How to workout after a low back injury
We have all had low back pain from doing the things we love, whether playing the sport you loved growing up, playing with kids/ grandkids or something as simple as going on a walk. Back pain doesn’t have to be your reality anymore. I have helped dozens of people work with their back pain to get stronger than they ever knew possible AND they don’t feel back pain anymore unless they went too hard in their last gym session. BUT TWO things have to established first
They are cleared by a doctor to resume exercise after they hurt their back
You understand you are not the athlete you used to be and need to start slow and build up from where you are at! Trust me, starting to hot is the biggest thing I have seen set people back.
When looking at lower back injuries we commonly see two things, either a sensitivity towards flexion (bending of the spine) or extension (Hyperextending the back). Either way we must find ways to combat that. I like to start off by looking at how the typical American lives. We spend most of our days sitting at a desk doing work, driving to and from work or at home on the couch watching our favorite shows. That is a lot of sitting, which is fine IF you are doing something about it. Sitting tightens our hip flexors, weakens our glutes, lower and upper back leading to an overly weak backside and an overly tight front side.
Let us break it down, on the front we have:
Tight hips/ hip flexors
Tight chest/ shoulders
Forward head posture
These things lead to more pressure on the spine itself. Tight hips lead to a rounding of the lower back, tight chest and shoulders lead to a rounding of the upper back and a forward head posture leads to more stress in the neck and upper back. These all play into our everyday aches and pains which limit us from doing the things we want to do.
Now on the backside we have:
Weak hamstrings
Weak Glutes
Weak spinal erectors (The muscles that give us good posture)
Weak upper back
Weak traps
These weak muscles lead to even more pain or problems in our lives. Weak hamstrings don’t support the glute or the knee like they are supposed to, leading to more knee pain or more back pain. Glutes support the spine and keep it STRONG. So with weak glutes we experience worse back pain.
Weak spinal erectors affect your posture and with each degree of forward posture that’s another couple pounds of pressure on certain vertebrates in your spine.
Weak upper back muscles again makes your posture worse adding pressure to your spine as well as not allowing your shoulder blades to be in their proper position leading to shoulder pain.
Lastly, weak traps also lead to shoulder blades and the shoulder girdle not being supported properly.
So with that quick summary of issues we can see what we have to do in order to start moving in the gym again. The goal here is to go from a glass back to a strong back. Going from the captain of your couch to the general of your gym starts here.
Cycle 1: Foundations
This cycle is about building up motor control in movement patterns such as squat, hinge and single leg. As well as building up strength in muscles such as hamstrings, glutes, low back, abs and upper back. Here I will give you a list of exercises, rep ranges and tempo in order to start building up your body once again.
Motor Control Exercise
Exercise 1: Goblet Squat Goblet Squat - OPEX Exercise Library
Week 1-4 You will be doing 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps with a tempo of 2121, the goal here is to stay tight through your hips and squat down without your back bending, go as deep as you can maintain the good posture, if that is only a couple inches that is okay, I do not expect perfect technique your first session or even after your 30th session, each session always has room for improvement. If you are able to hit a weight for 15 reps with good posture, and no back pain you are able to move up to the next weight
Exercise 2: Top Down Romanian Deadlift Top Down RDL
Week 1-4: You will also be doing 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps with a tempo of 2121, the goal here is to hinge at your hips, drive your butt back with a flat back and get the bar/dumbbell or kettlebell past your knee. If you cannot get past your knee without rounding your back, stop where you feel you lose tension and start to round.
Exercise 3: Split Squats
Week 1-4: You will be doing 3-4 sets of 10 reps per leg with a tempo of 2121, the goal here is to keep the front shin vertical, back leg under your glute and squeeze your glute the whole time while maintaining an upright position. If you do all sets with no knee pain and an upright position add weight with dumbbells.
These exercises I want you to do on 3 separate days, these will be the exercises we build your foundations on in order to start increasing to higher intensity exercises. These movements will help strengthen your hips, knees, hamstrings, glutes, low back and upper back. All the things we are weak in!
Isolation Exercises:
Exercise 1: Seated Hamstring Curl Machine
Week 1-4: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps with a 31x1 tempo, the goal here is to get those hamstrings stronger and be able to help support the glutes and the stronger a muscle is typically the more flexible it can become, reducing low back pain
Exercise 2: Front Plank - OPEX Exercise Library
Week 1-4: 3-4 sets of 20-60 seconds, squeezing glutes and actively pressing through the floor, stronger core= less back pain and more support around the back injury
Exercise 3: Superman Superman Hold - OPEX Exercise Library
Week 1-4: 3-4 sets of 20-60 seconds, head down, chest up, squeezing glutes the whole time, this movement is designed to strengthen spinal erectors giving you better posture when you do the hinge pattern
I would recommend doing one Motor Control exercise with one isolation exercise paired with a couple upper body movements to create a full body workout for day 1, then pick another 2 for day 2 and then the last exercises left for day 3. START SLOW, you will not fix all your problems in one day and especially not if you go to hard to fast, remember your coming of and injury so treat it as such.
Stick to this for 1-3 months and I am sure you will start to feel better, remember progress isn’t always linear so after a few weeks you start to get some more back pain, reduce the reps, set or weight to something that is tolerable and doesn’t elicit back pain.
If you have any questions feel free to email me
@garyevans@deathbygary.com
Disclaimer: As a personal trainer, I am not a medical professional. While I can offer guidance and support in fitness and exercise-related matters, my advice should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It's important to consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or concerns. Always prioritize your health and safety when making decisions regarding your fitness and well-being.
