Low-ish impact exercise?

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Sweet_Heresy
Sweet_Heresy Posts: 411 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,
So I've been on a progressive lifting program for 4 months now. Problem is, the other day I slipped at work and landed hard on my back, and now my lower back hurts.

Obviously I don't wanna risk further injury by lifting heavy, but I still wanna work out. Think it would be safe to do some bodyweight stuff? Maybe an Insanity DVD?

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  • nineteentwenty
    nineteentwenty Posts: 469 Member
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    My knees are awful, so I swim quite a bit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    if you're actually injured, you should rest...rest isn't the debil. you should have rest scheduled into your workout regimen anyways.

    i don't know how on earth you would think an insanity video would be a good idea with a back injury.

    just go for a walk if anything...

    I don't know, I don't feck around with back injuries.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    if you're actually injured, you should rest...rest isn't the debil. you should have rest scheduled into your workout regimen anyways.

    i don't know how on earth you would think an insanity video would be a good idea with a back injury.

    just go for a walk if anything...

    I don't know, I don't feck around with back injuries.

    This ^^^

    If you're injured, seriously just rest. You don't want to prolong your recovery or further damage your back.
  • Eddygogo
    Eddygogo Posts: 23 Member
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    most bodyweight calisthenics require a good bit of core activation at different angles which includes your lower back. If you feel that you're seriously injured I would avoid most calisthenic exercises at high intensity like insanity.

    If the lower back isn't that bad I would just do lighter lifts or lifts that doesn't require much lower back core activation until it gets better (i.e. Curls, pec decks, tricep extensions, leg press, leg curls etc...)
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    rest.
    swim
    elipitical
    yoga/power yoga/pilates
    try some restorative work

    but really rest
  • marellyk
    marellyk Posts: 2 Member
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    Ryudori, speaking as a person with chronic low back issues and as a massage therapist..... Rest your back, no hardcore exercises allowed until swelling and inflammation are gone to see if something more was damaged. A product I love & use is MSM gel. I buy it from msmclearsoultions.com. It reduces inflammation with no side effects. After the swelling is down begin with some pelvic tilts and thrusts & stretches. I'd wait it out a week to make sure its healed properly. Good luck!
  • Sweet_Heresy
    Sweet_Heresy Posts: 411 Member
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    Thanks all. I know I should take it easy but I have a bad habit of trying to push through injuries. I don't think its anything serious but yeah, its not worth risking worse damage.

    So I'll walk n stretch and leave it at that. Might go see my company doctor if its not feeling any better in a few days.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I have a chronic low back injury and Insanity was the WORST for me. It's very heavy on the low back stress. If you haven't seen a doctor then I wouldn't mess with it much at all. The back is definitely not the place to go beast mode on.

    Check for Salonpas at your drugstore, they're like large bandaids with Ben-Gay on them, they are really soothing and can help the muscles relax.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
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    Ryudori wrote: »
    Thanks all. I know I should take it easy but I have a bad habit of trying to push through injuries. I don't think its anything serious but yeah, its not worth risking worse damage.

    So I'll walk n stretch and leave it at that. Might go see my company doctor if its not feeling any better in a few days.
    I think this is a great choice, Ryudori. Rest, walk, and add very light stretching -- you probably don't want to stress injured tissue by stretching it vigorously. If your activity seems to aggravate it once you resume, I'd suggest a look at mobilitywod.com or the "Becoming a Supple Leopard" book for ideas to recover and protect your back.

    I had chronic lower back issues for half a year or more, triggered by one stinking deadlift rep I shouldn't have done and kept alive by other activities I wouldn't give up and didn't modify successfully. Had a few false restarts, but some mobility work from the sources above helped me to clear it up over time. Now I'm barely pulling triple digits again, but injury-free with a happy back and resuming slow progress on other lifts.

    The quick, explosive "power" moves of Insanity following any kind of lower back injury seem like a recipe for disaster to me.

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