Original Strength: many of you have probably heard me talk about OS or seen different Facebook posts about it, but what is Original Strength? This question does not have a cut and dry answer. Every person that has participated in the Original Strength movement pattern has a unique answer to this question. For some people, it means reclaiming their ability to move. For others it is how they lost weight and started living life again. Still others see it as a way to improve athletic performance. What kind of movement pattern ranges from "hey I can walk alone again" to "I can run the fastest on my team". Personally, I think it has to be a pretty special exercise to have the ability to apply to everyone.
Today I am going to answer the question "What is Original Strength?" as it applies to my life.
I love exercising, sports, and basically moving until I can't move anymore. I am pretty competitive (and by pretty I mean, I will beat you or die trying ;) which has not always served my body the best way possible... shocking I know. I started out playing soccer and doing taekwondo 4 to 5 days a week. Eventually I added crossfit to the mix, I loved crossfit. I died every workout! After crossfit I moved onto a "regular gym" and took group classes and ran on the treadmill. Eventually I ended up at a boxing gym, it was great! Punching a heavy bag for an hour was a great stress reliever.
All of these exercises were super fun in their own way but because of my competitive nature, when it hurt I didn't stop. No pain, no gain... right? This led to me having back problems and not being able to move certain ways. Before I started OS my back would "go out" randomly for a couple weeks at a time and my trips to the chiropractor increased exponentially. Basically everything hurt besides walking. This made college very interesting (and painful) because I was supposed to be sitting down for hours at a time in lectures.
My mom started OS and she saw major improvements in her movement. I decided to give it a try because I was so tired of my back hurting and not being able to move, it also looked kind of fun. After participating in classes for a few months, doing the resets, listening to Tim and Dani always telling me to slow down and stop if it hurt... I realized my back hadn't gone out in a while. In fact my entire core was stronger, I could plank now and it didn't hurt.
Basically, Original Strength is how I started moving correctly and got a new outlook on exercise/life. I'm still one of the most competitive people at the gym and push myself maybe a little too much sometimes: but OS has given me a whole new outlook on movement. It was a startling realization when I reached the conclusion that exercising isn't supposed to hurt. Since starting OS, my 80 year old back is growing younger and younger everyday. I have no doubt eventually it will return to the 21 year old back that belongs to me.
I love OS because it can help everyone, no matter how messed up your body is. It's one of the main reasons I decided to become a trainer and coaching people using the OS system is one of my favorite things to do.
Today I am going to answer the question "What is Original Strength?" as it applies to my life.
I love exercising, sports, and basically moving until I can't move anymore. I am pretty competitive (and by pretty I mean, I will beat you or die trying ;) which has not always served my body the best way possible... shocking I know. I started out playing soccer and doing taekwondo 4 to 5 days a week. Eventually I added crossfit to the mix, I loved crossfit. I died every workout! After crossfit I moved onto a "regular gym" and took group classes and ran on the treadmill. Eventually I ended up at a boxing gym, it was great! Punching a heavy bag for an hour was a great stress reliever.
All of these exercises were super fun in their own way but because of my competitive nature, when it hurt I didn't stop. No pain, no gain... right? This led to me having back problems and not being able to move certain ways. Before I started OS my back would "go out" randomly for a couple weeks at a time and my trips to the chiropractor increased exponentially. Basically everything hurt besides walking. This made college very interesting (and painful) because I was supposed to be sitting down for hours at a time in lectures.
My mom started OS and she saw major improvements in her movement. I decided to give it a try because I was so tired of my back hurting and not being able to move, it also looked kind of fun. After participating in classes for a few months, doing the resets, listening to Tim and Dani always telling me to slow down and stop if it hurt... I realized my back hadn't gone out in a while. In fact my entire core was stronger, I could plank now and it didn't hurt.
Basically, Original Strength is how I started moving correctly and got a new outlook on exercise/life. I'm still one of the most competitive people at the gym and push myself maybe a little too much sometimes: but OS has given me a whole new outlook on movement. It was a startling realization when I reached the conclusion that exercising isn't supposed to hurt. Since starting OS, my 80 year old back is growing younger and younger everyday. I have no doubt eventually it will return to the 21 year old back that belongs to me.
I love OS because it can help everyone, no matter how messed up your body is. It's one of the main reasons I decided to become a trainer and coaching people using the OS system is one of my favorite things to do.