Kaehler Method – Client Success
High School Rower Eliminates Chroninc Back Pain Using Powerful Body Balance System Allowing Him to Dominate Again.
Coach Kaehler,
Thank you so much for your help in providing a program that completely eliminated my back pain. Before your program, I had nearly lost hope in having a successful rowing career. My lower back pain was crippling, and with no success from multiple orthopedists, doctors, and physical therapists I saw no recovery in the near future. Being in such a competitive junior program, I thought I would never reach the level of fitness and speed that my coach expected. I gained weight, lost progress, and felt awful. Now, several months after having finished my 6-7 week training program, I am stronger, faster, and pain-free. Your program completely changed my physique and my fitness. I was able to safely re-enter my prior training program of 7 days a week of endurance and strength training. My coach was happy with my recovery, but doubted my future success, having missed a half year of crucial training. He talked to me about possibly reconsidering rowing in college. However, he and I were very surprised to see that my 2k erg score had dropped an unbelievable 14 seconds due to improved strength, form, and flexibility. My fall racing season was limited, but I was able to pull off a bronze medal at the Head of the Fish regatta. I am now happier and more confident than ever because of the improvements the exercises continue to give me and more importantly, because my pain has disappeared. Again, thank you so much for helping me recover a debilitating injury and become a better athlete. I attribute much of my current and future success to you and your body balance program.
Sincerely and thankfully,
Harrison (High School Rower)
Lightweight High School Rower Drops 12 Seconds on 2K Erg During Head Race Training
Hey Coach Kaehler,
I just wanted to thank you for your amazing program. Today I pulled a 6:38. This is due to your stretching and strength routines that have helped me gain a lot of seconds both on the water and the erg. Your stuff really works and it was worth every penny. I am now talking to my dream schools and went on officials so it really helped me out all around. Thanks for making such a good product.
I went from going 6:50 in early September to going 6:38 this month (December 3rd). In 3 months I dropped 12 seconds.
Artym – (Lightweight High School Sculler)
Canadian LW Female Rower Overcomes Chronic Back Pain
Hi Coach!
It’s been a year since I met with you so I figured I’d give you an update! I’ve had a significant improvement in my mobility since following your program. When I met with you and I attempted to do snow angels, I could barely get my arms past 90 degrees without lifting my elbows off the ground (you said it was about as bad as you’d seen) and today I can touch my hands above my head while keeping my elbows down on the ground.
I went through the entire winter erg season and summer season without any major problems and my erg score dropped from 7:42 to 7:30 – I am now the fastest lightweight girl in Quebec on the water.
Thanks again for everything!
Dominique Paiement
Master’s Rower Overcomes Limitations With Body Balance Evaluation Process and Excels!!
From Back Pain to Back on the Erg
High School Athlete PR’s using Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance Program
By Yasemin Watkins
The following is a testimonial from a parent, Mike, and his daughter, Megan, who wanted to share their Body Balance experience with other athletes looking for effective solutions to sports-related injuries. At this time, they wish to keep the personal details (names, etc.) confidential between them and Coach Kaehler.
In rowing terms, Megan’s story is a familiar one. Megan is a varsity rower on a nationally top-five ranked high school team based in Pennsylvania. Megan suffered from severe back pains that greatly limited her ability to participate in key components of her team’s winter training program. Confused yet determined to help his daughter, Megan’s father, Mike, consulted several medical specialists including a pediatric sports doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. Unfortunately, both doctors were unable to relieve Megan’s back pain.
Frustrated, Mike took Megan to one last orthopedic surgeon who then referred them to Coach Kaehler.
“Bob’s reference from an orthopedic surgeon carried a lot of weight,” said Mike. “As a parent, I just wanted to see my daughter be able to continue and progress in a sport she loves.
During our first conversation with Bob, he said that he would need one assessment, and that he was convinced that she would be able to return to rowing in a certain period of time. I was so impressed: he delivered on all his promises.
He did identify the problem; he did it in one meeting; and she did recover in 6 weeks. Best of all, (shortly after) Megan PR’d when she took her 2K erg test.
I felt like he was really looking out for my daughter.”
Regarding the evaluation, Mike commented,
“As Bob walked us through the assessment, he explained the dynamics of the muscles used in rowing and erging – everything made sense.”
Of their overall experience working with Coach Kaehler, Mike had this to say:
“Bob’s own track record, both as a medical professional and as a world-caliber athlete, made him more credible. Bob instilled in Megan a level of confidence to carry out the exercises and return to competitive rowing.
