Lower back very tight

[benapollo]

Hi,

haven't posted in a while i mainly read.

I have been doing a lot of deads, bent over rows and squats ect ect recently. I have noticed that my lower back gets really tight and i am talking painful tight. It is also quite bad the next day.

I never used to train my lower back so this may be one reason the only other i can think of is form. But i think i am doing everything right, i don't have a gym partner to check but will be going with a mate who can check my form for me.

I don't lift to heavy i am 5 11'' 206lbs ish and

squat 310lbs for 5x5
dead 265lbs for 5x5
bent over bb row 155lbs for 5x5

I reduced to these weights to see if it made a difference and it doesn't.

like i said haven't been doing deads/ squats long and my weights increased fast as i started low as not to injure myself.

I do lean quite far forward during squats that is the only flaw i can see in form

any help, advice ideas would be great as it is hindering me uping my weights.

Cheers in advance

 

[riverrock]

Take 6 weeks out from squats and deadlifts and concentrate on your weaknesses. I had that problem as well when I started going heavy on the squat. My hammies and glutes were very powerful, but my lower back let me down. So, I started doing "Good Mornings" where I went down low and with perfect form. Excellent exercise and did lots of them. I also put in some back extensions. You can either hold a dumb-bell or plate. I did wide chins (pull-ups) to help me with my initial pulling on the deadlift. 6 weeks of theis and I returned to the squat. the tightness had gone and in no time I got my rewards by being bale to do the lifts I could always do thanks to a strengthened lower back.

If your lower back is very weak, your muscles will automatically tighten up as a protection mechanism against the body putting any strain on it. Its the body's way os saying"Leave it, I'm hurt", so you need to train this specific area and turn it from being weak to being strong. then there will be no need for your abck to tighten up. You'll be as free as that bloke who jumped over the prison wall last week!

 

[benapollo]

cheers for the advice,

I will put of exercises involving the lower back and concentrate on strengthening it up. It is really annoying me now though as with BB bent over rows it isn't even my back that is giving up it is the actual stance of the lift that is hindering me.

how many times a week for good mornings and hypers. surely i need quite a lot of rest??

cheers for the advice and i will post again if i need more help

regards

 

[bignate73]

stretch!

seriously before you get started and after:
sit on the floor with your legs folded indian style, and just round forward. lean over each leg and turn sideways a bit to stretch your sides as well.

your low back may be your weak point right now, but flexibility can hinder you also.

 

[riverrock]

cheers for the advice,

I will put of exercises involving the lower back and concentrate on strengthening it up. It is really annoying me now though as with BB bent over rows it isn't even my back that is giving up it is the actual stance of the lift that is hindering me.

how many times a week for good mornings and hypers. surely i need quite a lot of rest??

cheers for the advice and i will post again if i need more help

regards

Good mornings should be done once per week. Its the form you use that is most importnt rather than the weight you use. Ensure the back is really straight and bend forward. Don't do what some people do by pushing the hips back. This is cheating as your effectively squatting. Don't go any further than parallel either when doing your back extensions.

I feel your pain as regards this problem extending itself to other parts of your workout. Get your back sorted.

 

[bignate73]

Its the form you use that is most importnt rather than the weight you use. Ensure the back is really straight and bend forward. Don't do what some people do by pushing the hips back. This is cheating as your effectively squatting.

maybe i don't understand...

the form IS the key, you push your hips back to keep the bar closer to your center of gravity. you have to counterbalance and load to your glutes and hams, otherwise you load the erectors and shift the fulcrum into the spine as soon as your back rounds. standing up straight and trying to bend forward will tip you over, and do the same as if you reached for a box too far away and tried to lift it. thats like telling a strongman to lift a stone at arms length. or telling a BB'er to do SLDL's but let the bar drift way out in front of you instead of keeping it in tight to your legs. no, you get the load as close to your center (in line with your hips) as you can, and from a side view of a GM pushing the hips back accomplishes this.

 

[riverrock]

maybe i don't understand...

the form IS the key, you push your hips back to keep the bar closer to your center of gravity. you have to counterbalance and load to your glutes and hams, otherwise you load the erectors and shift the fulcrum into the spine as soon as your back rounds. standing up straight and trying to bend forward will tip you over, and do the same as if you reached for a box too far away and tried to lift it. thats like telling a strongman to lift a stone at arms length. or telling a BB'er to do SLDL's but let the bar drift way out in front of you instead of keeping it in tight to your legs. no, you get the load as close to your center (in line with your hips) as you can, and from a side view of a GM pushing the hips back accomplishes this.

You don't stand up straight! Just like you said, you have the hips back to centre yourself. I think you mis-read what I posted. I should have made it more clear. AFTER you are in the correct position, you then do your Good Morning. Don't go pushing the hips back more after you are in this position or you may as well squat.

Of course you'd topple over if you stayed straight...lol!!!

 

[Edmund]

Like Bignate73 said...stretch but not too much before working out. I usually do a half hour of stretching at night. I've had back problems from tight back muscles and stretching put an end to it.

 

[BOOEY]

Yeah stretching helps a lot. I was amazed at how much more flexible I got once I started stretching on a daily basis - after about a month, my lower back pains went away.

 

[benapollo]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, I have already changed my routine and started doing some stretches which i did used to do a lot but for some reason stopped.

Thanks again everyone

 

[Steve The Bluesman]

Opposite muscle work. I have always found that engaging the abs will loosen up the lower back.

Stretching and lower back work as well. (I like SLDL's and Romanian Deads.)


Bluesman

 

[musketeer]

Stretching should be done when you are warm, so do it at the end of the workout. I sip my post workout shake during the 15 minute stretching period. Dont be agressive wit hte stretches, just ease into them and stop when the pain hits. Then go a little deeper and stop again. Keep going slowly and stay really calm and relaxed. Hold the stretch in the final position for as long as a minute, before repeating for the other side (if nec.) Swimming once or twice a week is one of the most underrated activities...