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Squats and deadlifts are how I cured my back pain. I recognize that I tend to have a missionary zeal about this subject because I think it has had so many benef

by defen 11y ago

Squats and deadlifts are how I cured my back pain. I recognize that I tend to have a missionary zeal about this subject because I think it has had so many benefits for me...but seriously, if you don't have any health issues that prevent you from doing so, you should be lifting heavy weights with a barbell. Your clothes will fit better, people will be more attracted to you, you'll have more confidence, and you'll be amazed at how strong you become. If you're a healthy adult male under 40, 1 hour a day for 3 days a week will get you to "pick up 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease" within a year.

dragonwriter 11y ago
> if you don't have any health issues that prevent you from doing so, you should be lifting heavy weights with a barbell. Your clothes will fit better Only if you were wearing poorly-chosen clothes for your existing body before. If you aren't already out on the far extreme of the distribution for height or some set of proportions, you can probably find pretty well-fitting off-the-rack clothes, and if you have, they'll probably fit substantially worse if you change your body shape in any way -- whether its by gaining fat, losing fat, gaining muscle, or whatever.
- kendallpark 11y ago
  > Your clothes will fit better Unless you're female and then your clothes will fit worse. I have to buy two sizes up in dress shirts and hem the waist down just to fit my shoulders into them.
mcculley 11y ago
I second this with a caveat. I have a damaged disc between the sacrum and L5. After several years of back pain and a few visits to the emergency room, I took up deadlifting. I deadlift every other day now and have done so religiously for a couple of years, steadily and slowly increasing the weight. I feel it has been very beneficial for my back issues. I have almost none of the pain I had before. I feel this is a simple remedy that almost no doctor will recommend because of the liability issues. With that said, I advise extreme caution. I lift every other morning and I feel it is the most dangerous thing I do. I'm very careful to pay attention to my form and take the movement slow. Even on a good day, I can feel that disc moving around. On a bad day, I've slipped the disc and lost progress for a couple of weeks while I recovered. So if you're going to try this, take it slow.
- bmj 11y ago
  And I'll second the caveat. I agree with this and the grandparent--if you are in reasonable shape, and want to maintain that, lifting low (< 5) reps and high weight is a great thing. If you do other activities, you could probably lift 30 minutes, two to three days a week, and see health improvements. But, yeah, think hard about form, and start lifting too light. What does bad form look like? Start with this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9TVFxPUZ6E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9TVFxPUZ6E
jonahx 11y ago
> If you're a healthy adult male under 40, 1 hour a day for 3 days a week will get you to "pick up 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease" within a year. I hate to nitpick because I share your enthusiasm, but this claim is not true across the board. Plenty of healthy males won't be able to come close to building that kind of strength in a year. It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics.
- vinceguidry 11y ago
  > It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics. It really doesn't. What it depends on is your training protocol, and whether you're able to avoid injury or not. Mark Rippletoe's Starting Strength program, administered by a cautious enough trainer, will get most anyone of those characteristics, healthy adult male under 40, there. It's what Mark does for a living. It may be uncomfortable eating several thousand calories a day if you're skinny, but you can't blame the program for your failure to do that. I did starting Strength for about 4 months before I got injured, I was well on my way to 400 by that time. I'm not any kind of SS zealot, but I have to, like anyone else whose actually gone through it, recognize the simple effectiveness of the plan. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
  - dragonwriter 11y ago
    > > It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics. > It really doesn't. What it depends on is your training protocol, and whether you're able to avoid injury or not. And "whether you are able to avoid injury or not" while trying to train up to that goal in the time period suggested depends on so many factors, like body type and genetics. > I'm not any kind of SS zealot, but I have to, like anyone else whose actually gone through it, recognize the simple effectiveness of the plan. "Anyone who has experienced X must recognize the simple effectiveness of X" pretty much defines being a zealot for X.
    - vinceguidry 11y ago
