You Don’t Need Another Adjustment/Epidural Injection/’Insert Quick Fix’. You Need To Develop Your CRITICAL THINKING (Chase the root cause over the symptoms)

Why listen to me on this topic? Because I have BEEN THERE FOR 10 YEARS.

I finally overcame it after those 10 years. And now my passion and my career is helping others do the same.

If that’s not enough for you…..what is it that you want then? My motto is to FOLLOW THE RESULTS over doctorates and degrees. That’s when things started to change for me.

If I wanted to become a millionaire and I had two options: - Do a 4-year course on 'how to get rich' taught to me by someone who probably isn't

- Go to Bob down the road who has no degree but 4 cars and 2 holiday homes in Marbella

....I'm going to Bob every day of the week. I FOLLOW THE RESULTS now over everything.

If you want to keep following the doctors/physios/chiros like they are all-knowing beings sent down from planet “I have divine knowledge on the human body” to educate us mere mortals…..then do. It’s your life.

But if you are like me, and like most of my clients, it didn’t work for you. Shock. So now you have 2 choices:

1. DON’T SETTLE FOR THAT. Start looking for better ANSWERS

2. Keep doing what you have been doing, even though it hasn’t got you results

(aka Einstein's definition of insanity)

I know what it feels like to think that your body is broken. That you have to keep going to these ‘experts’ to be ‘fixed’. To rely on them like a baby would his mother.

I have many examples, but the one that pops into my mind now? One evening just trying some yoga stretch from YouTube upstairs in the landing to try and make my back more mobile as I have had chronic pains for years in my back, hips, neck, knee.

Cue me trying a backend, pulling a muscle in my back (again)……..and freaking the fuck out. I was hunched over now. I couldn’t stand up straight again without a sharp pain in my back. I had no clue what pain was, I thought it meant something really bad. That I had done damage to my already ‘fragile’ spine.

I feared I had slipped a disc in my back, or now have a bulging disc. Basically I thought I messed up my back again as usual. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I looked like the fucking hunchback of Notre dam. I can’t relax my back now. For fuck sake. I’m so annoyed!! Why does this shit happen?

And now of course mam calls me down for dinner. The frustration is already boiling over into me feeling upset. I don’t want to go downstairs hunched over and have mam asking me what's wrong and me having to explain how I’ve hurt my back again. I might start crying.

But she calls again so I go down. In a mood as usual, no surprise. I don’t really say anything. But she notices and I have to say it. I’m not crying but I'm close. She calls the physio down the road to come up and have a look at me after dinner.

After an assessment and some muscle relaxant pills, he says I’m fine. Nothing wrong, just a pulled muscle. It’s grand.

………now I feel like an idiot. Even just KNOWING nothing is wrong, that I DIDN’T fuck my back up, now I instantly feel like I can move my back more. Oh you twat Mark. All that fuss over nothing.

A day in the life of someone with chronic pains who has no fucking clue how their body works or what is happening.

Other examples would be me having a sore back after matches and just lying down on the couch for hours to ‘rest it’. treating my back like an antique vase that is about to crack at any second. Wrap it in bubble wrap, that’ll help. Nope, that makes it weaker and tighter. Ironic eh?

To some reading this - this will sound ridiculous. Those who have never experienced chronic pains or injuries have no idea. But for those reading who do have chronic pains, you know EXACTLY what this is like. You know how much it affects your sports/activities, you know how much it affects your QUALITY OF LIFE day to day

What do we all do? (The Problem)

We chase the quick fix to our detriment of course. I see it every day. I did it for 10 years myself.

So what exactly did I do over those 10 years?? I did what I was told to do. What we all do:

• go to the physio

• go to the chiropractor

• go to the osteopath

• go to the doctor

• rest it

• take pain meds if needed

• foam roll & stretch

• Keep going back for years even though it's not getting you the results you want

Sound familiar? and where does this get you? Not very fucking far in my own experience.

I went to the osteopath for about 8 years in a row. And chiro/physio/doctor too on loads of different occasions.

Then I thought…..I just need to pay for BETTER doctors, BETTER physios. Yes……THAT’S IT.

So I went to the doctor of the Irish Rugby team at the time (€220 for 30 mins). I went to the physio of the Irish rowing team who was a lecturer in Trinity College at the time.

YES. This is IT. THEY WILL FIX ME.

………..The result? The same. Actually worse.

Now I’m being told that my body just isn’t able anymore to do things I love anymore like Jiu Jitsu (I had to give up Jiu Jitsu and the gym for around 9 months). I was 25. And now I’m being told to SETTLE. That this is it. After 10 years of coming to these ‘experts’ expecting to be fixed …..and that the answer?! It’s over. Stop trying. Nothing can be done?

