SolCoreFitness

Do You Know the Truth About The Bend Pattern?

Bending is one of the most common movements we use in everyday life—picking up your kids, moving a box, swinging a golf club. But most people don’t do it well. That poor movement adds up, leading to tightness, pain, or injury over time.

So should you jump straight into Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) or kettlebell swings to “fix” it?

Not quite.

Let’s unpack what the bend pattern really is, which muscle chains are involved, and how to approach this movement holistically so your body gets stronger—not more worn down.

Click the image to watch the full video

What Is the Bend Pattern, Really?

In training, the bend pattern refers to a hip-dominant movement like an RDL or deadlift. You’ll see this pattern show up solo or combined with other movements during everyday life—lifting, twisting, walking, squatting.

But just “doing” the movement doesn’t mean you’re doing it well.

If your muscle chains are out of balance—some tight, some weak, some misfiring—practicing the bend pattern without addressing the root causes can reinforce dysfunction and eventually lead to pain or breakdown.

The Bend Pattern Is a Global Movement

Unlike isolated exercises, the bend pattern is what we call a “global” movement. It requires the whole body to coordinate and act as one. That’s why I don’t just teach the movement—I assess how your body is functioning within the movement.

We look at the full chain: the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and how they interact.

The primary chain behind the bend pattern is your posterior chain—from your heel to your calves, hamstrings, glutes, deep back muscles, and even your neck and shoulders. But your anterior and lateral chains help stabilize that pattern too.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the key players:

  • Soleus
  • Gastrocnemius (calf muscles)
  • Hamstrings
  • Gluteus maximus
  • Four layers of spinal muscles
  • Trapezius
  • Rhomboids
  • Levator scapulae
  • Shoulder stabilizers

The Problem with Just “Doing” the Bend

Too often, people start loading up barbells without assessing the quality of their chain or how their fascia is functioning.

The bend pattern naturally places more mechanical load on the lower back than a squat—simply due to leverage. That’s not a bad thing. But it becomes a problem if:

  • You haven’t trained segmentally
  • Your fascia is out of balance
  • You’ve overloaded the system
  • You’re dealing with an acute back issue

Force isn’t the enemy. Misapplied force is.

How to Learn the Bend Pattern: Start Pure

To truly master this pattern, you must start with clean motor control. I teach the butt-back, bow-forward drill from a kneeling position. It’s the most stripped-down, brain-friendly way to teach your body how to move properly.

From there:

  1. Kneeling →
  2. Bodyweight standing RDL →
  3. Light weight →
  4. Full deadlift (hip + knee bend)

At each step, you’re grooving the right motor pattern—building a motor engram in your brain so you move properly without having to think about it.

Key pointers:

  • Keep a neutral spine (don’t over-arch or round)
  • Maintain all four natural curves in your back
  • Shift weight back into heels—but don’t lift your toes
  • Move as one unit—don’t break at the spine
  • Engage your abs and lats for support

Common Mistakes (That Will Wreck Your Back)

  • Rounding the spine
  • Overarching the lower back
  • Losing foot contact
  • Using too much weight too soon
  • Not progressing through proper training stages

Instagram might celebrate a rounded-back deadlift, but your body won’t. You want smooth, controlled, segmental movement—built over time with intention.

The Fascia Piece (Why It Matters)

Muscles don’t work in isolation. They’re wrapped in and connected by fascia—a living, communicative network that governs structure, neurology, and coordination.

If your fascia is dehydrated, compressed, or restricted, your body can’t move well—even if your muscles are “strong.”

Here’s what affects fascia health:

  • 🚰 Dehydration (aim for half your body weight in ounces of plain water daily)
  • 😰 Chronic stress
  • 🧍‍♂️ Not working the fascia directly (training in multiple planes and ranges)

Want a better bend pattern? Take care of your fascia first.

Deadlift vs. RDL

Once you master the RDL, you can layer in the deadlift by adding controlled knee flexion. The movement stays hip-dominant, but now you’re handling more force and range of motion.

Both movements are important—but only if you’ve earned the right to do them well.

Slow Is Smooth. Smooth Is Strong.

Building a bend pattern takes time. Don’t rush. Train your brain, train your chains, and train your fascia. It’s not about how much weight you lift. It’s about how well you move—now and for the rest of your life.

Want Help?

If you’re 40+ and looking to be strong, mobile, and pain-free for the long haul, I’ve got a few ways to support you:

All links are in the description below.

See you next week—take care.