Bottom line: as a parent, I’m tremendously relieved that my daughter can now return to rowing – both competitive and as an activity that she can enjoy for the rest of her life. Without hesitation, I would highly recommend Coach Kaehler to any rower having (training-related) issues.”
Football Kicker NOW Better Than Ever! Recovers from Chronic Pain
I am a 23 year old aspiring professional football place kicker. My freshman year in college I developed chronic lower back pain. There were days where I could barely get out of bed because of the pain, but nothing was worse than after practices or games because my back would become so tight and so painful I could do nothing but lay down.
Nobody could figure out the cause of the pain despite multiple medical scans and evaluations from team trainers and doctors. I had resigned the fact that the pain was probably caused from the constant repetitive kicking motion which would violently torque my lower back every time.
After graduating from college I began training for tryouts with arena football teams. Within the first month of preparation I had torn the groin muscle on my kicking leg. It put me out for eight weeks, and put my dream of playing professional football that year in jeopardy.
Luckily I healed just in time for a tryout with a team called the Harrisburg Stampede. After two successful tryout performances in front of their coaches and management, they signed me as their kicker for the 2012 indoor season.
Three weeks into camp with the Stampede, we were preparing for our first game. I was still dealing with the back pain, which had now been going on for six years. The day before the game I was kicking in our arena and I felt an uncomfortable pull once again in the quad of my kicking leg. I stopped kicking for the day and rested and iced. The next day while kicking in warm-ups, I felt three pops right down the center of my quad. I was in extreme pain, but because the team had no other kicker I played the entire game. I met with team doctors after the game, was sent for an MRI, and informed that I had torn the muscle. It put me out for three quarters of our season, and when I did return I was still not completely healthy.
Bob does many of his evaluations at Transcend Fitness, where I am employed as a strength coach. Over multiple conversations I had described to Bob the constant pain in my lower back, and the fact that I had torn two muscles in my kicking leg over the past year.
After about an hour long body balance evaluation, he had identified glaring weaknesses in my flexibility, core strength, hip strength, and hamstring strength, which are all critical to kicking a football. He put me on a six week program to begin to solve all of these problems.
After the first four weeks, back pain that I had been dealing with for six years had begun to disappear. I was hitting strength levels that I had never been able to reach previously, and my flexibility was increasing exponentially. When the six week program was completed, my back pain had completely disappeared, and when I went to kick for the first time after the program, I was hitting the ball higher, farther, and straighter than ever before.
Today I am still pain free in my lower back, my strength continues to increase, and I’m kicking the best I ever have in my life. I can’t thank Bob enough for all he has done for me! He has completely transformed me as an athlete, and has put me in a position physically to compete for spots on teams at the highest arena levels this upcoming season. Thank you Bob!
Tim Chiarolanza – 23 Year-old Professional Kicker – Arena Football
I am a Body Balance Believer!
-Eric E., RI
– High School Sculler Overcomes Months of Chronic Low Back Pain After Body Balance Evaluation.
I am a Body Balance believer! As a junior sculler, I struggled with back pain through the fall season of 2011. It soon began affecting my performance on and off the water. After several trips to the orthopedist and several months of physical therapy, I was still having back pain. With the approaching spring season, the lack of results was extremely frustrating. My coach attended one of Coach Kaehler’s 2-Day Body Balance Clinics for coaches and rowers, and thought that he (Coach K) could help me.
I went to see Coach K in February, for one visit, where he identified some strength and flexibility deficiencies. After about six weeks of doing the individualized “Body Balance” corrective exercise program I received on that first visit, I began to row, again, with much less pain. I kept up my exercises through the spring season, and by May, I was rowing pain free.
I saw Coach K, again, at the end of May, and we added erging and strength training into my program. By the end of June, I had a new 2k PR on the erg and in July, my quad earned a gold medal at Club Nationals. Coach K’s Body Balance program really does work.
Eventually, the frustration built to the point that I was on the verge of calling it a day and leaving the sport.
– Christian Klein, Oklahoma City Training Center
LWT varsity rower with IRA, Eastern Sprints, Henley and HOCR golds
Body Balance Process creates alternative path to eliminate chronic training related back pain
-“The thoroughness of the evaluation protocol inspired confidence and lent significant credibility to the prescribed corrective actions”
– John Gilbert 48, Columbus OH
After several years of mounting frustration with recurring lower back problems, I began to search for an alternative path to the failed promises of x-rays, chiropractic care and traditional physical and exercise therapies. Even when I was not physically injured, the fear of re-injury was a real limitation to my training. I avoided sprint work on the water and erg work was definitely not an option. I also found that training with weights presented some real challenges. As my training options dwindled, my performance on the water continued to suffer. It was abundantly clear that I needed to find an alternative path if I was going to continue to row.