And do what??…take up fucking chess?! At 25? Might as well just take me to the old folks home when you’re at it!!! Fuck off.

I still remember that last consultation 5 years ago. She had asked me why I was so adamant about coming back. And I told her I just want to be able to do all the things I love to do. I don’t want to be restricted by my body anymore. I wanted my PHYSICAL FREEDOM back! I told her that maybe even someday I’ll take it to the level of the splits! Who knows.

She laughed and caught herself. Then gave me a look of pity. “I’m sorry, but that’s impossible for your hips”. Impossible? Look at my profile pic on Instagram and you tell me if she was right or not.

You know why that's my profile picture on everything? Because that was me completing the IMPOSSIBLE. Once I achieved that, I knew I could do whatever the fuck I want in this life. Impossible is nothing to me - as the Nike ad goes! It’s one thing saying it, it's a totally different thing living it.

I still remember those hip table tests I would fail with her each time. How she would push in and try to free up space and oh the agony. I have a high pain threshold but fuck me. She would take breaks as she could see my face.

But after her trying to help me for a period of time and then saying that nothing can be done, time to settle…….that was it. That was me done with healthcare practitioners. I’ve done this shit for 10 years…..and what have I got to show for it?! 5 diagnoses of what's ‘wrong’ with my body, and told to give up and settle. Cheers lads. Appreciate it. About 8k gone (my parent's money and mine), and all I get at the end is a death sentence.

I still remember walking out and my girlfriend at the time waiting for me. I told her what happened. She was upset and concerned for me. “Are you ok?!”……yeah I’m fine. And to be honest I was. This was no time for tears. I was done with this victim mentality, it does fucking NOTHING for you. The thought that I was going to settle for that just wasn’t even an option for me now. Here’s my girlfriend expecting the same thing - that I should just leave it.

And if you want more truth - my girlfriend then knew exactly how much this affected me, as the mobility affects things in the bedroom too. I wasn’t trying to be Ron Jeremy or anything, but fucking hell I felt like an old man. Afterwards as she went and showered, got changed or whatever……I would have to just lie on the bed staring at the ceiling, as the pain was now taking centre stage after pushing through it. I would have to wait for the deep pain in my back to subside before I would get up. A real confidence builder eh? In your early 20s.

But coming out of that consultation was no time for tears. They are about as useful as these 'expert' visits. Now it was time for a different approach. Fuck the healthcare system. It’s failed me. I’m going off on my own to find better answers. I’m not going to settle for this. Retire at 25?! To quote David Goggins “You don’t know me son!!”.

I will find my way back. I don’t fucking know how as I know nothing about the body! I didn’t even do biology in school. But I won’t settle for this, and I will make it happen. This is where my attitude had gone to.

It’s not a nice experience getting to this point…………but this is what you NEED. You NEED to feel this PAIN. Pain is the catalyst for CHANGE. If it didn’t affect your life……why the fuck would you do anything about it?! You NEED this pain to light a fire under your ass and a chip on your shoulder! It's either retreat or go on the attack. I chose FULL FRONTAL ASSAULT. DEFAULT AGGRESIVE

When you have been forced to give up the sports/activities you love, when your quality of life is affected, when you feel like the tin man and are so fucking sick of doing the same old shit that isn’t working……..now you are ready for CHANGE.

The DON’T SETTLE attitude is a prerequisite to overcoming this. Nobody is coming to save you like I thought. But that's ok because you don’t need to be saved . You need to take ownership of your current limitations and get education & coaching on how to take back control of your body.

Hindsight is 20/20 (Learn from my mistakes. Use my progress as inspiration)

Looking back on it all now with my current understanding & knowledge on the body, and my developed self-awareness and critical thinking…….it’s crystal clear why I wasn’t getting any progress.

But hindsight is always 20/20 isn’t it? I remember how lost, frustrated, upset, angry I was. And I know there are millions of people out there feeling the same.

In my mind my passion and career are chasing the 2 biggest issues the world faces:

1. Chronic pain (back pain is the biggest chronic pain in the world. You are actually an anomaly if you DON’T have back pain at some point in your life, believe it or not)

2. The biggest regret on people’s deathbed is not living a life true to themselves (that was me too - and why I address this in my content. Living true to yourself from integrity and your values)

I struggled deeply with chronic pains and was also so shy, embarrassed and afraid to be myself. These are 2 of the biggest issues in the world (and the 2 that plagued my life)…..and eventually I have overcome both of them.

