Dedicated to reversing the causes of lower back pain, Core Balance Training is an online program that uses core activation and movement retraining to help people improve posture and escape the back pain cycle. Students first learn how to activate the spinal support muscles of their deep core by connecting to their 'Core Anchors', then how to apply that connection to movement. Students are guided through a system of core-based movement, resulting in a healthy core connection and supported spine in activities of daily life.Core Balance Training was founded in 2016 by Dr. Ryan Peebles, a Doctor of Physical Therapy who has committed over 20 years to better understanding and reversing the root causes of chronic lower back pain. After overcoming his personal struggles with back problems, Dr. Ryan now guides others to get out of pain.The 12-week program can be completed by all ages and fitness levels. It begins with simple core-based movements, progressing to functional and complex movements over a 3 month period. All movements become healthy for the spine, allowing students to return to higher level activities, such as fitness and sport without pain. Other outcomes are improved function and reduced or eliminated lower back pain. Because the solution focuses on education and movement retraining, the results of Core Balance Training are typically lifelong.
Core Balance Training (corebalancetraining.com) has 374 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Also known as
corebalancetraining.com
Website
corebalancetraining.com
Category
Medical Specialists
Location
San Clemente
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
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Most recent review: October 2026.
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I'd give 6 stars if I could! I've literally tried everything. Not quite, as I never took pain medication, nor had "the shot". But I spent $12K on my back my first year after retiring, & that was not in my budget. I've never stopped searching, walking, or doing exercises that I thought would help me. When CBT came into my various feeds because of social media algorithms, I decided to try it. The slow method of building upon each day's lesson is amazing. The correct breathing technique was something I never thought could help, but it is key. One key concept after another. One is able to comment after each lesson & I did almost daily. I received great feedback on each comment. It was like having a personal trainer. Very affordable. I can't recommend this enough to someone who is open minded, wants to stop what they're doing wrong & be committed to doing what's right. It takes effort & is totally worth it! I finished the program 2 weeks ago, but that doesn't mean I'm finished. This is what I'm going to continue to do daily. It is a lifestyle, not a "quick fix".
JS
Josh S.
Worth the investment!
This was a phenomenal course. Dr. Ryan designed the program to literally reset your body/core in a way that finally unlocked what yoga, PT, and chiropractic care couldn’t because this is teaching functional awareness 24/7. Cannot recommend enough if you hip/SI joint or lower disk/back issues.
JA
Jarrett
Fantastic program..the detail behind…
Fantastic program..the detail behind the why we did the exercises helps provide both understanding and motivation throughout. The daily email was effective in keeping me on track. I am at a place physically that I had given up on getting back too after 15 years of suffering from a mid grade l4-l5 spondy.
JB
Joel B.
Saw their FB ads claiming permanent…
Saw their FB ads claiming permanent cure for back pain. Asked several times in a civil manner if they could cite any research supporting that claim.
The only response I got was to be blocked!
Core exercises are readily available without having to subscribe to anything. Appears their main purpose is to sell subscriptions by making non evidence based claims.
Read your response. Appears to be a canned response and that you didn't read my review very well as I stated that I commented on FB asking for supporting research and was blocked on FB as a result.
You can't locate my comments? That's what happens when you block someone. When I search for you on FB, I get a page not available, which is because you blocked me. And the comments I made have disappeared from my activity profile, which is what happens when someone blocks you.
Enough of this, how about simply referencing credible research to back up your claims of a "permanent cure"?
And how your subscription program is better than freely available core exercises?
So you have some anecdotes. That is not credible evidence to support claims of a "permanent cure".
I note that the review from Serbia states: "...It was concluded that exercise on the stability of the pelvic nucleus and muscles is recommended as the simplest and most favorable prevention of lower back pain and lumbar lordosis. The stability of the nucleus helps to overcome the main causes and deprive the body of functional disorders and pain..." It appears there is nothing in there that is unique to your method.
Charging people $99 a month for just online instruction is pretty pricey, particularly when core exercises are freely available from many sources e.g., the Mayo Clinic. Links aren't allowed here but searching Mayo Clinic core exercises will bring it up.
Or going to a PT for in person instruction that doesn't have to be ongoing once a person learns what to do.
I suggest removing extravagant claims based on anecdotes from your ads.
Response from Core Balance TrainingJul 26, 2024
Mr. Buckner,
As a small family business, we are deeply committed to customer satisfaction and we are happy to address any concerns or queries you might have.
However, we haven't been able to locate any messages, emails, or correspondence from you, which leaves us puzzled by your review.
Please reach out to [email protected] or feel free to ask any questions you may have in your review so we can address your concerns appropriately.
Best Regards,
Austie with CBT
UPDATE: Our company is small, and we haven't been around for a long time; therefore, we don't have any formal research conducted on our specific program yet.
However, we do have data from our students, as well as before-and-after MRIs and X-rays from the creator of Core Balance Training, who suffered from several spinal conditions that pointed to surgery. Our program was designed based on education, extensive research, and his personal experience with DDD, bulging and herniated discs in his lumbar spine, stenosis, SI joint problems, sciatica, spondylolisthesis, and more. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/aI_4p8V_9T8?si=T-hc1MvoT6a9i33S
We have had numerous students report that they were able to avoid surgery or cancel scheduled surgeries through participation in our program. Please feel free to read through any of the reviews below from people who participated in our course for confirmation.
