In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Stuart M. McGill, distinguished professor, emeritus of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. With over 40 years of research and 245+ peer-reviewed publications, he has helped everyone from Olympic athletes to everyday people overcome back pain. Vikas & Dr. McGill discussed in detail about spine biomechanics, how the body works as an elastic system for running, why most runners don't need heavy deadlifts, and practical strategies to build a resilient, pain-free back.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Distance runners are elastic athletes, not strength athletes - Great runners store and recover energy through tuned stiffness in their fascia and tendons, not by building maximum muscle strength. Deadlifts may actually hurt your running performance.
• Core endurance matters more than core strength - Maintaining good form throughout a marathon requires core endurance to prevent energy leaks, not maximal strength. Train your core.
• Sitting is damaging your back and your running - Eight hours sitting at a desk, builds cumulative damage that can't be undone by hard training at night. Take frequent micro-breaks at home or in office, to maintain back health.
• Barefoot running teaches optimal mechanics - Running without shoes forces you to find the sweet spot between absorbing shock and preserving elastic energy. Too much cushioning makes you slower and loads your tendons more.
• Sciatica can often be resolved without surgery - Most sciatica cases respond to understanding the pain mechanism and following proper movement patterns. Surgery should be considered only after conservative approaches have been thoroughly tried.

About Vikas Singh:
Vikas Singh, an MBA from Chicago Booth, worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APGlobale, and Reliance before coming up with the idea of democratizing fitness knowledge and helping beginners get on a fitness journey. Vikas is an avid long-distance runner, building fitpage to help people learn, train, and move better.
For more information on Vikas, or to leave any feedback and requests, you can reach out to him via the channels below:
Instagram: @vikas_singhh
LinkedIn: Vikas Singh
Twitter: @vikashsingh101

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