Now it’s my mission and passion to help as many people in this world overcome them too. I felt a moral obligation to pursue this. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing with this knowledge I gained along my journey. I couldn’t just keep helping people in some job I don’t give a shit about but I get a lot of money for, nope. This is MY CALLING. Something I would do for free. Something that lights me up and brings out the real me.

If I could go back in time and have an hour conversation with young Marcus just 6 months into that 10 year journey of chronic pain & injury and giving up things I love to do - I’d change his fucking life. I’d put him on the path I am on now.

I sometimes think I’ve gone from the tin man told to settle and my body isn’t able anymore……..to 5 years later:

• Doing the splits

• the pancake

• 1.5 x BW ass to grass squat

• Freestanding handstand pushup

• Close to a one arm chin up (3.75kg away)

• Ran a marathon untrained in barefoot shoes

………….is my body looking capable to you now???? what would the experts say to that????

I don’t do this to ‘brag’, I do this to show you WHAT’S POSSIBLE FOR YOU.

If I can come from where I did and do the things I have done, WE ALL CAN. I’m not a fucking alien. I’m a homosapien, the same DNA as YOU. The same ABILITY TO ADAPT AND CHANGE. The only difference is our ATTITUDE & APPROACH. The two things I am trying to help people with through my content. The 2 things that are all within OUR control.

I share it as it would inspire the fuck out of younger Marcus, and show him that yano what, this mad bastard didn’t settle for his chronic pains and look at him now……he didn’t settle….so why should I?! He overcame it and seems to be saying there's nothing special about him - and he inspires me and seems genuine and no bullshit, so fuck it yeah I’ll follow you!! and that's all you need.

To change you need education, but before you are willing to be educated you need INSPIRATION. And that’s all I try to do with my story: INSPIRE. Show you a path you may not have known was there. Create windows where there were once walls for you. Be the catalyst to change your life, just like mine was.

So yeah, I hope you are inspired now! haha. And in that case…….let the education begin.

So now the scene is set. What are the realisations looking back? The problems with the approach I was taking? The issue why most people get no progress like me before?

Critical Principle - Address the ROOT CAUSE, not the symptom (The Solution)

This was the key. Unbeknown to me (unbeknown…..sometimes I write words I have never said in my life and I’m like where did that come from?! I guess it's true that reading more does improve your vocabulary! fekn Shakespeare here) the approach I had taken above was all chasing the SYMPTOMS……and not the root cause. It was doomed to fail from the very start.

I was scratching an itch, chasing the magic dragon. Stuck on the merry-go-round of injuries & average progress, and I didn’t even know it.

There are so many things on the body I could teach you now, but I’d be here forever. I’ll explain the simplest one to bust the myth of being ‘fixed’, and to show you how the route I took and you are probably taking just isn’t going to work.

First we need to understand the principles of biology that underlie you going to the gym (because it's the same principle of biology at play for mobility but the world is just blind to it).

This principle is called ‘progressive overload’. It means that we have to STRESS our body in a certain way, and this elicits a certain ADAPTATION in our bodies. You stress your body, then it adapts and changes. This is progressive overload. This is strength training in the gym.

And the gym example is great because we all understand this and it's so clear. If you want to get stronger….what do you have to do? You have to go to the gym consistently and stress your body to make it change. And when your body adapts, you use slightly heavier weights, and then you repeat this and over months & years……you get stronger! Ok cool, we all get that. Pretty straightforward.

Now here’s where logic just falls out the fucking window, and after reading this the penny will drop for you. So we understand that to CHANGE OUR BODY……we need to stress it ourselves, slowly do more, and chase the small gains and be consistent for months & years if we want decent progress.

But then when we talk about MOBILITY (aka getting more mobile and getting rid of chronic pains)……..we just think we can go and get cracky back in the osteopath and now all is right as rain?! How the fuck does that make any sense?!

That would be like going to the gym for once-off sessions, and having SOMEBODY ELSE hold your arms and lift the weights for you……..and then we are surprised months and years later that we are making no progress at all?!

Do you see? When we think of mobility - the PRINCIPLES OF THE HUMAN BODY FALL OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW

Ingrain this in your brain: NO ONE STIMULUS WILL CREATE LONG-TERM CHANGE IN YOUR BODY.

• you cant go in and get a manipulation/a rub down/dry needling/whatever……….and have long-term change in your body

• you can’t go into the gym and do random sessions here and there……..and expect long-term change in your body

Is the penny dropping? You utilise the principles of biology for your strength training, but you don't follow them for mobility. And that’s why you aren’t getting any progress.

