Pain is your friend was my mantra as a young rugby player trying to crack the big leagues and run with thebig dogs, I needed to be bigger, stronger, faster and earn the respect of my peers to win theconfidence of my coaches to make the cut. I had set a tall order for myself and had made manysacrifices, it was all or nothing - overcoming my fears and breaking the pain barrier time andtime again was the only way to succeed. I knew if it wasn't hurting - I wasn't working hard enough.No pain, no gain..When we're born, the first thing we feel is pain - its how we know we are alive. The pain of our first breath of air, the pain of hunger to eat, pains from growth and the pain of loss. Pain, in all its forms, guides us, pointing us in the right direction so that we can react accordingly to avoid further more serious forms of chronic pain. Unfortunately, more often than not, we are not listening to what pains us and we reach for the easy out which is usually pain medication. Prolonged use leads to all sorts of serious problems like dependance, illness and ultimately, surgery, facts which I know all to well.The pain management industry is huge and continues to grow at an alarming rate, you can't watchtelevision, listen to the radio, read a newspaper or browse the internet without a pain medication ad being shoved down your throat. In America its reported that the leading cause of Americans taking sick days is due to sciatic back pain, pain which I suffered with for years. By living with my pain for so long I ultimately did more damage to my body than if I had addressed the pain head on. I had lost sight of my mantra, "pain is your friend." Instead, I tried to ignore the pain and dial it down with pain medication so that I could work my way though it. I now know that this is impossible.If you want to fix any problem you need to find the root cause. When it comes to muscle pain inyour neck, back, shoulders, feet and hips, the root cause is tight restricted fascia.My speedy recovery from surgery stems from seeing one of the best surgeons in the country, quality pre and post surgery physical therapy, including self-myofascial release, and treating the surgery like any other sporting injury which consisted of me spending a lot of time icing, hydrating and resting. My postural improvements, the reduction of muscle pain and my ability to be running around on thebeach and living an active lifestyle comes from re-aquatinting myself with my old friend, pain. My practiceof self-myofascial release is allowing me to revive my battle-beaten body. I can now say that my body is finally back to normal and I have overcome the injuries that have plagued me for so long. I look forward to living the healthy active lifestyle that I have grown so accustom to and I want to help otherknow there is a better way.

The "Massage"I thought I was going to see Karl for a deep tissue massage but in actuality, I had no idea what Karl's treatments were all about and although massage was part of Karl's treatment, it certainly was not the main ingredient. The hour and a half session started with me standing on a 2" hard rubber ball, first under the knuckle joint of my big toe and working my way down to my little toe, then down my arches and finally undermy heel. Never having done this before, the round ball felt like I was standing on something sharp, I waslearning fast this was not going to be a pleasurable hour and a half "massage"From there it was on to what would become my "favorite," rolling a 20 kg lifting bar down my leg with an extra 15 kg on each side. My muscle was sandwiched between my bone and the thin foam covering the weight bar. This "massage" technique was extremely painful, but also extremely effective. To get the best results from this kind of myofascial release you will need a weight bench. Sit at one end and place your leg on the bench, point your toes to the ceiling, squeeze your abs, relax yourshoulders, point the top of your head to the ceiling and get in the best postural position possible. Thenhave a trained professional, i.e. Karl List, place a 50 kg weight bar on the top of your thigh, where it meets your hip. The next bit is really important, without pulling a face or losing your composure,have the trained professional roll the bar down to your knee, very slowly and then back again. Do this 3-4 times then change legs. At this point in my "massage" I began to feel beads of sweat gathering on my brow. "Holy Shit" I thought to myself, "what is he doing!!" Trying to remain cool and not lose my composure I kept quiet and endured the pain. Next, we moved to the stretching mats, finally, I thought, I can lay down and have Karl do some traditional "massage," I can close my eyes and relax while he works on me. Think again, while laying face down Karl placed a 5" ball under my abs just to the left of my belly button, then he placed a smaller ball under my right shoulder. My muscles were tight to start, but as I breathed into them I could feel them begin to loosen. Karl was working on my calves while I was lying on the balls, and by working I mean he had the tip of his elbow buried into my calf all the way down to the bone. Then he shifted gears and started working on my hamstrings, while he was doing this he had all his weight on my back which was forcing the ball I was lying on further into my abs. My eyes were wide open and sweat was streaming off of me. I was trying to stay relaxed, but Karl was not making it easy! An hour had passed and I was sweating like I was doing a work out, I remember thinking "this guyis insane, when is he going to stop!" To Karl's credit he gave me my moneys worth, he was relentless and did not let up until he felt he had sufficiently worked my muscles. Karl's methods are unorthodox, intense, extremely effective and are unique to him. If rugby is described as a collision sport, then Karl is the number one body shop man.I later found out that I had ruptured a disc in my lower back two years earlier. I had been suffering with sciatic pain for that entire time and thought thats all it was. After just under three months of seeing Karl once a week and practicing self myofascial release between our sessions. I was pain free and returned to play out the American Super League rugby season. This alone speaks volumes for Karl's deep understanding of the human body and what has lead me to refer to him as the closest person to Master Yoda I have met. Karl has gone further than any one trainer or therapist I have met, and there is still so much more that I can learn from him. Karl is the inspiration for the creation of Bula Balls, and is why I can speak from experience when I say that self myofasical release really works!

