Stuart McGill Solved My Back Pain Problem for Good!

I already have a 3 part post on how to conquer back pain (I'll summarize some of that info in this post). Before reading Stuart McGill's acclaimed book "Low Back Disorders" I was doing many things that were making a bad problem worse. I aggravated that injury over and over again and it was an endless cycle of pain. Every time I re-injured my back it was 2-3 months of misery. I have been without pain now for the past 5-7 years and here is how I accomplished that.

Avoid Anything that Rounds the Lower Back

No crunches, avoid all knee-to-chest stretches, no toe touches, no sit and reach stretches…in fact avoid rounding the spine forward at all on purpose. I will never do Yoga or Pilates because there are way too many movements that involve rounding of the spine. I never purposely round the spine forward and it has been life changing. I am so grateful to Stuart McGill for explaining over hundreds of pages why flexing the spine forward is asking for pain. Here are some pictures of common movements to avoid.

Avoid "Sit and Reach" Stretches

[These weaken the lower back over time and increase your chance of a lower back injury. One leg is bad and doing two legs at a time is probably even worse.]

Avoid All Types of Crunches

[I think people can probably get away with doing crunches for a short period of time, but this is not a movement you want to do long term. It isn't even a great way to get nice looking abs. If you have ever suffered a lower back injury these are probably off limits.]

Avoid Knee to Chest Stretches

[I used to do these because they felt good on my lower back. Unfortunately they were keeping my lower back from being stable and were contributing to future injuries.]

Avoid These Types of Yoga Movements

[I believe this is called "The Plow". There are several Yoga movements that round your spine to the extreme. This is really bad when trying to stabilize and protect your lower back.]

Do you sense a pattern?

I could list another 20-30 examples with photos. The main thing is that you are to avoid rounding your lower back on purpose if lower back pain has been a problem in the past. I would even go as far to say to avoid this even if you have never suffered a lower back injury…but that is just because I know how miserable back pain can be. If you take my advice, you will experience less and less back pain over time.

So I Told You What To Avoid, Now What?

A gentleman by the name of Eric Wong contacted me after reading an earlier 3 part post I did on "conquering back pain". He actually studied under Dr. Stuart McGill (the guy who wrote "Low Back Disorders") at the University of Waterloo. Small world! Anyway, in addition to studying under the best low back research scientist in he world, he spent another two years learning from Paul Check…one of the top corrective exercise specialists in the world. So Eric not only knows how to avoid back pain, he knows what to do to get that spine back to full health. This is where my knowledge has been lacking…because as the title of this article suggests…I have the spine of a weakling!

Here's a Picture of Eric Wong

[Eric is mostly known for training MMA fighters...and less known for his knowledge on back rehabilitation. This guy is in incredible condition as well. I did quite a bit of research on Google and he's very well respected in the MMA world.]

A Nasty Scar on His Back from Back Surgery Gone Wrong

Eric overcame a terrible back injury when he was in high-school and has a crazy scar to prove it. Worse than that…the surgery had major complications. He understands how back pain can rule your life and what to do to correct that pain. He sent me an e-mail late last week and informed me that he is giving away his "DAMAGE Control Routine" for free for a limited time. It will eventually only be included in a paid product but he is giving it away for free for people who go over to this page from Monday, March 29th – Thursday, April 1st. This routine is comprehensive so it will be delivered in PDF's and videos over a period of a week or two. I just signed up to receive the first PDF and I am simply excited to see the rest of the Damage Control Routine (great name).

Note: You guys are probably wise enough to realize that Eric is giving away part of his course for free in hopes that you will like it enough to consider his full paid course when he launches it. Even if you have no plans on purchasing anything it still makes sense to go over to the page and get this free info. Eric is one of the good guys online and gets satisfaction from helping people whether they buy anything from him or not.

The Correct Way to Prevent Recurring Low Back Pain.

The best way to prevent low back pain is to strengthen the low back muscles while your back is in the proper alignment. There are three main exercises you want to focus on…"planks", "bird dogs" and "supermans".

Here is a Video of a Great Demonstration of "Supermans"

This guy does a great job of showing why this exercise is so good. Do you see how his lower back is curved correctly throughout the entire exercise? With this exercise you are building the muscles while the spine is in proper alignment. You can't round the spine at all, which makes this exercise ideal for rehabilitation.

Here is a Video of How to Do "Planks" Properly

Craig Ballantyne author of Turbulence Training recommends these as the main way to get toned abs. He gives top-notch advice. Craig frequently references Stuart McGill in his writings as well…the guy who wrote Low Back Disorders…the outstanding book which basically taught me the correct way to prevent back pain.

Here is a Video of a Guy Doing "Bird Dogs"

This guy isn't showing the best form in the world. What you want to do is hold for 5 seconds in a straight position and then alternate just like he does in the video and hold again in the straight position for 5 seconds. This exercise works the small muscles in the back called the multifidus muscles. There is an entire book on this exercise called "The Multifidus Back Pain Solution: Simple Exercises That Target the Muscles That Count". The author of this book believes that the key to solving back pain lies in working the small mutifidus muscles. After doing this exercise for 4 years, I completely agree!

