Are you coming back from an injury of some kind?
I’ve had 3 herniated discs in my lower back for years. Squatting was aggravating them, deadlifting was too. So I started super light with goblet squats, and have like 12 pre-exhaust leg sets before doing them every time, and my quads have grown nearly an inch. It’s been pretty nice, except that holding the DB for goblets is a bit annoying when you get to the third set.
2 Likes
3 busted discs doesn’t sound like fun!
It’s good you’ve found a way to still build your quads.
I spent 2 years having my feet go completely numb after standing for a few minutes, and having what felt like lightning bolts shooting down my legs all day. It was shitty, and was definitely the cause of the depression I went through during that time. I’m not 100%, but given my squat went from 365 pain free to 95 with horrible pain, I’d consider myself blessed to be where I’m at now.
1 Like
I know that feeling. I’ve completely blown out a disc in my lower back, and that sciatica sensation was indescribably bad. I was too scared to do deadlifts with any weight for fear of relapse for 5 years. However, working the lifts back in with light weights and using alternate exercises is smart. Goblet squats are the only variation that feel OK on my back.
1 Like
A few months ago I started deadlifting and got back to 405, but I really never felt stable. I have my suspicions that it’s a bracing and form problem, but until all progress stalls here, I have no reason not to continue what I’m doing. Elevating the heels REALLY gives back relief, as you don’t have to sit back as far. @Frank_C have you tried goblets with heels elevated? If your knees can handle the extra flexion, it’s so back and hip friendly.
I hate goblet squats. My hip problem is tied to hip flexion in general. I can’t even really squat with bodyweight without a little pain. Goblet squats are pretty close to front squats and I think those are what caused my problems in the first place. Front squats were definitely the exercise that caused my pain to return instantly in July. Life was good until I did 3 x 5 with 135 during a WOD.
1 Like
Today’s workout:
Fluff. Youngest sons 2 yr bday today, lots of prep for food.
OHP
Bar x20
95x15
135 4x8
95x12, push press for 10 more
Cable rows, pull-ups, plate curls giant set, 10 each for 4 rounds
Close grip pushups x10 superset with tri pushdowns x10
Band tri ext x100
Tri rope burnout, starting at 4 on the stack, doing 5 reps and going up the stack til I fail before 5, failed at 10, max reps on every stack til the bottom
Rope curls
Abs
Excited for food. Made a ton of guac, beef and bean nacho dip, and seared a giant piece of chuck covered in carne asada spice then threw it in the crock pot with a Chile lime taco sauce to shred for tacos later.
3 Likes
Have you tried to reverse hypers? My apologies if you or others have mentioned this before, and I don’t mean to suck Louie Simmons’ dick (God that sounds so much worse than I meant it to…), but my best friend from high school had some herniated discs from when he got in accident in elementary school, and it led to him having to take a break from football and track every season of high school.
Senior year he started having periods of time where his legs would go numb, and he couldn’t sleep at night due to the pain. PT on and off for 3 years didn’t achieve much, and the doctor told him he’d just have to not do any serious weightlifting or sports for the rest of his life.
5 sessions with the reverse hyper in May, and he’s been fine ever since. Worked a hard farm job all summer, and has been getting to the gym fairly frequently since school started for us. Zero back pain, except some light achiness after sleeping on his stomach all night.
2 Likes
Suck away. Disgusting but if you want to…
2 Likes
@flappinit Invest in a hexbar if you can. I swapped out conventional deads for the hex bar, and my back felt tons better. I worked my way up to 300 lbs which was the weight that originally blew the disc. That was enough for me; now I’m just maintaining strength instead of chasing numbers.
@ jshaving My gym’s got a reverse hyper. I have been using it fairly regularly. The movement feels ok on the lower back, but I can definitely feel some pressure on the disc during full extension. I’ve heard the angle of the deck can change the exercise, so that may be part of it.
1 Like
My gym has two of them - I use them occasionally on leg day. Definitely a better, healthier, and just-as-advantageous alternative to the deadlift. Pulling from your sides instead of in front of you is awesome.
I do bodyweight reverse hypers by hanging backwards on the GHR machine, but I don’t have access to a proper reverse hyper machine right now. Could work out something with a band though.
1 Like
I’ve used this before, when needed.
Skip to 7:45 to see it.
Or this - never actually tried it myself.
1 Like
Appreciate it! Will watch later when I have a chance.
Conditioning day
5 rounds of
25 m prowler +90 sprint
10 front squats with 135lb
20 push-ups
Seated calf raise 4x15 2 plates
Standing calf raise 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160x6, 60x20
Seated straight leg calf raise 90 3x20
Hanging leg raise 4x8
Really focused on form on these. Incredible how easy a cheat hlr is and how difficult a proper one is. Arms completely locked but shoulder blades still retracted and pushed down, no lower body movement, legs completely locked, and only coming down just before my body is a straight line and going back up - turning the movement around before going to a dead hang is the hardest part.
I do reverse hypers like this on a table with bands. I plan to build my own rev hyper out of wood just to have a better option moving foward.
Something like this
How we are doing it now
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsTZT3PHDXy/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1qka9yok3redn
1 Like
Thanks! I was trying to workout the logistics of using a band without having it snap off and fuck me up, I see how it’s twisted there, I’ll definitely use that hanging off the GHR.
Didn’t do any arms today, but took a lil cheeky half flexed pic quickly while leaving the locker room. I’m trying to find pictures of me that show my arms in high school, you could touch your thumb and index finger wrapping your hands around my biceps. My elbow bone jutted out because I had virtually no tris. Even with a few years of not knowing what I was doing, it’s amazing what a decade of lifting and eating lots of food will do to you. I’ve had to struggle almost every day to eat enough food - I’m just naturally a skin and bones person. I spent many a day thinking I’d never fill out a 6’4 frame, but I’m getting there, and have a lot more progress ahead of me. Sitting around 225 right now.
2 Likes
I’m with you in graduating high school I was 185lbs and a twig. I struggled to do push-ups and 135lb Bench was heavy. I’m also 6’4” and packing muscle onto long extended frames at the rate if 10-20lbs per year is a long slog for us…
1 Like
Damn, I’m an under achiever…
I graduated high school at 220 lbs!
I guess I should’ve accomplished more since then.
1 Like