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How to train if your back hurts: step-by-step guide
Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer. All articles by the author ➤
This article is dedicated to all those who have hernias, protrusions, osteochondroses, nerve compression, or simply experience pain. My regular readers probably already know that I do not have separate ready-made exercise complexes for such people. But in this article, I will tell you how to adapt any of my training routines for yourself. Right now, I’m not in the mood to discuss various theories. Therefore, I will just tell you what needs to be done. You need to take all this on faith and follow my recommendations. I myself have: 2 lumbar hernias, 2 osteochondroses, a protrusion, scoliosis, and kyphosis. And in my 8 years of coaching practice, I have helped several dozen people get rid of back pain, including myself. 1. Eliminate all axial loads on the spine This means you take any plan you like and remove or replace exercises that involve axial load. What those exercises are is described in detail in this article. Depending on the severity of the pain, you should either remove/replace all exercises with axial load or only those with strong axial loading (the grading is also provided in this article). This also applies to those exercises where there is no axial load, but still cause back pain. Therefore, if the pain is severe, remove or change all exercises that involve even slight axial load. If the pain is mild, you can keep exercises with slight or static axial load. And replace exercises with strong loading with weaker or static ones. Each person must decide for themselves. 2. Strengthen the part of the back where pain occurs If your lower back hurts, you need to do it At the beginning of EACH workout. 3 sets of 10 – 15 repetitions. This is the most important and irreplaceable exercise for safely strengthening the lower back. If you have pain in the thoracic region of the back, then train this area twice a week: These 4-5 exercises should be divided into 2 training sessions per week, doing 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions. 3. Hang at the beginning and end of EACH workout Simply hang on the bar for 20 – 25 seconds, trying to relax your back and stretch your spine as much as possible. One set is enough. But if you wish, you can hang twice. 4. Exclude the treadmill from your cardio workouts It has an impact load on the spine. It’s better to use an elliptical trainer or a stationary bike. However, if the pain is mild, you can keep running on the treadmill. 5. Train this way for 1.5 – 2 months As a rule, within 1.5 – 2 months, the pain almost completely or completely disappears. If this period has passed and the pain has significantly subsided, you can gradually include exercises with axial load: And so on. This is necessary to continue strengthening the back muscles. But at first, you must do it with an empty bar, listening to your sensations. If pain arises again, it means it's still too early. If not, gradually increase the weights. 6. Train in a regular mode Congratulations! If everything goes smoothly, about 4 months after starting rehabilitation, you will be able to train fully. But you must always keep in mind that your hernia or osteochondrosis hasn’t gone anywhere. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor your technique and consistently strengthen your back, as indicated in point 2. If you temporarily stop training, the pain may likely return. This happens because the deep muscles of the back lose their tone again, which leads to destabilization of the vertebrae. I hope everything is now perfectly clear to you. Use the list of exercises with axial load to determine which ones you need to remove or replace. Your back will “tell” you. On average, each plan will have 3–4 such exercises. I look forward to your comments once you follow all the instructions. Good luck! Prevention of Joint PainThere are sports nutrition products that protect our joints, reduce pain, and slow down the wear and tear of joints. If you experience pain or discomfort in certain joints, it makes sense to take them. These can be individual substances:
And there are also complex preparations:
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