      > And "whether you are able to avoid injury or not" while trying to train up to that goal in the time period suggested depends on so many factors, like body type and genetics. Not so. You get injured when you exceed your body's ability to sustain the load. You have to be aware of those limitations and work actively on building the ability to exceed them. In weight-lifting that means 1) proper form and 2) knowing when to stop. The former is easier to attain than the latter, but if you can do both, then you can avoid injuring yourself while still making gains. > "Anyone who has experienced X must recognize the simple effectiveness of X" pretty much defines being a zealot for X. That's ridiculous. I've experienced driving a manual transmission and recognize the simplicity of the system and that it gives you a better connection to your engine than an automatic does. Even so, I drive an automatic. If I had a sports car, I'd want a manual, but not for my primary vehicle. I've done many, many things to keep in shape over the years. Starting Strength is great, but it's by no means the only or even best way to do that. That would imply perfection, which doesn't exist. What it is is effective at doing what it sets out to do. Which many other approaches and plans don't have. What's great about SS is that you don't have to throw your whole life into it to experience gains. Just follow the program and you'll get stronger. If you didn't get stronger you weren't following the program. Many of the things I've tried didn't have this property. I took dance classes for a year before I realized I either needed to be rich enough to afford a private tutor or to have been dancing since I was eight to really get it right, and if I'm not getting it right, there are better ways to accomplish fitness goals.
542458 11y ago
> 1 hour a day for 3 days a week will get you to "pick up 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease" within a year. Do you have a link to a particular regimen that worked for you?
- randlet 11y ago
  You will find quite a few beginner programs that you can make tremendous progress on. Some of the most popular are Starting Strength[1], Strong Lifts 5x5[2], and Ice Cream Fitness (ICF)[3]. Anything with progressive overload/linear programming (adding more weight to the bar almost every workout) will work wonders for you. [1] http://startingstrength.com/ http://startingstrength.com/ [2] http://stronglifts.com http://stronglifts.com [3] https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-c...
  - sremani 11y ago
    I would add "Simple and Sinister" for Kettlebell geeks (like me). Unbelievable level of conditioning can be achieved with only 2 exercises, The Swing and Get-up.
    - randlet 11y ago
      I own and enjoy kettlebells but I didn't actually start getting a lot stronger until I started barbell training. As you mention kettlebells are fantastic for conditioning but are not the best tools for getting stronger because you can't (easily) progressively overload the amount of weight you are lifting like you can with barbell training.
      - kendallpark 11y ago
        Yeah, I had a friend that did the most intense kettlebell workouts fairly frequently. I was surprised at how small his gains were compared to traditional weightlifting methods.
- 11y ago
crdb 11y ago
Pretty much agree with this. It worked for me. 10 minutes a week, high intensity, for a couple years, pain was gone in about 2 months and never came back. Just machines, due to getting injured with free weights early, no cardio, no other exercise. Leg press, lumbar, seated row, weighted pull-up, chest press, the occasional bench. Getting stronger is easy and worth it.
sremani 11y ago
Turkish Get-up x 5 (each hand) everyday, cured my shoulder pain.
- nate_meurer 11y ago
  Fuck yeah. I do a similar movement with big rubber bands. It completely solved my shoulder problems.
  - kendallpark 11y ago
    I made some of the kids I coach do these. They hated me for it, so it must be a good workout. :)
rsync 11y ago
I agree wholeheartedly with this and I practice it myself - and have my entire life. However, if your only goal is to remove (or prevent) back pain, there is an even simpler recipe: walking. Your body is built to walk. Literally. You are a walking machine. Walking will put your body back into order. Posture, circulation, digestion, metabolism (modestly) ... every function of your body was built to respond to the activity you are built to do: walk. Nothing to learn, no fees to pay, no equipment to buy. Just walk. Bonus: it's mentally stimulating, interesting, and relaxing. Your mind will respond to it just like your spinal column does.
- nate_meurer 11y ago
  Hasn't worked for me. I walk and jog 5-10 miles per week, and I use a standing desk. Doesn't do shit for my back as far as I can tell. To keep my back healthy I must lift. I watch Kelly Starrett's podcasts and do what he says, but with a quarter of the weight. I ain't no lifter, but the light stuff keeps me pretty spry. Shoulders down and back!
  - rsync 11y ago
    Well, again - I can't argue with lifting, since it is a large part of my life and I am glad you have found success with it. However, 5-10 miles per week is about the same as nothing in terms of the walking that the human body is designed to do. You can walk about four miles in one hour, and if it's part of your daily routine you'd be doing 20-30 miles per week - even if you skipped a day or two. I encourage you to try it. Worst case is you get out and see a lot of things and have some nice active meditation for a week or so.
