Low-ish impact exercise?

Sweet_Heresy

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?

nineteentwenty

My knees are awful, so I swim quite a bit.

cwolfman13

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

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

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

rest.
swim
elipitical
yoga/power yoga/pilates
try some restorative work

but really rest

marellyk

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

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

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

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.