Extremely Weak Back Muscle

wdwithers

I am kinda upset and discouraged a little bit. I was working on strenth training with push ups, and even with my knees on the floor, my back wouldn't let me. I am so ashamed that not only that I gained so much weight, but that I have gotton so out of shape that my back muscle are weak as water. I am on the verge of crying. The only part of me that has any decent muscle strength is my calves and my tongue has to many. Alot of people do alot of aerobics and that I can do, but when it comes to my back and abdominal muscles they are pitiful! I was trying a wii stretching excercise in the yoga part (one after the breathing excercises) I couldn't even do that because my back was hurting so bad. Does anyone know of any excercises that I can do to strengthen my back muscles so that hopefully, I can do some kind of "real" strengthening excercises. I really need some practical advice on how I can strengthen my back up with out it breaking. I can not even lay on the floor with my legs all the way straight out in fron of me. I have to pull them up to keep my back from killing me. Aerobics no problems...Strengthening my back is like asking a newborn to walk at one day old for me. Impossible. Now my stomach has had a lot of surgery on it, and I was told that some of the muscles that were cut into will never be strong again, but I could try and tone what is there and if it doesn't work then at least I am working on it and no excercise ever goes to waste. But I don't have any excuse for my back. On the verge of crying I didn't realize just how pathetic of shape I allowed myself to get into. This is no longer acceptable to me and it is going to change, but I do have to start with the small things in order to build up to the bigger things like a sit up or a push up even using the knees. It is a real shame when you can't even lift your own body weight the easy way. Please help me at least be able to get to where I can lay flat on the floor without pain. P L E A S E !!!!!!! On my knees begging.
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It is not so much that I am bent on doing push ups, it was a shock of not knowing that I couldn't do them. That really hurt. And I would love tosee a chiropractor, But financially it is out of my reach

heddylyn

I have chronic lower back problems as a result of two pregnancies. My back is in MUCH worse shape than it was when I was 100 pounds heavier than I am now. I am in the best shape of my life but my back just doesn't want to cooperate sometimes. I guess what I'm getting at is try not to be so hard on yourself! Have you considered chiropractic care and/or massage therapy? Yoga might help too.

PLUMSGRL

yep, go see a Chiropractor!

froeschli

i couldn't do push-ups for the longest time, for that same reason. funnily enough, the wii fit got me in shape enough to try again (i just avoided the push-ups there). - it was basically the 'jackknife' and various leg lifts that helped.
you can also try push-ups against a wall, or counter, and lower them as you get stronger.
swimming is supposed to be good for your back muscles too...

Hezzietiger1

I would suggest seeing a chiropractor and having some therapy done. He/she will also help you stretching and strength exercises that can help you where you are. Be careful. I had a lot of issues in the beginning with my back. I was at the chiropractor on Monday, working out on Tuesday, Chiropractor Wednesday, gym Thursday, etc. LOL

Spartan_Maker

I usually don't like to be too autobiographical, but I'll offer you this as encouragement.

Eight months ago, it took me 5 minutes to get out of bed. I couldn't do a single jumping jack because my back pain was so bad. I couldn't do more than 2 push-ups because I was so heavy.

Today, I deadlifted 300 lbs. for 5 reps, benched 225 for 8 reps, and last week, ran a 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds, just 0.2 seconds slower than I ran in high school -- 30 years ago.

You can do it. Take baby steps.

I started by doing "Jacks" -- those are jumping jacks sans the jumping.

clee369

You say that you've been out of shape for a while right? Well then its perfectly natural that you aren't going to be as strong as you were before. It's like when I take two weeks off from playing basketball, I can't shoot as well as I did before. Don't beat yourself up over this aspect, you've decided that you are going to change and now the only one that can stop you is yourself. That said, how do you think you're going to get strong again? You have to strengthen your back. How do you do this? Deadlifts are the best lower back exercise, however some people simply cannot do them. Squats would be a great exercise for you, as well as RDL's and military overhead presses. All four of these exercises work to stabilize your back and lower back muscles, not to mention your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abs, all of which would help you stabilize your core. My guess is that your core is weak and not specifically your back.