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > You are a walking machine. Walking will put your body back into order. If you've got bad posture, and you don't work to correct it, more walking will more likely exacerbate the problem than magically fix it. Some people will intuitively figure out the right responses to pain feedback to correct some problems, particularly the easier-to-correct ones, on their own. Better, though, to work with a trainer (either one-on-one or in any of the many fitness walking training programs you should be able to find) and get direct feedback while walking to correct the issues more quickly. What worked for me was ballroom dance first (with both group classes and private lessons), then adding fitness walking and weight training, but that wasn't a deliberate strategy aimed at back pain, and certainly isn't likely to be a cost-effective strategy if dealing with back pain is the only goal.
nmeofthestate 11y ago
I believe squats and deadlifts helped knacker my back. Just anecdata, but I thought it was worth adding another data point. I'll be reading this article in depth in the hope that it offers a solution because I really don't fancy being mildly disabled for the second half of my life.
dmfdmf 11y ago
I can second this and saw the same benefits. However since I am going to the gym anyway, I add bench and overhead press too. That's it and I am out in less than an hour. I've had back problems since my early 30's (including surgery) and I knew my posture was poor but never was able to improve it until I started lifting. The key is that I don't think you can strengthen your posture muscles by holding the correct posture. You have to strengthen your posture muscles by lifting heavy objects on a weekly if not daily basis then you can easily hold correct posture. As the article mentioned the key is to flex the gluts to hold posture and the deadlift and squats are efficient ways to build glut strength. So in the end the reason why indigenous people don't have back problems is they are not sedentary and have stronger gluts.
sriramk 11y ago
I can testify to this. I'm 6'6, turned 30 recently and developed chronic back pain which made walking/standing for over 15-20 minutes painful. I got frustrated and started going to the gym again and doing very basic deadlifts/leg presses/lunges a few times a week. It's been a couple of months and my back is about 70-80% better.
- tixocloud 11y ago
  Just curious but while you're starting off, did you have to push through the pain or did you start after the pain subsided?
thenomad 11y ago
Speaking as someone with posture problems, I'm interested by heavy lifting, but very concerned about the potential for injury. Do you have any stats on how safe it is, particularly vis a vis back injuries? It seems like a bit of a high-risk wager - if you keep good form in EVERY exercise you do, you get stronger and improve your health, but if you screw up once, you damage your back in a very serious way.
- jclos 11y ago
  Lifting is actually pretty safe, provided you do it intelligently. But even if you do it recklessly, your body is more resilient that you give it credit for (depending on your age). The key to strength is longevity. The guy who adds 2.5kg on the bar every session and hurts himself two months later won't end up as strong as the guy who adds 2.5/5kg every three weeks and sustains his progress for 5 years without injury. If you are of a population "at risk" (preexisting condition, etc.) you can set your mind at peace by finding a good coach. To actually answer your questions, there are some stats here: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html
- metamet 11y ago
  Start with 5 sets of 5 reps on these lifts: Monday: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row Wed: Deadlift, Upper Press, Pullups Friday: Squat, Inclined Bench Press, Cable Face Pulls (or another pulling exercise) Do this for a month and don't worry about how heavy the weight is for a couple weeks, starting with just the barbell. Focus on form (YouTube!) and getting used to the motions. Go slow. Don't push yourself until you feel comfortable. You can start with negatives or assisted pullups. Hitting a big compound movement (squat/deadlift), a push and a pull is a great rounded way to start lifting.
- sageabilly 11y ago
  Sports injury stats per 100 participant hours in school sports: Powerlifting (USA) 0.0027, Weightlifting (UK) 0.0017 [1] Among elite competitive weightlifters: Injury rates for the subset of resident athletes at the USOTC were 3.3 injuries (most frequent were tendonitis and muscle strains) per 1000 weightlifting training hours. [2] "[It's reported that] weightlifting (is) one of the safest sports with 0.0017 injuries per 100,000 hours of participation" [3] I've been powerlifting for 6 years, was competitive for three of those years, and am friends with and know at least a hundred serious, amateur, competitive powerlifters and weightlifters. My anecdote, with that background in mind, is that I have only seen or heard of injuries happening when people IGNORE their body telling them to stop. So they either put too much weight on the bar, KNOW that it's too heavy for them, and then push through anyway, or they let their ego get in the way and are trying to show off and screw around (this is far more common than the first scenario). The thing with free weights of any kind is that it's only as dangerous as you make it. YOU are in control of your form, you are in control of how much weight you use, you are in control of the bar path, and you can take it as slow as you want. [1] Hamill 1994/ http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html (lots of good info at that link) [2] http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Fry/publication/7219831_Injury_rates_and_profiles_of_elite_competitive_weightlifters/links/0c960522780b62be59000000.pdf http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Fry/publication/7... [3]http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/how-dangerous-are-weight-lifting-and-olympic-lifting-really http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/how-dangerou...
