We are grateful to have Reyci Martorell-PFMS Level II Practitioner share with you what going through the PFMS has meant to his professional development.
Reyci gives a great example of how he has used the skills he learned in the PFMS and was even able to apply the principles in a small group setting to clients who were not in pain, but were showing signs of degrading movement with fatigue.
TOP FIVE Frequently Asked Questions:
Level 1 Online Platform
Is there a timeline to complete Level 1?
There is no timeline… you can move as quickly as your heart desires. Or take as long as you’d like, and re-watch as much of the video content as you’d like. It’s been designed to fit multiple learning styles and environments.
Can I receive Continuing Education Units/Credits for Level 1?
Obtaining CEC credits for Level 1 is entirely dependent upon the organization you’re certified through. All organizations have slightly different and unique requirements, and will look at our curriculum differently. Thus far, none of our Level 1 grads have been denied CEU/CEC’s from their respective providers.
Upon completion, can I enroll in the subsequent live events?
The live events all build off the foundational framework received in Level 1, with each level going deeper and deeper into mastering all elements of the Function First Approach and working with people in pain.
Do I need to complete all 4 levels if I enroll in Level 1?
You can stop at any level you wish. Enroll in level 1 only; go all the way to level 4, or stop anywhere in between. It’s your choice.
Are there specific education credentials or requirements to enroll in Level 1?
No post-secondary or continuing education requirements are needed to enroll. If you do have the aforementioned, we have a ‘Bridging Track’ for approved designations.
If you have any inquires that were not answered above, leave your question in the comment box below.
This video shows a powerful sequence of 3 corrective exercises that we use at Function First that can positively effect lumbo-pelvic-hip function.
Here is the second installment of the “Understanding Pain” series
We hope you’re enjoying our Understanding Pain Series thus far.
Have you ever had a client in pain present no biomechanical “red flags”? What course of action did you take? How did you help them? Share you thoughts in the comment box at the bottom of the page.
Hey Guys,
We’ve just finished our long-awaited insiders manual – 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain. Kevin has put a TON of work into this and it looks great. You can’t purchase it, but for our subscribers – it’s FREE. (keep reading, how to get your copy is listed below)
The 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain accompanies our flagship online curriculum, focused entirely on mastering the “6 foundational pillars” making up Level 1 of Function First Mastery.
The Pain-Free Movement Specialist is the culmination of over 20 years utilizing the Function First Approach to help those living with pain. It’s a complete brain dump of everything we know about corrective exercise and working with the chronic pain population.
In addition, 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain covers many of the principles we use to utterly wipe out our clients barriers to success before we even begin the movement assessment process.
HOWEVER, we’re hoping you can help us with something…
Would you please take this short survey and provide us your insights and direction? I promise it will take you less than one minute.
We value your input and want you as part of this process.
Dedicated to raising bar,
Anthony Carey
P.S. – Once you complete the survey, you can download your FREE copy of 5 Things Trainers Should Know About Chronic Pain manual.
When we prescribe a corrective exercise to our client, there are multiple factors that go into the decision making process. For an exercise to be appropriate for a client at any given time, we have to consider the 4 characteristics of every exercise:
*biomechanical
*physiological
*neurological
*psychological
The Four Point Rotations is an exercise when looked at analytically, can successfully address these characteristics for many client types. This is an effective exercise to emphasize hip motion while unloading the spine and decreasing the threat for those with lower back pain.
Below is a graphic I use in presentations to illustrate the likely combination of many factors that effect the “release” during myofascial release. We can appreciate that of the factors listed, some are:
*Neurological
*Mechanical
*Physiological
*Pyschological
We also always have to consider if we are discussing acute or chronic effects to the system.
Function First Member of the Month
I started at FF in January 2011. My husband and I had just purchased a home in the neighborhood. I was looking for a daily fitness solution that fit into my lifestyle and meshed with my knowledge of the fitness industry. Anthony has been an industry colleague for many years (14!). He is one of IDEA Health & Fitness Association’s expert presenters and he often lends expert commentary to the articles that appear In IDEA Fitness Journal and IDEA’s other publications, for which I am editor in chief. So, I had direct knowledge of cutting edge training methodology and knew AC personally. Why wouldn’t I want to work with one of the best and brightest? How lucky was I to move into the neighborhood and be just over a mile from the studio?
What challenges were you facing with both everyday activity and athletics when you first joined?
I was very into triathlon training and a long-time runner when I started at Function First. I had also recently dropped a very heavy cutting board squarely on my left big toe joint. The havoc that wreaked up the left side of my kinetic chain included pain in my foot, knee, piriformis and reaching up into my infraspinatus. It’s amazing how it’s all connected. I had never had any of this pain until the cutting board incident. Like any stubborn athlete, I soldiered on, making it worse until I couldn’t run anymore. Shortly after starting X Factor, I did some corrective sessions with AC to sort it out. My toe joint will never be the same, but he gave me simple solutions that keep me in alignment, which releases a lot of the pressure my compensations build up. In four years of training with the team here, I’m happy to say that I’ve not incurred injury and have probably averaged 4-5 X Factor classes every week.
Can you tell us why you think the Function First Approach worked for you in reaching your goals?
