Tight, Painful Annoying QL

Hi guys,

Just going to post my problem here and maybe someone recognizes it and can tell me what he did to fix it or maybe people can post suggestions, ideas and or advice.

Basically i think my Ql muscles are in pretty bad shape, everytime i do something that heavily involves my abs, my ql muscles will get really stiff and it gives me an annoying back pain.

My own theory is that i might have weak obliques and that everytime i need to use them i compensate with the ql muscles.
Anyway everytime i deadlift, squat, do planks etc my ql muscles stiffen up and are killing me.

I want to make a plan now to deal with this situation so all input is welcome.

A.

Bump again.

wow 600 views and 0 reply’s…

You said yourself, you are over-relying on the muscles of your lower back for stability in your mid section. You have trained yourself to “brace” improperly.

Stand in a door frame. Put your hands on the door frame. Stand on one foot, then raise your other knee up. Like a “high knee.” Your spine should stay neutral. Your abdominals and obliques should work with your ql to keep you “straight.” If your lower back starts arching and your hips move around, trying to stabilise, BRACE!

Push your abs " out." Keep your back straight. Use the glute on the down leg to really drive your foot into the ground, and “twist” your foot out, screwing it into the floor. Use your abdominals, not your hip flexor to raise your opposite knee.

Sit on a box/chair/bench/coffee table with a band around your knees. Force your knees out. Seated abductions, or “bad girls.” Try some seated Psoas holds from this position, with the band for resistance. Do some bodyweight squats. “Inflate” your abs and obliques to keep your back straight up. Push your knees out. Feel how your hips/glutes/hamstrings support you. Notice how pushing your mid section out, takes pressure off your lower back. Instead of over arching and leaning forward, stay upright with your spine neutral.

Grab a dumbbell, then get in the half-kneeling position. Do some 1 arm shrugs, then pass the dumbbell to the other side and do 1 arm shrugs on that side. Then switch legs, and shrug with both sides from that position. Your pelvis will be shifting all over the place. Learn to use your hips and abs/obliques instead of just your lower back to stay upright. Do Palloff Presses and 1 arm cable rows from this position too.

Grab a dumbbell and do some 1 arm farmer’s walks. Keep upright! Keep your spine neutral! Push your abs out. Walk around. Then switch hands and do it on the other side.

Wear your belt on any exercise were you stand on your feet. Push your abs and obliques out into the belt. Like An awesome spare tire of strength and stability.

At home do

  1. Hip Hikes
  2. Clam Shells
  3. Seated Psoas Holds
  4. Glute Bridge with hip abduction
  5. Peterson Step Ups

8-10 reps of each exercise. Add squeezes and holds at the top, not reps as you improve. Put a short mini band around your knees for extra resistance.

Then roll or stretch your hip flexors.

Do this “extra workout” 2 or 3 times a day, every day, forever.

Since you’re doing stuff anyway, do some band pull aparts(20+) and band shoulder dislocates(8-12) too.

Do some seated abductions and 3-4 sets of something for your hamstrings before each lower body session.

Use the giant cambered bar or safety squat bar for squatting. Train yourself to not lean forward excessively when you squat.

Try Deadlifting from blocks or the rack until you figure out how to use more hamstrings and less lower back. Wear that belt!

[quote]Respeezy wrote:
wow 600 views and 0 reply’s…[/quote]

Yeah this forum is pretty quiet, just look at all the other tumble weed ones.

But Flatsfarmer gave some great thorough advice.

Also windmills really help me, but stretching as far down as possible reaching for your outer foot. I have to do those in between Dl’s

Thanks for writing that all out, i will start to work with it. !

No problem.

My “back hurt” too. I had to learn all kinds of names for little muscles, and try out all kinds of little exercises. These things worked best for me.

There are others. Windmills and Hip Airplanes. Romanian deadlifts on 1leg, etc. I just had to go to the easiest “moves” possible.

Do whatever you need to to get “aligned” properly. Then do that stuff for many, perfect sets.

[quote]FlatsFarmer wrote:
No problem.

My “back hurt” too. I had to learn all kinds of names for little muscles, and try out all kinds of little exercises. These things worked best for me.

There are others. Windmills and Hip Airplanes. Romanian deadlifts on 1leg, etc. I just had to go to the easiest “moves” possible.

Do whatever you need to to get “aligned” properly. Then do that stuff for many, perfect sets. [/quote]

Thanks, i am going to try all of the suggested and stick to a couple that feel best for a longer period.

I like side bridges for mine. I do reps up and down rather than do holds for time.

How much soft tissue work do you do on the area? Trigger pointing etc…

[quote]BigDwarf wrote:
How much soft tissue work do you do on the area? Trigger pointing etc…[/quote]

Do a lot on the ql, spinal erectors, hip flexors. cant do the glutes though for some reason when i use my lacrosse ball on them they get irritated.