snikeris 11y ago
> ...you should be lifting heavy weights with a barbell. Your clothes will fit better, people will be more attracted to you, you'll have more confidence, and you'll be amazed at how strong you become. And an ox will still be stronger than you. Your reasons seem a bit...extrinsic.
jogjayr 11y ago
>Squats and deadlifts are how I cured my back pain This is sort of the same conclusion drawn by the article. A stronger core supports your back better and reduces chances of developing back pain. Squats and deadlifts are among the best exercises to build a strong core.
throwaway12357 11y ago
I started reading that as > Squats and deadlifts are how I broke my back While I take care to contract abs at all times and keep a straight back during SQ, DL and MP, I have been getting some lumbar pain/discomfort. Not when I lift. But typically 1 or 2 days after. Sleeping is not optimal either as muscles contract. As of lately I find myself sleeping on my side. I know it's the advised posture, but some years ago I could sleep (ie: eventually wake up) with my stomach down with no problems. I can still go to sleep that way, but during the sleep I end up switching position -- and I'm aware of it because I "wake up" for a brief second or so. Anyway, do you have any tips? Do you ever get sore lumbar spine or overfall back?
rwhitman 11y ago
You're building up core strength which is pretty widely accepted as the best solution to the majority of back problems. Also can be accomplished with a number of other exercises, particularly planks and related
arca_vorago 11y ago
For those who don't want to lift, practicing a good horse stance daily is another good thing to do.
darklajid 11y ago
Unfortunately anything that you cannot do at home easily is not for me - I hate gyms with a passion. Whenever someone tells me how well this worked out for them I consider starting for a second, think of all the implications (no place, too expensive for my apartment => gym) and drop it. Looking for a decent dumbbell setup for quite a while. Until then I'll stick with running and take up swimming again, maybe.
- zargon 11y ago
  Have you considered bodyweight training? I much prefer it to weight lifting. I can do it in my home without a bunch of space-hogging equipment. You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren is a good place to start. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345528581 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345528581
  - darklajid 11y ago
    Hmm. Thanks for the recommendation. I have to admit that the excerpt/intro doesn't seem appealing (Army trash, 'Hooya' boxes??) but hopefully that's pure presentation and irrelevant for the content. Browsing the samples on Amazon, this (bodyweight) might be a good idea - and I'll check out related books as well. Edit: That book at least is not for me. Ignoring the military nonsense the few/uninspiring pages I can read at Amazon contain a 'No, women should not train different than men' section - and Amazon helpfully points me to "Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women's Fitness" which seems to be the same book, by the same author, for .. women. Erm.. Looking into bodyweight excercises in general though - that still seems appealing.
    - zargon 11y ago
      I can't think of a strength program that doesn't have a bunch of embarrassing posturing about becoming a super hulking ninja beast. I found it best to read around and after a while I could figure out what parts of different programs were useful. In the last few years there have been a bunch of new bodyweight training books published. Convict Conditioning, Your Body is Your Barbell, Your Body is Your Gym, etc. (Apparently these authors are too weak to come up with original titles.) Maybe you can find something written by someone from more of a clinical background. One thing I will say for Mark Lauren is that his book was the most approachable for me as a beginner. He actually has a beginner program that you don't have to already be very strong to follow. There is an android app as well that was very helpful. The women's version of the book is probably a marketing thing. The publisher is probably right in thinking that many women are unlikely to buy a strength training book unless it is specifically "for women."
chc 11y ago
Why would anybody want to be able to pick 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease enough to spend 156 hours a year on it? It seems roughly on the same level as spinning a basketball on your fingertip in terms of usefulness.
- defen 11y ago
  I agree that in and of itself, it's perhaps not extremely useful in the modern world. However, training up to that level will have benefits in terms of bone density and core strength. It's not clear what you would gain by learning to spin a ball like that. Improved hand-eye coordination, maybe?
_greim_ 11y ago
Do NOT run to the nearest weight room and start doing squat weights in response to your back pain. Go see a physical therapist. They'll put together an exercise routine that's customized to you, and ease you into it. Address the core issue first. Then, work up to whatever routine you aspire to, for example weights, but it's a good idea to discuss with your therapist first.

