Book Review - Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, andMove with Confidence

Back pain sucks. Not only does it suck, but it can suck the life right out of you. For me it all began when I was 19 and spending many hours in the gym lifting weights. First it was a small twitch. Then it was a little more. Shortly thereafter I was at a chiropractor trying to correct my issues. I did get the problem corrected - even if just temporarily - but, like many other people, have dealt with periodic back pain for a long, long time.

After moving on from heavy strength training to Ironman training it can still be an issue for me. Don't get me wrong, it is not the chronic pain many people deal with. But it is there and, while core work has helped, having pain still sucks.

In 2013 I was having more trouble than normal with my back, specifically when in the aero position on my bike. I was looking for a positive solution to the issue when I heard Ben Greenfield mention the book Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move With Confidence during an Endurance Planet podcast. Greenfield described the book as a different approach to both core work and reduction of back pain. I decided to make the $17 investment and see what the fuss was about.

Foundation is a very fast and informative read for 288 pages. The book's author, Dr. Eric Goodman, was a young athlete who had problems with back pain that was much more debilitating than my own. In his search for a solution he developed what eventually became the core idea of the book - that lower back pain comes as a result of overloading smaller muscles due to poor mechanics.

Essentially, we can get lazy with the way we move, causing bio-mechanical issues. When this happens, the body needs to be reconditioned to use the correct muscles while moving through the world. Based on a series of 10 simple but powerful movements, Foundation teaches you how to properly load your muscles and move. The focus turns to the large muscles of your posterior chain - glutes, hamstrings, middle back, hips - to take the pressure off of the smaller muscles that have become overworked.

Going through the routine takes less than 10 minutes. For those of you who have done some basic yoga you will recognize some of the movements. Goodman does change the focus of the specific movements to create the desired effect.

In the few months I have been incorporating these movements into my routine I have noticed a number of positive changes. First, my posture is much better. Like many others, I had become lazy without noticing. The change is not just when I am standing, but when I am sitting, running, or biking. When I swim I feel like it is easier to maintain a streamlined position (or at least what is streamlined for me).

The second big change is a noticeable decrease in lower back pain. As I began properly loading up my glutes, hamstrings and middle back with the stress of swim/bike/run - even standing and sitting - I became more comfortable, my body more stable. While I know I will never be 100% pain-free, I am as close to it as I can be. A nice side benefit has been not needing to see my chiropractor for quite some time.

The approach that Foundation takes to core training and/or back pain is both different and more effective than anything I have ever come about. I feel better when sitting at the office, and I feel better while exercising. If you have chronic back pain I highly recommend giving this approach a go. All you have to loose is $17 ... and that chronic pain in your back.


Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move With Confidence can be purchased at amazon.com here.

You can find more out about Dr. Goodman and Foundation Training at his website.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon