27 Mar Revisiting Layne Norton’s Back Rehab Journey – Part 1: The Turning Point
Article Rundown
- The viral video that started it all
- Layne Norton’s back pain
- The full assessment
- Getting Layne out of pain and rebuilding
The Viral Video That Started It All
Back in late 2017, I found myself pulled into a situation that would spark one of the most talked-about rehab collaborations in strength sports—working with Layne Norton on his chronic back pain. Now, in March of 2025, it’s been over seven years since that video series first dropped across multiple platforms—Backfit Pro, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Whether you saw it through Dr. Stuart McGill’s channel or Layne’s own pages, this project resonated with a lot of people dealing with similar struggles.
The whole thing started after a clip of Layne went viral—he was in an airport, lying on the ground, visibly upset and in pain. He talked openly about his back injuries, the lack of progress with treatment, and how frustrated and hopeless he felt. People began messaging me, asking if I’d seen the video and if I could help. I reached out.
A Desperate Search for Relief
Layne shared that he’d been struggling with recurring disc bulges, couldn’t figure out how to dial in his squat or deadlift form, and was stuck in a vicious cycle of pain and re-injury. It was December 2017—maybe it was the holiday spirit, but I offered him a free Skype consult.
A couple weeks later, we hopped on that call. I told him to grab two books: Back Mechanic and Gift of Injury, which had just recently been released. He read both and immediately connected with our philosophy and approach. Like me, he wanted a true rebuild—one rooted in science and repeatable results.
Laying the Groundwork for Recovery
I started him on a walking plan, desensitization strategies to dial down the pain, and, of course, the foundational Big 3 core exercises. We trimmed out the fluff—the endless stretching, mobilizing, and well-meaning but misguided coaching that was only making things worse. And he started to get better.
By early 2018, things had progressed enough that we planned something bigger. McGill was teaching McGill 2 in Jupiter, Florida, and then heading up to Jacksonville. Layne came out to my place for a full in-person assessment with Dr. McGill and me.
The Full Assessment: Finding the Root Cause
He walked in basically pain-free, which was already a win. But we still wanted to get to the root of the issue—to link his pain to specific mechanical causes backed up by his MRI. And we found them: a particular disc bulge, some nerve root irritation, and movement patterns that triggered his pain over and over.
What’s wild is that before this, no one had truly assessed him. He’d been sent from therapist to therapist, trying everything from trigger point therapy to stretching to “just lifting lighter.” But no one told him how to sit properly. No one taught him how to brace his core or adjust his squat and deadlift mechanics to reduce stress on his spine.
What This Series Is About
This first part of the series captures all of that: the intake, the assessment, and the initial steps that helped Layne go from broken down and desperate to feeling hopeful again. It documents the pivotal moment where he began to take control of his back health, backed by a system that’s worked for countless athletes.
In Part 2, we move into the gym at the old Team Samson facility to go through movement corrections and lay the foundation for Layne’s return to training.
Stay tuned—it only gets better from here. And when you watch the series, let me know what you think. This isn’t just a comeback story. It’s a blueprint for anyone stuck in the same cycle.
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