tight lower back

[cmdubs]

My lower back has been progressively feeling tighter...I think it's from the SLDLs. It's starting to affect my squat workouts. I almost fell over warming up the other day when sinking into the hole because it's so tense.

Does anybody know any stretching excercises or something I can do to relieve this??

 

[tzan]

I hurt my lower back a while back going a little too heavy on sldl. It layed me up for a few weeks so when I went back to doing them I just went very light on the weight. Now I don't even do them and instead do hypers and reverse hypers. It's one of those exercises that if your going to go hard on you REALLY have to use a controlled movement. The lower back is kind of tricky to stretch and I can't explain how to do any for the life of me, but I would start by doing any stretch that incorporates your hamstrings.

 

[bignate73]

sit on the floor indian style, and lean forward, rounding over.

 

[ChinkNasty]

lay flat down face first on the floor...then straighten your arms so that they're perpendicular to the floor...arch your back and keep your balls to the floor...

 

[jcp2]

Stretch your hams thoroughly too.

 

[bignate73]

lay flat down face first on the floor...then straighten your arms so that they're perpendicular to the floor...arch your back and keep your balls to the floor...

um....thats not a back stretch. its called a mckenzie press up and is for stretching out your abs and hip flexors.

 

[Allon]

First of all, with lower back issues the trick is to rest... that simple. BUT, not to stagnate. so don't do deadlifts for a while!!! yet, do not sit around all day. walking is good for lower back and the following exercises:

Lying on the floor on a thin mat and holding your knees to your chest. lie like this for a minute or two (longer if you don't get bored) at one point you can gently roll your back around the floor in a circular motion and side to side.

hamstrings as noted above, but easy stretches, nothing to strong.

standing lift one leg and grab the knee, pulling to opposite side (mainly streches the glutes but this releses tension in lower back) can be done lying also.

sit on your calves with calves resting on your feet with your toes pointing behind and then strech forward with your upper body with arms reaching forward on the floor...

get on all fours and slowly arch the back while lifting head upwards at the same time then do the exact opposite causing your back to round and looking down with head...
repeat 5- 10 times. (Make sure no-one is behind you cos you look pretty funny and desperate when doing this)

I really would keep off the deads for a few weeks in your case, and also the squats for a week or so (go according to how you feel ultimatley) then once you are feeling stronger start with easy sets of hyper extensions for a week or two before attemting deads. Stiffleg deads in my opinion (I am really no expert on deads but...) are harder on the lower back then regular deads....
Meanwhile if it gives you no pain, working out the rest of the back might do some good and stop your back from stagnating...
Don't fuck with the lower back, I have a protuding disk between my lumbar and cervical region and it sucks... luckily working out carefully has really improved my condition to the point that I rarely even notice it.

 

[ChinkNasty]

um....thats not a back stretch. its called a mckenzie press up and is for stretching out your abs and hip flexors.

yea but I can feel it real good in my lower back as well...

 

[wutangnomo]

Allon said it..... REST! Lay off doing any exercises that stress the lower back like deads, bb rows, squats of any kind, or any kind of standing presses. If you must do them go light. Give your back some time to recoup. SLDL's are the type of exercise that once you go heavy it is very very easy for your form to go off.

I prefer the indian style leaning forward stretch as someone mentioned.