Now you must be thinking……….why aren’t we told this?! Well, now you are asking the questions I was. Why the fuck are we all being led down this road of quick fixes with x,y,z…….when none of them are actually ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE, or even BACKED BY SCIENCE AT ALL.

Now you are starting to ask better questions. And better questions lead to better ANSWERS, and better OUTCOMES.

The answer here is that you need to upgrade your CRITICAL THINKING, or you will fall for any auld shite out there. As it’s not going anywhere. There is money to be made, and money is what makes the world go around.

The answer to most of your problems (mobility and otherwise), is learning how to THINK CRITICALLY FOR YOURSELF. And this is why my content isn’t ass, abs and ‘buy my program’ and buy this product with my discount code that I don’t even use. Who the fuck is that helping long-term? I’m here for IMPACT. To ACTUALLY change people’s lives, and that has to start by changing their THINKING.

All problems have a logical and a psychological element. Addressing the psychological element is where the LONG TERM PROGRESS comes from. And that’s what you want isn't it? Obsessing over the logical problem (what exercise, what practitioner etc etc) is completely futile without addressing the bigger psychological problem (critical thinking, understanding how the body works etc).

Now Marcus…..does that make sense? All my content is aimed at the younger me. As I can be straight with him and hit him with the harsh truths. If you meet me in person I’m very friendly and polite don’t worry haha.

I probably sound like an angry man here but I have my headphones on and I go back to how I felt in those moments of frustration - I let it come out as that's what will resonate with others going through it. To show you I’m not up here in some Ivory Tower spouting shit I haven’t experienced or gone through. I’ve been in the trenches and still am - that’s how you learn anything meaningful and useful in this life. You learn fuck all sitting on the sidelines, you have to be IN THE GAME.

To quote Devin Kelley - “We need mentors once again: those who stand up straight, apply reason, sail the treacherous seas of emotional introspection, and go to war to acquire their knowledge”

So that was one of the missing links for me. Why I wasn’t getting any progress over 10 years. I wasn’t thinking CRITICALLY. I didn’t question any of the experts. I thought they knew it all, and followed blindly like a lamb to the slaughter.

But now I know that nobody knows it all. Even the ‘experts’. All anyone can tell you (me included) is their OPINION, based on their EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE. That’s it. Read that a few times

People have different education, and different experiences, and they will base their opinions on that. There is no divine ‘truth’. It’s an illusion.

This finally became clear when I went to 5 of the best ‘experts’ I could find - and ALL 5 of them told me DIFFERENT diagnoses of what was wrong with me, even though I told them all THE EXACT SAME THING. It was like throwing darts at a dart board. It had to be that painstakingly obvious for me to finally have the realisation that nobody really knew, they were just giving me their opinion.

I hope the ‘quick fix’ route for you is shattered now. We have to approach it like strength training, follow the principles of human biology

Right, let's go to some actionable takeaways. What you need to do to finally start addressing the root cause of your issues, and not chasing the symptoms in vain.

3 Actionable Take-Aways:

1. Stop Doing Things That Cleary Aren’t Working

• Don’t be ‘insane’ in Einstein’s eyes and keep doing the same thing over and over that isn’t getting you the results you want

• Give something 3-6 months, if you aren’t seeing any clear sustainable progress, its time to move on and try something else

(e.g I went to the osteopath for 10 years before I realised this and stopped. Learn from my mistakes. Imagine how much further ahead I’d be if I had an extra 9.5 years training this way?! Pff. Better late than never)

2. Develop Your CRITICAL THINKING

• This is one of the most powerful weapons you have in life

• Without sharp critical thinking skills, you will feel lost and misled forever

• This is your shield and armour for the war on misinformation. The healthcare industry is rife with misinformation on the human body, and I lapped it all up for years. Protect yourself, your progress depends on it

(e.g the example of strength training vs mobility. With mobility we expect quick fixes, but with strength we know its not possible. The ‘quick fix’ stuff is a hoax. Doesn’t exist. And this is what keeps you chasing your trail and not the root cause)

3. Focus on Learning PRINCIPLES, not methods/techniques/exercises

• Methods/techniques/exercises will change, but the principles will stay the same

• So hedge your bets and stick to the principles to know you are on the right track and not wasting your valuable time, energy, money

• Think about it, following trends and the ‘average’…..will get you average results. To get results people aren’t getting, you need to do things the average easily led person isn’t doing. Just like these takeaway points

(e.g instead of picking a healthcare practitioner on ‘whats trendy’, pick ones that follow the principles of the human body. Hence why critical thinking is before this point, to enable you to do so)

That is what I do in my 1:1 coaching for clients. On their route back to their PHYSICAL FREEDOM, I help them develop their CRITICAL THINKING and also EDUCATE them with principles of the human body.

