Back Pain from weight lifting

[skid]

I recently started lifting weights again regularly in January. I've worked my way up to some pretty good weight levels. I have recently developed back pain as a result of doing squats and deadlifts without a weight belt. I've read that it is better do do squats/deadlifts without the belt to build up the torso muscles. However, now i'm to the point of discomfort throughout the day. My last workout I was squatting 270 + bar for 8 reps, however i needed to wear a belt.
I'm to the point of getting some real gains, but my back is killing me. I don't want to stop but i will have to take some time off. Anybody know some stretches etc. for relieving back pain??

[BrewTech]

The little lady told me to tell you to lighten up on the weight.

HTH...

:)

[Kali]

Unless you have some more serious back issue going on, you're form on deadlifts is wrong.

Proper form deadlifts do no hurt. You can get pretty sore back there if you are lifting max weight though.

Find some videos on youtube with proper form and once your back starts feeling better practice.

Even with proper form though, like I said, if you're maxing out and hitting new max's you will be sore.

That's how I see it.

[skid]

Unless you have some more serious back issue going on, you're form on deadlifts is wrong.

Proper form deadlifts do no hurt. You can get pretty sore back there if you are lifting max weight though.

Find some videos on youtube with proper form and once your back starts feeling better practice.

Even with proper form though, like I said, if you're maxing out and hitting new max's you will be sore.

That's how I see it.


It was the squats that triggered it, but the deadlifts aren't helping either. Funny thing is it didn't hurt whan i was exercising, but only afterwards when I cool off. It does feel better when I wear a belt though...

[skid]

The little lady told me to tell you to lighten up on the weight.

HTH...

:)


Maybe i am moving up in weight a little too quickly. The muscles can do it, but the bones/disks/ligaments/etc. aren't keeping up. Brewtech, what does HTH mean?

[Antonio]

I recently started lifting weights again regularly in January. I've worked my way up to some pretty good weight levels. I have recently developed back pain as a result of doing squats and deadlifts without a weight belt. I've read that it is better do do squats/deadlifts without the belt to build up the torso muscles. However, now i'm to the point of discomfort throughout the day. My last workout I was squatting 270 + bar for 8 reps, however i needed to wear a belt.
I'm to the point of getting some real gains, but my back is killing me. I don't want to stop but i will have to take some time off. Anybody know some stretches etc. for relieving back pain??


Congrats on moving big iron around! Wearing a belt is not cheating but a necessity, never lift heavy without one. As for stretching, always do a complete stretch of every leg, back and torso muscle b4 doing squats and deads plus HANG from a chinup bar for as long as you can, several sets of this. I usually stretch for at least good 20 minutes b4 doing squats/deads.

[silver solution]

Cobra.

[cthulu]

Try sitting Indian style and leaning forward as if you're trying to touch your nose to the ground. Keep yor back straight. Also try standing on hands and knees and alternately Tilting your pelvic bone (google pelvic rocking).

[keehah]

Sounds like me when my lower back gets a tear.
1 1/2 weeks to heal, movement while it heals is good, but no real straining of course.
Stretches or massage to keep things from seizing up.

[Neuro]

Sounds like me when my lower back gets a tear.
1 1/2 weeks to heal, movement while it heals is good, but no real straining of course.
Stretches or massage to keep things from seizing up.
Good advice! Get a couple of weeks of rest from the lifting Skid! If after that you still feel pain/strain go and see a good chiropractor (one who primarily works with his hands, not using a lot of physiotherapy equipment).

[Hillbilly]

Just take it easy please. I've suffered from severe back pain for 15 years from a ruptured disk and Degenerative disease. It all stemmed from heavy lifting on the job. I had to have a surgery and I'm still in pain. Just please take it easy so you can enjoy the rest of your life.

[Kali]

If it was the squats then again, your form is wrong.

Never wear a back belt. Those only weaken your back.

If your back cant handle the weight you're doing too much.

Build up slower.