After two weeks of obeying to the every whimper, shriek and scream like the world is about to end from my baby boy Aiman, its only natural that one neglect ones self. No more touch rugby on the beach, afternoon jogs, relaxing restorative yoga classes, long hot relaxing baths, I have even fallen behind on my routine self myofascial releasing...

Oh, I know, woe is me, the stay home dad that sleeps in and whose biggest part of his day is cooking, cleaning and a weekly shopping trip COSTCO. But believe me, this shit is not easy!!

Trying to decipher the different cries of a newborn is not easy, is he hungry, needs his nappy changed, does he have wind, need to be soothed or is he just f@#king with me?? How do single parents do this and still work full time?

I got to bed last night at 11, woke up at 12:30 and spent the rest of the night watching/helping Kristina trying to sooth the lil' guy. We finally got to sleep around 9 am and slept till 1 pm!

Thought I would take some time in the afternoon to roll out (SMR) while my man child slept, its amazing how much tension has returned to my body after such a short time. I'm sure those of you reading this with kids know exactly what I'm talking about!

I can hear the boy screaming now, it never stops.. and I'm loving every minute of it.

Can I get an Aiman..!

Rugby is described in the coaching manuals as a collision sport (one moving object or person striking violently against another) a game of colliding vehicles..

Oh.., I'd like to see that again..!

Trauma like this on the body takes its toll. Many people out there wonder why athletes put themselves through such punishment. But the truth is, sitting at your desk all day with bad posture or working in a repetitive factory/manual lifting job will, over time, do the same damage to your body as a collision sport.

While professional athletes have the best medical/physical therapy support staff and are in the practice of recovery training often just hours after their games, nothing comes close to daily self myofascial release to help their bodies to overcome traumas like these. The same holds true for everyone suffering from muscle pain and stiffness.

Karl’s reputation as a highly skilled innovator and top personal trainer at Gold’s Gym in Venice, Californiahas made him one of the most sought after fitness experts in the industry. With more than twenty years experience as a personal trainer and a celebrated career as natural body builder, Karl has beenfeatured in several publications including Mens Health, Live Fit, Muscle & Fitness and Ironman, to name afew. Karl's degree is in Physical Education and Lifetime Health & Fitness and along with his other qualifications he is a IDEA-Master Level Trainer. However, I had no inkling of any of Karl's qualifications before I met him. I was referred to Karl by another trainer at Golds, Danny Henry. Danny is the strength trainer for the Santa Monica Rugby Club men's team and after one of our sessions I asked Danny if he could refer me to a good deep tissue masseur. At the time I was still battling the pain associated with the neck and back injuries I had been suffering with since early in my rugby career. To help with the pain I booked regular massage treatments and was having a hard time finding anyone good. Dannyquickly gave me three options ranging from good at $80 per hour, to very good at $100 per hourand finally the best at $150 per hour, my initial reaction was something like, holy shit $150 an hour!! Does it come with a happy ending?? At the time I was paying around $60 per massage and the jumpto $150 seemed like a bridge too far, but at the same time it felt like I was throwing $60 away everytime I got a shit massage, so I decided to give Karl a call.After calling and leaving a message, I received a call from Karl's wife Jodi a couple of days later to line up an appointment. Before the call finished I asked, "so what's the address?" Jodi told me that Karl works from Golds and to just meet him in front of the squatting racks. Confused, I asked if he had a massage bed at Golds. Jodi told me that I would understand once I got there. After hanging up the phone I remember sitting there thinking what the F$#K, this better be some F$#king massage!!The day of my appointment I turned up to the gym early and saw Karl finishing up with his previousclient and sure enough, there was not going to be any fold out bed for me to get comfortable on or any privacy from the rest of the people working out in the gym, it was all going to happen in front of the squat rack. What have a got myself in to?!?A couple of minutes go by, Karl finishes up with his pervious client and we meet for the first time,Karl has a slight build, lean, athletic and about 5 foot 5. The introductions are barely over when Karl says to me that I look like a "bent nail." Still reeling from the fact that I was paying $150 to get a "massage" in the middle of a crowded gym, I was shocked to hear Karl describe my body exactly the way it felt, like a bent nail. Karl was able to diagnose me without knowing anything about my history and without touching me at all. No one else has ever described my body in that way, though I knew immediately that Karl knew what he was talking about and would probably know what to do to help me overcome my injuries. My interest picked up and I wanted to know more. From the start, it was clear to me that there was much more to Karl List than meets the eye.

Can I get an Aiman...!Waiting wondering anticipating,tension anxiety stress,waiting waiting waiting.Compassion empathy concern,love support encouragement. Deep breathe and puuusshh,quick breathe and puuusshh,quick breathe and puuusshh...Breathing pushing visualizing,encouraging supporting motivating.36 hours of laboring, 45 minutes of pushing and everythingin-between, out comes baby Aiman!Its a boy, its a boy,can I get an Aiman..!Cut the cord, check on mum,check on baby both doing good.Adrenaline still pumping,everyones OK ... growing calmer.Time passes overwhelming,joy joy joy, happiness love..Proud daddy,I have son..Can I get an Aiman!!