This lets them understand why they are getting progress now, and why the quick fixes didn’t work before. They are also armed with better ways of thinking to get progress going forward in in mobility & life!

I’m also proud to say some ex-clients have gone on to coach others and share this knowledge! (yoga teachers, new coaches, current coaches etc). That’s what it’s all about!!

The IMPACT for them and also THROUGH them. Create an army of people who don’t want to SETTLE, and who can think critically and get progress going forward in all areas of life and spread their info to keep helping others.

The most relevant client example I have on this topic of being fooled by the quick fixes and not having the critical thinking to understand the root cause is Paul Morris.

Paul is from Florida (pretty cool to have a reach outside of Ireland with the online coaching!! I have had clients across 3 different continents! Which is pretty humbling and awesome).

He had back chronic back pain for years and had to stop strength training and playing golf as a result. He thought back surgery would ‘fix’ him but it didn't. Again - it’s not addressing the root cause. It’s only changing the hardware and not upgrading the software. He saw my story and was inspired. And he signed up from there. I’ll let Paul tell you the rest! Find his full review here

We also have Jason a current client who for 11 months tried the route above (osteopath, physio, epidural injections etc).......to no avail. Now he is on the program and finally sees he is on the right path towards his PHYSICAL FREEDOM. No more pain meds at night. Yeah baby. what it's all about!

And after a consultation call with Michael last night, we have another client signed up who had back surgery. After that still not working he has had enough pain to CHANGE, like I talked about above.He doesn't want to settle for that anymore, and he's ready to get the education & coaching he needs to take back his PHYSICAL FREEDOM. This is why I do what I do. I know you are out there, and my story and client stories will be the beacon of hope & inspiration you need to take ACTION. You can see its possible, now its down to you.

If you want more info on 1:1 coaching to get your physical freedom back, message me on Instagram! And we'll chat from there to see if we are a good fit to work together.

That's it for today! A brief look at my week below!

This Week:

Education:

• Current Reading: Denial of Death (Ernst Becker)

• Podcasts

(Modern Wisdom Podcast - The Evolutionary Psychology of Love: Robin Dunbar)

(Modern Wisdom Podcast - Life’s mysteries, explained by Physics: Sabine Hossenfelder)

(The Koe Cast - The Importance of making conscious choices) (The Koe Cast - Your mind is a supercomputer running the game of life)

Business:

Some client wins this week:

- The Jason win above!!

(American football - 6 years taking hits as a running back. Chronic back pain)

- Bill on the right path after having a tough time with other coaches and getting his mindset right on the journey of physical freedom (it’s not a cake walk! Hence the need for support and the right coach)

Personal:

• Breakfast on Thursday morning in Dublin with mother dear who had her birthday on Tuesday! I won’t say her age for fear of not being fed next time I go home

• The parents are up for Gareth Brooks concert today (Saturday) so will have a few drinks with them before/after.

• Heading to Jordan Peterson in the 3 Arena on Sunday! Looking forward to that! Meeting 2 ex-clients (Jack & Michael - brothers from Kerry!) there and pints/chats will be had!! Looking forward to it as we haven't met in person before! Read their reviews here: Jack & Michael

Training:

• Just as I get back into Jiu Jitsu I get fucking ringworm on my neck again. Sigh - can’t go to class incase I spread it. Well you know the drill - if you can’t do what you want, do what you CAN. Subbed in runs for Jiu Jitsu. Roughly 5k run on Tuesday (in the pissing rain haha was fun. Reminded me of the soccer matched in the rain I used to love). 5km run Thursday too

• One arm chin up session last Sunday. New PB on the journey getting 6 reps of 5kg assisted one arm chin ups. And also hitting 2 reps in one set. SMALL GAINS

• Got another upper push session in and 1 lower body sessions. Back squatting now with the knee. Slowly building back up the strength in pain-free range (not full flexion)

And that’s a wrap! Hopefully this was insightful and helpful to you 🙂

All my socials are linked at the bottom of this email to follow! If you are reading this online article and want this to your inbox each week - put your email in the box down at the bottom! Would be happy to have you onboard the journey of small gaining your way towards your potential!

Enjoy the weekend guys! Plan some fun shit if you haven’t. To build capacity for the week ahead and also to enjoy yourself! All work and no play makes you an unhappy human.

Don’t Settle,

Mark