Squats and deadlifts with proper form are great for the back.

YouTube Mark Rippetoe, hes the man.

[steel_ag]

go to a wellness chiropractor

[Antonio]

Squatting affects mostly glutes and quads. Lower back and hams are secondary. To gain lower back strength one has to do good mornings, stiff-legged deads and hyperextensions. I`ve yet to see one world-class weightlifter who does heavy squats/deads without a belt in order to make some imaginary lower back strength gains while risking a career-ending injury which can put you on painkillers for the rest of your life.

[skid]

I looked up some yoga back stretches last night on scroogle and tried one lady's recommended 6. My back immediately felt better. At work today if my back felt uncomfortable at all I closed my office door and did a few of the stretches again.

Since my back felt good, I went a did a workout after work. Today was my back workout day. I did chinups, deadlifts (max 270 + bar for 3-4 reps /3 sets. My grip was the limiting factor), bent over rows, and power cleans. My back didn't bother me at all. I was going to go light, but everything felt good so I kept adding weight. I did wear a belt for everything except the chinups...

When I got home I spread 1000 lbs of fertilizer on my fruit orchard hand bombing 50 pound bags and pushing a broadcast spreader as well. My back is a tiny bit sore, but not bad at all. I may have to get more into Yoga!

[Antonio]

Skid, my max dead was 125 kilos which is around 270lbs. Let me guess, you are young and big now. Back injuries are a treacherous bitch. You may want to lighen up on the weight until there is absolutely zero pain and even then, watch out.
I`m blessed with never having the slightest back discomfort because I built a strong back in my early teens.
You don`t have to do low reps during every workout, it is counterproductive and will cause your nervous system to burn out eventually.
Stay mostly in 5-6 rep range for power and 8-10 for mass, do singles about twice a month.

PS. When I pulled 270lbs I was 17yrs old and weighed 132lbs or so, good times!

[skid]

Antonio, I am 48. I used to work out with weights years ago, but stopped because of kids, life, etc. I started up again because while I was still muscular/strong from doing work around the farm, I had put on probably 15-20 pounds of extra weight.

So I started working out in mid january after many years. What I did find out is with that extra fat came some extra muscle. I'm stronger now than when I was 30 years old (and working out regularly) after only two months. Years ago I only worked out at home. There is more motivation in a gym with everyone checking you out

I only work out twice a week. On Mondays i start with squats (I do calf raises on a nearby machine while I catch my breath), then overhead presses while still in the squat cage. I then do flat bench presses, and then pull overs using a large dumbbell while laying on a bench. I finish up with a couple of ab exercises. That's it. I do 3 sets of 5 after i work up to the heaviest weights. If I do 3 sets of 5 I add weight to my next workout. My Thursday workout is detailed above.

PS - When you were 132lbs you must have been ripped to lift that much!

I still have probably 15 pounds of fat to lose to be completely ripped, but my weight is going up. I'm 5'10" and around 205 - 210 lbs. When I started lifting I was 200- 205.

[Antonio]

It is inspiring that you can lift more at 48 than at 30!
I`m 40 and have been working out on and off since I was 12-13, stopped for many years and came back, also work out at home.
I had zero bodyfat at 17, a 5'5"/132lbs short and mean fuck :)

Your workout routine is excellent, basics and no frills, that`s how it must be done.

[skid]

I was just thinking/laughing to myself... Good thing Book isn't around or he'd photochop some before and after pictures of me ;D :o

Maybe Ximmy will ::) ;D

[skid]

It is inspiring that you can lift more at 48 than at 30!
I`m 40 and have been working out on and off since I was 12-13, stopped for many years and came back, also work out at home.
I had zero bodyfat at 17, a 5'5"/132lbs short and mean fuck :)

Your workout routine is excellent, basics and no frills, that`s how it must be done.


