Normally, I am not one to rave about a service, business or person, but in this case I feel compelled to share my story.  I have been working with a personal trainer for about six weeks to find some relief from chronic back pain that has been interfering with the things I love to do, not to mention lost sleep and other difficulties with daily activities.    

My boss recommended that I see Carson at CrossFit FSI. I put it off for a year; personal training isn’t cheap, and I thought it would be a typical experience. But, I finally got to the point where my back was popping out of place and putting me in considerable pain on a daily basis. It was time to do something. I went to Crossfit FSI and expected to get a typical workout. That was not the case. Instead, Carson had me jumping, squatting and doing different movements. After assessing my performance, he pretty much summed up the situation—I was a mess. 

He recommended I sign up for 12, 30-minute sessions customized to address my specific needs.  He observed that with all my hiking and canyoneering, I am really strong in some areas of my body and really weak in others. The strong muscles take over when the weak ones fail. In my case, my quads are strong, but my hamstrings are weak. This caused my muscles to compensate, thereby pulling my body out of alignment. So, we worked on exercises to strengthen the weak areas. 

 Also, I have been wearing an insole in my right shoe for a couple of years to compensate for the fact that my legs were off by 7mm. Within five minutes of getting stretched, my legs were aligned, and I no longer need the lift. Over the next several weeks I was tortured in several different ways. Normally, I would be stretched for several minutes at the start of the session then work out for the remaining time. I noticed that as the weeks went on, I didn’t need to pop my back into place as frequently and that things like climbing, hiking and canyoneering weren’t as difficult. I also didn’t need to be stretched at the start of the sessions as often.

I am now at the end of my 12^th sessions and I was able to run Rugged Maniac with no shin splints— I have suffered with them for years. Also, my back did not hurt during or after the race. 

 Last night I did the eight-mile, 3,000-ft Gauntlet hike with AHOTE—pain free!  In fact, I haven’t felt this good in years.

 If you are in pain, suffering from a nagging injury, or just want to continue doing all the things you love, I really recommend Carson at Crossfit FSI. Let him know I sent you.