— Ekemba Sooh
SolCore Fitness & Therapy

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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Awareness and Mindset in Fitness: Stop Sabotaging Progress

There is what is factually happening and your perception of what is happening. Being aware and managing these two situations will either lead you to suffering or not.

Check out this video to raise your awareness and help you move through your sticking points.

Click the image to watch the full video

What Are You Making It Mean?

There’s what’s happening—and there’s what you make it mean.

That difference? It’s everything.
Because whether you move forward or stay stuck depends on whether you respond to reality… or your perception of it.

Let’s dig into what that really means—especially when it comes to your body, your progress, and the way you approach challenge.

Your Body Speaks. Are You Listening—or Interpreting?

Anytime you start a new fitness or therapy program—especially one that’s truly holistic—it’s going to challenge you. It might expose weaknesses, bring up tension you’ve ignored, or feel “hard” in unfamiliar ways.

But most people don’t just feel that difficulty—they add meaning to it:

  • “This is torture.”
  • “My body can’t handle this.”
  • “I’m not cut out for this kind of training.”
  • “I’m broken.”
  • “It’s too much.”

Those are interpretations, not facts.

The fact might be:
👉 “This stretch is tight.”
👉 “I’ve never moved like this before.”
👉 “I don’t yet know how to do this.”

That’s a very different experience.

Example: The Bicep Femoris Stretch

Let’s say I give you a bicep femoris myofascial stretch—a targeted stretch for your hamstrings in their full fascial chain.

It’s not “hard” in the traditional sense. But if your body needs it, it will feel tight or awkward or intense.

You get to choose:

  • Will you experience it for what it is?
  • Or will you pile on emotional baggage and make it mean something bigger?

The One Thing That Sabotages Progress

The #1 thing I see stop people from progressing is not the exercises themselves—it’s the mental meaning they assign to those exercises.

If your internal voice says “I shouldn’t feel this way” or “this means I’m broken,” you’re setting yourself up for resistance, frustration, and eventually—quitting.

But if you stay present with what’s actually happening in your body—without judgment—you stay open to growth.

What to Do Instead

Here’s how I coach clients to navigate this:

  1. Expect challenge. New experiences will feel weird. That doesn’t mean they’re bad.
  2. Create space. Journaling, breathwork, or mindfulness can help you separate your emotions from the facts.
  3. Observe your mind. Notice what stories pop up. You don’t have to believe them.
  4. Return to your body. Stay grounded in what you’re actually feeling—tightness, confusion, effort—not the meaning you’re assigning to it.

The Big Shift: Let the Process Change You

Doing something new isn’t just about gaining a new skill. It’s about letting the process change you.

You won’t get new results by staying the same person. That includes your body, your thoughts, your habits, your expectations.

So don’t just focus on doing something different.
Focus on becoming someone different—someone who can handle challenge without collapse, who stays present, and who grows through the experience.

This Is Holistic Fitness

At SolCore Fitness, I teach from an osteopathic model—where therapy and training are part of the same continuum, and the body is treated as a connected whole.

That means I don’t just give you workouts. I give you a framework that teaches your body and mind to adapt.

So when something is tight, you don’t panic.
You observe. You adjust. You continue.

That’s how long-term change actually happens.

Ready to Try?

Drop a comment if this resonates.
Have you noticed yourself layering meaning onto your experience? Have you ever self-sabotaged without realizing it?

Awareness is the first step.
And I’d love to hear what you’ve discovered.

See you next week.

— Ekemba Sooh
SolCore Fitness & Therapy

P.S Read more about my journey! It is filled with multiple moments of Ah Ha’s

Ekemba’s Story

Bbuilding a foundation for a better life.

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Unlocking Sarcopenia: A Holistic Approach to Building Strength and Mobility

Sarcopenia doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a progressive condition that weakens your muscles, damages your posture, and erodes your ability to move and live freely. While most people associate sarcopenia with aging, research shows it can begin as early as your 30s. And despite common advice, lifting weights, eating more protein, or taking hormone supplements won’t be enough to stop it.

So what’s the missing link? A holistic, fascia-based approach that addresses your body’s structure, balance, and communication systems — not just the muscles themselves.

Click on the image to watch the full video

Click on the image to watch the video

What Is Sarcopenia, Really?

Sarcopenia is the gradual loss of muscle mass and neuromuscular connection. It leads to weakness, fatigue, poor balance, difficulty with stairs, and decreased mobility. Contributing factors can include:

  • Inactivity or lack of intentional movement
  • Hormonal imbalance
  • Ineffective protein synthesis
  • Inadequate nutrition

Most people respond with a linear strategy: eat more, move more, and take supplements. But the body doesn’t operate in straight lines — it’s a web of interdependent systems. If you don’t address your structure and internal communication, even the best supplements won’t get absorbed properly. That’s where a holistic model comes in.

