Lower Back Issues

Hi,
I am an on and off reader here but this is my first post

I am 44, train 4-5 times a week in my garage gym doing mostly squat, deadlift and bench press
I currently do Smolov for squat 4 times a week (week 5 into the full program) with Deadlift and Bench press in between so its something like this:
D1 Squat 9x4; Deadlift 6x6
D2 Squat 7x5
D3 Squat 5x7; Bench 6x6
D4 Squat 3x10
and the week after:
D1 Squat 9x4; Deadlift 5x7
D2 Squat 7x5
D3 Squat 5x7; Bench 5x7
D4 Squat 3x10

And so on

anyways, this isn’t the issue I am writing about, in between these workouts I add some crossfit WODs or mountain biking or just running intervals (4x400, 4x800, etc.) and my problem is that after very few minutes of running I get really stiff in the lower back
Anybody had that?
I think it maybe because I don’t do enough warm up or stretching (who does?) but I am curious to know if maybe there is a trick I can use to make it go away?

Thanks,

Foam roll

Foam roll

Foam roll

oh yea and foam roll some more.

Stretch and warm up your hamstrings everyday, no matter if you are doing bench.

Oh yea and then foam roll.

Look up SI Joint stretches and incorporate Bird Dogs in your routine it has helped me. Also, for me if I ever stop competing I will drop the deadlift all together, IMO you can get its benefit w/o some of its danger via various rowing movements.

Oh and purchase a tens unit, it always helps

Ever considered your lower back might be over worked?

in his thread Amit Sapir said he has only ever known of 2 cases if overtraining. ???

really quick OP what kind of weight are you talking about on your squat and or % of your 1 RM how long have you been lifting this way and how long has it been since a break?

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
Ever considered your lower back might be over worked?[/quote]

That’s what I was thinking. Is OP training deadlifts and squats each of those 4 days/week?

Edit: I re-read the dets on your post…yes, I definitely think you are overtraining. You are 44…I can’t see how you are recovering from all of that (and WODs in between?). Impressive nonetheless, but you gotta rest once in a while.

I looked up Smolov since I didn’t know the details, but it is not recommended to deadlift while doing Smolov.

Smolov is an extremely taxing program if you set your weights correctly. I can’t imagine doing WODs on top of it.

Regarding overtraining, I think as we age, many of us require a decent amount of rest and recovery between sessions. That’s not to say that you are clinically “overtrained,” but I have found I perform more optimally by training smart rather than training with more frequency. I truly think less can be more.

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Smolov is an extremely taxing program if you set your weights correctly. I can’t imagine doing WODs on top of it.

Regarding overtraining, I think as we age, many of us require a decent amount of rest and recovery between sessions. That’s not to say that you are clinically “overtrained,” but I have found I perform more optimally by training smart rather than training with more frequency. I truly think less can be more.[/quote]
I agree 100% with this… i find it funny that I notice that the things are starting to swing back to the old mind set of there is no such thing as over training just under eating and under sleeping. Which is all fine and good for some twenty year old newbie or someone on a butt load of gear.

Many thanks to all who replied.

The 1RM weights I use for the Smolov are 320 for DL and 275 for Squat

I don’t do Smolov all the time but I wanted to try it one time start to finish as written so I am trying to be as precise as I can be (including the 4 squat days per week)

I brought into account the amount of food I will have to consume but maybe my sleep patterns (4 kids, wife, work) aren’t adequate…

Anyways I think I will take this advise from Matty:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Also, for me if I ever stop competing I will drop the deadlift all together, IMO you can get its benefit w/o some of its danger via various rowing movements. [/quote]

Thanks Matty!

And of course (already re-started) foam roll and stretching

I think I will replace the DL with a superset of weighted pull ups and shrugs, sounds good?

What would be some good options beside deadlifts?

No problem bro:

Id like to make it clear the dropping DL is simply my opinion and the movement that adversely effects me most. If I were to drop the DL, I would replace it with Highish Rep Trap Bar DL, BB or Db Rows, Chins, and High Pulls, that kind of stuff.

Hang on, when you run Smolov you aren’t supposed to do anything but Smolov because it is just a taxing program. You should either a) do the program as written or b) do something else that will let you do all the things you want to do.

But running other stuff with Smolov is just going to end in a train wreck at any age.

Overtraining is systemic, and no you’re probably not “overtrained”. Overworked lower back is muscular, and quite easy to do, especially for old guys; as others here have already inferred, that’s probably what happened in your case.

My .02, I disagree about dropping the deadlift; programming it more wisely though is probably a good idea.

If you do decide to drop the deadlift, keep in mind that you need to incorporate another hip hinge exercise into your training; most people would suggest kettlebell swings.

As the master Dan John states, the 5 things needed in a program are: push, pull, squat, hip hinge, and weighted carries.

[quote]JoeGood wrote:
Hang on, when you run Smolov you aren’t supposed to do anything but Smolov because it is just a taxing program. You should either a) do the program as written or b) do something else that will let you do all the things you want to do.

But running other stuff with Smolov is just going to end in a train wreck at any age. [/quote]

Ding Ding Ding, winner, winner, chicken dinner!

So my notion that his lower back is over worked is agreed on by a few ? :slight_smile:

Fwiw I stated instead of the straight bar DL I offered the TBDL as a substitute , I don’t believe a straight bar DL has to be part of programming especially if your not competing.