STUDfit · Stretch
McGill Big 3
Also known as
mcgill big 3 · curl up bird dog side plank · stuart mcgill big three · spine sparing core
Community talk. May contain inaccuracies. Not medical, training, or diet advice. Sharp pain, fainting, or disordered-eating concerns need a clinician.
In brief
The McGill Big 3 are curl-up, bird-dog and side plank as a short spine-sparing core trio.
The common picture
Three movesCurl-up, bird-dog, side plank.
Before the bar in many logsA primer, not the whole session.
Not crunches for a PRDifferent religion.
People copy the three positions as a primer before lifting. Numbness or night pain is sent to a clinician, not a longer plank.
Good to know. Sharp pain, numbness, fainting. This is not a diagnosis and not a substitute for a clinician.
What people say
- The job: a short core that doesn’t wreck a cranky back further.
- r/bodyweightfitness and back-pain adjacent rooms still name Big 3.
How it may feel
- Boring on purpose.
How people do it
- They learn the positions once, then keep them short.
Amounts people use
- The copied holds/reps from McGill talk — people still argue sets.
How people keep it
- A 5–10 minute primer.
How long
- As long as the back is in the story.
The longer notes
- Ten-minute mobility is the broader primer. Couch stretch is hips.
Good to know
- Numbness, saddle symptoms, night pain: clinician now.