If you are looking for published research about the effects of core training, I am happy to provide you with a link to a 2021 systematic review, which is the highest form of evidence and published in a respected journal: http://www.jaspe.ac.me/?sekcija=article&artid=174
While we do have a unique system for addressing back pain, we offer a free trial. We allow people to experience the program for an entire week before having to pay, and if it doesn't work for them, they can easily cancel. About 75% of people in our free trial choose to continue, and we have a 92% success rate, so there is some data for you.
Additionally, we have a 30-day money-back guarantee if they decide to continue past the free trial period and find that our program did not work for them. Our hope in offering this generous refund policy is to demonstrate our confidence in the program's success rate.
It's disheartening to receive a review about our service from someone who did not participate in our course. As a small business, we rely on these reviews to help people in pain evaluate our program. I can assure you that our company operates with integrity, and we take pride in providing a reputable service to our students.
UPDATE #2: Thank you for your continued feedback. We appreciate the opportunity to further clarify and address your concerns. In response to your points regarding the systematic review and our pricing model, we want to emphasize the following:
Our program focuses on stabilizing your core, which supports the claims made in the article we referenced about the importance of core stabilization in preventing back pain. Our approach is grounded in research, personal and hands-on experience.
Regarding our pricing, we charge $99 per month because our membership includes continuous support throughout your journey. This includes email guidance, live Q&As with Dr. Ryan, and personalized feedback within each lesson. This ongoing support ensures our students have the resources and individualized attention they need to achieve lasting success.
We also offer free content on YouTube, allowing anyone to get a feel for Dr. Ryan's teaching style and learn basic techniques before deciding whether to commit to a full membership.
Lastly, the goal of our program is to help people become independent, not to have an ongoing subscription. We aim to provide the tools and knowledge to take control of your health, and once you’ve achieved the desired results, you can cancel your membership when you no longer need continued support.
JE
Jeremy
Helped me build a core and heal and…
Helped me build a core and heal and protect my back! It's great!
EL
Elaine
Well done!!
The videos were detailed and explanations were easy to understand. The reasons for many of the active stretches were shared.
AB
Alan B.
They slow down the program to charge more and hide bad reviews
EDIT: Because this is a negative review they tried to get it taken down as "fake." Trustpilot reached out and i presented the credit card data to prove experience. Do not trust Core Balance Training. They have done this before with facebook ads where they disable comments when people call out poor experiences.
They slow down the program to an absolute crawl and tell you its because you should focus on small things. You get one 5 minute video per day and sometimes the day is "just review what you have done today" and nothing new. but really its to keep you paying for the program. As soon as you cancel you lose all access to what you paid for. The "money back guarantee" is actually not accurate as they take 17% as a "credit card refund" fee. Scam of a program.
EDIT 2: Based on their recent response here is a direct copy paste from their refund email "Your membership has been cancelled and you have been refunded per your original request. There is a $17 transaction fee due to the processing fees we incur." This was in early 2024
Response from Core Balance TrainingJul 24, 2024
Hi Alan,
As a small family business, we take customer satisfaction seriously, and we are eager to address your concerns appropriately. However, our team has been unable to find an account or any correspondence associated with an Alan B.
Please contact [email protected] so that we can locate your account. We would appreciate the opportunity to acknowledge your feedback.
Respectfully,
Austie with CBT
UPDATE: We reached out to you previously through this platform requesting more information to help us locate your account and resolve any issues, but unfortunately, we haven't heard back. If you'd like to provide more details, please contact us at [email protected] so we can better understand your experience.
UPDATE 2: We flagged this review as “not based on a genuine experience” because we cannot find your name in our system, and the date provided doesn’t match any records. It appears the name and date provided by you are not linked to our program or any correspondence in our inbox. We reached out multiple times through Trustpilot asking for your real name so we can look into your account and better address your concerns, but never heard back.
Regarding the pace of the program: our course is structured with small, manageable steps to help students master the core connections before advancing to more complex movements. This progression helps avoid rushing through crucial foundational work and is a key factor in our students' success.
With regard to losing access to the course when you cancel: As with most membership-based programs, access ends upon cancellation. However, we do offer downloadable resources that our students can keep, which are designed to support their success.
We genuinely care about our students and always strive to improve based on valuable feedback. That’s why we no longer charge a credit card processing fee for refunds and haven't for quite some time. We believe feedback helps us grow and serve our students better, and we are always open to receiving it.
Additionally, we want to clarify that we do not disable comments on ads when people share poor experiences. We are always open to respectful and constructive conversations.
JP
Jamie P.
Good course overall. My SI joint pain is much better.
Ryan is easy on the eyes and has a great voice, so the videos were extra enjoyable. He explained the exercises clearly and the support team was outstanding. The one aspect I did not care for was the layout of the activities in the left margin. Most online courses show what modules you have completed so you can see where you are and what’s next. Titles would be helpful also. I never knew where I was and what was the course versus what was an extra video.
