Andrew Huberman faced debilitating back pain, believing surgery was inevitable. Then physical therapist Jeff Cavaliere revealed a shocking truth: the problem often isn't your spine, but weak glutes. “This literally erased my back pain,” Huberman shared. For ambitious founders, Cavaliere's framework offers a powerful way to eliminate persistent pain.
Key Takeaways
- Much lower back pain is not structural; it often stems from weak, spasming glute medius muscles.
- Cavaliere emphasizes glute strength for spinal stability: “If our pelvis is tilted... the spine is literally adapting.”
- Andrew Huberman credits Cavaliere's specific techniques with fully erasing back pain he thought needed surgery.
- The Jeff Cavaliere's Glute Medius Back Pain Relief & Strengthening Program provides a four-step routine for resilient lower back and hips.
The Jeff Cavaliere's Glute Medius Back Pain Relief & Strengthening Program
- Step 1: Glute Medius Spasm Release: Something as simple as a leg raise down and back while holding down that that pressure point on the glute medius helps to alleviate some of that that that discomfort and and in and that spasm to the point where you could restore normal motion again because you're not avoiding pain and all of a sudden the back pain goes away. (Huberman adds: “You lie on your side. You uh, you know, one leg, you know, is in front of the other, toe down on the ground, you put it up and back.”) Cavaliere notes, “Oftent times it's because we're providing artificial stability to an area of weakness because spasm is is basically the muscles holding on and saying, 'I need to protect this area.'”
- Step 2: Glute Medius Strengthening (Hip Bump): You put yourself up against the wall, right? And you stand on the leg outside the wall, furthest away from the wall, and you let yourself drop. You just let your hips drop, right? They get lazy. When they drop like that, you're the only way you can get them level again is to slide yourself back towards the wall. And that's abduction of the hip that way to get you back to level again.
- Step 3: Functional Hip Stability (Dog Leash Walk): Just tie a weight between your legs and then you're trying to walk but not let it swing... The weight is really to create a pendulum effect, right? Because when you start to move anything, that weight's going to want to go in an exaggerated way. So, what what we're trying to reinforce is, okay, can you do this and take these slow steps in these single alternating single leg stance and prevent that that weight from shifting so much, i.e. because you're dropping too much that it would hit or bang into the other leg.
- Step 4: Reverse Hyperextensions for Glute & Lower Back: raising the heels so that they're parallel with the floor as level as you can get them... You want to hold that contraction briefly at the top to convince yourself that you actually were able to perform the movement. So, you get up, hold it for for a second. Cavaliere emphasizes, “When they get to the top and I tell you to contract it, squeeze so you know that's the glute that's squeezing and doing the work, not that you're arching at the low back, that you're using the muscles that are already overworked in the first place.”
When This Works (and When It Doesn't)
This program targets lower back pain not structural, but stemming from glute medius weakness or spasm. As Cavaliere states, “a major cause of back pain not being structural back pain... It just needs the right addressing of the muscles that contribute to that.” It excels when back issues are protective spasms from underlying glute weakness. Huberman's relief confirms its efficacy here. Routines take “5 minutes to 7 minutes three times a week or so.” It won't replace diagnosis for severe, structural issues like herniated discs or nerve impingement. If pain persists or includes neurological symptoms, consult a doctor. This program addresses functional pain, not anatomical damage.
What to Do With This
Founders, tired of desk aches? This week, integrate Cavaliere's routine. Tomorrow morning, before your first deep work session, dedicate five minutes: lie on your side, find that glute medius pressure point, and perform "down and back" leg raises to release tension. Then, three times this week, cycle through the Hip Bumps, Dog Leash Walk (mimicking without weight), and Reverse Hyperextensions. Address nagging lower back pain; don't just dismiss it.