Yea, I don't mess around with the girlie machines. Just move the heavy iron... I see guys that work out for 2 hours/workout, 4 days a week. I'm not into being a gym rat. Most of them way overtrain. Some take steroids, as they have zits all over their faces and backs. I always wipe the benches before I use them :P

[Antonio]

You can count on Ximmy of making us feel like shit any day ;).

By the way, a little deca-durabolin works wonders on ligament injuries, 50mg/wk for a month will cure most anything and it is a homeopathic amount. I still have zits on my upper body and legs, the only thing that cures it is lots of sunshine.

[silver solution]

I answered your question with some thing that works and not even a thank you!!

[skid]

I answered your question with some thing that works and not even a thank you!!


Sorry, you only wrote 1 word - Cobra. What is that?

[Son-of-Liberty]

Hey Skid I have been working through some back issues that were from work, (roofer) but I aggravated in the gym. Sounds like what you have is similar to what I get. I have narrowed down that it is some pinching or compression of a disk or two. What stretches do you use? They might be of use to me. I also have a couple stretches I find helpful, I will post them up for you along with some more tips when I get home. I would now but am running late for work.

Thanks

[BrewTech]

The little lady told me to tell you to lighten up on the weight.

HTH...

:)


Maybe i am moving up in weight a little too quickly. The muscles can do it, but the bones/disks/ligaments/etc. aren't keeping up. Brewtech, what does HTH mean?


Oh sorry... it means "hope this helps".

I would agree about moving up in weight too quickly. Proper form is PARAMOUNT to avoid the kind of pain you are talking about... I know because the same thing happens to me. Thankfully, my trainer (the little woman) keeps me in line. She does LOTS of squats, and that girl knows what she is talking about.

[MNeagle]

I answered your question with some thing that works and not even a thank you!!


Sorry, you only wrote 1 word - Cobra. What is that?


Cobra is a yoga pose.

My husband likes YRG workout: Yoga for Regular Guys by Diamond Dallas Page.

[Hillbilly]

Sex is the best low back work out.

Let your lady get on top then work your hips up and down and it really loosens up your low back. Don't try it from the top though that over compresses your disks and will make it worse.

[skid]

Sex is the best low back work out.

Let your lady get on top then work your hips up and down and it really loosens up your low back. Don't try it from the top though that over compresses your disks and will make it worse.




I might just give that a try :o

[Kali]

Cobra sex

[steyr_m]

The little lady told me to tell you to lighten up on the weight.

HTH...

:)


Maybe i am moving up in weight a little too quickly. The muscles can do it, but the bones/disks/ligaments/etc. aren't keeping up. Brewtech, what does HTH mean?


I've recently moved from the modern classical thought of "do an exercise until muscle failure" along with the "break down the muscle completely so it can repair itself" routine. Along with my interest in the Primal Diet (where our bodies have not evolved to eat refined carbs and sugars) where it makes people fat and gives cancer something to feed on... I've taken an interest in lifting heavier weights.

Where I once would lift lighter weights doing sets of 12-10-8, I went to a heavier weight doing 4 reps max. Our bodies have evolved to accommodate lifting heavy weights for short periods of time. Once the muscle fails, then your ligaments/tendons take over, once they fail, you have problems. I can go on-and-on about this, pm me for more info

[steyr_m]

The little lady told me to tell you to lighten up on the weight.

HTH...

:)


Maybe i am moving up in weight a little too quickly. The muscles can do it, but the bones/disks/ligaments/etc. aren't keeping up. Brewtech, what does HTH mean?


It's probably a finger problem. He probably wanted to write HGH, Human Growth Hormone.

[Son-of-Liberty]

Well here are the stretches I have been using. I don't have sciatica but the disc compression in my back is the next vertebrae up and this first stretch has been helping a lot. It seems too simple but I have been doing it a few times a day and it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU7abgOefu8&feature=related

The other one I found helpful was a standing hamstring stretch. Hamstring flexibility is very important for the proper execution of squats and deadlifts. I prefer loosening up with this stretch because bending over to touch your toes tends to loosen up the lower back on the outside while compressing the spine on the inside. You want your lower back tight and arched. Most people have very tight hamstrings and end up bending their back when they bend down to pick up the bar for deadlifts instead of bending at the hips. This ends up compressing the discs and can lead to pain.

