No lifting for me

lauren3101

I had some serious lower back pain last year which was actually what spurred me into this lifestyle change. Extra weight = more pressure on back, apparently.

Almost a year on and I feel much better, I'd had no back pain for a long time and I wanted to start lifting. I started off very light (5kg) and did this for a while until I was sure I had my form right. Now, 2 weeks ago I switched to heavier weights - 20kg. Still not much by many people's standards on here, but I did Stronglifts twice using this weight and then 2 days later woke up with back pain again.

Not wanting my back to completely go again (it left me bed-bound for weeks last time) I went straight to my doctor, told her what I was doing and she told me under no circumstances should I be attempting to lift weights with my back issues. She gave me some lower back exercises to do to hopefully strengthen it.

Now, I'm pretty gutted, as I really enjoyed lifting weights. I also really want to maintain my current LBM. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to do this without lifting? I understand that I am probably going to lose some, but would simply eating at a healthy deficit and making sure I eat a lot of protein help?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

gerard54

I would say do body weight exercises, push ups, pull ups, lunges those types of things...

jdad1

You will not maintain muscle mass by just eating protien, you need to do some kind of strength training. I second the notion of doing high rep body weight excercises or maybe even a weighted vest for awhile. Yoga could be good for as well.

note:
Due to medical restrictions from a neck injury i completly understand your situation. You may not be able to as you wanted to do but you can still find a way to do whatever your body will allow you to do.

lauren3101

OK, thank you. Are there any strength training exercises that you could recommend that don't use the lower back?

ClaireShepster

I also cannot lift weight due to hip and back problems.

I do body weight and reformer pilates classes which help without stressing my joints and back.

Highly recommend looking at reformer pilates which uses equipment rather than just you!

Good luck

neandermagnon

if it was me, I'd ask to be referred to a physio. With some injuries, free weights are not advisable but some machine exercises are still safe. There is no way I'm prepared to advise on this (i.e. I can't possibly tell you what exercises are safe or unsafe for you), but a good physio should be able to help you to design a programme whereby you can still workout and maintain your muscle mass without further damage to your back. Additionally, the physio would usually be able to give you better advice and help in recovering from your back injury than a general practitioner can, and also get advice about how to get back into lifting safely in the long term.

Also, the advice re bodyweight exercises - these still put strain on the lower back, I wouldn't advise you to do these either, unless/until a good physio tells you that it's safe to.

ilovedeadlifts

What is wrong with your lower back?

With the exception of herniated disks, there is no reason to not be lifting weights to strengthen your back.
Strong back = healthy back.

I'd definitely try to get a session with a physical therapist or something to have them assess your issues and come up with exercises you can still do.

nornyb

I broke my back in 2006 and I had to learn to listen to my body while recovering. Pilates really helped me strengthen my core. I started gradually, doing whatever did not cause pain (or much of it) and working my way up to more difficult/intense workouts. Now I do almost anything I want, with a few exceptions.....for some reason plank position still really causes a lot of back pain.

acpgee

Sorry about your injury. Swimming provides some resistance and would be gentle on the lower back.

__RANDY__

Great idea take the weakest part of your body and let it get weaker

lauren3101

What is wrong with your lower back?

With the exception of herniated disks, there is no reason to not be lifting weights to strengthen your back.
Strong back = healthy back.

I'd definitely try to get a session with a physical therapist or something to have them assess your issues and come up with exercises you can still do.

To be honest, I am unsure about whether I had either a slipped disc or muscle problems. The doctor I had at the time was very unsympathetic and didn't take me seriously; kept telling me to walk to the surgery for an appointment, and not believing me when I said I could barely walk to the toilet, let alone a surgery. Repeated appointments after where I asked for a physio and for it to be investigated, and they said because the pain was not severe for more than 6 weeks, it is not classed as 'chronic' back pain, so they aren't worried. As a consequence it was never fully looked into.

I may look into a private physio. You are right, lifts are meant to strengthen your back, but mine definitely doesn't like it!

__RANDY__

this old man has artificial hips

jdad1

the back and neck are very serious deals. Find out what your actual back problem is. Go and get that figured out.

sijomial

Backs are so complex it will be a very personal thing what you can do and what you shouldn't do.

I've got three badly damaged lumbar discs that react badly to any major compression - so the classic barbell compound lifts are not good for me.
So my routine is more oriented towards bodyweight, machines and dumbbells. For me the key to managing my back health is maintaining strong core muscles and avoiding compression.
A good personal trainer, physio or Osteopath should be able to give you some good advice and then it's a case of trial and error.

Best of luck!

ilovedeadlifts

To be honest, I am unsure about whether I had either a slipped disc or muscle problems. The doctor I had at the time was very unsympathetic and didn't take me seriously; kept telling me to walk to the surgery for an appointment, and not believing me when I said I could barely walk to the toilet, let alone a surgery. Repeated appointments after where I asked for a physio and for it to be investigated, and they said because the pain was not severe for more than 6 weeks, it is not classed as 'chronic' back pain, so they aren't worried. As a consequence it was never fully looked into.

