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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Strengthen and pain-proof your back with McGill's Big 3 (the curl-up, the side plank, and the bird dog), plus a psoas stretch, and for disc-related pain, a cobra push-up. Huberman says these need minimal time, no equipment, and can be done pain-free by most people and have been shown to be beneficial, but everyone should work within a range that is challenging without causing or worsening pain.
Key Points
- The McGill's Big 3 are named for Dr. Stuart McGill, a spine physiology expert, and the exercises are the curl-up, the side plank, and the bird dog.
- The curl-up is preferred over conventional crunches because it produces a stronger, more efficient abdominal contraction, and the speaker says conventional crunches can worsen herniation and bulging.
- Short 10-second holds are recommended over long holds because repeated short contractions help build the neural pathways needed to contract those muscles hard.
- Huberman says the psoas stretch targets the muscle connecting the spine to the pelvis and can relieve hip tightness, breathing difficulty after sitting, and pressure on certain nerve roots.
- The cobra push-up was taught to the speaker by Grant Elliot (Rehab Fix It) and is described as helpful for disc bulging or herniation that is pressing toward the back, but it can worsen front-side impingement.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Curl-up: Lie on your back, place palms under the small of your back to maintain the arch, bend one knee with the foot flat and extend the other leg, keep the neck neutral, lift the upper torso leading with the chest (elbows down or floated), hold about 10 seconds with the tongue on the roof of the mouth and nasal breathing, then relax with 10 to 30 seconds (up to about 60) of rest. Do three to five holds per set, start with one set per side, and progress to about three sets per side. Switch legs and repeat.
- Side plank: Lie on your side, bend the bottom arm at 90 degrees with a fist, stack the knees bent, lift the hips while pushing hard into the floor, avoid letting the hip sag, hold about 10 seconds, rest 10 to 60 seconds, repeat, and do the other side. Progress to a straight arm, then to planted hand or foot options.
- Bird dog: Start on all fours with hands and knees planted, actively push the ground away with one hand, raise the opposite arm in a fist in front, extend the opposite leg without arching the back or raising the leg too high, hold at least 10 seconds, and then repeat on the other side. Optional progressions include slow circles or squares with the extended limb and touching the fist to the knee slowly while keeping core tension.
- Psoas stretch: Lunge forward with the front knee slightly bent until a hip flexor stretch is felt, raise the arm on the back-leg side with palm up toward the ceiling and pinky turned toward the head, reach and deepen the lunge, breathe through the nose, and hold. Repeat three to five times per side as one set, and the speaker suggests one to five sets depending on time.
- Cobra push-up: Lie face down with hands at about clavicle level, feet together and pointed back, elbows back, and push up partway, with the tongue on the roof of the mouth. Hold three to five seconds, do about five to 10 repetitions, and on the last repetition hold 10 to 30 seconds with a long spine, then relax. The speaker did this several times a day.
- Common mistakes in the bird dog include over-arching the back and lifting the leg too high; pointing the toe or keeping the heel up are both acceptable.
- Everyone performs these slightly differently, and the speaker says stop any movement that causes or increases pain.
- The speaker's own experience was an L3-L4 impingement, which made walking very difficult; he says the cobra push-up provided quick relief and resolved his issue within a couple of days, while noting some people need surgery or medication.
- The speaker says the exercises can be done in work clothes and without much sweating.
Bottom Line
Core-focused, low-equipment exercises like the McGill's Big 3 and the psoas stretch can be a practical back-strengthening routine, while the cobra push-up is presented as a specific option for certain disc bulges, with the direction of herniation determining whether it helps or harms.
