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Thread: back gave out during squat

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Belo Horizonte, Brazil
    Posts
    34

    Default back gave out during squat

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    --- NOTE TO MODERATOR NICK
    Hi Nick, my original post had an alarming title which I suspect might be the reason as to why it didn't get posted, I apologize for that, it was a lame attempt at humor by quoting Mike Tyson. Just trying to post it again, if you could delete this note and take it into consideration, I really would like some feedback, if you rather contact me privately that would be fine too. all I really wonder is if I should still try to increase my numbers after my back giving out like it did, or if you think this is something out of the ordinary and I should really just see a doctor instead. Thanks in advance!---

    I had experienced some weird flu-like symptoms so I stayed in quarantine for three weeks. Upon my return to the gym I took out 15% of weight of my last successful lift and proceed to do my regular superset of squats/presses. I usually do not wear a belt (though I知 starting to think that I should, I am 41 years old), I usually just wear them when I think I may have a problem with a particular set. I did the first set of five and felt fine, the weight felt challenging but did not feel heavy. When I started doing my second set, as I descended to the ground, I felt a thud in the middle of my back and the weight dropped immediately with no effort of my own, it was pure gravity and I had no strength what so ever during that particular second. The side bars saved me from being crushed by the bar. I have no idea what I did wrong, usually when I injure myself I can tell what I did wrong, but not this time. I immediately felt my lumbar lock up but the thud that I had felt was not lumbar, it was more lower thoracic. Even though I was a bit scared that I had lost complete strength for that particular second, I immediacy proceeded to walk around and do air squats, after a while I finished my presses and proceeded to squat with the bar for a while. I then replaced the deadlift with the Romanian and finished the rest of my workout. When I woke up the following day I continued to feel my lumbar and not my thoracic, so I felt a bit relieved and continued to rehab the injury by keeping active. On my following workout I was able to squat to depth though I was still injured so I started doing some pause squats with a lighter weight and continue to RDL. I did another workout like this, by the fourth workout after my injury I felt 95% fine, so I decided going back to trying to increase my numbers. I took out 20% of my last successful lift and did a regular workout with regular squats and deadlifts. I had no issues but when I woke up the following day everything went back to being tight and it felt as if someone punched my lower back on each side. So I went back to pause squats + RDLs. Right now I am 12 days removed from when I injured myself and I feel like I知 at 95% recovered again. But what really worries me is that even though I feel no pain in my lumbar, I have some sort of weird sensation in my thoracic. When I知 not working out, if I知 standing for a long time or if I知 seating down for a long time or when I wake up, it feels as if someone is pinching it, it is not pain but pressure. I also feel some sharp sensation every now and then on my lower abdomen that I think may be related. This is the only thing that concerns me. If I致e lost complete strength during the lowering of a squat before, is it possible that there痴 just something wrong with my spine? Should I keep doing lighter pause squats and RDLs or should I wait until I no longer feel any sort of pressure in my spine to going back to regular squats and deadlifts?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    1,208

    Default

    Hey sirlinx,

    I think you just did too much, too soon, too fast coming back. I like to start back from things like this significantly lighter than I think I need to, and then take bigger jumps each session. This is not an exact prescription but an example to illustrate the idea. Day 1 back from a bad tweak might be 40%, day 2 I might be 55%, Day 3 65%, Day 4 75%, Day 5 80%, and then so on. I would not put too much emphasis on the sensations that you are feeling. The bad things for this are motor problems. If you find out as you go that it is the specific movement of squat and/or deadlift from the floor that are really pissing things off, I think it's good to run an LP with a tolerable variation like you mentioned and then switch things back once you gain some momentum and confidence. As long as the pain/pressure is not getting significantly worse or causing your symptoms to spread out away from your back (like down your legs) I would continue to train. I would not wait until pressure/pain has completely dissipated before starting a progression. If pain is just there in the background, or getting better as you go I would just continue.

    Hope this helps!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Belo Horizonte, Brazil
    Posts
    34

    Default

    Awesome Nick. Pain doesn't really worry me much, it's just the pressure that I am feeling in my spine that had me worried as it was something I've never experienced before. Anyhow, I'm thinking about just finishing this week with the pause squats and RDLs before trying to progress again next week. Thanks again for the feedback and reassurance brother!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    1,208

    Default

    You're welcome and good luck!

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