Hey everyone-
Recently a friend of mine has shown interest in coming to the gym with me. He recently finished physical therapy and the like for 2 slipped disks in his lower back (lumbar style). His last treatment was mid-December.
What type of exercises should I avoid and what should I encourage him to do? What about forward leaning back exercises, like t-bar row, BB row, DB row, cable row, etc… The list goes on. What about deads and squats?
His doctor said forward leaning exercises are good while my friend with a MS in Kinesiology, who is currently a strengh and condition coach, said that he should avoid forward leaning exercises, atleast for the next 2 months or so.
Any thoughts?
ehhh
very touchy subject here
ive known some people who’ve been fine with it, but there are some who reinjure themselves. a back, especially a spinal injury is critical. I personally make my clients do deads squats and good mornings. i start at very small increments and work my way up from there.
I would try to keep him from maxing out on good mornings for a little while.
He came with me tonight and I basically had him just do wide grip pullups and cable rows with a stiff back. Just thought that those would be pretty safe lifts. He said he feels 90%, it’s just that sometimes it’s a bit stiff in the morning. But everyones a bit stiff in the morning (no pun intended), so Im not sure how serious it is. I trust him though.
He’s never really lifted before, but is in good shape (we are Marines). Im basically having him do a pretty light push/pull split to get his body and brain adapted to working out. Coordination, cooperation, strain, and all that jazz.
Any sort of example routines? Recommendations? Im just an amateur with no real professional PT experience.
Would it be a good idea to strengthen his abs? Ive often heard that a strong stomach can be a nice counter to a bad back. Same with hips. And posture.