Q Willey is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach who joins me to discuss barbell training, back pain, injury risk, metabolic health, rehabilitation, and the way strength training is often portrayed online.
Q joins me to discuss:
• Why no existing studies show that squats or deadlifts cause back pain
• Whether barbell lifts are inherently riskier than other forms of exercise
• How the loadability of barbells can get some lifters into trouble
• Why training systems matter more than individual exercises
• Load management, fatigue, and individual capacity
• Why pain can feel random even when contributing factors exist
• How sensational injury stories shape public perceptions of lifting
• The self-driving-car metaphor for anecdotes about barbell injuries
• Why lifting is often demonized more than other physical activities
• What imaging can and cannot tell us about back pain
• Spine surgery, structural findings, and pain
• The value of physical therapy beyond simply “fixing” injuries
• The relationship between metabolic health, obesity, pain, and rehabilitation outcomes
• How to discuss body weight respectfully in a clinical setting
• GLP-1 medications and a physical therapist’s professional scope
• And much more
Follow Q on Instagram:
@coach_q_physio
CHAPTERS
00:19 Meet Coach Q
01:08 Do Squats Hurt Your Back?
02:48 Load Management Basics
06:57 Why Pain Can Feel Random
10:45 Sensational Stories About Injury Risk
13:24 Spine Surgery and Medical Imaging
17:43 Why Lifting Gets Demonized
20:21 Barbells Versus Training Systems
30:37 The Value of Physical Therapy Beyond Fixes
37:22 Metabolic Health and Pain
42:38 Discussing Body Weight Respectfully
51:33 GLP-1 Medications and Professional Scope
55:33 Where to Find Q
56:54 Final Thanks and Wrap-Up
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