Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance-Sixth Edition

My tennis trainer/coach introduced me to the work of Dr. Stuart McGill through what I came to know as “The Big Three” (well represented on the internet). This is a set of core exercises that includes the “curl up.” The curl up is a substitute for the sit-ups and crunches we’ve been brought up on – but which Dr. McGill has found can injure the spine. One thing led to another and I wound up buying and studying his most recent book, published in 2017. To cut to the chase, my back remains in excellent condition and my tennis game has improved. I link these directly to a greater understanding of how to protect my lumbar spine and how to strengthen my core without hurting myself. Dr. McGill extensively discusses “stiffness” as a way of protecting the spine and also for allowing the most effective flow of energy and power through the kinetic chain. Particularly fascinating and useful is his presentation (on p. 187) of how you can generate tremendously increased grip strength by calling stiffness into play, evoking “neuronal overflow.” In trying this out, be careful you don’t crush someone’s hand or allow yours to be crushed. I have found, and continue to find, this book to be tremendously interesting, well documented, and useful. I suspect that physicians, trainers, and athletes will, too.

Particularly in the area of health care, the publishing market is flooded with unreliable information. This book is careful. It is based not only on extensive academic studies, but on academic studies carefully correlated to clinical treatment. It recognizes the difference between muscles whose function is to stabilize the body during movement and muscles intended to create movement. Recognizing physical reality and correlating it with years of successful rehabilitation of many back difficulties, I see this as very reliable information. A person who simply wished to avoid injury could use this book to help structure a good exercise program. A person who was injured but could not afford the increasingly inaccessible medical system, might buy this book for less than a treatment session and accomplish a good portion of self-rehab. It is, of course, never optimal to avoid medical treatment. Not everyone can afford it these days.

Great read. Stu McGill is truly an expert on the lumbar spine. I really enjoyed reading the case studies at the end of the book and how he helped people with different conditions differently. This book is a gem for those interested in both the health of the lumbar spine and athletic performance.

Everyone with a back should read this book. I wish it were required reading in school. Explains in layman’s terms not just how to deal with back problems but avoid them in the first place.

I can't say enough great things about this book and the author. This is a must ready if you have back problems. This is the go to author. His book has helped me immensely in healing my back and learning to live with a herniated disc. Stuart McGill is the expert in back mechanics. I found out about it him after endless amounts of research to help me heal a herniated disc without surgery.

I have the back mechanic book by the same author. That book is less expensive, very thorough and less dense than this ‘textbook’ version. I recall this book being very expensive but I didn’t care about price as I was desperate. The back mechanic book and good PT worked best for me.

Can't recommend it more. But if this is your first book on back healing, go and get Back Mechanic by Stuart McGill first. See my extensive review there... this is the second book to move on to, to get you back in the game. In a word: Superb!

This book is the second of its type and goes into more detail about back injuries, the anatomy of the back, and a routine that is easy to follow for getting well.

This gave me an easy to read understanding of my back issue and more importantly what not to do to worsen my issues.

Great book! However not a pocket book as stated - large and heavy.

An excellent book for any athlete recovering from back injury, or wanting to improve their performance.

This is a must read for anyone interested in sport or exercise. It has genuinely enriched my understanding of the human body and my approach to training Its worth noting that this book is orientated toward health and fitness professionals such as physiotherapists or coaches/personal trainers. If you are interested in aiding your own back troubles the author advises another book from his series 'Back Mechanic'. Similarly, if you are a physiotherapist or medical professional looking to aid common back dissorders, there is another indepth book for this purpose ' Low Back Disorders Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation'.

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