Squats!

[Emmortal]

Try lowering the bar position on your back and drive your head back into the bar.  Make sure you are doing something to strengthen your abs, not just tone them.

Jason

x10.  Weighted crunches are a great support exercises for squats, and as Pegg recommended, push your neck back into the bar.

[HTexan]

my back hurts when i squat too, but my form sucks

[XFACTOR]

lower back pain or muscle soreness?  I get sore, but never have any lower back pain.

Jason

Good point.  Maybe it's muscle soreness, and I'm having difficulty differentiating.  

[bebop396]

The mechanics of the squat and the deadlift are the same, why do both?

[mass 04]

do them on the smith machine or use the hack squat..train your muscles not your ego

for some reason Smith Machine squats DESTROY my knees. I tried them with just 225 a few weeks ago and they killed me. I have never had a problem with plain back squats.

[thewickedtruth]

get the bar lower and don't lean forward so much..usually when your lower back starts to take a beating you're leaning forward and "good morning" the weight up throughout the movement.

Elbows down to keep the back tight
Head up looking towards the top of the cage
Chest out..

and that will take care of your LB problems.



work on exercises that build up your lower back so it doesn't fatigue so quickly and like jason said..work your core as well to stabilize you throughout the lift.

STAY THE FUCK OFF THE SMITH! 

[The Squadfather]

smith squats with the feet out in front are primarily a hamstring and glute movement anyway with the quads being secondary movers.

[Hedgehog]

who else has pain in the lower back after doing heavy sets?
i really do them clean and proper with a straight back but it still hurts a day after..
i really think of not doing them anymore...you think it will hurt my legs workout?

Stretch out the glute, use these types of excersies. Some of these will also stretch out the back. Do it before even warming up.

From what you've mentioned, it seems like this will help you stay squatting.

[webcake]

Just go lighter when doing squats. I was having a bit of back pain, but now when i do squats i just use a lighter weight and higher reps (around 15 or so). I genuinely believe squats can be just as effective when using a lighter weight, higher reps, as opposed to using very heavy weight and lower reps.

[thewickedtruth]

smith squats with the feet out in front are primarily a hamstring and glute movement anyway with the quads being secondary movers.

not only that but you're trying to MAKE your body to a movment on a fixed plane that it's not designed to do and that will not only end up killing your knees but you will not get the development you will get from free weights. And I don't care how much you leg press, you won't be able to bottom out 315 on a squat even if you're mr. plate hog. If your exucse is safety on the smith then use a cage and set the pins to save your ass. There's really no excuse for not squatting...if you have bad knees then buy wraps. Every excuse I've heard why people DON'T squat is just one more lame ass excuse instead of a reason. I wish I started squatting YEARS ago. You will never develop great leg development, extensions, hacks, and no matter WHAT people tell you until you squat unless you're a paul demayo or platz and guess what..they both squatted.

[kh300]

i like to put 10 pound plates under my heals. i dont know what the fuck it does, but i can get get good depth and it takes the pressure off my back.

[sinbad]

There is nothing you can do Neck, just live with it. All the stuff mentioned will help, but it will still hurt. I had a bunch of injection, then surgery, and it still hurts. I know I am a retard for even doing squats, but for some reason I just keep doing them. I use light weight now, but I feel better if I do some squating. Be careful tho cause that surgery experience was horrible.

[joelocal]

This is a repost from a couple of months ago..............



I deal with this alot with my own clients and especially my athletes and what I'm going to say, you're not going to like, but I'll try to explain it so it will make sense.

Even though your primary muscles are strong enough to pull the weight, you're stabilizers haven't recovered enough to sustain the pulling of your primary muscles, you stabilizer in this case would be your psoas, it's the muscle that runs from the lower lumbar to almost your adductor




the only way to strengthen your low back and psoas to get back your original strength is to train your low back indirectly by doing unilateral leg training (light and progressivly working heavier) then after a 2-3 weeks progressing to two legs then eventually adding loads. incorporating core work such as working transverse abdominus will also be a huge benefit.
 
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[sinbad]

Coach, can you give an example of a work out along these lines? Also, what Box squats exactly? I am willing to try anything at this point. Thanks

This is a repost from a couple of months ago..............



I deal with this alot with my own clients and especially my athletes and what I'm going to say, you're not going to like, but I'll try to explain it so it will make sense.

Even though your primary muscles are strong enough to pull the weight, you're stabilizers haven't recovered enough to sustain the pulling of your primary muscles, you stabilizer in this case would be your psoas, it's the muscle that runs from the lower lumbar to almost your adductor




the only way to strengthen your low back and psoas to get back your original strength is to train your low back indirectly by doing unilateral leg training (light and progressivly working heavier) then after a 2-3 weeks progressing to two legs then eventually adding loads. incorporating core work such as working transverse abdominus will also be a huge benefit.
 