The Fascia-Based Framework That Changes Everything

To build real strength and protect against sarcopenia, you need to train your fascia — the connective tissue network that holds your muscles and skeleton in place. Your muscles don’t operate alone. They rely on:

  • Contractile fibers (your muscle tissue)
  • Series and parallel elastic components (your fascia, ligaments, and periosteum)

This system is described in Hill’s Muscle Model and supported by osteopathic principles. When fascia is stiff, unbalanced, or misaligned, your muscles lose their efficiency — no matter how hard you train.

Balance Your Structure Before You Build Strength

Structure dictates function. If your posture is collapsing, your digestion, hormone production, and movement all suffer. That’s why people with sarcopenia often show signs like:

  • Kyphotic (hunched) posture
  • Decreased height
  • Poor digestion or hormonal imbalance
  • Limited strength despite working out

Building strength on top of dysfunction won’t work. You must first correct your structure through fascia-based methods — which brings us to the two most powerful tools for long-term change.

Myofascial Stretching and ELDOA: Your Secret Weapons

✅ Myofascial Stretching realigns your tensegrity structure — the interconnected web that holds your body together. It creates space and balance through precise tension in the fascia.

✅ ELDOA strengthens and decompresses your spine, restoring efficient communication between your brain and body. A healthy spine boosts hormonal signals and neuromuscular coordination — exactly what sarcopenia disrupts.

Together, these tools form the foundation of a fascia-centered program that not only restores strength but builds it intelligently, sustainably, and holistically.

Train the Whole Chain, Not Just the Muscle

Muscles have multiple fiber directions. For example, your glutes have anterior, middle, and posterior fibers — each needing a different position and movement pattern to train effectively.

By using fascia-informed postures and loading the full myofascial chain (not just isolated muscles), you teach your body to move better, not just harder.

Go Beyond 10 Reps — Challenge the System

To reverse sarcopenia, you must go beyond your comfort zone — not recklessly, but with purpose. That means pushing past 10 reps when appropriate, training to near-exhaustion in a safe way, and challenging your nervous system to adapt and grow.

This stimulates the exact responses you want:

  • Muscle growth (even without heavy weights)
  • Improved neuromuscular coordination
  • Greater hormonal efficiency
  • More connection, awareness, and control

Start Where You Are, Then Build Up

Yes, this may sound complex — fascia, hormones, structural balance, different muscle fibers — but it all starts in one place: where you are right now.

Find the tightest, weakest, or most disconnected part of your body and begin there. With the right strategy, your body will adapt faster than you expect. Overwhelm fades as progress builds. And each step unlocks a little more strength, confidence, and freedom from the grip of sarcopenia.

Want Help? I’ve Got You.


✅ Free Ebook – 4 Steps to Live the Life of Your Choosing: Get Stronger, More Mobile & Pain-Free.
✅ Book a Call – If you’re ready for a deeper transformation, I’ll assess where you are and where you want to go — and we’ll see if my program is a fit.

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Is Hanging For Back Pain A Real And Safe Solution? 🧐

Back pain affects over 550 million people worldwide, and with that kind of number, it’s no surprise people are searching for relief—fast. One of the more popular trends? Hanging from a pull-up bar to decompress the spine. But is this method really helping, or could it be doing more harm than good?

Let’s break it down through a holistic, fascia-informed lens, so you can understand what’s really happening when you hang—and whether it’s a smart choice for your back.

Click on the image to watch the full video

🔍 Why People Hang for Back Pain

The theory is simple: when you hang, your body weight creates a gentle pull on the spine, which seems to decompress the vertebrae. It’s popular among physical therapists and fitness influencers who promote spinal decompression as a fix for bulging discs, tight backs, or just general discomfort.

But like most things in health and fitness, simple doesn’t mean effective—and it certainly doesn’t mean safe for everyone.

🚫 When Hanging Might Do More Harm Than Good

Let’s start by understanding what kind of back pain you’re dealing with. Here’s a simple breakdown:

  1. No pain – Fine for general feel-good movement
  2. Semi-chronic – Occasional flare-ups
  3. Chronic – Consistent daily discomfort
  4. Acute – Sharp, intense pain or injury

🔴 Acute or chronic pain? Avoid hanging. Your body is already inflamed and dysregulated. Hanging adds unpredictable force to an unstable system—it’s not specific, and it can worsen the problem.

