Back Pain With Lifting And Carrying

Back pain and tightness that leaves you wrecked for days after a lifting session at the gym. We’ve all been there at one point in time because sometimes our ego gets the best of us and we do things that may not be the smartest to do. 

Is that back pain following your training sessions a normal occurrence for you? Do you often feel broken for days after squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, or carries? It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to be left training through pain or unable to train for days just because you did a workout. 

I know what you’re thinking, “It happens to all my friends, so it’s totally normal” or “I just deal with it and train through it. It’s annoying but it’s fine.” 

Except, here’s the thing – it isn’t “normal” and it isn’t “fine.” It is a problem! 

The pain and tightness that you experience on a regular basis tells me that 1) you are lifting incorrectly, and/or 2) you are lacking necessary stability. 

Lifting Incorrectly 

Even if you think you are doing everything properly and even if you have a coach watching you, something is still going awry. The movement faults that flare up the back are often subtle and often missed or overlooked by coaches. What typically happens is a very small and quick ‘extensor moment’ that takes place as you lift the weight. 

The ‘extensor moment’ I am talking about activates the spinal extensor musculature. These muscles are small! There is no way they can support the amount of weight you are attempting to lift with squats and deadlifts or  tolerate the repetitive movements of carries and kettlebell swings. For a couple reps, yes, they can do the job you are requiring of them. But as the reps add up, so does the fatigue of the small muscles. Eventually, they tighten up and create pain, a pain that sometimes feels like fire every time you move. There is a reason our hamstrings, glutes, and quads are meant to be the primary movers for these movements – they are big muscle groups and made to support and control more weight! 

Lacking Necessary Stability 

And then there is a stability issue. At times, your body is moving properly, but the weight you are lifting is more than the stabilizers can support. Use me as an example.  I have (had prior to the covid shutdown) a 1RM deadlift of 375 and could do 5 reps at 315.  My small frame supporting the eccentric movement of that weight, though, always caused me issues.  I would feel fine during, but later my back would tighten up and I would have issues for days.  It is why I really dislike 3 rep and 5 rep max lifting sessions with deadlifts.  I film my lifts and would see my form was fine.  It all came down to the fact that it was a lot of weight for my small body to stabilize. 

This stability issue can occur with any movement or lift because all movements require your body to stabilize in some way. 

Which is your issue – lifting incorrectly or lacking stability?  Do you know?  Do you want help sorting it out and putting an end to your frequent back flare ups?  Let’s chat!  Schedule a free call with Brianne to discuss your situation in more detail and uncover what your movement issues are and what you can do about it.