Strength training with back problems..help!

My partner has lots of problems with his back due to his manual job. He was recommended to do mobility exercises first before weights as honestly he struggled to just do a squat with a barbell .We are doing Stronglifts together and he is getting better.

Some aggravation is to be expected I have no serious back issues but the first time I'll start a new exercise it would be painful after.

I would definitely say to do back exercises to strengthen your back along with yoga but start slow and maybe get a PT for a session or two to make you program taking in consideration your medical issues?

I'm sure someone else will reply with good advice on how to utilize weight training to help your back and which exercises to do

Lat pull down if done correctly should only activate the lats so shouldn't have that much effect on the spine. If I were you I would see a physical therapist to give you some excersises. As most personal trainers may not know what is best for your back

I have deal with back pain by doing all my strength exercises in the pool. My physical therapist recommended me to try pool therapy and I have never felt better.

I have found most machines have attributed me to back problems/shoulder problems / general injuries. I "think" when I was new to lifting that I didn't have the core or overall strength to handle that sort of weight freely so it was easy to overuse a muscle group/ligament buy hitting too much weight on an isolated movement.

since moving to free weights, the weight I lift has gone down but my core strength and use of all the supplementary muscles has improved as you need the WHOLE body to lift a weigh not just the muscles being hit.

even then though I found I would get shoulder issues thanks to overhead presses etc

then I tried picking up kettle bells instead of the bar bell .... 2 months of using a bell has cured my shoulder issues and my lower back soreness ....... I "guess" this is due to the freemen of movement in allowing the scapula etc to move where it needs to and not lock it in to what the other shoulder is doing

Consider lighter free weights and kettlebells rather than machines

I have been using the HASfit you tube lower back rehab. It has been a great help. Work slowly on and and back strength exercises. Slowly work on these don't go for weight do the exercises slowly.

dark_sparkles37019 wrote: »

I have mild levoscoliosis(spine curves to the left) of the upper back and degenerative disc disease(narrowing) of L4-L5, L-5 S1 discs in my lower back. It bothers me so much at my factory job that I had to be put on tramadol and I usually take either tylenol or ibuprofen in addition to it.It is recommended that I find another job by my doctor. I just returned to working out. The doctor recommended yoga,stretching, and walking. She said I could lift weights but not heavy. I used two machines Wednesday that I believe aggravated my back because I was in worse pain tonight. I had used a ab machine that did a crunching motion that also utilized the spine and I did a lat pull down. Should I just not do exercises that work the back?

No, you should not do crunches or any type of an machine. For now I would avoid any core exercise that puts the back in flexion. Unfortunately it’s been several years since I worked with some with scoliosis, so I don’t have exercises at my fingertips.

Overall, I would suggest starting out with bands rather than weights or machines. The resistance curve for a band is a little more forgiving.

You want to choose exercises that promote trunk and core stability. Simple things are: step ups, incline pushups, single arm rows, single arm high rows. Planks are probably ok, but may be too much right now—bird dogs and lighter weight pallof presses might work also.

I have similar problems. I think you just have to do some trial and error to see what is tolerable. I find that an exercise that aggravates it one day is ok on another day and maybe something different aggravates it that day. I can find no pattern at all. My doctor said my problems were way past what a particular exercise does or doesn't affect, so just do what is comfortable for me.

Based on what I've read other people on here say, a lot of docs will say don't lift heavy but they don't really know what they're talking about, they're just afraid of it in general. Personally, no doctor has told me that and I've seen many.