🟡 Semi-chronic? Maybe—but only for brief relief, not correction.

🟢 No pain? You’re free to experiment, but don’t expect it to fix much.

🌀 What Really Happens When You Hang?

When you lift your feet and hang from a bar, your body wobbles. That instability triggers your core and spinal muscles to contract constantly in small ways just to keep you from falling.

That means instead of fully relaxing and lengthening your spine, your body is busy protecting itself. And contraction ≠ decompression.

📌 The Specificity Problem

Even if hanging did decompress the spine, it doesn’t target where you need it most.

Back pain often shows up in specific areas—like L4-L5, T12-L1, or T8-T9. But when you hang, your body moves where it’s already free and open—not where it’s stuck.

➡️ Correction requires specificity. If you can’t direct the force to the exact spinal segment in need, you’re just stretching the wrong places.

🪢 No Fixed Point = No Progress

To correct posture or decompress a joint, your body needs fixed points above and below the target area. Hanging removes that control. It’s like trying to stretch a rubber band without holding the ends.

You can’t direct the force. You can’t stabilize. You can’t be specific. And without that, no real change happens.

🔄 Twisting While Hanging? Please Don’t.

Some videos promote twisting your body while hanging. That’s biomechanically dangerous.

When you twist your spine under load (yes, hanging counts), you create compression, not decompression. The spinal discs and surrounding ligaments are not built to rotate freely under tension—especially not in a compromised state.

🏗️ Hanging Is a Closed Kinetic Chain

If you’re trying to create space in your spine, you need open kinetic chain movement—freedom at the end joint. But hanging is closed-chain. Your arms are fixed; your spine becomes the weak link under tension.

That’s the opposite of what you want if your goal is spinal decompression.

🔧 So What Should You Do Instead?

Back pain isn’t always caused by your back. Common culprits include:

  • Herniated or bulging discs
  • Pinched nerves or blood vessels
  • Structural imbalance
  • Weakness or asymmetry in trunk muscles
  • Poor fascial tension distribution

You need to balance strength and mobility across your entire structure. That includes your spine, diaphragm, abs, ribs, back muscles, and everything connected via fascia.

🧠 And most importantly—you must re-educate your body. Passive hanging doesn’t do that. You need specific exercises and postures that restore function, reduce compression, and create stability through proper alignment.

✅ Here’s What Works Better

  • ELDOA – Targeted spinal decompression with fascial tension
  • Myofascial Stretching – Postural rebalancing to relieve tension
  • Holistic Training – Programs designed to move you from dysfunction to function
  • Structural Assessment – To identify where to start and how to build safely

💬 Final Word: Hanging Feels Easy—But That Doesn’t Make It Effective

It’s tempting to think hanging can fix your back pain. It’s quick. It’s simple. But the body isn’t simple—it’s complex, interconnected, and intelligent.

If you want sustainable relief and a stronger, more mobile spine, don’t rely on hacks. Invest in your body’s full system.

🎁 Want Help?

Get started for free:

  • ✅ [Download the Free Ebook] – 4 Steps to Live the Life of Your Choosing
  • ✅ [Book a Call] – Get clear on what’s really going on and see if my program fits you

Let’s move beyond hacks—and help your body become something greater.

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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How to Work With Your Fascia for Real Strength and Mobility

Fascia connects everything in your body. It holds, supports, and integrates your muscles, bones, and organs. If you want a body that’s strong, mobile, and pain-free long-term, you have to learn how to work with your fascia the right way.

Most people think they are training fascia when they foam roll or do myofascial release—but that’s just the surface. To truly work with your fascia, you need to understand its structure, its functions, and how it responds to stress, movement, and care.

Click the image to watch the video.

What Is Fascia and Why Does It Matter?

From the moment you’re born, your fascia forms an interconnected web through every part of your body. It wraps muscles, links tendons to bones, cushions your organs, and shapes your movement. It isn’t just tissue—it’s alive, full of cells, fibers, and fluid.

Fascia is built on biotensegrity, meaning your structure is held by tension and compression, not stacked like a pile of blocks. That’s why traditional training often falls short—it doesn’t respect how your body is actually designed.

Most Fascia Training Misses the Point

Foam rolling, massage guns, scraping, and aggressive manual therapy often crush or traumatize your fascia instead of supporting it. Yes, you might feel a short-term release, but that doesn’t mean you’re fixing the problem. More often, you’re just triggering a stress response or creating more dysfunction.

