build your base, then inevitably your back, neck, and other areas of the body would eventually fall victim to pain and imbalance..

There’s a saying I really latched onto throughout my process of eliminating my own chronic pain and injuries:

EARN the Right to Work Your Upper Body

Of course, if your particular problem falls in the category of, “upper body”,

Then it’ll sound silly to only push 20% of the focus onto the “problem” and the rest of the 80% focused on your legs/back/core/etc.

But when it’s understood that the pain felt in the upper body relates directly to:

• A structural imbalance in the core where the left is over developed compared to the right; or

• The right leg being far stronger than the left; or

• The dominant arm being used so frequently resulting in excess twisting and shear forces on the back; or

• Insert dynamic and unique unilateral imbalance here,

then it becomes clear as to why functionally training from the ground-up is so valuable.

Misalignment and Imbalances are SO Commonplace in Modern Society.

From sedentary lifestyles, to repetitive unilateral motions at work, to lifelong habits, to changing the light bulb with the right hand every time…

Without methods and systems in place to counteract the effects of sitting, or to rebalance unilateral dominance,

Pain is a guaranteed problem.

And pain, I’ll remind you, is typically the body’s way of warning us of damage or potential damage.

I see this with unfortunate frequency, but those that ignore their pain, or push through the pain,

They run the risk of needing:

• Surgeries

• Joint replacement

• or just plain losing function in that affected area

Thankfully, It’s Not Hard to Undo Unilateral Imbalances

If it takes the body 10 years of sitting slouched over the desk with poor posture to cause serious damage in the form of regular pain and low mobility,

It takes only a tiny fraction of that time to recover and rebuild balance and strength.

If over a professional lifetime your knees show signs of “wearing out”,

Only a fraction of the time will it take to rebuild structural balance and mobility again.

Typically I offer my clients a 90 day, 3 month service with the guarantee that their pain and mobility issues will be solved by the end of their term, or I extend their program free of charge and work with them until their problem is solved.

So far, not a single client of mine has needed to the extra time.

MORE than that, nearly every case shows massive improvement if not a full recovery from pain after the first 2 months!

Rebuilding From the Ground-Up Works

It worked for me.

It continues to work for my clients.

And it’ll work for you as well.

If you’re suffering from joint pain, body pains, mobility issues, or injuries,

And you’re interested in learning more,

Book a free 20-30 minute call now, and lets chat:

If you’ve been following my content for some time,

and are ready to hop on the Pathway to Pain-free Productivity,

Book your discovery call now, and lets start working together:

If you’re ever in the market for new shoes that support the concept of building from the Ground-Up, check out Xero Shoes using my link:

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