A back injury is serious business. According to the World Health Organization, between 60 and 70 percent of people will experience non-specified lower-back pain in their lifetime. Upon experiencing back pain, most lifters toss squats out of their program, as loading weight onto your injury-prone back is a surefire way to, well, get injured.
Not so, according to Dr. Stuart McGill—Professor Emeritus of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario Canada. He says that as long as one can maintain a safe and stable spine while squatting, pain and the risk of injury shouldn’t be a problem. This is achieved through bracing your core, and therefore stabilizing your spine.
Bracing your abs is as simple as breathing into your stomach to expand and tighten your core. While squatting, you would breathe in with the weight resting on your back before descending into a squat. Maintain this braced position throughout the entire movement, breathing through your nose. If you lose core tension, reset at the top of the lift.
To reinforce proper bracing and to strengthen all of the core muscles involved in stabilizing your spine—rectus abdominis, obliques, and spinal erectors—McGill has prescribed three movements that he’s dubbed, the McGill Big Three. Besides bracing during these exercises, McGill also recommends performing high-reps for each.
“People with low back pain lose their endurance capacity,” McGill says. “Endurance exercises of the core using low loads and high reps, rebuilds slow twitch muscle fibers and promote spine stability.”
Keep reading to learn all about McGill’s Big Three and for some of the best squat variations to try if you’re hitting the gym after a back injury.
Creating spinal stability while performing the “McGill Big Three” is achieved by practicing abdominal bracing—contracting all four layers of the abdominal wall muscles. To get the feel of abdominal bracing, try the following:Relax your abs and push your fingers gently into your obliques, a couple inches to the side of your belly button.Now, breathe into your abs and stiffen them, pushing your fingers outward.
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Edgar Artiga
The “McGill Big Three”
The McGill Curl-up
Targets: rectus abdominisDo it: Lie on your back with your hands under your lower back. Bend one leg and place your foot on the floor and keep the other extended. Squeeze your abs and pull your shoulders slightly off of the floor. Hold this position for 8 seconds and then relax your abs. Complete all the reps on this side and then switch.
Side Bridge
Targets: ObliquesDo it: Lie on your side and with your knees bent at 90 degrees behind your. Now, place your forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder so that your torso is elevated and makes straight diagonal line from your head to your knees. Keep your hips up and brace your abs for 8 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Bird Dog
Targets: Spinal ErectorsDo it: Get on your hands and knees, maintaining a flat back with your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Now, extend your left leg back and right arm forward. Hold this position for 8 seconds. Complete all the reps on this side and then switch.
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EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER / Getty
Putting It All Together to Beat Back Pain
“Endurance is a pillar for training virtually every athlete,” McGill says. This is especially true for athletes with bad backs or those recovering from back injury. McGill recommends holding each rep of the exercises for no more than 7-8 seconds, and suggests performing them in a reverse-pyramid progression.In this pattern, the number of repetitions is reduced with each set performed. Since fatigue increases with increasing number of sets, by reducing the number of repetitions per set, less fatigue is experienced, and endurance levels are maintained.To reduce back stiffness and improve motion around the spine, McGill suggests performing 5-8 cycles of the cat/camel mobility exercise to start.
Sample Workout With the McGill Big ThreeExerciseSetsRepsMcGill Curl-Up310, 8, 6Side Bridge310, 8, 6Bird Dog310, 8, 6
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Cecilie_Arcurs / Getty
Squatting With a Bad Back
Now that you’ve learned the basics of using the McGill “Big Three” rehab exercises, you’re on your way to developing the spine stability needed to prepare you for a return to safe squatting.If you’ve blown your back out or have a chronic back injury, trying to squat again without further injuring yourself may seem futile. But in reality, it’s still possible to squat as you rehab an injury. The key is using squat variations that remove the compressive forces from your lower spine and ensuring that you keep your low back in a neutral position during any squat movements. This prevents the spine from going into flexion while you squat—a movement that’s been shown to cause disc herniation and its accompanying pain.So which squat variations are ideal for those with low back issues to ensure the spine stays stable and neutral? Keep reading to find out.
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James Michelfelder
Goblet Squat:
A great starter squat is the goblet squat, which loads weight on the front of the body, unlike a conventional barbell back squat that places the load on your back and can place excessive force on the lower spine.The goblet squat also is posture-friendly, keeping your back in a neutral, upright position that reduces the stress on your lumbar spine. Plus, with the load in front of the body, your core abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal/external obliques, and the deep transverse abdominus muscle) are all working to stabilize the trunk while squatting.To perform a Goblet Squat:Using a dumbbell or kettlebell, pull the weight into your chest, under your chin.Squat down while allowing your hips to drift posteriorly and your knees to slightly pull outward .Ascend by pressing your heels into the floor as you rise to the start position.Optional: Slow down the tempo. Perform the descending movement for 4-6 full seconds, pause for a count of two at the bottom, and take 2-3 seconds to return to start. Slower reps, means more time the muscles are under tension and that means more muscle mass growth.