However, you seem to really want to do a pushup so I'll tell you how you can work on it. Try to do a pushup with your knees on the floor. Ok your back hurts. Try it again. And again, and again, and again. After 5 attempts stop. Rest for two minutes and do 5 more attempts, then rest for 2 minutes and do 5 more attempts. The next day do 3 more sets of 5 attempts. Eventually your back will stretch out and your muscles will get stronger and you'll be able to go lower and lower until you can finally do a full pushup.

You seem to be really concerned with your strength, if you are, and since you are already good at cardio, why not focus on your strength training?

dougt333

Physical Therapy is what you need. NO CHIROPRACTOR. A back crack won't strengthen your muscles.A physical therapist can teach you exercises that will greatly strengthen your back muscles and get ready for heavy working.
Do not use exercises and advice you find online. If you are in that much pain, then you may have a more serious problem. You really need a professional.

carlajpatterson

I agree about seeing a chiropractor and would add that another good person to see would be an acupuncturist (and/or someone who practices Chinese medicine).

I have severe fibromyalgia, arthritis, and hypersensitive nerve endings and one of the outcomes from all of that is that I tear muscle fiber easily but it's very hard for it to heal. Two things I've been told which have helped me a lot are:

1) Only do strength exercises IN WATER - go to your local pool that has water walking and try doing everything in water at first... it has made things which were impossible for me before, possible again;

2) Take 1000 to 3000 mg of Vitamin C per day to help your soft tissues and nerve fibers heal better and faster between exercises. I've noticed it also seems to help me in terms of making progress (strengthening weak muscles).

Good luck and keep your spirits up! Muscle weakness isn't fun but it's something you can do something about. Being a dancer from the age of 3 and a sprinter in my teens and 20's, then a martial artist in my late 20's and 30's, it was very hard for me to accept that I might have to do things a lot more slowly than I was used to. I've stopped paying attention to people who are always pushing for rapidity of change - qualitative and sustainable change are what we need more of, in my opinion.

wdwithers

I have chronic lower back problems as a result of two pregnancies. My back is in MUCH worse shape than it was when I was 100 pounds heavier than I am now. I am in the best shape of my life but my back just doesn't want to cooperate sometimes. I guess what I'm getting at is try not to be so hard on yourself! Have you considered chiropractic care and/or massage therapy? Yoga might help too.

It was yoga I was trying to do and couldn't. No I haven't seen a chiropractic can't afford to.

froeschli

I would suggest seeing a chiropractor and having some therapy done. He/she will also help you stretching and strength exercises that can help you where you are. Be careful. I had a lot of issues in the beginning with my back. I was at the chiropractor on Monday, working out on Tuesday, Chiropractor Wednesday, gym Thursday, etc. LOL

maybe i am biased because my sister is a physiotherapist, but they can give you exercises to work on stabilizing your back

carlajpatterson

P.S. When I say chiropractor, I mean the kind I have - don't know how rare mine is, though! She doesn't 'crack' anything on me. She is a practitioner of adjustments and deep tissue manipulation, very gentle. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be able to walk now. (I tore my achilles tendon and the doctor told me to stay off of my feet for over a year which, of course, led to scar tissue and an uneven gait and many more problems than I started off with... luckily, I found my chiropractor. She taught me how to move in ways which wouldn't make things worse, how to massage away the scar tissue, and how to strengthen weak muscles slowly so that I didn't reinjure myself.) The 'crack your back' kind of chiropractors aren't my cup of tea either.

wdwithers

i couldn't do push-ups for the longest time, for that same reason. funnily enough, the wii fit got me in shape enough to try again (i just avoided the push-ups there). - it was basically the 'jackknife' and various leg lifts that helped.
you can also try push-ups against a wall, or counter, and lower them as you get stronger.
swimming is supposed to be good for your back muscles too...

Thank you for telling me which ones to atleast try. I figured they got harder as you went and if I couldn't do the first, then the rest were out of the questionn. Thank you! That makes me feel better I'll try those next time.

wdwithers

I would suggest seeing a chiropractor and having some therapy done. He/she will also help you stretching and strength exercises that can help you where you are. Be careful. I had a lot of issues in the beginning with my back. I was at the chiropractor on Monday, working out on Tuesday, Chiropractor Wednesday, gym Thursday, etc. LOL

Thank you, but a cheropractor is out of my income league. Wish I could. Boy do I

carlajpatterson

I would agree with you if it weren't for the fact that physical therapists at Kaiser (which is where I have my medical care) seem to have a remit, these days, to help you for a short time and then give up on you. YMMV, obviously, but it has biased me a bit over the years. I'm glad you brought this up, though, because one can always force the issue. One's doctor is supposed to work with you on things until you see results.

wdwithers

I usually don't like to be too autobiographical, but I'll offer you this as encouragement.

