Movement Podcast

What are the best exercises for low back pain?

Gray Cook says that may be the wrong first question.

In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray is joined by Dr. Kyle Kiesel, one of the leading researchers in rehabilitation and low back pain, for a deeper conversation about why low back pain is not always a simple weakness problem — and why “strengthen your core” does not always solve the issue.

Gray and Kyle discuss inhibition, the multifidus, high-threshold strategies, pain, inflammation, movement patterns, breathing, rolling, and the importance of individualizing care instead of handing every person the same low back pain exercise list.

The conversation starts with a common question: what are your three favorite exercises for low back pain?

But instead of giving a generic answer, Gray and Kyle explain why professionals need to ask better questions first:

What movement patterns are painful?
What movement patterns are dysfunctional?
Is this a mobility problem?
Is this a stability problem?
Is the person weak — or is something being inhibited?
Can the body roll, breathe, squat, touch the toes, and balance?
What needs to be protected before it can be corrected?

They also explore how the multifidus can be affected by pain, inflammation, trauma, compensation, and long-standing movement issues — and why restoring better movement is often about more than simply adding exercises.
This episode covers:

• Why low back pain is not always a weakness problem
• The difference between weakness and inhibition
• Why the multifidus matters
• How pain and inflammation can change muscle function
• High-threshold strategies and “planking your way through life”
• Why toe touch, squat, and single-leg stance matter in low back pain
• Breathing and rolling as key awareness tools
• Why movement patterns can reveal whether the back is ready
• How tape, touch, and position can provide useful feedback
• Why awareness and protection come before correction
• The difference between generic protocols and individualized care
• Why evidence-based care still needs to be personalized

The key takeaway: low back pain deserves more than a generic exercise list. The goal is to understand the person, identify the movement pattern, protect what needs protection, and build the right path back to better function.

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/

Clinical Integration: The LBP Solutions Online Masterclass
https://www.functionalmovement.com/Store/1271/clinical_integration_the_lbp_solutions_online_masterclass

FMS Quick Screen Course
https://www.functionalmovement.com/Store/1275/quick_screen_movement_readiness_screen
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In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray Cook and Lee Burton explore what it really takes to become more than an exercise professional, clinician, coach, or practitioner who simply applies protocols.

The conversation begins with a question Gray has been reflecting on for years: what separates someone who works with movement from someone who has developed true movement expertise?

Gray and Lee discuss imposter syndrome, professional growth, mentorship, confirmation bias, movement screening, self-screening, corrective trials, protection, retesting, and the importance of building systems that help professionals check their own work.

They also outline a practical process for developing movement expertise:

Start with the big picture
Use filters before going specific
Look at lifestyle, recovery, breathing, pain, and previous injury history
Screen movement before prescribing exercise
Use trials to determine whether change happens quickly or slowly
Create awareness through experience
Clarify what needs protection
Vet the correction instead of simply issuing exercises
Build a development path that supports the person’s goals

The key message: movement expertise is not about knowing more exercises.

It is about knowing how to observe, filter, test, retest, protect, correct, and develop the person in front of you without missing the bigger picture.

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/
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In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray Cook and Lee Burton answer some of the most common questions they have received about Functional Movement Systems, the Functional Movement Screen, movement assessment, research criticism, SFMA, corrective exercise, and where the future of movement screening is headed.

The conversation starts with a simple question:

What is the FMS?

Gray and Lee explain that the FMS is more than a set of movements. It is part of a systematic way of looking at movement so professionals can make better decisions. Like an eye chart for movement, the screen helps determine what a person can do, what they cannot do, and whether movement creates pain.

From there, they address some of the biggest misconceptions around the Functional Movement Screen, including the idea that it is only about finding problems, that it is too conservative, or that the research says it does not matter.

They also discuss why screening is not the same as assessment, how the SFMA helps professionals go deeper when pain is present, and why the goal is not to explain every test on the front end, but to create awareness and communicate the findings in a way that is personal and actionable.

