How do you jump so freaking high with so little effort? Its just amazing. Is that your highest jump or can you go higher?
Keep it up you guys got great stuff.
Hey gang,
I’m a competitive bodybuilder who back squated for years, along with deadlifts. As a result, I have a bulging disc around L4-L5. When I hurt my back and created a huge library of articles from T-Nation and elsewhere to be knowledgable about the back
I workout in the morning and I’m very careful to think about what I’m doing this early in the morning.
Here’s what I do now:
*Front Squat only
*Perform many dumbbell lunges, and also go heavy in this exercise
*Perform one arm dumbbell deadlifts in the 8-12 range with 110-120 lbs
*Perform bar deadlifts BEHIND MY BACK in order to keep my back straight (in the power rack)
*If I go heavy (3-6 range), I workout at noon during the workweek or afternoon on the weekends.
*Use a weighted sled
*I’m also thinking of getting a trap bar
What are your thoughts or recommendations?
Eric,
By the way, other resources that I purchased Magnificent Mobility and Inside/Out.
Nice job Eric, keep the articles coming!
[quote]cdb wrote:
I have been paying more attention to de-loading lately (or trying to at least). I have found over the years that lifting heavy weights for low reps yields the best results for me. However, I now train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 4-6 times a week and want to keep the old joints healthy. I currently do full body workouts and vary between a squat and deadlift movement each workout. Would it be more beneficial to have de-loading weeks where I use lighter weights or better to de-load by alternating a single leg day between the squat and deadlift days?[/quote]
If you’re training 3x/week and doing a squat or DL in each session, you’re probably overdoing it. Each one once a week is probably your best bet.
And, yes, you can drop the movement every once in a while for a single-leg movement. There are a lot of deloading strategies out there.
[quote]richard d. wrote:
How do you jump so freaking high with so little effort? Its just amazing. Is that your highest jump or can you go higher?
Keep it up you guys got great stuff.[/quote]
Your answer is in your question: the best jumpers are the guys that are more relaxed and make it seem effortless. Same thing goes for sprinting.
If it looks like you’re muscling it, you’re not going to get it done.
Still have a little ways to go on the jumping front, though. 
[quote]ghost87 wrote:
Hey gang,
I’m a competitive bodybuilder who back squated for years, along with deadlifts. As a result, I have a bulging disc around L4-L5. When I hurt my back and created a huge library of articles from T-Nation and elsewhere to be knowledgable about the back
I workout in the morning and I’m very careful to think about what I’m doing this early in the morning.
Here’s what I do now:
*Front Squat only
*Perform many dumbbell lunges, and also go heavy in this exercise
*Perform one arm dumbbell deadlifts in the 8-12 range with 110-120 lbs
*Perform bar deadlifts BEHIND MY BACK in order to keep my back straight (in the power rack)
*If I go heavy (3-6 range), I workout at noon during the workweek or afternoon on the weekends.
*Use a weighted sled
*I’m also thinking of getting a trap bar
What are your thoughts or recommendations? [/quote]
I bolded the one that concerns me the most.
how about deadlift? I assume you feel the same way.
Eric Cressey,
first of all i’ve been dealing with lower back issues for 2.5 years now, and your the first one to voice what i felt like was happening all along (more stiffness in legs/hips, forcing my back to bend rather than at the hips)
-i assume this is because i used to(because of my back) ride bmx (stunt) bikes alot, and with the positioning, all of the stress would go right above the hips, and all the flexion would be there
for the past year and a half, i’ve done extensive stretching with good results (again you’ve helped me quite a bit with understanding what needs to be done and how), but i have never been able to get past where i am (no pain if i do anything, if i try to go heavy or bike or anything i’ll throw my back out…atleast once a month, guarenteed)
-i liked to go deep on squats (dan john’s instructional vid helped a ton to make this feel natural), but have shortened and shortened the ROM to avoid having my hips curl under, but it still seems to be too much stress
Please throw me a line, i thought it was getting better but i’ve been going around in circles for 2 years now, and have had to cut out most physical activity
thankyou very much for your time and all the help you send out at your site (and on T-Nation), we know you dont have to do that, and its appreciated
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
ghost87 wrote:
Hey gang,
I’m a competitive bodybuilder who back squated for years, along with deadlifts. As a result, I have a bulging disc around L4-L5. When I hurt my back and created a huge library of articles from T-Nation and elsewhere to be knowledgable about the back
I workout in the morning and I’m very careful to think about what I’m doing this early in the morning.
Here’s what I do now:
*Front Squat only
*Perform many dumbbell lunges, and also go heavy in this exercise
*Perform one arm dumbbell deadlifts in the 8-12 range with 110-120 lbs
*Perform bar deadlifts BEHIND MY BACK in order to keep my back straight (in the power rack)
*If I go heavy (3-6 range), I workout at noon during the workweek or afternoon on the weekends.
*Use a weighted sled
*I’m also thinking of getting a trap bar
What are your thoughts or recommendations?
I bolded the one that concerns me the most.[/quote]
Eric - what’s the concern regarding the deadlifts behind the back?
Thanks for the feedback Eric.
I am already seeing a chiropractor and the plan is to do adjustments and to strengthen the core.
I came across your “cross leg test.” Sitting down and pulling one leg over the other. I noticed that my right leg is severely restricted, especially in comparison to my left leg. I am starting to wonder if it has anything to do with the piriformis, since the tightening of that muscle can cause hip/buttocks pain.
Thanks
TO THOSE OF YOU WITH LONG-TERM LOWER BACK PAIN:
I too haev had pain since July 07. And in the past month have gone from constant pain 100% of the day; to having barely any pain.
How did I do this? Two main things:
1.) Foam Roller, 2x a day (morning and night)
2.) I work fulltime in front of a computer; I put all of it up on boxes in order to stand 90% of the day.
HUGE difference and I highly suggest the roller and if you sit all day; don’t!
eric, if your still looking at this, i’d really appreciate if you’d go over my post a few above and if you had anything helpful pop in your head…again, i would be very thankful
(atm, its been a month since my last incident, and i’m just starting to (carefully) put legpressing into my “routine”, as i’m still nervous with compression (for squats and the like), and will avoid any fast/jaring lift until i feel ready (or become too impatient)
-and am looking to continue retraining movement patterns, and looking to “strengthen core” as much as i hate to say it…