Squats are killing my back

[watevrpal]

First let me say that I havent done squats in a few years.

So I decide to add squats to my program and I have been doing them for a month or so. I have researched and researched the squat from downloading and watching videos on proper form and stuff like that.

now Everytime I do squats with very little weight 135 for 5 sets of 5 I can barely move my lower back is killing me. I can do leg presses with no such problem. What do you guys think?

Because I am 99% positive That I am going to switch over to the leg press for leg day?

 

[ajaygill]

you want to post of a video of you doing squats and we could show you. I'm guessing your leaning forward, and not sticking your ass out enough

 

[rediculus]

sounds like you need to leave your legs alone and work your core with much more intensity. I admit my back hurts more than almost anything when I do squats..Well when I started. My back seems to be adapting to the heavy weights faster than my legs

Now that my strenght is a little more balanced my back is feeling it less. And I have genetically always had a pretty strong lower back.

 

[watevrpal]

sounds like you need to leave your legs alone and work your core with much more intensity. I admit my back hurts more than almost anything when I do squats..Well when I started. My back seems to be adapting to the heavy weights faster than my legs

Now that my strenght is a little more balanced my back is feeling it less. And I have genetically always had a pretty strong lower back.

Well if i take legs out what core excercises do you guys reccomend in place of sguat?

 

[watevrpal]

I really want to stick with squat to build mass are there any other forms of squats i can try that dont hurt the back as much for a beginner squatter?

 

[LucSulla]

Are you using a pad when you squat? If so you may want to chunk it. I found out pretty quick that the higher the bar was the more my back hurt. If you are keeping you back flat and getting your ass out properly and still sore, you might want to make sure you are racking the bar right. Getting it low enough that it is being supported by your shoulders and not just your neck and traps makes a HUGE difference, at least it did for me.

Might also want to check if you are rounding in the hole. It is real easy to allow your back to round a bit if you squating deep but letting your form get a little sleepy at the bottom.

 

[rediculus]

Dead lifts and straight leg deadlifts. I don't mean to "Totally" take out the legs. I just mean take some nice weight and build up some strength. Also I have been reading something that makes sense...Make sure your stretching your quads and hip flexors as well. I may have found something that was really inhibiting my running and squatting due to a lack of flexibility.

 

[SouthernLord]

First let me say that I havent done squats in a few years.

So I decide to add squats to my program and I have been doing them for a month or so. I have researched and researched the squat from downloading and watching videos on proper form and stuff like that.

now Everytime I do squats with very little weight 135 for 5 sets of 5 I can barely move my lower back is killing me. I can do leg presses with no such problem. What do you guys think?

Because I am 99% positive That I am going to switch over to the leg press for leg day?

Are you falling forward when coming out of the hole?

If so then your low back and abdominals are the week link.

Sit ups and hypers will go along way if your core is seriously under worked. I would continue to practice squat form with light(er) weights and maybe do some leg presses for the time being. Learn how to do Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)too. Light weight with these and learn to push your hips back. These will work your hams from the hip insertion and help to teach you to push your hips back to start the squatting motion.

Watch these vidoes too.....

Squatting


RDLs

 

[Jocques Straap]

You need to determine if this is good pain, or bad pain.

If it's just really tight, and aching, then you probably are OK, and just need to give your back some time to catch up, drop weight if you have to, but continue with the squats. If the pain is acute, or sharp and intense. You should rest until it gets better.

I don't think leg press is any safer of an alternative. I've seen lower back injuries come from it, just as much as squats.

Technique is obviously important. Ask someone at the gym to check your form, or use a mirror. The keys being to keep a high chest, weight on the heels, start the movement with the hips, not the knees, feet should be parallel with your femur, to eliminate torque on the knee/ankle.

Everyone around here says that if your not breaking 90, you aren't doing it right. In reality, many people have flexibility issues that make it unsafe for them to go low. It's easy to find your ideal ROM, simply go as low as you can, until you can no longer keep your back flat. The moment it starts to round, you need to stop going down. use a box or a rubber band to "mark" the set the ideal distance and squat only to that depth.

If you are torn between working through the pain, or resting. Try some half squats; - ha, I bet you never thought you'd hear anyone recommending those. It just goes to show you, there is a time and a place for every exercise. Half squats, are well easier and less stressful, therefore a great exercise to transition into full squats.


- what are your shoes like? If you are tilting forward too much from high heels on your shoes than you can simply take them off. This will tilt you back a bit and take some stress off the back. Also as previously mentioned, a lower bar position may help.

 

[Rage-Of-Sparta]

great alternatives for squats are:
front squats
lunges
one legged squat
overhead squat

 

[fortunatesun]

The key to avoiding back injury when squatting is to keep your back arched.

My guess also is that you're not keeping your chest out. When my weights got heavier I had a few sessions where I got nervous about my back. Now I take a second before I lift to think of just my chest. I square it up, and after distributing the weight of the bar evenly on my back, I'll notice that my chest is still out before going down.

Abs, are important as mentioned. Before lifting, fill your stomach with air and tighten your obliques when you arch. This will provide a column of support for the weight on your back.

You could also experiment with the width of your stance. Some people seem to do better with their feet wider apart like a powerlifter. This will also help if your hip flexors are weak. The important thing, however you place your feet, is to keep your weight on your heels- never on the balls of your feet.

Another good alternative is the belt squat. You need a specialized piece of equipment: a belt squat belt. It's a belt suspends the plates in front of you.

Belt squatting is not only a proven method to develop a strong lower body but also very therapeutic for the spine because the belt is positioned around the waist. Belt squats will traction the spine and correct pelvic tilt. When your back is taxed too much, you can work the legs. They are great for static work or teaching one to jump.

From westside-barbell.com- Articles 2002: The Squat

 

[watevrpal]

Thas I am going to try the front squats.

 

[badhabit08]

if u do abs on the mornings of squat days it will help HUGELY. i have no strain in my back after abs. but if i skip em my back is so tight it hurts to get up sometimes.

 

[watevrpal]

if u do abs on the mornings of squat days it will help HUGELY. i have no strain in my back after abs. but if i skip em my back is so tight it hurts to get up sometimes.

cool i'll try it. thanks

 

[b fold the truth]

Thas I am going to try the front squats.

If your back is hurting from squats with 135, choosing to do front squats instead is NOT going to fix your problem. If 135 gets you hurt...then your core must be so weak that sooner or even sooner you are going to end up really hurting yourself with some other exercise.

Lots of ab work, GM's, reverse hypers, lots of hamstring work, hip work, and the list goes on...