The Mechanics of Athletic Performance

This week, I sit for a second time with Dr. Stuart McGill, one of the world’s leading experts on lower back pain, health, and high performance. Dr. McGill is the author of several bestselling books on treating back pain and preventing injury and he is a professor emeritus at Waterloo University where he taught for over 30 years. As well as being a respected clinician and an acclaimed academic who has had hundreds of articles published in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. McGill is the Chief Scientific Officer for Backfitpro Inc, which provides assessments and exercises for people with painful back injuries. In my previous podcast with Dr. McGill, we talked about his work in professional baseball and discussed who was at most risk for lower back injuries. 

In today’s show, we pivot from baseball to golf, and Dr. McGill shares some of his recent research that reveals that relaxation, not strength or power, is the key to a successful golf swing. In addition to explaining how to relax faster and swing better, Dr. McGill emphasizes the importance of hip mobility and talks about some of the biological features that can affect sporting performance. He also shares some spine saving strategies and divulges details of his weekly training program.

Support the show