Don't bug me about the video she was the only one I could find giving proper instruction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24bx0tSp1Tk

Icing the low back for 15-20 minutes when it is giving me issues has also been very helpful.

[Large Sarge]

the stretching mentioned will help, time off, and try hitting a tanning booth, when I was lifting heavy I always found great relief from that

[Down1]

I only work out twice a week. On Mondays i start with squats (I do calf raises on a nearby machine while I catch my breath), then overhead presses while still in the squat cage. I then do flat bench presses, and then pull overs using a large dumbbell while laying on a bench. I finish up with a couple of ab exercises. That's it. I do 3 sets of 5 after i work up to the heaviest weights. If I do 3 sets of 5 I add weight to my next workout. My Thursday workout is detailed above.



Just so you know where I am coming from, I am a follower, but not a zealot(I don't use a metronome) of The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution.
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Burn-Fitness-Revolution-Exercise/dp/0767913868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301174680&sr=8-1
I don't stretch.
Stretching might cause more problems for you. The lifting stretches your muscles just fine.
I don't use either a belt or a bar pad.
Rest, as others have advised plus some stationary bike work to get the blood flowing might be better.
How sure are you the bench press is not causing this ?
My feet are on the end of the bench when I bench press. It is the only way I can keep from arching my back.
Also wouldn't it be better to bench first then do shoulders and triceps after ?
I think adding leg extensions and leg curls might help you.

[skid]

Also wouldn't it be better to bench first then do shoulders and triceps after ?


If I bench fist, I can't OH press as much weight, and vice versa. Since I'm already in the squat cage, I just take weight off from squats and do a few sets of standing oH presses. I go to failure, them cheat a couple of extra out, but let the weight down slowly.

[steyr_m]

Also wouldn't it be better to bench first then do shoulders and triceps after ?


If I bench fist, I can't OH press as much weight, and vice versa. Since I'm already in the squat cage, I just take weight off from squats and do a few sets of standing oH presses. I go to failure, them cheat a couple of extra out, but let the weight down slowly.


I personally wouldn't OH press if doing flat bench either. I save OH press for when I do my shoulder work out. I find I'm doing too much when doing chest or back to add it in. I max at 20 lbs for lateral raise or front raise, so I have lots of energy for it.

I've moved away from barbell squats. My friend is the Dumbell Bulgarian Split Squat. holding 2x 60 lbs and working one leg really drains me. I like working one leg at a time because it forces you to work each leg equally. Again, I never go to muscle failure, just heavier weight.

[skid]

What I'm trying to do is get as much benefit from as little time in the gym as possible. Doing compound lifts using multiple muscle groups with a lot of weight is the best way to accomplish that. Rather than have several workouts for different muscle groups, I am trying to hit them all with a couple of workouts.

No, I won't end up with a sculpted body like a body builder, and I hope I don't end up looking like Alexiev ;D, but I just want to get strong, and lose a bit of weight. I'm a busy person, with a full time job, a part time second job (farming), three kids and their activities, etc., so I'm trying to get as much as possible from as little time invested.

Now that the weather has warmed up I will try to fit some cardio in as well. Rather than jogging, I was reading on Mercola that intensive burst of max energy for 20-30 seconds, with a minutes rest and repeting 7-10 times is a better way to burn off fat. I'm thinking of doing a 200meter sprint than walking for a minute to rest, and repeating might be the ticket.

[skid]

Just so you know where I am coming from, I am a follower, but not a zealot(I don't use a metronome) of The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution.
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Burn-Fitness-Revolution-Exercise/dp/0767913868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301174680&sr=8-1



Can you summarize the slow burn workout? is it doing exercises in "super slo mo"? What exercises do you do in this workout? How many sets/reps/etc.?