True fascia training means more than poking at tight spots. It requires:

  • Understanding fascial chains (like the one that runs from your heel to your head)
  • Knowing how to create tension through specific postures and positions
  • Choosing whether to stretch or strengthen based on what your body needs
  • Considering hydration, stress, and nutrition as part of the fascia equation

How to Actually Work With Your Fascia

If you want to work with your fascia, not against it, here’s what it takes:

  1. Start with awareness
    Understand that fascia connects everything. Every movement involves fascia. But if you don’t train with that in mind, you miss the full benefit.
  2. Hydrate and nourish
    Fascia depends on water and quality nutrients to stay supple. If you’re dehydrated or eating junk, your fascia becomes brittle and inflamed.
  3. Use precise movements
    Align your body into tension lines that respect the fascial chains. Postures like myofascial stretches and strengthening sequences help stimulate and restore these connections.
  4. Train the whole system
    Don’t isolate. Work through the full chain with both global and local exercises. That’s how you build resilience and function.
  5. Respect recovery and the flow of fascia
    Fascia moves fluid through collagen tubes—don’t crush them with overuse of tools. Use techniques like pumping and gentle fascial normalization instead.

Symptom Fixes vs. Holistic Function

It’s easy to chase symptom relief—trigger point therapy, rolling, massage. But if you’re only focused on “fixing” the tight spot, you’re ignoring the system that created it.

Instead, choose to train with purpose. Strengthen the weak link, stretch what’s overactive, and use your fascia to unlock full-body performance.

Ready to Train Smarter?

I’ve spent over 17 years working directly with fascia using both therapy and exercise. If you want to learn more:

  • 📘 Grab my free eBook on holistic training with fascia in mind
  • 📞 Book a consultation to review your current routine and see where you’re missing the mark

Don’t just say fascia. Learn how to actually work with your fascia—and change the way your body performs for good.

Building a foundation for a better life.

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Unlocking the Power of the Squat Exercise

The squat exercise is one of the seven primal movements. But unlike the others, a properly executed squat is the only one that can directly improve your posture.

Most people learn to squat the wrong way. Fitness classes, trainers, and online videos often pass down bad form like it’s tradition. Challenges like “100 squats a day” only reinforce poor patterns. They don’t teach you how to move—they teach your body how to compensate.

That’s a problem.

Click the image to watch the full video.

Why the Squat Exercise Matters So Much

A squat isn’t just for building legs or glutes. It’s a global movement that involves your whole body working together. In fact, it’s made up of multiple smaller systems working in harmony—from your pelvic floor to your jaw.

Done right, it’s one of the most powerful tools you have for long-term strength, mobility, and posture.

Done wrong, it becomes a slow leak—wearing down your body over years until the damage is finally too loud to ignore.

Most People Are Taught the Squat All Wrong

When I started training back in my teens, I was told to arch my back, stick my butt out, and look up. It felt powerful—but it placed massive stress on my lower back and neck. I didn’t feel pain for years. But by the time I hit 35, that form had helped cause a spinal issue and sciatic pain.

That’s how compensation patterns work. You don’t feel them until they’ve done damage.

And unfortunately, a lot of fitness systems still teach that exact form today.

The Squat and Posture: A Unique Relationship

Unlike bending, pushing, or pulling, the squat uses and improves your posture—if done correctly.

Your postural system is made up of:

  • The Plumb Line (ear, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle alignment)
  • The Gravity Line (a 4-degree cone rising from your pubic bone)

The squat interacts with both. If your plumb line is off, squatting can make things worse. But if you squat with awareness and alignment, it actually helps reinforce your posture inside that gravity cone.

What It Takes to Do a Proper Squat Exercise

The squat is built from many parts. Each part needs to function independently before it can function together.

Here’s what that means:

✅ The Beam Phenomenon

Your torso needs to move like a solid beam—no wobble. That requires training your:

  • Pelvic floor
  • Abs (especially lower abs)
  • Diaphragm
  • Lats
  • Pecs
  • Fascia in the mouth and throat

✅ Foot and Ankle Mechanics

Your feet are your foundation. A weak or collapsed arch (especially at the navicular bone) throws off everything above. You may need arch support or proper shoes when lifting heavy.

✅ Pelvic Tuck and Knee Drive

A good squat is knee-dominant. That means knees move first—not hips.

At the same time, keep your pelvis tucked and chin tucked to stay in the beam. This requires both abdominal strength and fascial flexibility in the back.

