Tight Hips and Lower Back Pain: How to Fix the Link

Squat University breaks down a real patient case where hip mobility restriction, not the back itself, was causing lower back pain during a bird dog exercise. He explains the Faber test used to diagnose it and shares a simple hip-opening stretch that eliminated her pain immediately upon retesting.

Shoulder Subluxation From the Snatch: Real Fix Explained

Dr. Aaron Horschig breaks down how he treated a weightlifter's recurring shoulder subluxations from the snatch after three physical therapists told her to just stop lifting. He found her posterior rotator cuff was weak and rebuilt stability using position-specific paused presses and an Earthquake Bamboo Bar.

Hip Popping During Hip Flexor Exercises: Causes & Fix

Dr. Aaron Horschig (Squat University) breaks down a real patient case of hip popping and pain during a hip flexor exercise, tracing it to the iliopsoas tendon snapping over a bony pelvic prominence. He shares the exact lateral hip stability exercise — a side plank with a small squat pause — that resolved the pain and popping.

Rotator Cuff Exercise to Fix Bench Press Shoulder Pain

Squat University shows how a weak posterior rotator cuff caused a patient's 2 years of shoulder pain during bench press, and how a towel-supported external rotation hold — 5 seconds at end range — fixed it. Paired with a slow reload of the bench, the patient got back to 100% pain-free.

Why Strong Lifters Still Get Back Pain (Spine Test Guide)

Squat University breaks down a real case study on Carson, an incredibly strong weightlifter who developed back pain despite his strength. Step-by-step spine and hip testing revealed lumbar flexion intolerance, shear load instability, and left hip dysfunction — fixed with the McGill Big 3 routine and hip airplane exercises.

Upper Trap Pain: Fix the Shoulder Blade Root Cause

A physical therapist explains why one patient's upper trap pain when turning her head left traced back to an unevenly positioned shoulder blade, not the trap muscle itself. The fix combined 1 minute of lacrosse ball soft tissue work with a serratus punch exercise to correct the movement root cause.

Heel Lifts Off Ground During Squat? Ankle Fix

Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University explains why a heel can pop off the floor during a squat and walks through a real patient case where restricted ankle mobility — not tight calves — was the cause. He shows the exact ankle joint mobilization he used to restore normal ankle glide and immediately deepen the squat.

Does Lifting Weights Stunt Growth? Squat University Says No

Squat University's Dr. Aaron Horschig addresses a common parenting fear: that strength training will stunt a young athlete's growth. The clip, featuring athlete @biancaocando.18, is captioned with a direct reassurance that lifting weights does not stunt growth when done well.

How to Fix Rounded Shoulders: Pec Minor & Lower Trap

Squat University breaks down why shoulders roll forward — a tight pec minor paired with a weak lower trap — and how that misalignment can spark shoulder or neck pain. The fix pairs soft tissue ball work on the pec minor with prone Y raises to strengthen the lower trap and pull the scapula back into place.

Hip Mobility and Low Back Pain During Squats

Dr. Aaron Horschig (Squat University) breaks down a real patient case where right-sided low back pain during squats was actually caused by limited right hip mobility, not a weak back. He explains the testing process, the movement diagnosis, and the exact three-exercise fix that let the patient squat 135 lbs pain-free the same day.

Tight Hip Flexors Blocking Glute Activation? Fix It

Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University explains how tight hip flexors can inhibit glute activation, using a real patient case where left-sided hip tightness kept her glute from firing on deadlifts. He shows the Thomas test to assess hip flexor length and a simple stretch that restored her glute activation after just 5 reps.

How to Safely Bail a Squat Without Getting Hurt

Squat University breaks down the correct way to bail a failed squat: thrust your hips forward, throw the bar backward toward the safety bars, and let go cleanly. The video warns against throwing the bar over your head, a mistake the creator says has caused a bodybuilder's death when the bar rolled forward onto his neck.

Sorensen Test: How Long Should You Hold It?

Squat University breaks down the Sorensen test, a decades-old assessment of low back muscular endurance performed on a GHD machine or Roman chair. According to the creator, research shows back endurance—not back strength—is the more protective factor against future low back pain, with 3 minutes cited as the benchmark for strong athletes.

Why Hamstring Stretches Hurt: Glute Activation Fix

Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University breaks down a real patient case: a year of painful hamstring stretches and RDLs traced back to poor glute activation on one side. Using a resistance band and reactive neuromuscular training (RNT), he got the glute firing instantly and eliminated the pain in a single session.

Weightlifter Back Pain: Hip Dysfunction, Not Spine Issue

Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University walks through his real examination of a weightlifter with back pain after heavy clean and jerks, showing how spine tests, the Sorensen test, and hip screens pointed to left hip dysfunction rather than a pure back injury, and how he fixed it through stability work instead of stretching.

DNS Star Exercise: Fix Knee Pain from Hip Instability

Squat University breaks down how he helped a patient who couldn't perform a single leg squat without severe left knee pain. Instead of standard glute-strengthening moves, he used the DNS Star, an exercise that trains the core, hips, and pelvis to stabilize together during movement.

Knee Pain Rehab: Why Your Hip Might Be the Real Cause

Dr. Aaron Horschig of Squat University explains how he treated Olympian Mirabai Chanu's knee pain by targeting her hip stability instead of her knee. Using a single-leg glute bridge test and a banded Cossack squat, he shows how a posterior chain stabilization dysfunction can make the knee take the blame for a hip problem.