Upgrading the McGill Big 3 Back Exercises

B is for back hygiene (h/t Squat University).
B is also for breathing.
Work breathing into your McGill Big 3 and find yourself automatically finding the best position. How do you know you own a position? You can breathe in that position.
Living room, basement, garage. Meet the new gym. Same as the old gym. Work it people. #IUTU #liveready #thereadystate
About The Ready State:
The Ready State is the new home of MobilityWOD. The Ready State provides athletes, coaches, and humans of all walks of life the tools to Relieve pain, prevent injury, and improve physical performance. Subscribe to the Virtual Mobility Coach for customized mobility coaching, tailored to your body and lifestyle. Start a 14-day FREE TRIAL today at thereadystate.com.
Connect with The Ready State:
Visit the The Ready State WEBSITE: thereadystate.com
Follow The Ready State on INSTAGRAM: / thereadystate
Like The Ready State on FACEBOOK: / thereadystate
Follow The Ready State on TWITTER: / thereadystate

[@holisticchaos7910]

I read the mcgill big 3 but knew I'd be getting 1 big dose of starrett wisdom. In the last few videos you keep teaching me a new reason I haven't reached my goals for physical capability I expect from myself but the way you laid it all bare today was just genius. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 I admire your ability to take all that noise out there in this industry and put into an easily digestible narrative. Setting new standards as always.

[@JANDEBND]

Once again turning the ordinary into extraordinary!

[@hunterwaldman6910]

I love KStarrs input. Really enjoy his knowledge

[@Pappaoh]

Wow! So much to consider and so much makes sense already given your breakdown. Enjoy hearing your thoughts and the processes you develop.

[@CarolineJordan]

Hi Kelly! Miss you at SFC - hope you and your family are healthy, staying safe, and doing lots of Burpees during this time :)

[@Bob13Blues]

Thank you! This is so important but overlooked, and yet so simple and logical.

[@WaltLQ]

I like this idea, I would like to see what Stuart McGill thinks about this. I have done the Big 3 with normal breathing and I liked it better.

[@well6ess]

Yep, this vid is fatally flawed and should be deleted.

[@hansmuller7431]

I guess u should breath normal while doing the exercise. This big breath is just to see if u can handle the position

[@b-sideplank]

​@@well6ess how so? he didn't take away the fundamental aspect of the exercise which is resisting flexion/extension through creating cylindrical pressure and hold it to condition stability. My understanding is that this is taking it to a different level for people who have mastered doing the big 3 appropriately already and now they can maintain the stiffness easily - therefore should be able to introduce a dynamic component (activating greater areas of musculature) by fuller breathing.

[@simbio_trainning7314]

Crazy!!! Incredible work, thank you💪💪

[@TanyerLamb]

Damn you just changed the game for me!

[@benjaminbaumgardner7620]

Great video! Gonna experiment into positions where I can breathe better from now on

[@sapinva]

Yes gi gong and yoga will fix your breathing. The key is not to count the time, but the breaths, then the breathing fixes itself. But what if you want to do squats/dead lifts everyday and get chronic hamstring pain as a result?

[@JohnSmith-zs1bf]

Yoga more likely to mess up your hamstrings than deadlifts.

[@brendangarofalo]

@@JohnSmith-zs1bf both yoga and deadlifts are perfectly fine. Moving with your ego is usually what gets people*

[@sacristar]

"How do you know you own a position? You can breathe in that position." Put it on a poster!!

[@EmmanuelaPintus]

this was great! thanks coach

[@benjamin2633]

Thank you

[@Einsteinsmum]

Great video! Great laugh at the phrase “lifting the needle out of the old groove”. Wonder if your young viewers caught that.

[@glendahopp]

Fantastic!

[@guydecervens]

Very interesting, thanks

Thank you!!!

[@trainingANDnutrition]

Kelly - top level.

[@michaelrichmond3315]

Great video.

[@rickybrown6585]

Super cool

[@tl129]

Love ya but you’re butchering the curl-up. McGill is emphatic that you don’t crank your neck up like that, the actual observable movement is minimal.