If your soleus and calves are tight, your heels will lift and stop your knees from driving forward. So you may need to stretch and strengthen your calves to get full range.

Learning to Squat Means Slowing Down

If you’re constantly focused on performance or fat loss, you’re not giving your body the time it needs to learn proper form. And in a class environment, correcting your form often isn’t the priority.

That’s like trying to learn typing by mashing keys as fast as possible without learning the keyboard.

It’s not a matter of willpower—it’s just bad input. And bad input = bad output.

Good Squat = Good Life

Learning how to do a proper squat gives you a relationship with your body.

You’ll learn where you’re tight, where you’re weak, and where you’ve been compensating without even knowing it. And when you address those things, your body responds.

You get stronger. You feel better. You age slower.

Want Help With Your Squat?

I’ve helped thousands of people reconnect to their bodies through correct, holistic training. Here’s how you can start:

You’ve been given a body that can last 90+ years. The squat exercise is one of the best ways to take care of it.

Let’s make sure you’re doing it right.

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Lower back Pain: 3 BIG Reasons Why!

Are you searching for lower back pain relief? Googling lower back pain exercises, stretches, or massages? You’re not alone—lower back pain affects over 619 million people worldwide and is one of the leading causes of disability.

I know the frustration personally. About 16 years ago, I fell into that statistic. I tried doctors, PTs, chiropractors, acupuncture, yoga, Pilates—you name it. Some helped temporarily. Others made things worse. None gave me long-term results… until I took a holistic approach to my body.

I’m Ekemba Sooh, owner of SolCore Fitness in Santa Fe. I’m a SomaTrainer and SomaTherapist trained in a unique, osteopathic method of working with the body. After 30+ years in this field, I’ve helped countless people who were failed by symptom-focused care finally find relief—and get their lives back.

If you’re tired of lower back pain running your life, here are 3 major reasons you’re stuck—and what to do about it.

1. Poor Posture: Structure Dictates Function

Bad posture does more than look sloppy—it breaks down your entire system. Structure dictates function. That means your body only works as well as it’s aligned.

Having poor posture compresses joints, disturbs your fascia, restricts movement, and stresses your nervous system. And it’s not just about “standing up straight”—you need to stack your ear, shoulder, hip, and ankle vertically (plumb line), and be able to maintain that inside a 40° gravity cone.

If your posture’s off, everything else—training, therapy, diet—can only take you so far.

2. Bad Training: What Are You Actually Teaching Your Body?

Your body adapts to what you do—constantly. Whether you’re standing, sitting, or lifting weights, you’re always “training” it. The problem? Most people unknowingly teach their body to break down.

Take sitting, for example. It shortens and weakens your hip flexors and rotators, rounds your spine, and shuts off your glutes. This creates a chain reaction that leads straight to lower back pain. Most training programs don’t undo this damage—they reinforce it.

Effective training must be holistic and specific. You need to work not just the muscles that hurt, but the fascia and chains that surround them. That means targeted stretching, segmental strengthening, and spinal decompression like ELDOA—not generic “core” exercises or trendy workouts.

3. Bad Treatment Models: Are You Chasing Symptoms or Solving Causes?

Most conventional treatments focus on symptoms. You’re in pain, so you get pain meds, ice, or maybe some stretches on a sheet. That might help for a few days—but it doesn’t fix the cause.

Symptom-based care creates a cycle: Pain → Treatment → Temporary Relief → Pain Returns.

Cause-based therapy works differently. It asks:

  • Why did this pain start in the first place?
  • What movement patterns, lifestyle habits, or dysfunctions are at play?
  • What does your body specifically need to correct the problem?

In a cause-based model like mine, we assess how you move, how your spine functions, what your fascia is doing, and what your nervous system is compensating for. The goal isn’t just “feeling better”—it’s functioning better for life.

Bonus: Food, Hydration & Your Disc Health

Your lower back is only as healthy as what you feed it. Junk food, dehydration, and inflammation weaken your tissues—especially your discs. These shock-absorbing structures are 70% water. If they’re dehydrated, they shrink and lose strength.

Good food and proper hydration are not extras—they’re part of the solution.

So What Now?

Ask yourself:
Do you want to just feel less pain—or do you want to function better?

If it’s the latter, you need a program that:

  • Works holistically (not just locally)
  • Targets the cause, not just the symptoms
  • Evolves with your body over time

That’s the work I do. And if you’re ready, I’ve got a few options:

Lower back pain isn’t just about your back. It’s your posture, your habits, your beliefs, your biology. You can heal it—but only if you take a complete approach..

