McGill’s Big 3

I first learned about McGill’s Big 3 on Andrew Huberman’s podcast Protocols to Strengthen & Pain Proof Your Back. Here are comprehensive instructions from Squat University.

The lean is, at its root, an endurance failure: the muscles that hold your spine stacked run out of gas before the finish line does, and you fold. Dr. Stuart McGill spent a career on exactly that problem, and his "Big 3" is the most spine-friendly way to build the endurance — not the max strength — that keeps your trunk from quitting on you.

The genius of the Big 3 is what it leaves out. No sit-ups, no crunches, no loading your spine into the very forward fold you're trying to prevent. Just three positions that train the front, side, and back of your core to hold a neutral spine for a long time. That's the trait that matters at mile 80.

How to do it

1. The Curl-Up. Lie on your back, one knee bent with that foot flat, the other leg straight. Slide your hands palm-down under your low back to preserve its natural arch — do not flatten it. Brace your abs, then lift only your head and shoulders a couple of inches, keeping your neck neutral (no chin-tuck). Hold, lower with control. Switch which knee is bent halfway through.

2. The Side Bridge. Lie on your side, propped on your forearm with the elbow under your shoulder. Stack or stagger your feet, brace, and lift your hips into a straight line — head to knees (easier) or head to feet (harder). Keep hips level and stacked; don't let the top hip roll forward or the bottom hip sag. Both sides, equal work.

3. The Bird Dog. On all fours, hands under shoulders, knees under hips, spine neutral. Brace, then reach your opposite arm and leg out until they're level with your torso. Don't let your low back sag or your hips twist — keep your pelvis flat as a tabletop. Hold, return, switch sides.

Cues that matter

• Brace, don't suck in. Stiffen your whole midsection like a braced cylinder.

• Neutral spine in all three — that's the entire point.

• Build endurance, not burn. You should feel the muscles around your spine working, never the low back itself.

• Breathe normally through every hold. If you can't, ease off.

Dose it

McGill's signature is a descending rep pyramid instead of one long hold: hold each rep about 8–10 seconds, and run sets of 6 reps, then 4, then 2 per side. Short holds, repeated — that's how you train endurance without grinding the spine. Most days of the week. One tip from McGill himself: wait about an hour after waking before doing them, when your discs are less vulnerable.

Make it easier / harder

Easier: side bridge from the knees, bird dog with just an arm or just a leg, shorter holds. Harder: full side bridge from the feet, add a bird-dog "sweep" of the limb back to the floor between reps, or build the pyramid up (8/6/4). Progress by adding reps, not by holding longer — long static holds aren't the goal.