Back Pain Part 2: Attacking It in the Gym

Last week’s blog delved into all the things surrounding the prevalence, history, and unacceptable recurrence rate of low back pain in our world. Great information to know but now what do we do about it? How can we build a back that is more mobile and resilient? 

As discussed last week, there is the natural history of any condition ie. our body’s inherent resilience that leads to the resolution of pain and injury despite any intervention we do.  

BUT,  intervening with PT and exercise often allows for symptom modification in the meantime, targets the recurrent nature of back pain, and can serve as a complement in pushing natural history in the right direction. 

Check out these 3 exercises to strengthen your back- all of which can be done with bodyweight, a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. 

1. 1. JEFFERSON CURLS WITH ROTATION 

Adding a bit of a twist to a classic. If rounding your back and bending forward is tolerable (and not a super aggravator of your pain), this is a great move to train the back muscles that often get ignored. It also puts us in ranges of motion and movement patterns that allow our muscles to be fully lengthened. LET’S GET BULLETPROOF! 

With the added rotation, we get to bias one side, and honestly, life doesn't happen in perfect straight lines like a robot, so this prepares our tissues for lots of different movements (which hopefully means less throwing your back out!)

• 2-3 sets here of 3 in the middle, 3 on the left, and 3 on the right. Then, work your way up to doing 5 in the middle, left, and right. You can rest in between middle/left/right if needed! 

1.  DEADLIFT VARIATIONS: TRADITIONAL, SANDBAG, AND ASYMMETRICAL 

The deadlift is 🔥 for loading your back and of course mimics picking up things from the ground. If you're new to the deadlift, line your elbows up right outside your knees, think about pushing your hips back, picking up the weight, and standing up. Other tweaks can be done with your PT in session at Made 2 Move. 

• TRADITIONAL 

 If you're a deadlift pro and doing these with a barbell already, great!

 If you’re new to deadlifting, also great! Try to hit them 1-2x per week- with one day focused on going HEAVY for LESS reps (intensity focus) and another day focused on LIGHT/MODERATE for MORE reps (endurance focus). And yes, a little back pump is normal here: your back is made up of muscles and just like your biceps get a burn and some next-day soreness after a killer arm workout, so too does your back after deadlifts. 

• Heavy intensity focused days: 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps.

• Lighter endurance focused days: 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps (or whatever helps your back feel the “pump” at the end of a set).

• SANDBAG DEADLIFTS: Doing deadlifts with odd objects like a sandbag mimics the natural ways you move throughout the day (trying to carry 8 bags of groceries at a time, picking up your toddler or grandchild, etc.). These can be started slow and controlled, then progressed in all sorts of ways: sandbag to shoulder, sandbag throw over the shoulder- the options are endless!

• ASYMMETRICAL (UNEVEN) DEADLIFTS: Doing deadlifts asymmetrically is a great way to train for the odd objects we may encounter in daily life (people may stare out of curiosity- you’re probably inspiring them). Simply put a plate on one end of the barbell and no plate on the other end. Start WAY lighter than you think and know that these will feel funny at first but challenge stability and movement patterns beautifully. 

Another way to simulate this asymmetry would be uneven farmer’s carries: grab two different DB weights (or a DB in one hand and no DB in the other) and take a few laps with them. 

1. KETTLEBELL TEAPOTS

Teapots are valuable because they train our back in a plane we often don't load, again bringing our muscles through an elongated position and strengthening ranges we don't normally see in the gym. It's also SUPER potent - you may be sore the next day.

• For lighter weights, start with 2-4 sets of 6-10 reps. 

Your back was MADE 2 MOVE- in all different ways under all different types of load (and yes, rounding your back is OKAY!) Reach out to frontdesk@made2movept.com to talk with one of our therapists about how we can help you build a stronger, more resilient back!