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Westend61 / Getty
Cable Hip Belt Squat
Kick your safe squatting up a notch by performing a cable hip belt squat. For this, you will need a weightlifting belt and a cable station. To perform:Place the cable on a low rung of the cable station machine.Attach the weight belt to the carabiner on the machine.Walk backwards approximately 10 feet.Start squatting, making sure to grip the feet firmly on the floor as hips drift back.
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Edgar Artiga
Landmine Squat
The landmine squat is a great variation for those with bad backs who still want to safely go heavier. Like the boblet squat, the landmine squat loads anteriorly, preventing spinal compression while promoting a neutral spine. The anchored Olympic bar allows for lifting larger while using your legs to squat, not your back.
Creating spinal stability while performing the “McGill Big Three” is achieved by practicing abdominal bracing—contracting all four layers of the abdominal wall muscles. To get the feel of abdominal bracing, try the following:
Relax your abs and push your fingers gently into your obliques, a couple inches to the side of your belly button.
Now, breathe into your abs and stiffen them, pushing your fingers outward.
The "McGill Big Three"
The McGill Curl-up
Targets: rectus abdominis
Do it: Lie on your back with your hands under your lower back. Bend one leg and place your foot on the floor and keep the other extended. Squeeze your abs and pull your shoulders slightly off of the floor. Hold this position for 8 seconds and then relax your abs. Complete all the reps on this side and then switch.
Side Bridge
Targets: Obliques
Do it: Lie on your side and with your knees bent at 90 degrees behind your. Now, place your forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder so that your torso is elevated and makes straight diagonal line from your head to your knees. Keep your hips up and brace your abs for 8 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Bird Dog
Targets: Spinal Erectors
Do it: Get on your hands and knees, maintaining a flat back with your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Now, extend your left leg back and right arm forward. Hold this position for 8 seconds. Complete all the reps on this side and then switch.
Putting It All Together to Beat Back Pain
“Endurance is a pillar for training virtually every athlete,” McGill says. This is especially true for athletes with bad backs or those recovering from back injury. McGill recommends holding each rep of the exercises for no more than 7-8 seconds, and suggests performing them in a reverse-pyramid progression.
In this pattern, the number of repetitions is reduced with each set performed. Since fatigue increases with increasing number of sets, by reducing the number of repetitions per set, less fatigue is experienced, and endurance levels are maintained.
To reduce back stiffness and improve motion around the spine, McGill suggests performing 5-8 cycles of the cat/camel mobility exercise to start.
Sample Workout With the McGill Big Three
Exercise
Sets
Reps
McGill Curl-Up
3
10, 8, 6
Side Bridge
3
10, 8, 6
Bird Dog
3
10, 8, 6
Squatting With a Bad Back
Now that you’ve learned the basics of using the McGill “Big Three” rehab exercises, you’re on your way to developing the spine stability needed to prepare you for a return to safe squatting.
If you’ve blown your back out or have a chronic back injury, trying to squat again without further injuring yourself may seem futile. But in reality, it’s still possible to squat as you rehab an injury. The key is using squat variations that remove the compressive forces from your lower spine and ensuring that you keep your low back in a neutral position during any squat movements. This prevents the spine from going into flexion while you squat—a movement that’s been shown to cause disc herniation and its accompanying pain.
So which squat variations are ideal for those with low back issues to ensure the spine stays stable and neutral? Keep reading to find out.
Goblet Squat:
A great starter squat is the goblet squat, which loads weight on the front of the body, unlike a conventional barbell back squat that places the load on your back and can place excessive force on the lower spine.
The goblet squat also is posture-friendly, keeping your back in a neutral, upright position that reduces the stress on your lumbar spine. Plus, with the load in front of the body, your core abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal/external obliques, and the deep transverse abdominus muscle) are all working to stabilize the trunk while squatting.
To perform a Goblet Squat:
Using a dumbbell or kettlebell, pull the weight into your chest, under your chin.
Squat down while allowing your hips to drift posteriorly and your knees to slightly pull outward .
Ascend by pressing your heels into the floor as you rise to the start position.
Optional: Slow down the tempo. Perform the descending movement for 4-6 full seconds, pause for a count of two at the bottom, and take 2-3 seconds to return to start. Slower reps, means more time the muscles are under tension and that means more muscle mass growth.
Cable Hip Belt Squat
Kick your safe squatting up a notch by performing a cable hip belt squat. For this, you will need a weightlifting belt and a cable station. To perform:
Place the cable on a low rung of the cable station machine.
Attach the weight belt to the carabiner on the machine.
Walk backwards approximately 10 feet.
Start squatting, making sure to grip the feet firmly on the floor as hips drift back.
Landmine Squat
The landmine squat is a great variation for those with bad backs who still want to safely go heavier. Like the boblet squat, the landmine squat loads anteriorly, preventing spinal compression while promoting a neutral spine. The anchored Olympic bar allows for lifting larger while using your legs to squat, not your back.