by defen 11y ago

dragonwriter 11y ago

> if you don't have any health issues that prevent you from doing so, you should be lifting heavy weights with a barbell. Your clothes will fit better Only if you were wearing poorly-chosen clothes for your existing body before. If you aren't already out on the far extreme of the distribution for height or some set of proportions, you can probably find pretty well-fitting off-the-rack clothes, and if you have, they'll probably fit substantially worse if you change your body shape in any way -- whether its by gaining fat, losing fat, gaining muscle, or whatever.

kendallpark 11y ago
> Your clothes will fit better Unless you're female and then your clothes will fit worse. I have to buy two sizes up in dress shirts and hem the waist down just to fit my shoulders into them.

mcculley 11y ago

I second this with a caveat. I have a damaged disc between the sacrum and L5. After several years of back pain and a few visits to the emergency room, I took up deadlifting. I deadlift every other day now and have done so religiously for a couple of years, steadily and slowly increasing the weight. I feel it has been very beneficial for my back issues. I have almost none of the pain I had before. I feel this is a simple remedy that almost no doctor will recommend because of the liability issues. With that said, I advise extreme caution. I lift every other morning and I feel it is the most dangerous thing I do. I'm very careful to pay attention to my form and take the movement slow. Even on a good day, I can feel that disc moving around. On a bad day, I've slipped the disc and lost progress for a couple of weeks while I recovered. So if you're going to try this, take it slow.

bmj 11y ago
And I'll second the caveat. I agree with this and the grandparent--if you are in reasonable shape, and want to maintain that, lifting low (< 5) reps and high weight is a great thing. If you do other activities, you could probably lift 30 minutes, two to three days a week, and see health improvements. But, yeah, think hard about form, and start lifting too light. What does bad form look like? Start with this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9TVFxPUZ6E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9TVFxPUZ6E

jonahx 11y ago

> If you're a healthy adult male under 40, 1 hour a day for 3 days a week will get you to "pick up 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease" within a year. I hate to nitpick because I share your enthusiasm, but this claim is not true across the board. Plenty of healthy males won't be able to come close to building that kind of strength in a year. It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics.

vinceguidry 11y ago
> It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics. It really doesn't. What it depends on is your training protocol, and whether you're able to avoid injury or not. Mark Rippletoe's Starting Strength program, administered by a cautious enough trainer, will get most anyone of those characteristics, healthy adult male under 40, there. It's what Mark does for a living. It may be uncomfortable eating several thousand calories a day if you're skinny, but you can't blame the program for your failure to do that. I did starting Strength for about 4 months before I got injured, I was well on my way to 400 by that time. I'm not any kind of SS zealot, but I have to, like anyone else whose actually gone through it, recognize the simple effectiveness of the plan. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > > It depends on so many factors like body type and genetics. > It really doesn't. What it depends on is your training protocol, and whether you're able to avoid injury or not. And "whether you are able to avoid injury or not" while trying to train up to that goal in the time period suggested depends on so many factors, like body type and genetics. > I'm not any kind of SS zealot, but I have to, like anyone else whose actually gone through it, recognize the simple effectiveness of the plan. "Anyone who has experienced X must recognize the simple effectiveness of X" pretty much defines being a zealot for X.
  - vinceguidry 11y ago
    > And "whether you are able to avoid injury or not" while trying to train up to that goal in the time period suggested depends on so many factors, like body type and genetics. Not so. You get injured when you exceed your body's ability to sustain the load. You have to be aware of those limitations and work actively on building the ability to exceed them. In weight-lifting that means 1) proper form and 2) knowing when to stop. The former is easier to attain than the latter, but if you can do both, then you can avoid injuring yourself while still making gains. > "Anyone who has experienced X must recognize the simple effectiveness of X" pretty much defines being a zealot for X. That's ridiculous. I've experienced driving a manual transmission and recognize the simplicity of the system and that it gives you a better connection to your engine than an automatic does. Even so, I drive an automatic. If I had a sports car, I'd want a manual, but not for my primary vehicle. I've done many, many things to keep in shape over the years. Starting Strength is great, but it's by no means the only or even best way to do that. That would imply perfection, which doesn't exist. What it is is effective at doing what it sets out to do. Which many other approaches and plans don't have. What's great about SS is that you don't have to throw your whole life into it to experience gains. Just follow the program and you'll get stronger. If you didn't get stronger you weren't following the program. Many of the things I've tried didn't have this property. I took dance classes for a year before I realized I either needed to be rich enough to afford a private tutor or to have been dancing since I was eight to really get it right, and if I'm not getting it right, there are better ways to accomplish fitness goals.

