Dr. Justin Farnsworth
Physician with evidence-based supplement takes (e.g., creatine) and critical evaluation of overhyped claims.
Movement Beats Rest: Prevent Chronic Injury Now
“Just rest” is the WORST medical advice that exists. Rest and wait is how a short-term injury quietly becomes a years-long problem. Muscles waste, capacity tanks, and the nervous system turns up the volume on pain. Movement isn’t the enemy. Avoidance is.
Maximize Every Coaching Hour with a Proven 60‑Minute Blueprint
If 1 hour is the whole budget, this is the BEST way to use it for a client session. Prep — 5 min Primer — 5 min Primary Lifts — 20 min Accessory Lifts — 15 min Conditioning — 10 min Recover — 5 min Every coach...
Quad Weakness, Not Glutes, Drives Knee Pain Rehab
Knee pain rehab got hijacked by glute bands. Weak glutes don't cause most knee pain. Quad weakness is far more consistently associated with knee pain, function, and long-term outcomes. But instead of building the knee, we spent a decade doing side steps around...
Knee Pain? Adjust Your Squat, Don’t Stop
Knee pain during squatting doesn’t mean stop squatting. It means find a different entry point. My 5 favorite squats for knee pain, easiest to hardest: 1. Spanish Squat ISO holds 2. Heels-elevated Spanish Squat 3. Belt Squat 4. Front Squat to Box 5. Barbell Pin Squat Knees don’t need rest. They need...
Rehab Must Evolve Into Strength‑Building Training, Not Old Circuits
Rehab in 2026 should look like training. Most still looks like a TheraBand circuit that's been around since Albert Einstein felt a pull in his groin. Real rehab leaves you stronger than the injury did. Demand it.
Many Common Surgeries Fail to Outperform Placebos
Imagine a pill that works no better than a sugar pill BUT still gets prescribed thousands of times a year. That's the state of these surgeries: Vertebroplasty- no better than sham (NEJM, 2009) Knee arthroscopy for OA- no better than sham (NEJM, 2002) Meniscectomy-...
Common Lifting Advice Lacks Evidence, Study Shows
"Lift with your legs, not your back." A 2020 systematic review with meta-analysis (JOSPT): NO evidence that greater lumbar flexion during lifting is a risk factor for low back pain onset, persistence, or a differentiator between people with and without LBP. The advice...
Early Low‑Back MRI Increases Costs, Disability, and Surgeries
Why imaging low backs is the fastest way to ruin one. $13,000 more in medical costs per case. 2x higher disability rate at 1 year. 12x more lumbar surgery. Early MRI doesn't fix back pain. It manufactures it.
Age Can't Be Stopped, But Slowing Down Can Be
Getting older is not optional. But getting slower is. Power declines faster than strength with age. The fast-twitch fibers go first and athleticism follows. Most people accept it as inevitable and stop training the one thing that could slow it down....
Most Back Pain Has No Cause—Fix It With Programming
Up to 9 out of 10 cases of low back pain happen without a specific cause. That means most clients walking into your gym with a cranky back don't have a structural problem you can point to — they have a...
Outdated Rehab Myths: Trust Outcomes, Not Old Lore
Half of "evidence-based" rehab is 30-year-old lore nobody updated. Back: "Posture causes pain." It doesn't. Knee: "Knees behind toes." Stairs require otherwise. Hip: "Imaging finds the cause." Pain-free adults show the same findings. Shoulder: "Dyskinesis causes pain." Pain-free shoulders show...
Your Body Heals Most Disc Herniations—Therapists Just Position
76.6% of lumbar disc herniations spontaneously resorb on their own. Your PT didn't cause it. Your chiro didn't cause it. The McKenzie press-ups didn't cause it. Your immune system did. Most of what gets credit for "fixing" disc herniations is just standing in...
Spinal Flexion Can Reduce Pain When Performed Correctly
Flexing your spine can actually make it hurt less. For the right person. Really. A flexion-bias template: Squat: Barbell Back Squat Hinge: RDL Lunge: Reverse Lunge Push: Feet-Elevated Bench Press Pull: Deficit DB Row Carry: Farmer's Carry Spinal flexion isn't dangerous....
Program Low Back Easily Using Extension‑Bias Templates
The low back isn’t a scary joint. It’s one of the easiest to program around, if you know what to look for. First, identify the position of bias and preposition the body into it. An extension-bias template: Squat: front squat Hinge: hip thrust Lunge: goblet split...
Swap Overhead Press for Rotational, Stable Variations
Programming Around Shoulder Pain In The Overhead Press. Principles for success 1. Change The Angle: Landmine Press 2. Add Rotation: Arnold Press 3. Add Stability Requirement: KB Bottoms Up Press 4: Weight Bear: Pike To Toe Reach Real time problems require real time solutions