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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AI and exercise. Is it leading you down the wrong path?

Using AI for fitness may seem like a modern-day solution. Brands like Peloton and Tonal promise an at-home personal trainer experience powered by smart technology. But is that program really right for your body? Will it help you progress—or leave you frustrated and stuck?

Hi, I’m Ekemba Sooh, owner of SolCore Fitness. I’ve spent 30 years helping people move, heal, and grow through a unique system based on osteopathy. That means I approach the body as a whole, with every part affecting the next. So when I see people relying on AI for their workouts, I can’t help but ask: is this truly helping?

Why AI Alone Falls Short in Fitness

AI—artificial intelligence—is smart. It can write content, answer questions, and automate tasks. I even use it myself to help outline articles. But when it comes to fitness, things get complicated. Most AI-powered fitness systems use general programming pulled from a shallow pool of traditional exercise science.

That’s a problem. Because if traditional fitness programs worked well on their own, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic, chronic pain issues, or confusion about how to train properly. You can be motivated and consistent, but if the program itself is misaligned with your body’s needs, you won’t get far.

Fitness companies saw a shortcut. They cut out human trainers and replaced them with tech. And because many people are already familiar with the exercises AI promotes—squats, deadlifts, pushups—it feels safe and familiar. But familiarity isn’t the same as effectiveness.

What AI Can’t See

AI doesn’t know your fascial restrictions, your structural imbalances, or your injury history. It doesn’t know if your pecs are tight or weak, or if your hip joint is compressed. It gives you a squat whether or not your body can do it safely.

Those “seven primal movements” (squat, bend, push, pull, lunge, twist, gait) are great—but only if your body is ready. Most people have compensations and limitations that need to be addressed first. Without that prep work, AI is just automating dysfunction.

For example, say you’re doing pushups. If your pecs are underdeveloped or overly tight, your body will still complete the movement—but it will cheat. And no amount of AI coaching will correct that unless it also includes isolation, fascial work, and joint mobility training.

A Holistic Approach Technology Can’t Replicate

I’m not anti-tech. I use Zoom to work with clients, spreadsheets to track progress, and video to educate. But I don’t let AI drive the program. I use human insight, years of study, and real-time feedback to shape each client’s path.

True holistic training means knowing which chains of movement are involved, how fascia influences motion, and how one area can throw off the whole system. It’s not just about what exercises you do, but how and when you do them—and what comes before.

Osteopathy embraces complexity, not generic templates. And while that makes it harder for big companies to scale, it’s also why it works.

Should You Use AI for Exercise?

If your goal is to move your body a few times a week and you’re not looking for deep transformation, then yes—AI can offer a convenient, affordable option. But if you want long-term results, sustainable change, and to actually understand and work with your body, it falls short.

Fitness isn’t about just “doing workouts.” It’s about building a relationship with your body—knowing what it needs, how it responds, and how to support it fully.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re ready to explore a smarter, deeper way to train, check out the resources below:

I’d also love to hear from you—have you tried AI-driven fitness tools? What was your experience like? Drop a comment or reach out and let’s have a real conversation about it.

Until next time,
Ekemba

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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Do you know how to build the house of your body?🏠

SolCore therapy and fitness lead contractor of your body article

Taking control of your health is the goal. But unless you’re deep in the health and fitness world, you don’t know everything it takes.

Jumping between classes, trainers, and therapists feels productive. But that only works if you actually understand how to structure and integrate everything—if you’re truly acting as the lead contractor of your body.

Let me share a real-world example.

A woman came to one of my free monthly ELDOA classes. These community sessions let people experience holistic exercise firsthand through one powerful technique.

She found it helpful and booked a consultation. But once we sat down, I learned she was already working with a Pilates instructor, a personal trainer, and a therapist. 🧐

When I asked what she wanted from me, her answer was clear: “Just come to my house and teach me the ELDOAs.”

She thought ELDOA alone would fix everything. She also assumed seeing different professionals meant she was getting a full-body solution.

She wasn’t.

She was playing the lead contractor—but without the blueprint. She was making decisions with limited knowledge, based on marketing, hearsay, and assumptions. And unfortunately, her body showed the results. Technically speaking, she was “jacked up,” and continuing on that path was only going to make it worse.

This is a common mistake.

Many people take on the role of lead contractor of their body, but they don’t know what’s required. It’s like trying to build a house when you’ve only watched a few YouTube videos. You might know what a hammer does, but you don’t know how to use it in the context of framing a structure.

