Huberman’s Secrets for Eliminating Back Pain

Improve your core strength and stability without compressing nerve pathways by including the McGill Big 3 into your daily routine.

Avoid any exercise that aggravates your back pain.

Regular sit-ups are detrimental to your back because they can strain the spine. Do these instead.

Lie down with one knee bent and the other leg extended on the floor. Place both hands under the arch of your back, and keep your head in a neutral position without tucking your chin.

Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth for safe breathing. Raise your elbows off the ground by lifting your upper torso and chest. Exhale, contract your abdominals for 8-10 seconds, and repeat. Your torso should only lift about 5-10 degrees.

Switch sides and repeat the exercise.

Make sure to lead with your chest and maintain a neutral head position throughout, resisting any urge to tuck your chin.

Start by lying on your side and stacking your feet. Bend your knees to a 30 to 40 degree angle.

Press one arm down onto the floor and lift your hips off the ground. Remember, the key is to push the floor away with your shoulder.

For variations, extend your legs as you're able, unstack your legs, or rotate the top shoulder toward the floor and back.

Complete three 10-second holds, doing 2 to 3 sets per side.

The most common mistake is letting your hips sag, which can cause pain or aggravation.

Position yourself on the floor on all fours in a tabletop position, ensuring your wrists and shoulders, as well as knees and hips, are stacked.

Next, extend your opposite arm and leg—your right arm forward and your left leg back. Making a fist with your extending hand can help maintain neural activation. Avoid raising your arm or leg too high to prevent arching your back. Imagine a straight line between your extended arm and leg. A useful tip is to push the ground away to maintain a neutral posture.

Perform 3-5 sets of 8-10 second holds per side, focusing intensely. To add intensity, draw boxes with your extended fist and foot.

Throughout the exercise, avoid tilting side to side and strive to stay as neutral as possible.

Start by hanging from a bar but keep your toes in contact with the floor. This isn't a dead hang. Aim to hang for anywhere between 10 to 30 seconds. This helps create length along your spine and relieves compression.

Lie face down on the floor with your legs together. Perform a push-up while keeping your hips in contact with the floor, similar to the Cobra pose or Upward Facing Dog in yoga.

Place your fists under your jaw on both sides of your chin. Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth to optimize breathing. Then, Perform a 10-second static contraction by trying to push your chin downward against the resistance created by your fists. This exercise can improve your airway and increase the distance between your chin and chest.

Spread your toes away from each other as far as possible to create a more stable base for your body. This requires practice to establish the brain-to-toe connection. If you need assistance, consider using toe spreaders. If you prefer not to buy anything, you can use a paper towel between your toes. A helpful tip is to sit barefoot in a chair and try lifting each toe independently.

Get some toe spreaders here.

Lie on your side in the side plank position with your lower leg resting against the floor. Point the toe of your top leg downward, then reach and tap the floor in front of you. Return your leg to the center position.

Next, extend your heel backward and upward toward the ceiling. Repeat this sequence for 5-10 repetitions, then hold your leg in the raised position for 5-10 seconds.

After completing one side, switch and repeat the exercise on the other side.

Start in a lunge position with one leg back and the other forward, similar to the Warrior 2 pose in yoga. Take the hand that corresponds to the leg extended behind you and reach it toward the ceiling. Rotate your pinky clockwise or toward your head, or turn the palm of your hand so it's parallel to the ceiling. You'll feel this stretch down your hip and possibly into your heel.

Here is a video of Huberman demonstrating most of the exercises.