I Am Resilient

Categories: Stories Jul 17, 2013

I first heard of the Becoming Bulletproof/Original Strength system back in August of 2012. I purchased the Becoming Bulletproof Ebook and it instantly made sense to me.  I was moving toward a more primitive, instinctual style of training.   This system further cemented my views on corrective exercise and what it meant to build resilience.

I had the pleasure of attending an Original Strength seminar in March of 2013. In a time where intuitive concepts can become overly complicated with clumsy rhetoric, this was one of the most educational experiences in my professional career. Tim and Geoff did a wonderful job keeping things simple and effective. OS is a powerful, user-friendly methodology that can be applied to anyone because it is human specific.

I’ve seen both ends of this spectrum when it comes to corrective or “functional” exercise. In the past I have disregarded it and performed strict power lifting and high intensity training.  Ultimately, this created several imbalances that I later needed to correct. I’ve also been someone who felt the need for 30-45 minutes of foam rolling and FMS correctives in order to be properly warmed-up to train. Although I did clean up some biomechanical asymmetries and moved better, there was always still a feeling of fragility in the way I approached movement. I felt like I never really achieved what I was intuitively looking for:  Resiliency.

This is where OS comes in. The system uses throwback neurological patterns that build and reinforce what we’re meant to do: MOVE!  We need to interact with the world without the fear of pulling, tweaking or straining something. Since the seminar, I’ve fully embraced this approach in my own training. I no longer foam roll or spend too much time doing correctives. Though correctives have their place, I have found better and longer lasting results with drills and techniques used in Original Strength. In my training, I use the resets in this book along with some of my own creativity. I move better, feel better and most of all I feel more connected to our genetic birthright . . . MOVEMENT.  In addition, many of my athletes have embraced this system and are experiencing results such as reduced neural tension (tightness), increased mobility and improved reflexive stability. All of this has translated into better performance and quality of life.

The best part about this system is that it gives you a framework in which to be creative and successful. Its core principles are as effective as they are simple. OS emphasizes “play” which has tragically taken a back seat in our current lifestyle, particularly in our physical culture.  I have transformed my training into more play and improvisational movement. As a result I’ve been able to progress in traditional strength training exercises without having to train them specifically.

More importantly, I’ve explored calisthenics and body weight training. The OS resets have helped me restore the core stability that we were all born with but have lost over time. As such I’ve accomplished such feats such as front and back levers, human flag, five strict, one-arm one-leg push ups per side and I am slowly closing in on a one arm handstand and one arm pull up. I did all of this during a state of play and the desire to manipulate my body to my will.  Never did I sacrifice mobility or function for additional strength.

In reality, OS gently brings us back to the physical capability and emotional spirit of children. Less concerned with what we can’t do and more interested in what we want to do. It is with that sentiment that Tim Anderson and Geoff Nuepert’s system Original Strength has my full endorsement.

- Josh Halbert, Director of Education and Athletes Program, Kinetic Systems Strength & Conditioning , B.A. FMS, SFG, TPI, Athletes’ Performance Institute Graduate

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