Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
napsgear
genezapharmateuticals
domestic-supply
puritysourcelabs
UGL OZ
UGFREAK
napsgeargenezapharmateuticals domestic-supplypuritysourcelabsUGL OZUGFREAK

belt

Do you ever do reverse hypers? These have been wonderful for alleviating my lower back pain,( a compressed disk), they stretch out the spinal cord and improve circulation in the lumbar area. I hardly ever feel a twinge anymore.
 
My chiropractor said not to do hypers. He also said no squats, no rowing, no overhead pressing and to be very careful not to arch when benching. He recommended I walk a lot and showed me a handful of stretches. I'd already found that squatting wasn't an option and that seated rows were something to be careful with. I was so pathetic that I couldn't sit up in bed without using my arms due to the pain it would induce in my back and just standing still in a shop queue would hurt.

I joined abs and fitball classes, which did include reverse hypers, to start to strengthen my core and they gave me some partial recovery. My biggest recovery period began when I started to do seated rows and also a full pull right the way back on the seated rowing machine, kind of like a seated good morning. I also started to do very light squats. It was a bit scary and sometimes my mind would just refuse to do a weight I knew I had the muscle for. These exercises did for more for me than anythng I'd tried before.

I finally added in deadlifts and bent barbell rowing about a month ago. The chiropractor was appalled at the idea when I saw a couple of days ago until he examined me and said that I was in the best state he'd ever seen me. I can now do such crazy things as bend forward and pick things up without pain.
 
that's great bro. When I was doing rehab for my back, i didn't use any weight, just the movement to stretch so there was little danger in doing anymore damage........but heh, when you can't even bend over or stand still for long what have you got to lose? You have to do something right? hope you recover completely. stout
 
I almost always wear my belt except when warming up with real light weights, like the bare bar for benching. By the time I am getting up to 135 on goes the belt. I also like the belt to prevent umbilical hernias. They are common when not wearing belts on heavy lifts.
 
Heavy is a very relative term. I used to put my belt on as I passed 300 on the squat. It probably did allow me to lift more but I think I also used to press my abdomen against it for extra pressure and I think this might be a bad thing in itself.

I've not used the belt this year at all and am squatting 400 without it. I feel no pressure on my abdomen and am no longer convinced that a belt is a good thing unless I need to lift near my max. I think it's better to get my form improved and train my body's support system to do the job it was designed for. The belt might actually induce poor form and increase the likelyhood of injury.

I've seen Raymonds Bergmanis on TV deadlifting many hundreds of pounds with no belt which, while he is an exceptional athlete, indicates that a belt is not a necessity. Consider also that you don't usually get the chance to put your belt on if you need to pick up and carry something heavy when out of the gym and that's when a hernia becomes likely if your core is not conditioned to handle the strain.
 
Top Bottom