This is the story of Richard, a 50-yr old business owner who transformed his body, regained flexibility, and avoided a costly knee surgery.
I tell this story because I want to showcase the resiliency of the human body. I want to show that no matter how tight you might be, no matter how out of shape you think you are, there is still a path forward.
There is always a path forward.
Hopefully Richard’s story will show you how to slow down the process of aging. You can say…screw that, I’m not going to let some fuckin’ number get in way of doing what I want to do in this world.
You will not be resigned to living a sedentary lifestyle. Hell no. Instead, you want to do shit in the world that requires a fit, healthy body. I hear you. I feel the same way. Trust me, aging doesn’t have to suck. I promise.
How Richard Avoided Knee Surgery and Got Super Fit
Rich came to me with some knee pain and a desire to shed some pounds.
He was about to go under the knife for knee surgery as suggested by his doctor. After we did a basic movement assessment, I saw a number of red flags that I thought might be responsible for his knee pain.
I’m not a doctor and I don’t pretend to be one, but there are some basic movement patterns, especially in the hips, that didn’t look right. I thought that those movements might be contributing to the knee pain.
What I found was a weak core, butt muscles that were asleep, and front hip muscles(quads and groin) that were tight as hell.
Many times knee issues are the result of dysfunctional hips. What happens when the hips don’t move well, the joint above (the low back) or the joint below (knee) take on additional stress. Get the hips working better and many times low back pain and knee issues go away.
Of course the body is much more complicated than this, but this is a always a first step when people come to me with some issues in the low back or knees.
Are the hips moving well? Is the core active and stable? Are the butt muscles turned on?
For Richard, just getting into a basic squat was a huge challenge.
Touching his toes from a standing position was not happening. He was tight as a board. I said give me a few months, let’s train a few times per week and see if I can help you out.
What We Did: Got His Butt Stronger + Stretches To Loosen Front Of Hips
We worked with 2 goals in mind:
- Get his core and butt activated and stronger
- Work on soft tissue and stretching drills to reduce tension in hip muscles, especially the quads and groin.
We used a lot of TRX squatting and lunging exercises to slowly get range of motion back into his hips without putting too much stress on the knees. We did a ton of front hip stretches to open up the soft tissue so that his hips were more balanced. We focused on core work to help bring more stability to his torso. With stronger and more active core muscles, the body automatically allows for more range of motion in the hips.
I had him do a simple 5-min routine every morning that helped reinforce the work we were doing together. We also got the lacrosse ball into the deep muscles of the butt to reduce tension and allow for greater range of motion in the hips.
Fast forward 6 months.
Rich is no longer having knee pain. He’s moving better than he ever has. He’s got an extra $8k in his pocket from not having the knee surgery.
Take a look at this HUGE improvement in squat depth!!
Look at his face on the right — calm, collected, and looks like he could stay there all day. Compare that with the strained look on the left. This after shot represents a free body, one that moves better, feels better, and is more resilient to injury.
Oh and by the way, he’s 15 pounds lighter and lost 5 inches around his waist. That’s always a nice side effect.
The Resiliency Of The Human Body
Here’s the point — The body can bounce back and you can unglue tight tissues no matter where you are. No matter what your age. If you do the right exercises for your body, are consistent with them and have some patience, you can make some magical changes!
And that’s exactly what allowed Richard to make such awesome progress.
We still have work to do, but we’re taking a moment to celebrate these measurable wins. His improved squat depth tells me his body is more flexible and moving better. The knee pain is gone which is great, and he dropped 15 pounds and 5 inches from his waist.
It’s a win, win, win. But we’re not done yet.
There is more progress to be made. It’s a journey. There is no finish line. Once you adopt that way of thinking for the long-term, playing the long game, that’s when transformation can happen.
It’s the system I use that been successful in helping men all over the world buck the aging process. It’s a system that can help you without a doubt.
The Time Is Now
If you struggle with tightness or stiffness, for example, if you can’t touch your toes or if you can’t squat without pain, you gotta do something about it!
Left unchecked, shit will only get worse. Aging will most definitely suck. Getting out of bed will feel terrible. Climbing stairs will be painful.
But the good news is that you can do something about it right now.
There is another way.
Imagine looking forward to that next birthday knowing that you fitter, more flexible, and healthier than you were the year before. That’s taking control of your situation and taking action.
Richard is more flexible and fitter than he’s been in years. At 50, he’s got more energy and a smaller waistline than he ever has. His story is one of possibility. That you can make progress no matter your age. No matter your current situation.
The first step in any journey is a belief. A belief that you can do it. Hopefully Richard’s story has given you that glimmer of hope that you can do it too. There’s a future out there where you can:
Wake up and jump out of bed full of energy, strong, flexible, and pain free…
Play effortlessly with your kids for hours and hours…
Show up to your son’s bar mitzvah full of energy and in the best shape of your life…
This stuff is possible. You just gotta know what to do and have someone guide you. If you were touched, moved, or inspired by Richard’s story, let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a quick note at – nick@saltwaterfit.com.
And if you want a FREE 5-day video series where I show you my system to getting leaner and more flexible, enter your info below. You’ll get the first video right away!