I read a few of your articles and found my way to your web site. The materials looked compelling. After a 15-minute telephone conversation, we set a time for me to go through your Body Balance Evaluation Process (BBEP) evaluation process last July. I was thoroughly impressed with your detail orientation and professionalism. The thoroughness of the evaluation protocol inspired confidence and lent significant credibility to the corrective actions that you recommended. The corrective program you prescribed is the perfect combination of strength and flexibility exercises which were tailored to fit my specific needs. The corrective exercises are completely portable and easily adapted to almost any location. I travel extensively for my job, and I have done my “Kaehlers” from Shang Hai to Santiago.
I have been injury free since I began the program. Four weeks after initiating the corrective exercise program, I completed my first century bike ride, and I competed in two regional head races last fall. My training partners were surprised when I was able to handle sprint work on the erg. My confidence continues to build and I am preparing to embark on a much more ambitious training program this summer. It has been a great experience.
“He’s the real thing. I’m a believer.
— Dr. Rush Fisher,
Chief Spinal Reconstructive Surgeon, Christiana Spine Center.
By Yasemin Watkins
Dr. Rush Fisher has been an avid athlete his entire life.
An injury from a skiing accident in his late teens left him with a separated AC joint, and a chronic shoulder condition. Later, as captain of his undefeated lightweight crew team at Dartmouth, Fisher learned to adapt to his weakened shoulder by rowing starboard and “avoiding certain lifts.”
Fisher recently returned to rowing after a 20-year hiatus. In the summer of 2010, he consulted Bob Kaehler (Coach Kaehler) for technical advice.
From the perspective of both a spinal reconstructive surgeon and athlete, Dr. Fisher comments on his experience with Coach Kaehler.
“I was blown away. Bob was definitely onto something.
(Initially) I consulted Bob to get some direction on my rowing. But he told me that I’ve got to have the proper tools to do it well.”
From this point, their focus shifted from technique to “tools” – Fisher’s chronic and limiting shoulder condition and overall Body Balance.
“I was very surprised. I’ve had many consultations regarding my shoulder. Bob nailed it!
Bob’s Body Balance program has pretty much eliminated my 20-year shoulder pain. I’ve also noticed more efficiency on the water. And that my back no longer bothers me after long stretches in the O.R.”
Of Coach Kaehler’s credentials, Fisher comments:
“Bob has worked with some of the nation’s leading orthopaedic surgeons.
He understands that rowing demands and rewards repetition in order to gain perfection. And that this repetition can cause harm if not properly balanced. He also understands that each muscle works more efficiently in synergy if the body is in balance. With this in mind, Bob has developed his Body Balance program that addresses and corrects existing imbalances, and allows athletes to attain their potential.”
Body Balance Process Helps Collegiate Rower Return to Pain-free Rowing!!
-Chris Scribner
Georgetown LW V8+
“I finally felt like I had a plan of attack to battle my Compartment Syndrome …
“I finally felt like I had a plan of attack to battle
my Compartment Syndrome …
I had a whole new outlook on life.”
— Jacqueline Moore on Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance Evaluation
Jacqueline Moore is a bright, vivacious 22 year old athlete who’s going places. Africa to be exact, with the Peace Corps in spring 2012.
Since her early childhood, Moore has been an avid athlete. “My parents had a rule,” says Moore. “While (my brothers and sister and I) were in school, we had to participate in a sport.”
Originally a lacrosse player, Moore made the switch to rowing as a sophomore in high school. A natural and powerful athlete, Moore excelled in the sport from day one. As training demands increased however, so did the pain in both of Moore’s arms.
In her senior year, after extensive testing, Moore was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome — a serious condition that involves increased pressure on muscle compartments (surrounding fascia or ‘sacks’) as they grow or expand from training.
To correct the condition, Moore subsequently endured extensive surgery — first on her arms, and years later, as a sophomore in college, on the outer sides of both legs. Both recoveries were slow and painful, involving casts, a wheelchair for her leg surgery and powerful painkillers.
“It was a miserable and lonely 6-week recovery,” says Moore. “ I dropped from 174lbs to 138 lbs.”
Determined to recover, and return to the active life style her parents had always fostered, Moore consulted Coach Kaehler for help with her condition. “He sounded really interested in my situation,” says Moore.