Why These Three Exercises Work So Well Together

1) "Supermans" reinforce correct curvature of the lower back.
2) "Planks" strengthen the core and build abdominal endurance to protect the spine.
3) "Bird Dogs" strengthen the multifidus muscles which quickly alleviate back pain in the majority of people with low back injuries.

How Many Times Per Week?

I would recommend that these exercises are done in the same order as listed here, three times per week. Do 10 reps of "supermans" on each side…holding for 5-10 seconds in the flexed position. For "planks", do the regular version for 2 minutes and add the side versions as you gain more abdominal endurance. Finally…finish up with the "bird dogs"…10 reps each side and hold for 5-10 seconds just like you do with "supermans".

These Exercises Have Vastly Improved My Quality of Life!

I have been 100% pain free for 4 years now. If you know of anyone with chronic back pain, please refer them to this three part post. If I would have had this 12 years ago, I would have saved myself from years of pain and misery. Please leave a comment below if you have any comments or questions…I do my best to answer as many as possible.

So What Are So Many People Doing Wrong?

The typical advice given by physical therapists is to strengthen the lower back muscles and abs to prevent a low back injury from coming back. It is a good idea to strengthen these muscles, but you have to be extremely careful of the exercises that you chose. You do not want to do any exercise that rounds the lower back whatsoever!

Do NOT Do Lower Back Extensions!

In Stuart McGill's groundbreaking book, Low Back Disorders, he explains that you need to retrain your back muscles to insure that they don't allow the back to round. The last thing you would want to do is develop strength through a similar range of motion that caused the low back injury in the first place!

Don't Even Think About Crunches…Even If You Are Slow and Cautious!

Again…if you do crunches, you are teaching your body to get more efficient at rounding the back. You do not want to do this at all…seriously! Stuart McGill explains this in much better detail than I able to…he is an absolute expert in this field.

Do NOT Do Stretches That Involve The Rounding of the Back!

There are several variations of this stretch…avoid them all. You don't even want to stretch your muscles through a range of motion similar to what caused the injury! Your goal is to reprogram your back to not round…stretching the low back like this helps it round more easily…you don't want to do this.

So How Do You Strengthen Your Back to Protect Against Injuries?

I'm glad you asked? The goal is to strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine, when the spine is at the correct alignment. In Part III, I will discuss amazing exercises that will help you bullet-proof the back from spinal injuries. If you have struggled with low back injuries, you need to read this!

Conquering Low Back Pain While Getting Fit…Part III
(click to read part III)

A Quick Background on My Injury

Back in college I wanted to get massive legs, because I was clueless and didn't realize at the time that women weren't attracted to overly muscular guys. So, I was loading up a ton of weight on a leg press machine…it's easy to do 700+ pounds on these machines with a little practice. I was doing a set of 6 and was making sure to go "all the way down" to get full advantage of the lift.

I didn't realize that when I was at the bottom of the lift, my spine was curling a bit. On rep number 5 something felt terribly wrong! I finished the rep and locked the weights back into place. I had a hard time standing up.

Here is a Picture of A Guy Making the Same Mistake

I limped back to my place and immediately called my sister. My brother-in-law is a chiropractor and let me into his office after hours…he x-rayed my back and found that I had "slipped a disk".

I Suffered Severe Pain Like I Couldn't Imagine for 3 Months!

If you have never suffered a spinal injury, consider yourself extremely fortunate! When your spine is injured it carries over to other parts of your body. The slipped disk in my spine was pushing on the main nerve going down my right leg…this pain was so intense that I wouldn't be able to stand more than 3 hours without throbbing unbearable pain.

After Several Months of Pain, My Back Got Close to the Pre-Injury State

After 3 months, I could look in a mirror and the bones weren't poking out of my back abnormally anymore (yes…my back injury was that nasty). I still had a bit of pain, but it wasn't crippling. Everything was great, I went back to working out, and my back was completely back to normal…WRONG!

Two Years Later…The Injury Returned Worse Than Before!

I was just doing a normal workout in my gym and I was sitting on a bench getting ready to bench press…and all of the sudden I felt a burning pain shooting down my leg and I immediately walked into the locker room and lifted my shirt up. I looked in the mirror and my lower back looked like a mess…the curve was all wrong.

This Injury Returned 5 More Times in 12 Years…Until I Conquered It!

In 2003, the injury came back and all I was doing was shooting a basketball. I was fed up! I spent the next 6 months online researching every site and book I could find on low back injuries. I've easily read 1,000+ pages on the subject of low back injuries. In Part II, I will share with you the cutting edge information I discovered that changed my life. What I found is that most people (including physical therapists) are taking the wrong approach to healing an injured lower back. If your back is hurting, you NEED to read part II.

Conquering Low Back Pain While Getting Fit…Part II
(click to read part two of this article)