She needed to acknowledge what she didn’t know—and allow a qualified health and fitness professional to guide the process.

The lesson?

If you want lasting change, stop trying to piece together your wellness from random parts. Start building a strong, sustainable foundation with guidance.

🎯 Ready to learn how to take charge the right way?

👇🏾 Use the link below to grab your copy of:

“Move Better, Reduce Pain, and Live Life on Your Terms:
The 4 Steps to Break the Cycle, Fix It, and Keep It!”

Building a foundation for a better life.

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The Untold Truth About the SI Joint (And Why Most Fixes Fail)

The sacroiliac joint—or SI joint—is one of the most misunderstood areas in the body. And yet, it plays a massive role in your ability to move, feel good, and stay injury-free.

If you’ve ever looked for SI joint exercises or ways to relieve SI joint pain, chances are the info you found was generic, over-simplified, or just wrong. And that’s a problem.

A dysfunctional SI joint can prevent you from gaining strength, limit your mobility, and leave you stuck in a loop of recurring pain or injury.

Let’s fix that.

What Is the SI Joint (And Why Should You Care)?

The SI joint connects your sacrum (the base of your spine) to your ilium (your pelvic bones). You have two of them—left and right—and together they form the foundation of your pelvis.

Think of your pelvis as the floor of your body. If the floor is off, everything built on top—your spine, shoulders, legs—becomes misaligned.

Here’s the kicker: SI joint issues are often asymptomatic. You might be struggling with shoulder pain, knee discomfort, or tight hip flexors—and never realize the source is pelvic instability rooted in the SI joint.

Why Standard Fixes Don’t Work

Most practitioners don’t fully understand the SI joint. Some even claim it’s not a real joint or that it doesn’t move. That’s not just wrong—it’s dangerous.

The SI joint is a total joint:

  • It has a capsule
  • It contains synovial fluid
  • It has proprioceptors (tiny sensory “computers”)
  • It’s stabilized by key muscles and ligaments

When this area is off, you don’t just lose movement—you lose the ability to communicate with your body.

A Deeper Look: Movement and Dysfunction

Physiologically, the SI joint has one primary movement axis—called the oblique axis. It helps the sacrum and ilium move together smoothly as you walk or bend.

But when dysfunction sets in, the joint can fall into 20+ different pathological movement patterns, leading to all sorts of compensations, from a false leg length discrepancy to upper-body pain.

If your treatment or exercise doesn’t account for these patterns, you’re just treating symptoms—not the cause.

My Journey With the SI Joint

I’ve been in the health and fitness field for 30 years. I started out like most trainers—using standard methods like PT and corrective exercises. But when I injured my own back (L4-L5 disc bulge with sciatic pain), those traditional approaches didn’t help.

That’s when I found osteopathy. It opened my eyes to how the body truly works: as a holistic, interconnected system.

And the SI joint? It was central to the whole picture.

How I Assess and Work With SI Joint Issues

When someone comes into my studio (or online), one of the first places I assess is the SI joint—no matter what pain they report.

Why? Because if the foundation is off, everything else will be too.

Here’s my general approach:

  1. Assessment – Identify which part of the SI joint is involved (lesser arm, greater arm, apex, base, etc.).
  2. Ligament Reboot – Using manual therapy (like TLS and pumping) to reactivate proprioceptors and restore communication.
  3. Fascial Work – Addressing deeper fascial chains that are often involved but ignored.
  4. Specific Exercise – Not just general glute or core work, but targeted movement based on what your body needs.

Muscles involved include:

  • Piriformis
  • Glute Max (deep + superficial)
  • Glute Med
  • Obturatorius
  • Iliopsoas

But again, it’s not just about muscles. It’s about chains. You have to treat the whole system.

Don’t Google “3 Moves for SI Joint Pain” (Please)

Generic exercises might help a little—or they might make things worse.

Why? Because SI joint issues are specific. The dysfunction could be from one of many regions within the joint or even a combination of them. Without proper assessment, you’re guessing.

And in the body, guessing is a great way to stay stuck.

Want to Learn More?

I share more like this every week—so subscribe, share, and join the conversation. If you’re ready to go deeper:

  • 📘 Grab my free ebook: “Move Better, Reduce Pain, and Live Life On Your Terms”
  • 🗓️ Book a consultation to see if we’re a good fit for private or online work

Don’t let a misunderstood joint hold back your potential. Fix the foundation—so the rest of your body can finally thrive.

it’s not just working out, it’s building a foundation for a better life.

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