[@Drstephenstokes]

Agreed. A great example of how McGill stresses the details, details, details. Flexing the neck can irritate, it does in mine.

[@JohnSmith-zs1bf]

He wasnt teaching that part. The breath modification is still extremely helpful.

[@teddyp3164]

agreed, this is a terrible example of the curl up

[@jambojack]

The curl up is to stress the core in flexion. What the neck does makes no difference. If you can flex the neck without irritation then do it, if you can't then don't. Don't get caught up in unnecessary detail.

[@well6ess]

@@jambojack MgGill literally says raise the head and shoulders (minimally). The neck needs to stay in neutral and raise the head. You can`t stress the core without lifting the head with the neck. McGill even includes exercises in Back Mechanic to strengthen the neck if necessary.

[@dominik_6991]

It look's different. McGill teaches it differently. For example less flexion by moving the head just a bit up, not so much as you showed. And breathing, He teaches powerbreathing with shallow breath outs to mantain stability. You are breathing out a lot so it's completely different thing. I think the point is not to lose your core stability while doing it, since the powerbreathing - similar thing like heavy squating

[@Kemrer]

Wow Thank you

[@painfreestudio]

I love your work but think you need to review the big three. This is full of mistakes and what he is after.

[@Nach148]

He said it was the upgraded big 3 with his twist

[@VladKhomutov]

nice big B&R timepiece.

[@mrphamvien]

Some next level ish!

[@kylesullivan47]

Hey Kelly - You should try doing these while nasal breathing and wearing an 'altitude' mask (Should out Brian Mackenzie/Joe Defranco for this idea). The restriction perfectly cues diaphragmatic action in these positions, no coaching required. Cheers! - Kyle

[@JohnSmith-zs1bf]

Do you have a recommendation for a decent mask that isnt overpriced? What do you use?

[@chayblay]

@@JohnSmith-zs1bf bump

[@olinjohnson4152]

Nice Bell&Ross

[@slouist]

I'm confused....one inhale, one exhale per rep?

[@AlejandroGonzalez-wo5fk]

Is this good for scoliosis?

[@benjaminbaumgardner7620]

It should, a big piece of scoliosis training involves lengthening the restricted side and practicing breathing into that side with an improved posture

[@ATRSGoat]

Rockin that covid hair cut, noice

[@donbypiso486]

Wisdom

[@morweitz]

love your work man, but im sorry but its not upgrading , its changing things that stuart says. the big 3 has a science based method from the technique to the reps and sets that you contridict some of them in this video . spine hygine is not what you said about loadng the spine from all angels, its about being in postures that dont stress the spine, that help you disensitize and get out of pain..

[@jpncdn]

Love Kelly's stuff. Wish he was less verbose.

[@JamesJBGray]

a.k.a. yoga.. (basically!)

[@hogfandan]

This guy is great, but looong winded. I get lost listening to him. Overkill repetition on the info . It’s an A.D.D. World , keep it short and direct.

[@AdrianColley]

A "1RM breath"? That's a disturbing concept to think about.

[@chriswilcocks8485]

McGill based on science I suggest you ignore this

[@jasonmiller9497]

“Upgrade”😂 People please please study the McGill big 3 as originally presented before going for this “upgrade” An upgrade would be an improvement on the original technique Not a butchering of it then adding something new.

[@well6ess]

Absolutely incorrect curl-up, just wretched with that curved cervical area. Your bird dog looks very sloppy as well and you downplay the importance of keeping a neutral lumbar spine, directly contradicting McGill. I think the entire concept of `you need to breathe` is just flawed - you can concentrate on correct breathing whilst doing the Big 3 correctly. I would delete this video.

[@Rdela-nj1td]

No, you ruined it.

[@travishibachi]

Instead of just pointing out flaws why don't you actually add some constructive input to further the discussion or add to the general educational nature of this account???

[@drissgreen1280]

great video, horrible tattoo

[@cgoodiefunk]

thank you

[@tangodante]

thank you