It’s fun; it’s approachable; and even though I train in a group, it’s always customized to me. I know the training team has the skill/knowledge/experience to progress or regress me safely depending on how I’m feeling that day. Moving athletically and testing my body and mind in different ways at every session gives me a lot of joy. I love to feel my body move and test its limits. I’ve learned to crave lifting weight in multiple planes and shift the weight using full-body strength. The fact that there is not a treadmill in sight but instead shelves and bins and nooks and crannies full of fitness “toys” that are employed so creatively by all of the training professionals here speaks volumes to the knowledge of Function First’s trainers. It matches what I know to be the gospel in the fitness industry today—that you’ve got to keep challenging different body systems to keep progressing them. Our trainers are always experimenting with new formats and exercises, which is also key to maintaining my interest and attention.
What do you like best about the training program?
First and foremost, I love and appreciate the trainer-coach-inventor-tinkerer-inspirers I’ve trained with here over the years: From AC to Derrick to Wendy, to Natalie, Reyci and Danny (sorry, I’ve only trained with Derahan once!), they have always been all about helping us to improve and meet our goals. They are professional, knowledgeable, perceptive, funny and welcoming. They make the program! My X-Factor teammates make it worth coming, too. We all want to improve ourselves, so everyone is very positive and supportive. It’s both inspirational and aspirational to work and sweat alongside people who have fought through pain and injury, and see them “get after it” during training. That’s the magic of the programming here. So many have risen from the ashes of what they thought was destined to be chronic pain and inactivity to be strong, competitive life athletes who have shed the pain and learned how to train safely and smartly.
How has Function First changed your day-to-day life?
Training here has given me tremendous body confidence and, truly, confidence all around. I remember coming here for my first training session. I think it was Derrick’s first day or week, too. But I was so nervous I wasn’t going to be able to do things perfectly or that I would embarrass myself. I had some serious performance anxiety. DP’s confidence and great coaching got me over that in a couple of sessions. I can almost always sense that same trepidation in the newbies that join us; remembering how I felt, I try to make them feel at home. We all do. But I think we all learn to laugh at ourselves pretty quickly when we can’t get the correct foot forward on a ViPR bazooka combo, or we get lost in a circuit and have to ask what the heck comes next. Who cares? Learning and laughing along the journey is what it’s all about. I’ve trained with both the AM and PM X-Factor crews and both groups razz each other mercilessly. It’s hilarious at times. But we also support one another and cheer for one another’s victories. I still remember watching in awe as Rachel, Em and Ten started cranking out unassisted pull-ups a year ago. Amazing stuff! It made me so happy to see and share in their victories. I’ve made some lifelong friends here and plan to stick around for a long time! I’m so honored by this! Thank you, Function First.
Member of the Month: Frank Barry
When and why did you first start training with Function First?
I started with Anthony and Function First for rehab because of a reaction to Statin drugs. My body was getting less flexible and my movement painful. I was practically house bound, had a drop left foot and movement was hardly possible because of back pain. This was at least 9 years ago when Function First was on Adams. I had seen Anthony off and on for back pain, but the Adams gym was really the beginning of where I am today.
Training verses rehab started for me about 2 years ago when Anthony started X-Factor. I needed to get back in shape. I had gotten way out of shape because of Statins and lack of exercise. I was still having problems doing much of anything. So, rehab was about to take a step up. I was way over weight, had poor cardio vascular condition, and poor strength. This created total movement issues for daily living and athletic type movement for sport and recreation. I couldn’t do the things I did before Statins and I didn’t think it was because of my age. I had fallen into the trap of blaming my age for everything before.
What challenges did you face with both everyday activity and athletics when you first joined?
As I stated above my daily activity was very little to nothing and athletic movement was nonexistent. I had always been athletic, football, wrestling, swimming, surfing and almost anything that had to do with the ocean. Well, I didn’t do any of them anymore and it was very depressing which was another problem.
Can you tell us why you think the Function First Approach worked for you in reaching your goals?
One of the degrees I received in college was in Physical Education. It was during this period that I considered the idea of an alternative to doing the things we were being taught about training. Anthony, during my rehab, would talked with me about loaded movement and the Core Tex and it all connected. I had found what I was looking for. The connections between all mechanisms in the body were considered in this type of training and it made sense to me. So, all the training I receive from Function First from the beginning make sense based on what I have studied in college. Anthony put it all together for me.
Now as far as goals. I think, in life, people should strive to have fun no matter what they’re doing, work or play. Fun is what I have when I workout at Function First. To me it’s just fun, my main goal.
What do you like best about the training program?
I think it’s the people out front. The trainers. They are knowledgeable, professional, creative, and fun. Now, what I believe the most important. They show an interest in me and my success. I believe this to be the most motivating aspect in a trainer client relationship. I coached for many years and the one thing I saw repeatedly in successful coaches was their ability to convey they cared for the people they coached. It changes the whole atmosphere of a coaching environment. This is why Function First is a comfortable place to be.
How has Function First changed your day-to-day life?
My day-to-day life has totally reversed. The “Death Spiral” I was on is going up. I don’t know just how much more I will be able to do but, I will find out. I now workout 5 days a week, surf, and do the things I used to do. I even entered the MCRD Challenge. So my life is back to what it used to be 9 years ago. Life is Good!
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Mucho Aloha,
Frank