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Hi. I think I'm ready to get rid of my lower back pain, as well as my shoulder pain, and I would love a little guidance. I currently am in pain all the time. I frequently have to take breaks from standing or sitting in a chair to a position of more relief on my lower back. For a little history, I used to not be able to turn the radio dial in my car without supporting my right arm, I would have to reach over with my left hand and support my right arm under the elbow. I figured I needed surgery for a torn rotator cuff and was waiting for insurance to get it done. Luckily, while at a Tony Robbins seminar, he counseled everyone to get a book called "Pain Free", by Pete Egoscue. I got the book, and followed the simple exercises and was shocked by the results. While not 100% healed, the result was night at day. I had less success with my lower back pain, but soon found out about Gymnastic Bodies through the Tim Ferriss podcast. My brother purchased the Fundamentals program and I followed it to the t. I've incorporated the daily limber into my daily workout now for about 14 months, and am easily the most flexible one of my friends, and am constantly preaching the good word of Gymnastic Bodies every chance I get. I've been wanting to get the next program for quite some time now, but I don't know where to start. I still have constant back pain, but at least I can now bounce out of bed, and can stand up straight (a thing I was unable to do before fundamentals.) I used to do crossfit and liked to incorporate squats into my workout program, but found the I kept throwing my back out, so now I just do lots of air squats. I would love to finally get rid of my shoulder pain and that lower back pain, and continue to progress into all the gymnastic movements. So, I guess my long winded question is, what do you recommend for me next? Thank you!

Hello I'm about to start fundamentals, I took interest in looking into this to have overall more strength in general, but also to address the fact that I have lower back pain, and TIGHT hamstrings.(which I'm sure go hand in hand with each other.). I have tight hip flexors too, simply doing crunches kills me on my hips. My question would be, is there anything I can do on a consistent daily basis to improve and address my lower back pain and extremely tight hamstrings.(like a specific stretch, I get conflicting messages online about stretching, like don't stretch your hamstrings like this, or only stretch them with a tennis ball etc. I find it confusing and frustrating because i don't want to practice a stretch that could potentially be more damaging.) I realize that there is no overnight cure, and correcting this issue will take time, I'm ready for that, I just want to manage my time effectively and be productive as possible. I feel comfortable asking for advice HERE. Should I just follow the fundamental videos if it is the best course of action in accelerating the healing process of my lower back and tight hamstrings? Or is there something ADDITIONAL I can do daily outside of fundamental courses to address my tight hamstrings. Thanks in advance, and I apologize if there is an answer to this already.I was searching for something in the forums, but many people here speak in tongues(acronyms) and I just haven't fully picked up the lingo yet. Thanks! Also currently to address my back issue, I try to be more mindful when sitting for prolonged times at work(i'll stand up and walk around every hour for a bit) and watch my posture(catch myself slouching)

Hi all, it's been a long time since I last posted, I connect now and then to check, but mostly I concentrate in training following the courses. My level is still low, and I usually don't think that I can't help with my replies. But now I think my case may help people out there that have the same problem, and as a testimony of the quality and effectiveness of the GB system created by Coach Sommer and his team. It all started August 2014, I spent the summer Apnea diving (free diving) in the small beach close to the flat where we spend the summer. I don't fish and spend most of my diving time cleaning subaquatic garbage between 5 and 15 meters of depth. I started feeling back pain while sleeping. During August and September a dull pain in my lumbar region, grew to the point that I had to sleep bended forward. At wake up I had a difficult time getting upright, and had to wait some minutes till my muscles warmed up. It was like being 80 years old. I work as a pilot and most work days involve staying seated for 12 hours straight, with just some time to go to the toilet and walk around the plane to perform the preflight checks. I started using small pillows to support my lower back in the cockpit seat, and I was constantly readjusting my position to try to lessen the pain. More than a pain was a severe discomfort that kept me from seating or standing for longer than 10 minutes. For months I thought that I had strained my back while diving. I use long flippers and some times swim using the dolphin kick (which can be a bit hard on the lower back if not performed correctly). But as I continued the normal training in September( I didn't feel pain at all during training) the pain just became grew. I had started training again after buying the GB courses that same Spring. I was getting to grips with the training and looking for ways to escalate the already basic levels, and adapt them to the equipment on my gym. Unfortunately I had been postponing the stretch series, till I started mastering the basic movements, this has proved to be a big big mistake as you'll see. Also I had started running and biking in the gym, building very slowly time and performance as well as trying to improve my technique. Still my main focus is GB training, and if I have to cut the training I cut it in the aerobic part. I tried osteopathy, it had worked great for other back, shoulder and wrist problems in the past. But it didn't work this time. My wife who is a rheumatologist, insisted in making a spine X-ray. It took me till March to accept it. It showed a discopathy in L3 (if I recall correctly). But there is little therapy that can be done, beyond taking some anti-inflammatory. One day a co-worker who competes in different distance running and bike races, told me that it was probable that I had tight psoas and quads. I didn't know what the psoas was or how it worked. I started to browse the internet for information and different stretching techniques, and they worked somehow. This was encouraging but I never reduced the pain more than a 30% or so. Then after one week looking for different stretches, I recalled the stretch series. I must confess that I should have thought about the forum and the stretch series much much sooner. But I was fixated in the idea of being a strain, and then worried about the discopathy. Also I thougth that the price was a bit steep at first when it came out, so I always made an excuse to delay buying it, I was not that tight after all huh? I opened my browser and bought the whole stretch series, 5 min later I was stretching. As soon as I started doing the split stretch series, I saw the light. At first in form of all kind of continuous cursing and crying during the 50 min of stretching, then immediate pain relieve (up to an 80% the first session). This relieve lasted 6 days, then my back remembered me that it was time to stretch again (just like a little Coach Summer's voice inside me). After 3 weeks the pain and discomfort were gone for a 95%. After 6 months I´m pain free, and sometimes if I delay too much my stretching series, I have a slight discomfort in my back, but nothing serious. My wife is impressed, and even she is doing the stretching with me sometimes when she has lower back pain. And of course my flexibility is steadily improving each week. Sometimes during the next months I would like to take another lumbar X Ray to see how the discopathy has evolved. I think I've learned the lesson, next time I have a problem I'll come immediately to the forum to ask, and look for a GB course to correct my problem!. And about the price, few things have been cheaper in my life than the stretch series, they just freed me of my back pain in a single hour!.

Hi guys, someone knows why my lower back hurts in the first portion of the movement ?.Thanks.

Hi, I have developed a problem with my streching, that I was wondering if anyone had a good fix for. I have been doing pike streching now for about a year, and have had good results so far. I am naturally very stiff, so just getting to the point where I could lay my palms to the floor felt like a great victory. But the last months, my streching sessions have been followed by horrible lower back pain and stiffness the day after and the following days... I dont have any pain while streching, and I dont use weights or grab onto my legs... Just active streching... The pain is felt in my whole lower back, but lasts the longest at the "upper ass" area. Probably where the tendons attach? Anyone has experience with this, or know what I'm doing wrong? I can add that I have done mostly feet together streches, and little straddle or pancake streches, and my pancake is abysmal!