Building the Inner Force

Recently, I revisited a passage from Coach Paul Wade’s excellent book Convict Conditioning that immediately resonated with me:

“The spine is the equivalent of the universal joint on a motor car. Every piece of pressure generated by movement goes through it… The stronger your spinal muscles, the more punishment your spine can take and bounce back, smiling.”

The quote continues by explaining that the spinal muscles are involved in virtually every athletic movement we perform. Whether we are lifting, throwing, running, twisting, bending, or carrying, the spine and its supporting musculature are at the center of the action.

Reading those words reminded me of my own recovery journey.

As I began rediscovering my body after years of back pain, one of the first realizations I had was that I lacked strength in many of the muscles surrounding the spine. My abdominals were not as strong as they should have been. My obliques needed work. My hip flexors were weak. The stabilizing muscles of the spine—the multifidus, erector spinae, and the muscles supporting the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical regions—were not functioning at the level they needed to.

Looking back, it made perfect sense.

During my football years, I was singularly focused on getting stronger. I wanted to earn my place on the team. I wanted to lift more weight. Like many young athletes, I measured progress by pounds on the bar.

What we now call mobility training barely existed in my world.

Strength was the goal.

Movement quality was rarely discussed.

As I reflected on this, an old memory came rushing back.

When I was seventeen years old, I spent several months in Israel living on a kibbutz. I was surrounded by young men my age, many of whom were preparing to enter military service.

These weren’t gym athletes.

These were what we would now call “farm-boy strong.”

Their strength came from work, discipline, and daily physical activity.

Many of them hoped to earn positions in elite military units, so physical preparation was taken very seriously. They ran before sunrise. They trained together daily. Push-ups, running, bodyweight exercises, and physical challenges were simply part of life.

One day, one of these young men approached me.

At the time, I considered myself reasonably strong.

After all, I played had played some football and spent plenty of time lifting weights with Victor (As told a few emails ago…)

Without saying much, he reached over and slapped me on the abdomen.

My stomach wobbled like gelatin.

He looked at me and simply said:

“There’s no strength here.”

Then he walked away.

At the time, I was embarrassed.

Years later, I realized he had given me one of the most valuable lessons of my life.

He wasn’t talking about appearance.

He was talking about function.

He was talking about real strength.

Fast forward several years.

As I returned to Taekwondo and continued my recovery journey, that memory stayed with me.

I knew I needed to become stronger.

But this time, strength meant something different.

It wasn’t about adding more weight to the bar.

It wasn’t about looking stronger.

It was about becoming stronger from the inside out.

If I wanted to move well, compete, recover, and live without pain, I needed to strengthen my center.

I needed to strengthen my core.

I needed to strengthen the muscles that supported my spine and connected my entire body together.

I needed mobility.

I needed stability.

I needed coordination.

I needed resilience.

In many ways, this was the beginning of what would eventually become the philosophy behind the Inner Force Method.

Because true strength does not begin in the arms or the legs.

It begins at the center.

It begins with the foundation.

It begins with the inner force that allows the entire body to move, adapt, and thrive.

And once that foundation is strong, everything else becomes possible.

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Understanding the Spine: Why Back Pain Matters

Recently, I came across an interesting explanation from a physical medicine specialist that immediately caught my attention.

According to Dr. Ameet Nagpal, our lower backs may simply be victims of evolution. In his words, humans are only a “blink” away from having been four-legged creatures. Our bodies evolved to stand upright, but modern life places tremendous demands on the spine that our ancestors never experienced.

Think about it.

We spend hours sitting.

We hunch over phones and computers.

We carry extra body weight.

We move less than previous generations.

It is no surprise that back pain has become one of the most common physical complaints in the modern world.

Yet there is good news.

Your spine does not have to suffer.

One of the greatest lessons I learned through my own recovery journey is that the body is adaptable. The spine responds to movement, strength, mobility, posture, and intelligent training. We may not be able to eliminate every ache and pain, but we can often improve the body’s ability to withstand the demands of daily life.

Understanding the source of pain is often the first step toward improving it.

Three Types of Back Pain

One concept that I found particularly useful is understanding that not all back pain is the same.

1. Muscle Pain

Muscle pain often occurs when the muscles that support the spine become weak, imbalanced, overworked, or deconditioned.

This type of pain may feel like:

• Tightness
• Tenderness
• Stiffness
• Muscle spasms
• General soreness after activity

In many cases, improving movement quality, strengthening the core, increasing mobility, and gradually building strength can help address this type of discomfort.

2. Joint Pain

Joint pain tends to feel deeper and more structural.

It often appears after remaining in one position for too long and may be accompanied by stiffness and aching.

This type of pain is frequently associated with the joints of the spine and the structures between the vertebrae that help provide movement and support.

Many people describe this sensation as feeling “locked up” or stiff, particularly after long periods of sitting.

3. Nerve Pain

Nerve pain is often very different from muscle or joint pain.

When structures such as bulging discs place pressure on nearby nerves, symptoms can include:

• Burning sensations
• Sharp shooting pain
• Tingling
• Numbness
• Weakness that may travel into the legs

This type of pain usually requires careful assessment and professional guidance.

What This Means for Us

One of the biggest mistakes people make is treating all back pain as if it were the same problem.

Understanding whether the issue is primarily muscular, joint-related, or nerve-related can help guide a more effective approach to recovery.

The spine is not fragile.

It is resilient.

It adapts.

It responds to how we treat it.

And when we give it movement, strength, mobility, and attention, it often rewards us with the ability to continue doing the things we love.

As Coach Paul Wade reminds us, strength cannot truly exist without a strong spine.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons the body can teach us. 

Acknowledgment: The information presented in the “Three Types of Back Pain” section was inspired by a health article featuring insights from Dr. Ameet Nagpal, MD, and Dr. Stephanie Van, MD. Their work helped inform the educational content shared here.

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Here is a little training Comment I found interesting from an unknown boxer:

Nothing builds character quite like realizing there’s one more round left.

Fitting, don't you think? 

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Swing Into Summer Challenge Update

It has been amazing to watch everyone work through this challenge.

Strength, endurance, sweat, and a little bit of wonder have become the ingredients of a magical potion in the making. Every week, I see more confidence, better movement, stronger swings, and a growing belief in what each person is capable of accomplishing.

For this week’s challenge, things are about to get a little more interesting.

The goal remains 240 kettlebell swings, but this time everyone will have the freedom to challenge themselves to complete them in the fewest number of sets possible.

This is where strategy, conditioning, mental toughness, and determination begin to meet.

Will you break them into many small sets?

Will you attack them in a few larger efforts?

How efficiently can you move while maintaining quality and technique?

I am excited to see the creativity that emerges.

Even more exciting, I would love for everyone to share a little glimpse of their journey. If you are participating, consider sending a short video of yourself in action. There is something powerful about seeing people show up, put in the work, and inspire others through their consistency.

The challenge is no longer just about swings.

It is about building momentum.

It is about building confidence.

It is about building the strongest version of ourselves… one swing at a time.

Keep swinging. The best is yet to come