542458 11y ago

> 1 hour a day for 3 days a week will get you to "pick up 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease" within a year. Do you have a link to a particular regimen that worked for you?

randlet 11y ago
You will find quite a few beginner programs that you can make tremendous progress on. Some of the most popular are Starting Strength[1], Strong Lifts 5x5[2], and Ice Cream Fitness (ICF)[3]. Anything with progressive overload/linear programming (adding more weight to the bar almost every workout) will work wonders for you. [1] http://startingstrength.com/ http://startingstrength.com/ [2] http://stronglifts.com http://stronglifts.com [3] https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-c...
- sremani 11y ago
  I would add "Simple and Sinister" for Kettlebell geeks (like me). Unbelievable level of conditioning can be achieved with only 2 exercises, The Swing and Get-up.
  - randlet 11y ago
    I own and enjoy kettlebells but I didn't actually start getting a lot stronger until I started barbell training. As you mention kettlebells are fantastic for conditioning but are not the best tools for getting stronger because you can't (easily) progressively overload the amount of weight you are lifting like you can with barbell training.
    - kendallpark 11y ago
      Yeah, I had a friend that did the most intense kettlebell workouts fairly frequently. I was surprised at how small his gains were compared to traditional weightlifting methods.
11y ago

crdb 11y ago

Pretty much agree with this. It worked for me. 10 minutes a week, high intensity, for a couple years, pain was gone in about 2 months and never came back. Just machines, due to getting injured with free weights early, no cardio, no other exercise. Leg press, lumbar, seated row, weighted pull-up, chest press, the occasional bench. Getting stronger is easy and worth it.

sremani 11y ago

Turkish Get-up x 5 (each hand) everyday, cured my shoulder pain.

nate_meurer 11y ago
Fuck yeah. I do a similar movement with big rubber bands. It completely solved my shoulder problems.
- kendallpark 11y ago
  I made some of the kids I coach do these. They hated me for it, so it must be a good workout. :)

rsync 11y ago

I agree wholeheartedly with this and I practice it myself - and have my entire life. However, if your only goal is to remove (or prevent) back pain, there is an even simpler recipe: walking. Your body is built to walk. Literally. You are a walking machine. Walking will put your body back into order. Posture, circulation, digestion, metabolism (modestly) ... every function of your body was built to respond to the activity you are built to do: walk. Nothing to learn, no fees to pay, no equipment to buy. Just walk. Bonus: it's mentally stimulating, interesting, and relaxing. Your mind will respond to it just like your spinal column does.

nate_meurer 11y ago
Hasn't worked for me. I walk and jog 5-10 miles per week, and I use a standing desk. Doesn't do shit for my back as far as I can tell. To keep my back healthy I must lift. I watch Kelly Starrett's podcasts and do what he says, but with a quarter of the weight. I ain't no lifter, but the light stuff keeps me pretty spry. Shoulders down and back!
- rsync 11y ago
  Well, again - I can't argue with lifting, since it is a large part of my life and I am glad you have found success with it. However, 5-10 miles per week is about the same as nothing in terms of the walking that the human body is designed to do. You can walk about four miles in one hour, and if it's part of your daily routine you'd be doing 20-30 miles per week - even if you skipped a day or two. I encourage you to try it. Worst case is you get out and see a lot of things and have some nice active meditation for a week or so.
dragonwriter 11y ago
> You are a walking machine. Walking will put your body back into order. If you've got bad posture, and you don't work to correct it, more walking will more likely exacerbate the problem than magically fix it. Some people will intuitively figure out the right responses to pain feedback to correct some problems, particularly the easier-to-correct ones, on their own. Better, though, to work with a trainer (either one-on-one or in any of the many fitness walking training programs you should be able to find) and get direct feedback while walking to correct the issues more quickly. What worked for me was ballroom dance first (with both group classes and private lessons), then adding fitness walking and weight training, but that wasn't a deliberate strategy aimed at back pain, and certainly isn't likely to be a cost-effective strategy if dealing with back pain is the only goal.

