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Other/Mixed Original Strength: Im a Believer

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Birddog

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Iv spent the better part of the decade dealing with chronic back pain. Many ups and downs in my training with periods of feeling good and others halted by a back injury. I actually got into S&S due to a injury. Along the way I eventually flared my back up again and derailed. Started PT and felt a little better but not great. I was doing loads of mobility work, stretching, foam rollering, you name it. I never felt "great"

Through Strongfirst forums I discovered Original Strength. I was desperate and purchased the OS Reset book. At first I thought this is ridiculous. How would crawling like a baby help back?? I went back eventually and reread it cover to cover and something clicked. For the past 2+ month I have done Resets 2-3 times a day sometimes more. I got a little addicted tbh. It felt amazing. I was rolling, breathing, nodding, and crawling any time I could.

Today I woke up and while brushing my teeth I thought "wow.. my back doesnt feel tight or hurt at all". It dawned on me that I havent experienced that in years. A pain free back in the morning was a pipe dream but here I was and it was miraculous.

I really wrote this to say thanks to this forum and community for helping me find OS. Im so excited about training again and I even hit a back squat PR the other day. I had told myself the days of putting a heavy bar on my back were over. I am swinging KBs again, I am throwing my kids in the air, I am doing things I chalked up to gone. This book has quite literally changed my life and I couldn't be happier. Its a long road ahead but I at least now have some hope for a pain free future.
 
@Birddog, congratulations on your progress.

My opinion on the subject of crawling - it has something in common with the properly-performed McKenzie "cobra" - both feature passive spinal extension. Which is to say I think both things are great, and the reason crawling is better for most people is that the "prying" of the spine will happen naturally and without thought in crawling while the McKenzie cobra requires more care in execution. I've seen a lot of people do the McKenzie exercise in the wrong way but it's pretty tough to mess up crawling.

Bravo Tim, love Tim and love what he does and how he goes about it.

-S-
 
SUOMI-PUKU said:
I’ve been neglecting crawling, as leopard crawls wind me after about 10 steps and baby crawls hurt my knees a bit.

Think this is the kick I need to get back to it. 10 steps now, 10 minutes one day.
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Leopard crawls are so hard! I started adding them into 1 reset session a day ( so baby crawl 2x leopard 1x) and i am huffing and puffing after 30s. Its an awesome movement I wouldnt of never tries if not for OS
 
I have not been a regular follower of OS resets, but I do incorporate versions of it into my warm ups at least 2-3 times a week. These are mainly from Geoff, which are versions of rocking, crawling, segmental rolls, bird dog, dead bugs, etc. But I have become a big fan of crawls, bear walks, and other animal flow movements (I do follow GMB mobility and elements workouts as warm up on a few days), and these have really helped my shoulder strength, mobility, and stability. Specific to crawling, though, i always feel my shoulders more lubricated (for lack of a better word). There is something to those OS resets and I really do wish I had the discipline to do them daily for a few months (Something I should definitely consider).
 
So pleased you’ve found OS and it’s working well for you! Back pain is no joke.

I was doing OS resets daily a couple of years ago but I let it go for some reason, and then back pain started to creep back in for me a couple of months ago.

I’m now back on daily resets with leopard crawling for 2-4 minutes and my back pain is dissipating again!

My advice to you: don’t let it slip, no matter how good you’re feeling. Keep it up and you won’t need the reminder.
 
The benefits of OS sneak up on you.

It doesn't seem like you're doing much (although crawling can be quite a workout), or that it's doing much for you, but over time you notice that you just feel better. It's like one of my favorite lines from literature. A character in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises is asked how he went bankrupt (although it applies to many things in life), and he replies, "Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly."
 
silveraw said:
Does anyone have any thoughts on what the minimum effective dose is for OS resets?
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I don't think there's any minimum threshold for benefits, and the recovery demand is generally low so it's hard to do too much. So really any amount is "effective." But I think of OS as play/exploration time, not really a means to an end, although it certainly has beneficial effects.

What's the minimum effective dose for ice cream? OS is like ice cream, but without the calories.
 
I love OS but have always struggled to find a way to stay consistent with it. I've been doing @Pavel Macek's Great Gama Protocol for a couple months now and highly recommend it for those who like a more regimented routine (I'm very consistent when I have a set program to follow).

It incorporates OS movements and OS-like movements and lots of ground work, which is amazing. I'll occasionally add some crawling, deadbugs or other contralateral movements if I'm looking for something else to do but the program itself covers a lot of bases.
 
Steve W. said:
I don't think there's any minimum threshold for benefits, and the recovery demand is generally low so it's hard to do too much. So really any amount is "effective." But I think of OS as play/exploration time, not really a means to an end, although it certainly has beneficial effects.

What's the minimum effective dose for ice cream? OS is like ice cream, but without the calories.
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I was more curious because I did OS resets daily for around 4 weeks and didn't notice any benefits. Was wondering if I just didn't stick with it long enough or if it just isn't for me.
 
silveraw said:
I was more curious because I did OS resets daily for around 4 weeks and didn't notice any benefits. Was wondering if I just didn't stick with it long enough or if it just isn't for me.
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I'd say 4 weeks is a fair trial. If you didn't notice any benefits, I can't argue with your experience.

Like I said, for me the benefits sneak up on you (sneak up on me?). It's not like "I was blind, but now I can see." It's more like my posture seems better. My head is literally on straighter (more balanced over my shoulders). My back isn't as tight and I just feel like I can move a little more freely.

Leopard crawling has the most dramatic effect -- on how my shoulders feel and how I feel more tied together.

But in general, it's not an effect I notice incrementally as it's happening. When I do it regularly, I tend to have more frequent moments where I suddenly realize, "Hey, I feel really good," as opposed to when I let it slide and I'm not doing it regularly.
 
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I do rocking and crawling as a daily routine/warmup now. One of my favorites is the one arm/one leg rocking (like doing a step back and forth in a baby crawl) and taking a longish stride with it.

The beauty of all types of crawling is that it teaches you to “dynamically stabilize” your body. In lifting and strength training we are constantly effectively immobilizing certain areas of the body to more effectively move weight with others. But in day to day life we NEVER move like that. Crawling is essentially a loaded gait pattern with bonuses for the upper body. Stabilizing (not immobilizing) while moving.
 
silveraw said:
I was more curious because I did OS resets daily for around 4 weeks and didn't notice any benefits. Was wondering if I just didn't stick with it long enough or if it just isn't for me.
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I've done allot of OS in the past and had the same experience as you. I also have always treated mobility/flexibility as a priority plus I have a job where I'm on my feet all day vs sitting at a desk.
 
Crawling is deceptive in the benefits that accrue from doing it. I particularly found that crawling backwards was a whole lot difficult in how I had to move my body and how it loaded my shoulders. I also experimented with crawling forward down a staircase, which to be honest was way more difficult that I had expected, and crawling backwards on a staircase is like another level of difficulty. Just sharing some ideas that I've experimented with over the last 6 odd months.
 
silveraw said:
I was more curious because I did OS resets daily for around 4 weeks and didn't notice any benefits. Was wondering if I just didn't stick with it long enough or if it just isn't for me.
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This will sound strange to those who know me -

While it's true within the OS system there's "good, better, and best," there is a group of people I've worked with over the last decade that need "something more systematic" to even experience "good."

These are people who the Resets, or the regressions taught to the instructors, don't seem to work for.

You may be one of those people.
 
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