Eight months ago, it took me 5 minutes to get out of bed. I couldn't do a single jumping jack because my back pain was so bad. I couldn't do more than 2 push-ups because I was so heavy.

Today, I deadlifted 300 lbs. for 5 reps, benched 225 for 8 reps, and last week, ran a 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds, just 0.2 seconds slower than I ran in high school -- 30 years ago.

You can do it. Take baby steps.

I started by doing "Jacks" -- those are jumping jacks sans the jumping.

Thank you but now I am going to put my ignorance on display what do you mean by sans the jumping. Never heard that word before sans

jenluvsushi

I suggest this....when I was in physical therapy for a bulging disc they had me doing planks....I started out barely able to hold myself up for 10 seconds. After a while, I was able to work myself up to 2 minutes. It strengthened my core so much and my back totally got better.

wdwithers

You say that you've been out of shape for a while right? Well then its perfectly natural that you aren't going to be as strong as you were before. It's like when I take two weeks off from playing basketball, I can't shoot as well as I did before. Don't beat yourself up over this aspect, you've decided that you are going to change and now the only one that can stop you is yourself. That said, how do you think you're going to get strong again? You have to strengthen your back. How do you do this? Deadlifts are the best lower back exercise, however some people simply cannot do them. Squats would be a great exercise for you, as well as RDL's and military overhead presses. All four of these exercises work to stabilize your back and lower back muscles, not to mention your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abs, all of which would help you stabilize your core. My guess is that your core is weak and not specifically your back.

However, you seem to really want to do a pushup so I'll tell you how you can work on it. Try to do a pushup with your knees on the floor. Ok your back hurts. Try it again. And again, and again, and again. After 5 attempts stop. Rest for two minutes and do 5 more attempts, then rest for 2 minutes and do 5 more attempts. The next day do 3 more sets of 5 attempts. Eventually your back will stretch out and your muscles will get stronger and you'll be able to go lower and lower until you can finally do a full pushup.

You seem to be really concerned with your strength, if you are, and since you are already good at cardio, why not focus on your strength training?

What are Deadlifts, RDL's and military overhead presses?

wdwithers

Physical Therapy is what you need. NO CHIROPRACTOR. A back crack won't strengthen your muscles.A physical therapist can teach you exercises that will greatly strengthen your back muscles and get ready for heavy working.
Do not use exercises and advice you find online. If you are in that much pain, then you may have a more serious problem. You really need a professional.

Thank you, now that is something I CAN do! I'll see about doing it right away.

ahawks98

Try to tuck in your tummy muscles as much as you can, imagine that you are trying to touch your spine with your belly button.
This is something you do in a Pilates class which focuses in strenghtening your core muscles (stomach, back). Do this all through out the day, be more aware of those muscles working. Don't give up on yourself and yes, consider it took a while to get where you are and it will take time to get healthy bu tyou are on the right track since you've made the decision to start.
Blessings and keep it up!!!

spectralmoon

1) Only do strength exercises IN WATER - go to your local pool that has water walking and try doing everything in water at first... it has made things which were impossible for me before, possible again;

I'll second this. I wouldn't condemn you to ONLY do them in water, but it'll take a lot of pressure off of various points of your body and let you focus on working specific muscle groups at a time.

I actually broke my back a few years ago and had immense pain in my lower back (of which going to the chiropractor made it worse), and I was told to swim and do water-walking, to ease my back into supporting me again. I also have weak ankles and use swimming as a way to get my "running" cardio without slamming my weight down on ankles that like to sprain themselves while I'm sitting down.

BettyIW

I had a weak back and still use caution but guess what helped strengthen mine? I met with a hoola hoop instructor and she taught a class on how to exercise with a weighted hoola hoop. I've been hoola hooping and it has strengthened my back tremendously.
Some friends of mine in the class did not want to even try because of their back but I went for it and it has helped me tremendously. But it would be wise to check with your doctor to see what he thinks of your situation before doing exercises.
A grandson of mine came running up to me and I was able to pick this 4 year old grandchild up and into my arms. I just about cried because I realized I had picked him up and it didn't hurt my back!!!! I was in tears because of gratitude.

