Low Back Issues with Hip Thrust

Hey guys, strained my spinal erectors recently, but it’s recovering and getting better with PT help. anyways, i have a bit of an APT issue (cause of back strain), but the root cause is mainly postural allignment and glute weakness.

however, I can’t do barbell bridges with weight because my back hurts so much when I load it. and if i don’t attempt to work my glutes, i get horrible back spasms that leave me lying in bed wanting to destroy everything in sight

dunno which section this really belongs in, but since I’m a beginner, might as well try here?

Stop doing hip thrusts! besides you look teh ghey doing them!

first make sure you warm-up properly. stretch out your hips.

second, don’t do loaded hip thrusts. try glute bridges (hold at the top), progress to single-leg bridges as well. make sure you are feeling glutes and not your hamstrings. i would also add in some side-lying clams, some x-band walks for high reps, and some reverse hyper (if no machine, but a swiss ball on a bench and do them).

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
first make sure you warm-up properly. stretch out your hips.

second, don’t do loaded hip thrusts. try glute bridges (hold at the top), progress to single-leg bridges as well. make sure you are feeling glutes and not your hamstrings. i would also add in some side-lying clams, some x-band walks for high reps, and some reverse hyper (if no machine, but a swiss ball on a bench and do them).[/quote]

great advice, thanks, been focusing on bodyweight movements for now, with so many injuries(MCL on both knees, impingement and winging on right shoulder) I’m probably going to spend the next 2 months just doing pushups pullups and dragonflags rocky style to get my body running again

yes to what andy said.

also…

try and pass the glute firing test.

lie face down with your arms behind you. place your thumbs on your lower back and your fingers on your glutes. try and contract your glutes at around 30% while keeping your lumbar muscles relaxed. hold the contraction for 10 seconds.

can you do it? if so build up to 10 sets of 10 second holds. then when you do your glute exercises try and do that - contract your glutes while keeping your lumbar muscles relaxed. (you won’t actually succeed in that aim but aiming to do that should result in your glutes working as prime mover as they should rather than you using your lumbar muscles as prime mover).

if you can’t… try try again. you will get it eventually. build up to 10 sets of 10 second holds…

then glute bridges and so on…

Hi Chinesechris,

I have had clients who experience pain with hip thrusts, and they’re always folks who have excessive APT (so it makes sense that you’re experiencing this too). I teach them how to use the glutes as PPT’ers here:

This eliminates the lumbar hyperextension and compression on the posterior elements, thereby sparing the spine.

In fact, my client Molly had this issue and worked her way up to 205 pounds within two months, pain-free:

During this time, she put 2 inches on her already round glutes haha. Must be nice growing glutes so easily!

Anyway, hope this is helpful.

BC

Brett, do you think the height of the bench you are using might make a difference?

I’m thinking that if the bench is too high (higher than the tibia) it might promote hyperextension, in particular.