“Compartment Syndrome defined my athletic ability … it put limits that I never thought I’d have prior to being diagnosed. But after finding Coach Kaehler, I realized I was perfectly capable of competing on an international level if I trained correctly.
Her thoughts after following Coach Kaehler’s program for 6 weeks?
“I had a whole new outlook on life,” Moore responds.
“ I finally felt like I had a plan of attack to battle my Compartment Syndrome … After taking a non-surgical approach with Coach Kaehler, I was able to see and feel improvement.”
“I noticed the biggest improvement in my legs … The hip flexor strengthening exercises resulted in my no longer losing complete feeling in my feet … I was able to run longer without pain.”
Asked about Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance process, Moore replies, “The whole program is worth it! Coach Kaehler makes it almost impossible to do anything incorrectly, so success is inevitable if the workouts are completed.”
“I would recommend Coach Kaehler to those with or without conditions, but especially to those who go through surgery. Coach Kaehler works diligently to understand what you’re going through and how he can be the most help to you, “ says Moore. “I went to Coach Kaehler thinking he would be easy on me — like the other trainers / doctors / coaches … but he forced me to to do basic exercises in a whole new manner … which resulted in physical improvements I saw on a weekly basis.”
Back on track with her familiar and fulfilling life-style, Moore resumed her rowing and racing with the Steel City Rowing Club through the summer of 2011. Moore currently works as a marketing intern for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and prepares for her first and fast-approaching African adventure with the Peace Corps next spring.
** Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance Process is not medical treatment, and he does not treat pain. Body Balance issues are identified and corrected to allow restoration of powerful and pain-free training. All of his clients have gone through traditional medicine channels first and have been screened by a medical physician. (M.D. or D.O.)
From Back Pain to Back on the Erg
– High School Athlete PR’s using Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance Program
By Yasemin Watkins
The following is a testimonial from a parent, Mike, and his daughter, Megan, who wanted to share their Body Balance experience with other athletes looking for effective solutions to sports-related injuries. At this time, they wish to keep the personal details (names, etc.) confidential between them and Coach Kaehler.
In rowing terms, Megan’s story is a familiar one. Megan is a varsity rower on a nationally top-five ranked high school team based in Pennsylvania. Megan suffered from severe back pains that greatly limited her ability to participate in key components of her team’s winter training program. Confused yet determined to help his daughter, Megan’s father, Mike, consulted several medical specialists including a pediatric sports doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. Unfortunately, both doctors were unable to relieve Megan’s back pain.
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Collegiate rower is able to resume strenuous training!
Coach Kaehler’s Body Balance program is an excellent process to help get through back pain and back to rowing. The entire process is very transparent and the exercises and stretches are explained in ways that make sense and help the athlete understand the source of the pain rather than just treating the symptoms. After seeing Coach Kaehler for a Body Balance evaluation I was back on the erg in 3 weeks, and 4 weeks after that I was able to complete a strenuous winter training trip with no pain. The Body Balance program is definitely worthwhile for anyone who is struggling with back pain and wants to get back to rowing without it.
Hugh – Collegiate Rower
15 Years and Still Rowing Stronger
– Rower Jan Stone wins first single’s title at the 2010 Head of the Charles
By YASEMIN WATKINS, Thurs Oct 28, 2010
Some stories are constantly unfolding.
When rower Jan Stone won two events (W1X and W8+) at the 2010 FISA World Rowing Masters Championship last August, we (at Coach Kaehler), hesitated to post her write-up. We felt that Stone’s story was still developing: that there was yet more to tell.
And there was.
Last weekend, at the 2010 Head of the Charles, Stone hoisted her first Witte trophy for her win in the Senior Veteran Singles event. Held in Boston, MA, the Head of the Charles (HOCR) is the world’s largest two-day head race. The regatta attracts over 8,000 athletes from around the world, who compete in 55 different races.
Stone turned 70 this year. 2010 marked her 10th year straight rowing in the regatta in the singles category.
And she’s just getting started.
- Jan Stone 2010 HOCR Awards
Stone, who together with her husband Harold, split their time between Princeton NJ and Bellevue WA, first started rowing in 1995 with the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association (CLRA). Although she learned to scull in her first season, it wasn’t until five years later that she purchased a single, and gradually shifted her focus from sweep rowing to sculling.
The transition went smoothly. For 15 years, Stone enjoyed “a relatively injury-free career with only a few over-use injuries.” Naturally flexible, her conditioning routine included regular yoga classes, “low-level lifting” and plenty of additional stretching “to stay loose.”