[Large Sarge]

I did the weightlifting thing for a long time Skid

and I can tell you that you will get more "functional strength" from bodyweight exercises, than from pushing Iron

and as you get older and wiser, you will realize "functional strength" is more important than anything else.

http://www.marklauren.com/

[Down1]

Can you summarize the slow burn workout? is it doing exercises in "super slo mo"? What exercises do you do in this workout? How many sets/reps/etc.?

Basically.

As I said I am not a zealot.
I just do rough version of what I read.
It's been many years since I read the book.
To be "hardcore", he wants you to use a metronome.
Let's use the barbell curl as an example.
You would spend 8 beats going down, hold it at the bottom for 8 beats, then 8 beats going up.
1 warmup set, one heavy set of 6-8 reps I think.
Never worry about the amount of weight you are lifting. Going very slow makes mid-weight seem very heavy.
Rest and recovery of at least 7-10 days before you do it again.
No stretching.
Protein/Primal type diet.

I forgot the exact program he does, but you can use it for most exercises. Unsure on the deadlift.

[skid]

I did the weightlifting thing for a long time Skid

and I can tell you that you will get more "functional strength" from bodyweight exercises, than from pushing Iron

and as you get older and wiser, you will realize "functional strength" is more important than anything else.

http://www.marklauren.com/


I'm getting older, I don't know about getting wiser. Do you have any examples of the exercises recommended by Mark Lauren? I did try body weight exercises like pushups, etc., and really enjoyed them, but because i can do a lot of pushups (about 50 regular pushups without stopping), it aggravates an old injury in my left shoulder. I tried the 100 pushup challenge with my son, and after a while it really bothered my shoulder. The less reps I do, the better.

Chin ups are a lot more challenging for me. I'm lucky to squeak 10-12 out depending on what grip I use. For some reason I can't seem to improve much on those. Maybe i should try adding a light dumbell between my legs.

Regarding functional strength, that's why I do compound exercises, to simulate real life. Around my place at least in the warmer months, I'm always outside doing heavy lifting and other work. I seem fairly strong??? How much stronger would I be with just body weight exercises??

[Large Sarge]

I did the weightlifting thing for a long time Skid

and I can tell you that you will get more "functional strength" from bodyweight exercises, than from pushing Iron

and as you get older and wiser, you will realize "functional strength" is more important than anything else.

http://www.marklauren.com/


I'm getting older, I don't know about getting wiser. Do you have any examples of the exercises recommended by Mark Lauren? I did try body weight exercises like pushups, etc., and really enjoyed them, but because i can do a lot of pushups (about 50 regular pushups without stopping), it aggravates an old injury in my left shoulder. I tried the 100 pushup challenge with my son, and after a while it really bothered my shoulder. The less reps I do, the better.

Chin ups are a lot more challenging for me. I'm lucky to squeak 10-12 out depending on what grip I use. For some reason I can't seem to improve much on those. Maybe i should try adding a light dumbell between my legs.

Regarding functional strength, that's why I do compound exercises, to simulate real life. Around my place at least in the warmer months, I'm always outside doing heavy lifting and other work. I seem fairly strong??? How much stronger would I be with just body weight exercises??


I have done 585 lb+ deadlifts, shaking the whole gym (no exaggeration)
600 lb squats

etc

when I say I pushed some Iron around, I am not kidding.

the difference is that bodyweight exercises are designed to increase flexibility, strength, and conditioning.

functional strength is basically how your body can react to a specific load or task.

you ever watch the strongman contests, you get some task like flipping the tire, and here is this guy who bench press say 800 lbs, but he connot flip a 600 lb tire over once (happens all the time)

he has trained exclusively to move iron in a range of motion (bench press) in this case.

his balance, flexibility, over all condition, etc have not developed at all.

hindu squats are one of the exercises, he uses a periodization plan, and different intensity levels.

you will need a timer

www.gymboss.com

its a good program, and you can be doing it into your 90's