nmeofthestate 11y ago

I believe squats and deadlifts helped knacker my back. Just anecdata, but I thought it was worth adding another data point. I'll be reading this article in depth in the hope that it offers a solution because I really don't fancy being mildly disabled for the second half of my life.

dmfdmf 11y ago

I can second this and saw the same benefits. However since I am going to the gym anyway, I add bench and overhead press too. That's it and I am out in less than an hour. I've had back problems since my early 30's (including surgery) and I knew my posture was poor but never was able to improve it until I started lifting. The key is that I don't think you can strengthen your posture muscles by holding the correct posture. You have to strengthen your posture muscles by lifting heavy objects on a weekly if not daily basis then you can easily hold correct posture. As the article mentioned the key is to flex the gluts to hold posture and the deadlift and squats are efficient ways to build glut strength. So in the end the reason why indigenous people don't have back problems is they are not sedentary and have stronger gluts.

sriramk 11y ago

I can testify to this. I'm 6'6, turned 30 recently and developed chronic back pain which made walking/standing for over 15-20 minutes painful. I got frustrated and started going to the gym again and doing very basic deadlifts/leg presses/lunges a few times a week. It's been a couple of months and my back is about 70-80% better.

tixocloud 11y ago
Just curious but while you're starting off, did you have to push through the pain or did you start after the pain subsided?

thenomad 11y ago

Speaking as someone with posture problems, I'm interested by heavy lifting, but very concerned about the potential for injury. Do you have any stats on how safe it is, particularly vis a vis back injuries? It seems like a bit of a high-risk wager - if you keep good form in EVERY exercise you do, you get stronger and improve your health, but if you screw up once, you damage your back in a very serious way.

jclos 11y ago
Lifting is actually pretty safe, provided you do it intelligently. But even if you do it recklessly, your body is more resilient that you give it credit for (depending on your age). The key to strength is longevity. The guy who adds 2.5kg on the bar every session and hurts himself two months later won't end up as strong as the guy who adds 2.5/5kg every three weeks and sustains his progress for 5 years without injury. If you are of a population "at risk" (preexisting condition, etc.) you can set your mind at peace by finding a good coach. To actually answer your questions, there are some stats here: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html
metamet 11y ago
Start with 5 sets of 5 reps on these lifts: Monday: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row Wed: Deadlift, Upper Press, Pullups Friday: Squat, Inclined Bench Press, Cable Face Pulls (or another pulling exercise) Do this for a month and don't worry about how heavy the weight is for a couple weeks, starting with just the barbell. Focus on form (YouTube!) and getting used to the motions. Go slow. Don't push yourself until you feel comfortable. You can start with negatives or assisted pullups. Hitting a big compound movement (squat/deadlift), a push and a pull is a great rounded way to start lifting.
sageabilly 11y ago
Sports injury stats per 100 participant hours in school sports: Powerlifting (USA) 0.0027, Weightlifting (UK) 0.0017 [1] Among elite competitive weightlifters: Injury rates for the subset of resident athletes at the USOTC were 3.3 injuries (most frequent were tendonitis and muscle strains) per 1000 weightlifting training hours. [2] "[It's reported that] weightlifting (is) one of the safest sports with 0.0017 injuries per 100,000 hours of participation" [3] I've been powerlifting for 6 years, was competitive for three of those years, and am friends with and know at least a hundred serious, amateur, competitive powerlifters and weightlifters. My anecdote, with that background in mind, is that I have only seen or heard of injuries happening when people IGNORE their body telling them to stop. So they either put too much weight on the bar, KNOW that it's too heavy for them, and then push through anyway, or they let their ego get in the way and are trying to show off and screw around (this is far more common than the first scenario). The thing with free weights of any kind is that it's only as dangerous as you make it. YOU are in control of your form, you are in control of how much weight you use, you are in control of the bar path, and you can take it as slow as you want. [1] Hamill 1994/ http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html (lots of good info at that link) [2] http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Fry/publication/7219831_Injury_rates_and_profiles_of_elite_competitive_weightlifters/links/0c960522780b62be59000000.pdf http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Fry/publication/7... [3]http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/how-dangerous-are-weight-lifting-and-olympic-lifting-really http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/how-dangerou...

