Low Back is Fried. Recovery Tips?

Hey there everybody. I’m on week 2 day 3 of GZCL’s UHF9 week program.

Recently(last 3 days), I’ve been working on ‘fixing’ a diagnosed hip impingement in my right hip, and I’ve also continued to train.
Today, I had deficit deads and I swear my back is on fire. yesterday I had some light weight pause squats, after Mondays regular squats. my low back is fried like an egg

While i’m a certified youtube connoisseur, I would like to get you guys’ input on some good stretches/techniques you use that really get the job done for you not only after the fact, but maybe even to warm up the low back before a squat/deadlift day?

some links, pictures, and general lift shaming are all accepted.

thanks in advance.

Before lifting I always do:

3 sets of 15-20 sets of bodyweight back hyperextensions
3 sets of 10-15 hanging leg raises

Every since I started doing this I have no issues with my low back during lifting.

At the end of every session I also do another 2 sets of 20 bw back extensions and I hang from a bar for a minute. Tends to really help just to decompress the entire spine before leaving.

1 Like

Is your back just sore or does it hurt? You might be doing too much volume too soon, if you aren’t used to higher frequency full body training then you should start off with less volume rather than wearing yourself out in two weeks.

I do 15 hip airplanes on each side before squatting, if my back feels stiff then I do 15-20 cat/camels, then some glute bridges.

I used to stretch after every workout but I eventually realized it was a waste of time and didn’t accomplish anything. According to some sources, you are better off stretching far away from your workout because your muscles will be more relaxed. On days that I don’t squat or deadlift I do some mobility work:
15 hip airplanes
15 90/90 transitions (dynamic 90/90 stretch)
3x30 sec. sitting in a full squat
2-3x30 sec. hip flexor stretch

If I have aches and pains then I try to loosen up my muscles with a theracane or lacrosse ball. I have a foam roller and PVC pipe roller but they don’t seem to do what I want.

Also, if your back feels beat up after training you can just lay on the floor with your feet up on a bench, couch, bed, whatever, with your hips and knees both at 90 degrees. That is the position that puts the least compressive force on your spine and it will allow the muscles to relax. I normally do that for 5-10 minutes, I don’t always do it but I always feel good if I do. My back used to get cramped up sometimes when I go to work right after training, I stand basically all day at work except my break.

1 Like

@isdatnutty I used to do these; I don’t know why I stopped. thanks for the input, my guy.

@chris_ottawa I guess I should have prefaced this… I don’t think the volume is bad. im not burnt out, im really actually not all that sore. on the plan theres 1 maybe 2 amrap sets a day, and I have always hit +2 or usually the prescribed rep to move on to the next week without much problem. I lowered my maxes considerably.

also; my back isn’t hurting, either. its more of a general soreness and truly its not even my entire back. its on my left side, about 5 inches up from the top of my ass cheek, and about 2 inches off of my spine. its just like a knot that needs to get worked out I feel.

appreciate the mobility tips. I haven’t been stretching after my workout and it looks like I wont start, either. lol

That seems odd considering the title of this thread. You could try using a massage stick, lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or whatever you have available to loosen up the muscles in that area. That might help, but it also might not. You could have some sort of injury as well, but I’m not a doctor and nobody can diagnose you over the internet.

I should have made the distinction between ‘hurt’ and ‘extremely sore’. I didn’t pop a disc or anything like that, which is what I feel like ‘hurt’ means. its just my low back, specifically the left side about 5 inches up, is super tight and when I bend/lean over that’s where its the sore-est[sp]? if that’s a word, lol.

I haven’t missed a rep on anything yet, and it was irritating while deadlifting today but not enough to cause me to not lift or finish a lift, either. its only been nagging at me for a few days. its not like the volume is wrecking me b/c my upper half isn’t any more sore than usual, and neither are my legs.

again, thank you for the warm up/ stretching ideas as well. doing them later on in the day today, gonna take a softball to the area to see if that gives it some relief, as well.

“its just my low back, specifically the left side about 5 inches up, is super tight”

Sounds like perhaps an SI joint issue, but I am not a doctor. I had this issue, a lot. I used to take the lazy way out and just go to a chiropractor, but that didn’t solve the problem, just temporarily made me feel better. I no longer have SI joint issues and they seemed to stop when I got my core strength up. I deadlift, squat, oly lift more than back when I had the issue (it was borderline chronic). I am not saying a weak core is your issue or that it’s your SI joint that’s hurting you, but it’s what my issue was and now I very seldom have low back pain. Maybe this will help you, maybe not, but if you elect to go this route to try to fix your problem, crunches are not the way to go. I recommend an ab wheel, planks, and what I call “ax holds”. I am sure there is an official name for them, but it’s when you hold a barbell with weight on only one side and try to keep your torso from leaning; this is great for the obliques.

It’s all about muscular balance. I hope you are able to get your issue resolved.

As an anecdote, mine felt permanently tired for days after heavy deadlifts and yesterday I suddenly had the idea of pushing myself up on a bar like a dip, right up to lockout…and the result was a very intense stretch in the lower back that sorted it right out.

How many deadlift sets a week?

If you’re body can’t recover fast enough, you’re doing too much too soon. If you can’t recover fast enough, eat more food and get more sleep. If that isn’t helping, do less volume or take more days off between sessions. It’s pretty simple.

1 Like

thanks for all the tips, guys. I appreciate it.
I believe it was just a lil’ tweak or something, as my back is good. now its just a little low back soreness the next day. after a squat or a deadlift.