I may look into a private physio. You are right, lifts are meant to strengthen your back, but mine definitely doesn't like it!

I would really reccommend looking for a new doctor.
When I injured my shoulder I went out of my way to find a doctor who specialized in treating athletes so I didn't get the standard "just stop lifting" answer that a lot of doctors give. My Dr drew me a picture of what was going on, sent me to a therapist that had me doing tons of shoulder exercises, and let me choose rather I wanted to treat the issue with medication.

Find someone who will explain whatever is wrong, offer advice on how to fix it, etc.

If you have a slipped/herniated disk, I can understand a doctor telling you to not lift heavy, but I also don't think the doctor would think you were faking the injury. If it's a muscular issue, chances are you can fix it with exercise, foam rolling, stretching, and mobility work.

Louie Simmons broke his back twice and went on to squat over 900 pounds at over 50 years old. So don't rule out lifting and it's ability to fix things.

lauren3101

this old man has artificial hips

That's great... none of that actually relates to back issues though.

favreervaf

Backs are tough, I know how you feel. Truth of the matter is, most back pains or issues can be resolved with abdominal and core strengthening. Correct form sit-ups, crunches, and planks can help in the long run, and making sure you sleep on your side or back to prevent anterior pelvic tilt which is very stressful on the low back. Watch your running, which can cause axial loading on the lumbar vertabrae and cause more inflammation of the discs. Slowly you should get better, but definitely do self-body resistance training like push ups, dip ups on a chair, and crunches along with your core workouts. Lean proteins can help but only with muscle repair, otherwise excess protein is just turned to free fatty acids and stored as adipose tissue just like any other macronutrient.

taunto

lifting will strengthen your weak back. Simply lower the weight and then try again

jdad1

Backs are tough, I know how you feel. Truth of the matter is, most back pains or issues can be resolved with abdominal and core strengthening. Correct form sit-ups, crunches, and planks can help in the long run, and making sure you sleep on your side or back to prevent anterior pelvic tilt which is very stressful on the low back. Watch your running, which can cause axial loading on the lumbar vertabrae and cause more inflammation of the discs. Slowly you should get better, but definitely do self-body resistance training like push ups, dip ups on a chair, and crunches along with your core workouts. Lean proteins can help but only with muscle repair, otherwise excess protein is just turned to free fatty acids and stored as adipose tissue just like any other macronutrient.

read this again.

lauren3101

To be honest, I am unsure about whether I had either a slipped disc or muscle problems. The doctor I had at the time was very unsympathetic and didn't take me seriously; kept telling me to walk to the surgery for an appointment, and not believing me when I said I could barely walk to the toilet, let alone a surgery. Repeated appointments after where I asked for a physio and for it to be investigated, and they said because the pain was not severe for more than 6 weeks, it is not classed as 'chronic' back pain, so they aren't worried. As a consequence it was never fully looked into.

I may look into a private physio. You are right, lifts are meant to strengthen your back, but mine definitely doesn't like it!

I would really reccommend looking for a new doctor.
When I injured my shoulder I went out of my way to find a doctor who specialized in treating athletes so I didn't get the standard "just stop lifting" answer that a lot of doctors give. My Dr drew me a picture of what was going on, sent me to a therapist that had me doing tons of shoulder exercises, and let me choose rather I wanted to treat the issue with medication.

Find someone who will explain whatever is wrong, offer advice on how to fix it, etc.

If you have a slipped/herniated disk, I can understand a doctor telling you to not lift heavy, but I also don't think the doctor would think you were faking the injury. If it's a muscular issue, chances are you can fix it with exercise, foam rolling, stretching, and mobility work.

Louie Simmons broke his back twice and went on to squat over 900 pounds at over 50 years old. So don't rule out lifting and it's ability to fix things.

Thanks for your advice. I actually registered at a new doctors on Friday and am yet to have an appointment with them, so I may try my luck with someone new.

lauren3101

Backs are tough, I know how you feel. Truth of the matter is, most back pains or issues can be resolved with abdominal and core strengthening. Correct form sit-ups, crunches, and planks can help in the long run, and making sure you sleep on your side or back to prevent anterior pelvic tilt which is very stressful on the low back. Watch your running, which can cause axial loading on the lumbar vertabrae and cause more inflammation of the discs. Slowly you should get better, but definitely do self-body resistance training like push ups, dip ups on a chair, and crunches along with your core workouts. Lean proteins can help but only with muscle repair, otherwise excess protein is just turned to free fatty acids and stored as adipose tissue just like any other macronutrient.

Thank you. I did read that core muscles are key to a strong back as they are actually connected and provide additional support? I don't do any core exercises, so that definitely sounds like something I should start.