This episode also looks ahead to the future of movement screening, including AI, computer vision, insurance reimbursement, wearable data, decision trees, and the need to avoid turning movement analysis into another generic exercise prescription.
Topics include:

What the FMS is and how to explain it
The “eye chart for movement” analogy
Screening, testing, and assessment
What the FMS can and cannot tell you
Common criticisms and misconceptions
Why the FMS is not just about red flags
How to communicate findings to clients and athletes
Why pain changes the decision tree
When to use the SFMA
How breakouts help identify the root of the problem
Why test/retest matters
How to build confidence using the system
The future of FMS, AI, computer vision, and decision support

The key takeaway: movement screening is not about labeling someone as broken. It is about identifying the most important movement information so the next recommendation is safer, smarter, and more specific to the person in front of you.

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/

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In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray Cook and Lee Burton are joined by Dr. Todd Arnold, a board-certified sports medicine physician with more than two decades of experience caring for athletes at every level — from high school and collegiate sports to NCAA Championships, World Championships, and elite international competition.

Dr. Arnold serves as the medical officer for elite athlete healthcare for USA Track & Field, where his role is not simply to react to injuries, but to help athletes stay healthy enough to train, compete, and perform when it matters most.

This conversation explores how movement assessment fits into modern sports medicine and why runners need more than mileage, strength, or biomechanics alone. Dr. Arnold shares how he uses movement screening, Y Balance, table exams, biomechanics, recovery conversations, and individual baselines to better understand each athlete’s state of readiness.

The discussion covers:

Why sports medicine needs to move from reactive to proactive care
How Dr. Arnold applies movement systems with elite runners
Why every runner needs an individual baseline
The three things Dr. Arnold does not want to miss in runners
Ankle dorsiflexion asymmetry
Glute sequencing and timing
Thoracic extension
Why running is repetitive, predictable, and demanding
How movement screens help create athlete buy-in
Why table exams still matter
How Faber and Thomas testing relate to running mechanics
The relationship between movement readiness and wearable data
Why recovery may be the biggest mistake many runners make
How coaches, clinicians, sports psychologists, dietitians, and biomechanics teams can use movement as a shared language

The key takeaway: running performance is not just about training harder. It is about understanding whether the athlete is ready to absorb, adapt, and repeat the work.

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/
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In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray Cook sits down with Jason McCarthy, founder and CEO of GORUCK, former Green Beret, and one of the leading voices behind the modern rucking movement.

Jason and Emily McCarthy started GORUCK in 2008 while Jason was serving in Special Forces and Emily was working with the CIA. Their original goal was to build a rucksack to life-or-death quality standards—gear capable of performing in demanding environments around the world.

What began as a rucksack company has grown into a larger movement built around gear, training, events, GORUCK Clubs, teamwork, service, and the belief that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things.

In this conversation, Gray and Jason explore the deeper lessons behind rucking and military physical culture, including the difference between productive discomfort and unnecessary damage, why running has often been overemphasized in demanding training environments, and how readiness should guide the way we prepare for challenging work.

They also discuss:

• Jason’s path into Special Forces after September 11
• How GORUCK grew from an idea into a global rucking community
• The Green Beret mission of working by, with, and through others
• Why rucking is foundational to military preparation
• The difference between pain and productive discomfort
• Why overtraining can become an ego problem
• Tendon health, connective tissue, and sustainable strength
• The role of yoga, mobility, and breathing in high-intensity cultures
• Why risk and readiness should be evaluated separately
• How movement screening can reveal hidden physical vulnerabilities
• Rucking as a lifelong health and fitness practice
• Why children naturally run, jump, carry, and climb
• Health span, service, and staying capable for life

This conversation is about more than backpacks or workouts. It is about building a physical culture that challenges people while helping them stay capable, resilient, connected, and ready for the long term.

Learn more about the GORUCK story:
https://www.goruck.com/pages/about-goruck

Explore GORUCK:
https://www.goruck.com/

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/
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