How we all hurt our back

**TheCurse** · 07-29-2005, 03:37 PM

So in response to sean p's question to lam which lam probably never saw, i thought i would make a post where all of us non-kids who have hurt our back somewhat severely and/or permanantly can post what happened and hopefully help someone not make the same mistake.

for me, it was out of the blue, i woke up one day and could not stand up, i kind of fell out of bed and crawled to the phone. basically i bulged a disc in the lumbar region of my spine. for 3 or 4 days i could not walk at all, then for months after that no training that would compress my spine.

i believe the cause of the injury was overuse/overstrain and weak supporting muscles. i had done a normal workout, then i went crazy on abs and was doing this thing a lot of people do on the decline bench where you do situps and twist to one side at the top with a plate in your hands. after that my truck broke down and i was walking around for 3 hours dealing with crap here and there. next day bam! couldnt walk. no more gym for me for a while.

i think if i would have had a stronger foundation in the big core/lower exercises like deadlifts and squats i would never have had that injury. i started out lifting like a lot of people where you do back half as often as chest and legs half as often as back. when i did start doing squats etc. consistently, i wanted to be too strong too fast.

so, the curse's rx for healthy backs is a complete workout program from day 1, as well as something that allows fluid movement like swimming or something to keep you a bit more limber and moving in different planes.

im not a doctor but i saw one on tv once.

**Yanick** · 07-29-2005, 05:45 PM

improper form, going to heavy too fast and an imbalanced training program are the biggest contributors to someone hurting their back. i've never hurt my back beyond pulling something badly, but that was loss of concentration, trying one more rep etc. its really a shame when i see how most people lift, even more of a shame when they have a better build then me and everyone assumes that they are more knowledgeable than me because they have the genetics to stay shredded while eating whatever they want. i just hope those people don't have t suffer to badly when their shitty programs catch up with them

i believe LAM posted a while ago that his back was fucked up because some chick rear ended him on the highway and totalled his car.

**Seanp156** · 07-29-2005, 11:01 PM

Cool, thanks for the post Curse. Hopefully I won't end up making the same mistake... I remember reading a thread a while back about how many people use their shoulders 3 times a week compared to their elbows + hips/knees. I'm actually doing this right now on a back/chest/leg/arms&delts split... It's kind of made me rethink my routine into either an upper/lower or going back to what I used to do... chest/tris/delts...legs...back/bis. I've already lightly strained my shoulders and right hip which I'm recovering from now... They aren't too bad, but it's definately something I need to be careful and concerned about. It's just hard to know how fast to progress with certain things sometimes...

If I'm consistently deadlifting and squating now (every one to two weeks), do you think I'll ever have problems?

**TJ Cline** · 07-29-2005, 11:05 PM

Haven't hurt mine since I stopped doing dead lifts.

**Seanp156** · 07-29-2005, 11:09 PM

But you did hurt it when you were?

**TJ Cline** · 07-29-2005, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by Seanp156

But you did hurt it when you were?

Yes I did.....If done incorrectly ( and many people do them incorrectly) it is the most dangerous weight lifting exercise.

**Mudge** · 07-30-2005, 12:31 AM

Lower back training was a godsend for me. I remember it was prescribed to Anja Shreiner, which eventually sparked her interest in bodybuilding and she later turned pro (retired in the 90s).

**TJ Cline** · 07-30-2005, 01:04 AM

I love lower back training, I just dont do dead lifts or good mornings. Running and core exercises saved me big time.

**largepkg** · 07-30-2005, 09:35 AM

I've had two significant back injuries. Neither of which were caused by weight training. Actually, one was probably due to a lack of weight training.

Both injuries occurred while playing racquetball. The first was about ten years ago. I was running as fast as I could to get to a ball when I realized I was going to smack into the side wall pretty good. Out of self preservation I spun around landing flush against the wall back first. This broke two vertebrae. Holy shit was it painful! I ended up in an upper body brace for 12 weeks.

The second was about six years ago. I was trying to get a little to much torque on the ball, as I hit the ball my back gave out. Turns out I laterally herniated two disc. Surgery wasn't an acceptable option. After lots of therapy with no success I ended up getting three epidural treatments that worked like magic.

Both of these injured I attribute to my obesity at the time. I was somewhere around 350lbs during both injuries.

**BiggerNstronger** · 07-30-2005, 10:52 AM

I hurt my back for the first time when I was about 20yrs old. I was working in a steel yard/ scrap yard. It was just before quitting time and a customer wanted to buy a 12ft section of 10" I-beam. Instead of running back and getting the fork-lift we decided to carry it over to his truck. All was fine until he DROPPED his end...I was in instant pain. Pinched nerve. I have had to be careful with my back since then. There is NO way of predicting a back injury...they can happen to ANYONE at ANY time. All a person can do is avoid bad form during lifting movements whether its at the gym or at work or wherever. Strengthening my core muscles has helped me significantly as well as keeping in shape and losing the spare tire around the middle. All that being said I did injure my back about a month ago doing deadlifts. I had good form, I warmed up well, I had my belt on but still something pulled or pinched. I took a month off from deadlifts until today and all went well. Some people are more prone to back injuries, some people NEVER hurt their back. Be smart and normally you will be ok.

**The Monkey Man** · 07-30-2005, 11:25 AM

I used to crush myself with heavy DL's I soon started to get nasty lumber pain...

Focusing more on ab work with much heavier resistance was the cure for me...

I have since been carefull to analyze my daily muscle pain to create a balance...

In general, if you are not an idiot, after time, you should come to know your body and
injury will be less common

**Tryin2bBig** · 07-31-2005, 06:54 PM

any lower back exercises other than deadlifts that you guys recommend?
i rely on pushups/chinups and DB rows. deadlifts i m too scared off

am a newbie, so i applogize if the ques is too "baisc"

**Cowbell** · 07-31-2005, 08:06 PM

I just turned 20 and this is the second weekend in a row I have thrown out my back...this weekend sucked the worse because I could barely stand and I just met a new girl....imagine my happiness.

**The Monkey Man** · 07-31-2005, 08:25 PM

Wait till you guys hit thirty -

DL's are still good, just be careful and smart...

You can try lumber extensions for lower back...
http://www.exrx.net/Articulations/Sp...l#anchor165667

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...odMorning.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...extension.html

These will not put as much column pressure on the spine

**CowPimp** · 07-31-2005, 09:59 PM

I think one of the main problems is that people focus far too much on abs, and acheiving that magical six pack, as opposed to developing a strong, conditioned, core. Beyond the rectus abdominus, there are the obliques, transverse abdominals, various hip stabilizers, and of course the good ol' lower back.

It is damned near impossible to properly strengthen all of these muscles without the incorporation of various lower body compound movements. Olympic squats have to be the best exercise for developing a strong core, ever. Good mornings are my other favorite. Overhead squats seem like they would be awesome too, though I must admit, I have never tried them.

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