VogtAndrea

I never even attempted to lift anything but soup cans till I'd been doing aquafit for 4 months. Now I'm using 10 lb stretchy bands a bit and lifting... YES... soup cans. I've done a whole lot of things for a living and none of them were good for my back. (2 bulging lumbar disks and full of arthritis) Pain is the "norm".
The thing is that I've learned that gentle exercise works for me and water walking, aquafit, swimming laps, and walking on a flat even surface. It's only the last month that I've added walking on the street and up hills (the town I live in is on an island and it's all hills)
Don't go PUSH UPS unless it's against a counter or a wall to start with or the type where you are on the floor and only push up your torso. There are a ton of exercises for backs, you can google them. I like the one where you're on your hands and knees and lift opposite hand and foot off the ground to work on your core balance. Just remember that you need to stretch out as much as you need to exercise if your back's bad. Afterwards I use my heating pad till my back relaxes a bit.

wdwithers

I suggest this....when I was in physical therapy for a bulging disc they had me doing planks....I started out barely able to hold myself up for 10 seconds. After a while, I was able to work myself up to 2 minutes. It strengthened my core so much and my back totally got better.

Great! what are planks?

wdwithers

I had a weak back and still use caution but guess what helped strengthen mine? I met with a hoola hoop instructor and she taught a class on how to exercise with a weighted hoola hoop. I've been hoola hooping and it has strengthened my back tremendously.
Some friends of mine in the class did not want to even try because of their back but I went for it and it has helped me tremendously. But it would be wise to check with your doctor to see what he thinks of your situation before doing exercises.
A grandson of mine came running up to me and I was able to pick this 4 year old grandchild up and into my arms. I just about cried because I realized I had picked him up and it didn't hurt my back!!!! I was in tears because of gratitude.

I am so happy that you were able to. Thank you.

ishtar13

to strengthen your back:

Supermans: lay on the ground on your belly, put you arms in front of you like you are flying like superman, raise your arms, head and legs. Hold for as long as you can and count. Relax, take a couple of breaths and try it again. Do at least 5 times. Tomorrow, try to hold it for a longer count.

I forget what this one is called, but I always just call it a back strengthener.

Get on all fours. Raise your right arm and your left leg. Hold for at least a count of 5 and slowly lower back into place. Switch arm and leg. Do about 10 of these. Every day, try to hold the balance pose longer.

Planks: Like the up part of a push up. Hold as long as you can and count. Tomorrow, try to hold it longer. If you don't have the arm strength to hold yourself up, go onto your forearms and toes.

These will help strengthen the entire core for push ups.

wdwithers

You all have been really wonderfull in your suggestions Thank you so very much. Although Chiropractors and a gym is not affordable to me right now, there is nothing keeping me from using the lake or a neighbor's pool. Thank you all again. And to anyone else, Please I beg you keep the suggestions coming. I so need them right now.

RuthSweetTooth

Deep water aerobics for the old ladies. . . helps the back

splashangel

Yep on the planks. I've had surgery on my back. Before surgery my life was awful. I guess I will always have some problems with my back but it's nothing compared to where I was. Planks were really hard but effective. Spend time on core excercises. You'll get there. I know it's frustrating but it will happen if you work at it. Do what you can do and keep a check on your form.

kyomoon

"Sans" is French for without. As one poster stated earlier... it's probably not your back but your core muscles that are the problem. My core muscles are fairly weak and I found a good website called LIVESTRONG.COM by googling "core stregthening exercises for overweight women" because... well... I'm just way too fat! LOL!! These were gentle exercises meant to strengthen these muscles without causing you more pain or injury... VERY IMPORTANT! This site has been very helpful for me.

What helped to strengthen my core was swimming lengths in a pool. This is where your strength in cardio will help you strengthen your core.

Good luck! And never despair! There's always a way around everything!

rdonald57

If you have a pool handy or have a ymca membership. Try walking in waist high water and as your back gets stronger jogging in waist high water. Raise your legs high as you walk. Water aerobics also whould be beneficial for your back and stomach. It makes sense that your back is not strong because of your stomach surgery. Your midsection really supports your back and working on a stronger stomach will help it.