Super Stiffness by Stuart McGill, Professor of Spine Biomechanics Invited for Dragondoor.com (Download PDF, 25Kb) At a gymnastics or martial arts meet, or at a weightlifting competition, listen to the coaches advice to the athlete – Stay tight! This means to maintain stiffness. Being stiff ensures that there will be minimal energy losses as forces […]
Core stability: “Fascial raking” to stimulate abdominal wall activation for ultimate performance Stuart McGill, Professor of Spine Biomechanics (Download PDF, 57Kb) Core stability depends on activity in the many muscles that act around the torso, and in particular those that form the abdominal wall. This article describes how to improve the contraction quality of these […]
Designing Back Exercise: from Rehabilitation to Enhancing Performance Stuart McGill, Ph.D. Professor of Spine Biomechanics, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo (Download PDF, 260Kb) Many have asked me to write a short overview to assist increasing the competency of clinicians. But after writing two textbooks based on our hundreds of […]
Professor Stuart McGill I am often asked for my opinion about the best way to squat, or to pull a loaded bar. My answer always is, “It depends on the person”. We all have a different injury history influencing which tissues may need sparing, different body segment length ratios affecting leverage advantages, different hip socket […]
Stuart McGill, University of Waterloo, (www.backfitpro.com) and Jon Chaimberg, Adrenaline Performance Center, Montreal (www.adrenalineperformancecenter.com) Published in Blitz Martial Arts Magazine, Australia, 2009 Great fighters simply get more out of their bodies to create fantastic performance. Teaming up with some top MMA/UFC fighters, we were able to document the “tricks” of striking fast and hard (see […]
Stuart M. McGill Professor of Spine Biomechanics, University of Waterloo, Canada A review invited by the National Strength and Conditioning Association March 2005 Scientific studies regarding the use of belts for athletic endeavours is scarce. Much more evidence and insight exists for the use of belts in occupational settings. The relevant information from occupational usage […]
Professor Stuart McGill, PhD University of Waterloo, Canada, and Backfitpro Inc. (www.backfitpro.com) This short article is intended to address the confusion regarding the issue of spine flexion and the misquoting of our work on this topic. First, some general thoughts are addressed, followed with discussion of the mechanisms of athletic performance, injury resilience, and suggestions […]