Her approach to training was about to change however, when she attended USRowing’s Fantasy Camp in 2009, and listened to guest speaker Coach Kaehler’s presentation on Body-Balanced conditioning.
Stone started to reconsider the routine she had followed for years.
“I realized then that just working out in general is not good enough,” said Stone. “I was immediately persuaded by Bob’s discussion on how one must know one’s own weak areas and work first on those, before strength training can be really effective. “
“I wanted to see more improvements from my strength training,” added Stone.
No longer satisfied with her current routine, she consulted Kaehler for a Body Balance evaluation.
“I was very surprised on how specific it was,” said Stone of Kaehler’s evaluation. “His comments about my weaknesses resonated perfectly with my own perceptions. He gave me a few focused stretches and exercises; enough that I have kept with them and incorporated them into my regular workouts.”
“I noticed improved posture and core strength more quickly than I expected. And that encouraged me to hold onto and extend my improvements.”
One improvement led to another.
“These improvements freed me to focus on the finer points of sculling, such as technique,” added Stone.
Stone is quick to extend additional credit to coach Steve Dani at the Pocock Training Center, for helping her refine her sculling technique, as well as her training counselor Marlene Royle.
Stone’s refined conditioning program, combined with her commitment and hard work paid off over and over again in a stellar 2010 season, culminating with a career-topping win at the Head of the Charles.
I asked Stone how she celebrated her win-of-a-lifetime. “Thrilled” with her win, Stone answered in her usual low-key, under-stated manner, “I celebrated my HOCR victory with an egg sandwich at a favorite grill … then helped my hosts’ daughters break in their plasma bikes. Later there was a bottle of very good wine.”
A win at the Charles is a tough act to follow. But I couldn’t resist asking the burning question all the same: what now Jan Stone?
“After a short break, I will move into my winter training, concentrating on maintaining and improving my strength and endurance,” she answered. “I want to stay healthy and strong, and keep rowing for a very long time.”
Naturally.
Watch for more celebratory egg sandwiches as Stone’s exceptional story continues to unfold on the water.
Coach Kaehler and his team congratulate Stone on her inspiring 2010 Charles win!
Jan’s Body Balance Evaluation Experience
Jan’s structural evaluation with Bob Kaehler was a revelation. While doing a thorough check of my strengths and weaknesses, he quickly pinpointed a few weaknesses and imbalances that need attention. Everything he said resonated with my own experience. He proposed a very manageable regime of stretching and strengthening exercises for me, and I am amazed that in a brief time I see real improvement in my rowing stroke, getting noticeably more meters per stroke. I also have an increased awareness of how my body is working, and can notice and correct errors that were going unnoticed. The evaluation process was very interesting, and I was very pleased with the outcome.
Jan Stone
Princeton, NJ
EARC Lightweight Enjoys Rowing, Again!!
For years I had recurring back pain from rowing. It wasn’t anything to keep me out of the sport until I began dramatically increasing the volume and intensity of my workouts, and then I found that the pain was too great to row. I saw a chiropractor, a sports therapist and everyone in between, but nobody could solve the problem. After several weeks of not rowing but not feeling any better, I met with Coach Kaehler (the night before the 2009 Head of the Charles!). It was clear that he understood the way the athlete’s body works far more intricately than anyone I had met with previously. He determined the source of the problem, and assigned me a routine of simple yet effective stretches and strengthening exercises to work on. A few weeks later, I am nearly pain free, and am finally able to practice every day. I am convinced that Coach Kaehler is the reason for my improvement, and can’t thank him enough for meeting with me.
Freshman EARC –Lightweight
** This evaluation process was not done as a medical treatment. This approach corrects strength and flexibility imbalances that limit performance in all athlete’s. It is always recommended that individuals with symptoms be treated by a medical practitioner first!
St. Joe’s Prep rower returns to rowing after a “Structural Evaluation”!
“The back pain I had before working with Coach Kaehler was extensive. I had trouble walking up and down steps and in between classes. I received cortisone shots and saw a physical therapist, but the pain never subsided. Coach Kaehler, who worked as the strength and conditioning coach for the St. Joe’s Prep’s rowing team this year, put me through his structural evaluation. Within a few minutes of being evaluated by Coach Kaehler he had identified the source of my back pain, and then he instructed me on the corrective exercises which helped to restore my musculoskeletal balance which corrected my problem. Within three weeks I was finishing entire workouts without pain and by continuing to do the exercises I had a successful and pain free rowing season. I cannot thank him enough for allowing me the opportunity to compete again.”
Matt Krmpotich
St. Joe’s Preparatory College Rower, 2009
