Lower Back Exercises?

So about a week ago I hurt my lower back pretty bad on my last set of Deadlifts. I thought it would go away but a week later, it’s still messed up. It’s hard to bend down, I basically look like an old man haha.

Anyway, what’s are the best ways to strengthen the lower back? (Keeping in mind a slight injury)

pretty much everything with a similar movement to the deadlift; RDL’s, Goodmornings, GHR

None. Rest/Ice, maybe heat until the injury is fixed. Then I would go back to training. You never want to keep training and injured muscle, it will just keep it injured.

Gerdy

Do as Gerdy says… when you are ready to come back no DL.

Before you do anyof the stuff i suggest below, go see a professional. You need to assess if you have a protuding/bulging disc, if you do - no biggie, unless you just throw exercise at it, make it a prolapsed disc, and then you got problems for life.

GO SEE A PROFESSIONAL, if they approve rehabilitative evercise, the stuff below is a good, very basic workout…

Begin by making sure you have a CV base, walking, bike, rower if not painful…

Then you can do leg extensions, machine presses etc, whatever that does not affect your lumbar whatsoever…(Machine full body work)

Use a general training schedule - 10mins Warm… 10 Mins cool… 30-40mins workout.
Within those 40mins after your other, challenging machine based workout,
Do a specific lower back/core (*puke) workout for rehab…

Depending on severity, etc i suggest this, i have usd in similar situation.

Kneeling alt. superman: 1-3sets 10-20reps
Prone Floor back ext: 1-3sets 10-20reps
Plank: 1-3sets 15-60 secs
Fitball crunch: 1-3sets 10-20reps

After, i would guess…2-3 weeks, re-assess your progress… if you progressed from 1 set of 10 reps to 3 sets of 20 reps and its easy… the then next step would be hypers, bar DL etc… 2 weeks and build from there…resisted etc.

[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
None. Rest/Ice, maybe heat until the injury is fixed. Then I would go back to training. You never want to keep training and injured muscle, it will just keep it injured.

Gerdy[/quote]


[quote]Joe Brook wrote:
Do as Gerdy says… when you are ready to come back no DL.
[/quote]

Well, I stopped deadlifting completely, which sucks because it’s my second favorite exercise. I can usually deadlift with 3 plates on each side, so as a test yesterday I tried just ONE plate (135 total) and STILL no go.

I can almost never feel it though. Imagine trying to touch your toes while standing – it’s just those last couple of inches before you touch your feet, that’s all… Of course, this sucks A LOT for deadlifts because I can’t grab the bar off the floor without quite a lot of pain.

Anywho, my thinking is that I would train lower back DIRECTLY (but safely) so that my lower back is just kickass strong. (I’m talking light stuff here.) Is that not a good idea?

[quote]Joe Brook wrote:

Begin by making sure you have a CV base, walking, bike, rower if not painful…

[/quote]

What is a CV base?

I don’t think that’s a good idea. If something hurts like a pain and not just a soreness you can be injured. Training an injured bodypart is more than likely going to make it worse. As Joe said, see a professional. It can be a minor back problem but even doing light stuff to try and strengthen it can turn it into a major problem.

If it’s just a soreness from deadlifting then stretch it out and work it out. But if you can’t lift 135 then it sounds more like a problem than a soreness…my opinion and advice is to take a week off from all exercises requiring the heavy use of the lower back (squats, deads, etc). It if gets better after the week then go an about strengthening it. If it doesn’t, see a doc so that it doesn’t get worse.

Gerdy

[quote]Paul2200 wrote:
Joe Brook wrote:

Begin by making sure you have a CV base, walking, bike, rower if not painful…

What is a CV base?
[/quote]

Cardio-vascular… “walking, bike, rower if not painful…”

J

[quote]Paul2200 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
None. Rest/Ice, maybe heat until the injury is fixed. Then I would go back to training. You never want to keep training and injured muscle, it will just keep it injured.

Gerdy


Joe Brook wrote:
Do as Gerdy says… when you are ready to come back no DL.

Well, I stopped deadlifting completely, which sucks because it’s my second favorite exercise. I can usually deadlift with 3 plates on each side, so as a test yesterday I tried just ONE plate (135 total) and STILL no go.

I can almost never feel it though. Imagine trying to touch your toes while standing – it’s just those last couple of inches before you touch your feet, that’s all… Of course, this sucks A LOT for deadlifts because I can’t grab the bar off the floor without quite a lot of pain.

Anywho, my thinking is that I would train lower back DIRECTLY (but safely) so that my lower back is just kickass strong. (I’m talking light stuff here.) Is that not a good idea?