snikeris 11y ago

> ...you should be lifting heavy weights with a barbell. Your clothes will fit better, people will be more attracted to you, you'll have more confidence, and you'll be amazed at how strong you become. And an ox will still be stronger than you. Your reasons seem a bit...extrinsic.

jogjayr 11y ago

>Squats and deadlifts are how I cured my back pain This is sort of the same conclusion drawn by the article. A stronger core supports your back better and reduces chances of developing back pain. Squats and deadlifts are among the best exercises to build a strong core.

throwaway12357 11y ago

I started reading that as > Squats and deadlifts are how I broke my back While I take care to contract abs at all times and keep a straight back during SQ, DL and MP, I have been getting some lumbar pain/discomfort. Not when I lift. But typically 1 or 2 days after. Sleeping is not optimal either as muscles contract. As of lately I find myself sleeping on my side. I know it's the advised posture, but some years ago I could sleep (ie: eventually wake up) with my stomach down with no problems. I can still go to sleep that way, but during the sleep I end up switching position -- and I'm aware of it because I "wake up" for a brief second or so. Anyway, do you have any tips? Do you ever get sore lumbar spine or overfall back?

rwhitman 11y ago

You're building up core strength which is pretty widely accepted as the best solution to the majority of back problems. Also can be accomplished with a number of other exercises, particularly planks and related

arca_vorago 11y ago

For those who don't want to lift, practicing a good horse stance daily is another good thing to do.

darklajid 11y ago

Unfortunately anything that you cannot do at home easily is not for me - I hate gyms with a passion. Whenever someone tells me how well this worked out for them I consider starting for a second, think of all the implications (no place, too expensive for my apartment => gym) and drop it. Looking for a decent dumbbell setup for quite a while. Until then I'll stick with running and take up swimming again, maybe.

zargon 11y ago
Have you considered bodyweight training? I much prefer it to weight lifting. I can do it in my home without a bunch of space-hogging equipment. You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren is a good place to start. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345528581 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345528581
- darklajid 11y ago
  Hmm. Thanks for the recommendation. I have to admit that the excerpt/intro doesn't seem appealing (Army trash, 'Hooya' boxes??) but hopefully that's pure presentation and irrelevant for the content. Browsing the samples on Amazon, this (bodyweight) might be a good idea - and I'll check out related books as well. Edit: That book at least is not for me. Ignoring the military nonsense the few/uninspiring pages I can read at Amazon contain a 'No, women should not train different than men' section - and Amazon helpfully points me to "Body by You: The You Are Your Own Gym Guide to Total Women's Fitness" which seems to be the same book, by the same author, for .. women. Erm.. Looking into bodyweight excercises in general though - that still seems appealing.
  - zargon 11y ago
    I can't think of a strength program that doesn't have a bunch of embarrassing posturing about becoming a super hulking ninja beast. I found it best to read around and after a while I could figure out what parts of different programs were useful. In the last few years there have been a bunch of new bodyweight training books published. Convict Conditioning, Your Body is Your Barbell, Your Body is Your Gym, etc. (Apparently these authors are too weak to come up with original titles.) Maybe you can find something written by someone from more of a clinical background. One thing I will say for Mark Lauren is that his book was the most approachable for me as a beginner. He actually has a beginner program that you don't have to already be very strong to follow. There is an android app as well that was very helpful. The women's version of the book is probably a marketing thing. The publisher is probably right in thinking that many women are unlikely to buy a strength training book unless it is specifically "for women."

chc 11y ago

Why would anybody want to be able to pick 400 pounds off the floor with relative ease enough to spend 156 hours a year on it? It seems roughly on the same level as spinning a basketball on your fingertip in terms of usefulness.

defen 11y ago
I agree that in and of itself, it's perhaps not extremely useful in the modern world. However, training up to that level will have benefits in terms of bone density and core strength. It's not clear what you would gain by learning to spin a ball like that. Improved hand-eye coordination, maybe?

_greim_ 11y ago

Do NOT run to the nearest weight room and start doing squat weights in response to your back pain. Go see a physical therapist. They'll put together an exercise routine that's customized to you, and ease you into it. Address the core issue first. Then, work up to whatever routine you aspire to, for example weights, but it's a good idea to discuss with your therapist first.