10 Sep Why I Continue to Promote Dr. Stuart McGill
Article Rundown
- In 2013, my back was shattered, and no therapy or treatment gave me relief.
- Dr. McGill’s assessment and no-nonsense framework finally made sense of my pain.
- By applying his methods, I rebuilt myself and squatted 1,306 lbs—the heaviest in history.
- Today, I pass those same principles on to lifters and everyday people rebuilding from injury.
A Meet That Changed the Game
Some memories never fade. For me, one of those is the 2011 Pro-Am in Covington, Kentucky. That meet was something special. Donnie Thompson totaled 3,000 pounds—the first man in history to do so. Dave Hoff was on fire, putting up an all-time world record total. Laura Phelps hit all-time marks in the squat, bench, and total. AJ Roberts set a total record as well. It was one of those rare days when the air feels different, almost electric.
People used to joke, “There’s no gravity in here today—the weights are light.” That’s exactly how it felt. Everyone was on another level. I had my moment too—squatting 1,185 pounds at 275, my second all-time world record squat. I edged Hoff that day and took home a $1,000 prize for the best squat pound-for-pound overall.
Donnie himself squatted 1,265 at over 400 pounds and became the first man to total 3,000. It was legendary. The kind of meet that reminds you why you fell in love with this sport.
Donnie’s Question
Fast forward to now, years later. Donnie asked me something recently that stopped me in my tracks: “Brian, why do you promote McGill so much?”
It’s a fair question. Donnie has been around longer than almost anyone, and he’s seen fads come and go. He’s seen lifters bounce between rehab approaches, gimmicks, and quick fixes. So when he asked, it wasn’t criticism—it was curiosity. And I think my answer is worth sharing, because it gets to the heart of not just my career, but my life.
Hitting Rock Bottom
Back in 2013, I was done. My sacrum was literally split down the middle. My discs were flattened. I had endplate damage at L5 and L4, and pain every single day. I couldn’t sit, couldn’t train, couldn’t function. I tried everything: chiropractors, epidurals, nerve root blocks, endless NSAIDs, until I ended up in the hospital with kidney stones. I foam rolled, stretched, hung upside down, and did all the “PT handout” exercises that don’t fix the cause of pain.
None of it worked. Everyone gave me pieces of advice—some good, some bad. Dave Tate told me to take time off. Amy Bernstein told me I needed to move better. Both were right in their own way. But without a system, without understanding how my spine worked, their advice didn’t land. Time off just made me feel worse because I was still moving poorly. And I didn’t yet understand how much movement, posture, and mechanics dictated pain pathways.
I was broken, frustrated, and running out of answers.
Meeting McGill
That’s when I met Dr. Stuart McGill. From the first assessment, it was different. He didn’t waste time. He didn’t coddle me. He told me flat out, “I can probably help get you out of pain. But lifting 1,000 pounds again? You’re done.”
I pushed back. I wasn’t willing to accept “done.” We went back and forth, and finally he relented: “Fine. Get pain-free first. Then we’ll see.”
That was the turning point. For the first time, I had a framework that made sense. Instead of masking symptoms, we identified triggers and removed them. Instead of stretching and flailing around, I learned to move with precision. Instead of hoping for a miracle, I started respecting my spine and building capacity step by step.
From Broken to History
The results were undeniable. I rebuilt myself. I got out of pain. I came back at 242 stronger than ever, hitting PRs across the board. And on October 3rd, 2020, I became the first person to squat 1,306 pounds—the heaviest squat ever done in competition.
That journey is why we wrote Gift of Injury in 2017. It’s not theory—it’s a roadmap born out of my recovery. Stu brought 40 years of research and clinical expertise. I brought 30 years of under-the-bar experience and the reality of having to climb back from the brink. Together, we built something that works.
Since then, Gift of Injury and Back Mechanic have helped tens of thousands of people. I’ve seen it firsthand—athletes, lifters, and everyday people who thought they were finished, now moving pain-free again.
Rebuilding Others
I’ve worked with lifters like Naomi Sheppard, who suffered a compression fracture and ended up in the ER. We spent six months winding her pain down, rebuilding her step by step. She came back to squat over 500 pounds at 148. I’ve seen dozens of others return to lifting after catastrophic injuries using these same principles.
The McGill Method isn’t about the Big Three alone. It’s about assessment, identifying the true causes of pain, removing them, and then progressively restoring capacity. That may include body tempering, chiropractic work, distraction, or other tools. It’s not dogma—it’s principles applied to the individual.
Why I’ll Always Promote McGill
So when Donnie—or anyone—asks me why I promote McGill so much, the answer is simple: because I lived it. He rebuilt me when I was done. His methods gave me the tools not just to lift again, but to set the heaviest squat in history. And those same tools now help me rebuild others—whether it’s a world record holder or a dad who just wants to pick up his kid without pain.
This isn’t marketing. It isn’t hype. It’s an obligation. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I’ve lived the difference between “just take time off” and truly fixing the cause. I owe it to the lifting community—and to anyone struggling with back pain—to keep carrying that message forward.
That’s why I’ll always promote McGill.
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