Gift of Injury

This book is about healing injuries in the athlete’s back and then building resilience to compete once again. Anyone who trains will enhance their injury resilience and performance by employing these proven principles with athletes. In the highly competitive world of strength athletics, a back injury is seen by many as the ultimate career-ender. But, in truth, if handled properly, it is far from a death sentence. Follow the journey of international powerlifting champion Brian Carroll, who can attest to this firsthand. After a massive spinal compression injury, this remarkable athlete went from 1185 lb squats and 800 lb deadlifts to unending pain and disability. But, after a fortuitous meeting with leading back expert Professor Stuart McGill, he reset his training and life to fight back to the top of the winner’s podium. In fact, in 2020, the final competition year of Brian’s career, Brian was the first person, regardless of body weight, to break the 1300 lb squat barrier in powerlifting history with one thousand three hundred and six pounds! Even more importantly, Brian remains back pain and symptom-free, nearly 10 years later. Glean expertise from McGill and Carroll, both masters in their field, and learn how to orchestrate your triumphant comeback. Whether you are a former champion yourself who has fallen on hard times; or starting a new foray into the world of strength training who wants to avoid injury and maximize training, the wisdom found within these pages is sure to take your resilience and lifts to the next level. Over 200 full-color, rich illustrations demonstrate technique.