[/quote]

If you were a client of mine, i would shout at you. Really.

Dont fuck around with your back.

Get it checked out first.

OR go “make it strong as shit” and see just how nice it is to have a prolapsed disc.

You may be fine, but why risk it? Did you come on here hoping someone would tell you what you want to hear? “go DL, and DL more. No pain… bla bla?”

Do what you want, i know i gave you the correct, safe and RIGHT advice. It wont be me sleeping on an orthapedic mattress on the floor.

Joe

[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I don’t think that’s a good idea. If something hurts like a pain and not just a soreness you can be injured. Training an injured bodypart is more than likely going to make it worse. As Joe said, see a professional. It can be a minor back problem but even doing light stuff to try and strengthen it can turn it into a major problem.

If it’s just a soreness from deadlifting then stretch it out and work it out. But if you can’t lift 135 then it sounds more like a problem than a soreness…my opinion and advice is to take a week off from all exercises requiring the heavy use of the lower back (squats, deads, etc). It if gets better after the week then go an about strengthening it. If it doesn’t, see a doc so that it doesn’t get worse.

Gerdy[/quote]

Should have mentioned this before but I’m a college student hehe. I don’t have that kind of money.

agree with joe (as well as others) on this one; the back is nothing to fool around with and is probably the most unforgiving body part if you push it to far; no point in pushing it further until its healed; unless you like hospital visits.

[quote]Paul2200 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I don’t think that’s a good idea. If something hurts like a pain and not just a soreness you can be injured. Training an injured bodypart is more than likely going to make it worse. As Joe said, see a professional. It can be a minor back problem but even doing light stuff to try and strengthen it can turn it into a major problem.

If it’s just a soreness from deadlifting then stretch it out and work it out. But if you can’t lift 135 then it sounds more like a problem than a soreness…my opinion and advice is to take a week off from all exercises requiring the heavy use of the lower back (squats, deads, etc). It if gets better after the week then go an about strengthening it. If it doesn’t, see a doc so that it doesn’t get worse.

Gerdy

Should have mentioned this before but I’m a college student hehe. I don’t have that kind of money.[/quote]

I’m a college student too. So you don’t have health insurance? Well still take time off and see if your body fixes itself. It has a tendancy to do that kind of stuff every once in a while. If it doesn’t get better, I’m sorry but if I had to chose debt .vs. serious injury like paralysis, I think I’d go with debt.

Gerdy

Most colleges require you to have health insurance in order to attend school. Call your parents and see if you are covered under their plan. Then go see the chiropractor or the doctor and get it fixed. For someone that can lift 315 not to be able to lift 135 you definitely have something fucked up. Get it fixed.

[quote]ungs9 wrote:
Most colleges require you to have health insurance in order to attend school. Call your parents and see if you are covered under their plan. Then go see the chiropractor or the doctor and get it fixed. For someone that can lift 315 not to be able to lift 135 you definitely have something fucked up. Get it fixed. [/quote]

Well when you put it that way, hmm…

I’ve never gone to any type of doctor for a physical injury before. A chiropractor is what I want? I’ll see if I have any health insurance. I’m not sure

Your doing the dealift wrong.

Seek a professional therapist, perferably an athletic therapist to assess your injury.

Learn proper form and THEN work on strengthing your lower back.

Just take a week or two of man and reassess, if you don’t have the money to get it checked out.

A couple of months ago I was doing bent over BB rows and got distracted for just a second and felt a pain in my thoracic spine. I took a week off and it fixed itself.

If you still have pain in two weeks, you definitely want to get it checked out by any means necessary.

I lived in the US (your health care is unforgiveable) and i do know that if you need to go to the ER, then do, and if you dont have the money to py, then you dont pay! It isnt as though they gonna take you court!

I even had a nurse tell me the exact same thing when i was in hospital!! haha!

But just rest, properly, then do rehab exercises like the ones i gave you, it is similar to something i would give a client with a lower back weakness/injury that was healing after rest.

Joe

I’ve had this happen A LOT of times when I first started deadlifting before I found this site. I was a lot worse off then you also-every time I walked, sat, anything I felt sharp pain- for quite a bit longer, yet just resting it I came back fine. You would be very suprised how much rest can allow your body to heal itself.

Keep in mind that weakness is NOT the cause of most back injuries. And strengthening the back is NOT the solution to the injuries either.

In fact, dominant muscles in a movement chain are often the ones that get injured. A classic pattern would be dominant low back with inhibited glutes during a deadlift.

Hey Andersons, is that right? How would a dominant low back during a DL present itself in injury?

Please explain a bit more?

Thanks!

Joe