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[joelocal]

Coach, can you give an example of a work out along these lines? Also, what Box squats exactly? I am willing to try anything at this point. Thanks

Start with 10 min warm up on elliptical

10 -15 min dynamic warm up;

Hip rotations
Scorpions
walking lunge 15 yards
Static stretch

Box Squats on 18" box to start, as back gets stronger gradually lower or Trap bar deadlifts 4 X 3-5

Bulgarian Split squat - 12-15 reps BW to start as low back gets stronger add 15lb DB's

Step ups - 3 x 12

Glute/Ham bench extentions emphasizing hams - 3 x 10 supersetted w/

1 leg SLD - 3 x 10

Start with a low comfortable weight and add 10% each week.

[SLYY]

My back started to hurt after back squats as well.....

My answer= front squats

[Hedgehog]

Start with 10 min warm up on elliptical

10 -15 min dynamic warm up;

Hip rotations
Scorpions
walking lunge 15 yards
Static stretch

Box Squats on 18" box to start, as back gets stronger gradually lower or Trap bar deadlifts 4 X 3-5

Bulgarian Split squat - 12-15 reps BW to start as low back gets stronger add 15lb DB's

Step ups - 3 x 12

Glute/Ham bench extentions emphasizing hams - 3 x 10 supersetted w/

1 leg SLD - 3 x 10

Start with a low comfortable weight and add 10% each week.

You should try having your "clients" stretching their glutes before warming up sometime. Very effective.

[joelocal]

My back started to hurt after back squats as well.....

My answer= front squats

I did the same thing, I just switched to DB squats on a 30 degree platform, my lower lumbar compensated too much on the front load and made it worse.

[joelocal]

You should try having your "clients" stretching their glutes before warming up sometime. Very effective.

We always do a glute activation technique, since the glutes are an "off" or "phasic"  muscle same as the psoas, I usually have them do a one leg hip lift (Cook hip lift) for activation after that they will use a foam roller for a myofacial release.

[TOMCAT]

I hurt my lower back 12 years ago by putting too much weight on the bar using poor form to do squats.

long story short I ended up pulling a lower back muscle and ended up in the hospital because I had never felt pain like that before.

They shot me up 3 times with pain killers so I could walk out of there but they really cant do much else

ever since then my back will go out on me ,the last time it did I was trainning tris doing suicides when I got up to set the bar down "boom",my back was toast that quick.

morale of the story is tread lightly when your lower back starts hurting because once it goes your fucked

I still do squats but less weight and more reps just to be safe


you should also strenghten your core muscles(crunches,leg lifts,etc...)

also doesnt hurt to stretch your lower back


good luck 

[ironneck]

thank you guys let's see if jason's advice works for me

[musclecenter]

Hey ,guys
I started having chronic problems in my lower back (a slipped, compressed disc) in 1980s. When I went to see doctors, they warned me that if did not have an operation, I could be paralyzed!! They warned that I could soon be unable to walk!!
However, I have seen many guys who became paralyzed after an operation, so I decided not to have that operation. I have kept training carefully since then - especially when doing squats.

Since then, I have developed some unique techniques that I  demonstrated here.


This pic show how I " squat" with rop on smith-machine !and my legs still looking good as a old fart !

[coltrane]

If you still want to squat without irritating your back as much, switch to box squats. Don't do a touch and go, go down, sit and come back up with a forward pelvic tilt, by doing this you will not only develop more power, but also strengthin hip flexors but low back as well.

Precisely the advice i WOULD NOT give.  Box squats have more of a tendancy to irraitate a lower back bc when you actually sit, most of the pressure is on that lower back. 

Before squatting, do a few sets of back hyperextentions to warm the area up.  Also, drop the weight and focus on form.

[joelocal]

Precisely the advice i WOULD NOT give.  Box squats have more of a tendancy to irraitate a lower back bc when you actually sit, most of the pressure is on that lower back. 

Before squatting, do a few sets of back hyperextentions to warm the area up.  Also, drop the weight and focus on form.

"If you still want to squat without irritating your back as much"

IF he still insists on doing squats, box squats would take the pressure OFF of the lower lumbar while at the same time strengthining by using the pelvic tilt method. Even doing light regular squats would put too much compression on the lower back because it is constantly contracted.

Now if he has damage to his lower back (pull or severe strain) I wouldn't recommend him doing any squats exept for light DB or bodyweight and that would only be 3 sets max for 2-4 weeks. If he has access to a reverse hyper bench, that would be worlds better than regular hypers.



But before jumping into all of this........Ice, Ibuprofin and rest.

[coltrane]

Joe youre dead wrong on this one

Doing box's will place a greater stress on the lower back...it compresses the disks moreso than a normal squat would.