24 Apr Three Critical—but Often Overlooked—Keys to a Strong, Resilient Spine
Article Rundown
- Keys to a Strong Resilient Spine
- Lifting to heavy too often. DELOAD!
- Stop skipping core work
- Assistance exercises that work against each other
Three Critical—but Often Overlooked—Keys to a Strong, Resilient Spine
Back pain doesn’t discriminate. Whether you’re a high-level powerlifter, a recreational lifter, or someone just trying to stay fit, it can strike at any time. And in my work coaching athletes and collaborating with Dr. Stuart McGill, I’ve seen the same mistakes pop up time and time again.
If you’re constantly tweaking your back, feeling drained under the bar, or struggling to break through plateaus, this article is for you. I’m going to walk you through three key mistakes that are robbing your spine of its strength—and more importantly, three corrections that can radically improve your performance and long-term health.
Let’s dig in—and be sure to watch the full video for deeper insight and real-world examples from my own lifting and coaching career.
Lifting Heavy Too Often Is Breaking You Down: DELOAD!
There’s a difference between training hard and training smart.
One of the most common errors I see is lifters going heavy week after week without ever giving their body a chance to recover. Your joints, spine, and nervous system can only take so much before something gives. And when it does, it’s usually your back.
That’s why I implement scheduled deloads every two to three weeks. During these periods, we scale back the intensity and allow the body—especially the spine—to catch up. I also recommend taking a full 14 days between maximal attempts on big lifts like the squat, bench, and deadlift.
This isn’t about being soft. It’s about understanding that bone remodeling—the process your spine undergoes to recover from loading stress—takes time. Typically, five days at minimum. If you’re always lifting heavy without a plan to rebuild, you’re just compounding wear and tear. That’s a fast track to chronic issues.
I’ve coached hundreds of lifters back from injury by helping them train more intelligently, not just harder. If you want to avoid setbacks, your first move is to respect recovery as much as you respect the barbell.
Core Work Isn’t Optional—It’s Foundational
Most athletes think they’re training their core. They’re not.
If your “core work” consists of hanging leg raises, rope crunches, or random ab circuits you saw online, you’re likely missing the mark. These movements tend to target the hip flexors more than the spine-stabilizing muscles. And when your spine is under load, especially in a squat or deadlift, it’s your obliques, rectus abdominis, erectors, and quadratus lumborum that need to hold the line.
What I look for is core endurance, not just core activation.
At a minimum, you should be able to hold the following:
- Front plank: 2 minutes
- Side plank (each side): 2 minutes
- Back extension hold: 2 minutes
These benchmarks aren’t arbitrary, they’re based on my learning and experience into what constitutes a resilient, stable endurable core 360. If you can’t hit these standards, you’re setting yourself up for failure under load.
Core work isn’t sexy. It’s not flashy. But it’s one of the highest-return investments you can make in your long-term performance and back health.
Stop Doing Assistance Exercises That Work Against Each Other
Once people start training their core, many go to the opposite extreme—doing everything they see online.
Sit-ups, crunches, Russian twists, barbell rollouts, heavy rope crunches… the list goes on. The problem? These exercises often place repetitive flexion and torsion stress on the spine, two of the primary mechanisms behind disc injuries. Just because you feel the burn doesn’t mean it’s helping.
Core training should have a purpose. For lifters and athletes, that purpose is spinal stiffness and control under load. Movements like bird dogs, stir-the-pot, suitcase carries, and properly programmed isometric holds build the kind of stiffness that protects your spine when it matters most.
Flashy doesn’t mean effective. The goal is to train your core the way it’s actually used in sport and lifting, not how it looks in a highlight reel.
Your Next Step: Don’t Just Train Hard—Train Smart
If you’ve dealt with back pain, feel beat up after every training session, or just want to avoid issues down the road, these three steps are non-negotiable.
You need to:
- Schedule and honor your deloads
- Develop real core endurance
- Eliminate exercises that do more harm than good
These concepts have helped countless lifters around the world, and me, not only bounce back from injury but also come back stronger than ever.
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