Low back over-trained?, squats, etc.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It depends on your genetics. It wasn't a problem for me.

[Carnivroar]

thanks for the info... that helps.

If anybody sees anything particularly wrong with my squats (linked above), please let me know.

You're knees are hardly coming foward. You seem to be leaning forward too much.

That's just what I think, though. Let's see what Rip thinks.

[Mark Rippetoe]

His squats are fine. Just fine. They are not the problem.

[Patrick]

When an MT makes a qualitative comment about your body being tight ask them: relative to what? If they don't have an answer, or if they are speaking about you relative to 'everybody' they are marketing. We MTs blow a lot of smoke up peoples asses I m sorry to say.

I'm late to the party in this thread but this post struck a chord with me. I've done the chiro/MT thing since high school and when I get banged up I still usually give it a shot (good insurance is a luxury). In my experience, if you are a lifter or athlete with any kind of appreciable musculature, you will seem overly "tense" and "tight" to MTs who are used to dealing with a zaftig, sedentary clientele. You don't have to be a hulking beast of a human to get this assessment, either. You just need some mass of tissue that's relatively less wobbly than fat between your skin and bones.

At any rate, I wouldn't stick with an MT who says a lot of stuff like this. It indicates they're either trying to cash in, like JM3 says, or that they don't have a lot of experience with physically active patients. The former is more or less forgivable but the latter means you won't get a lot of bang for your buck.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The best point yet. Good post.

[tweakxc03]

I agree... Rip, I've read that sitting/desk jobs contributes to low back problems, tightness, etc. Could that be the main cause here?

If I were just overtrained, then wouldn't my lower back loosen up and recover with rest and/or time off + eating?

Went to an orthopedic doc today. My left leg is about 1/4" longer than the right. He said it wasn't a big enough discrepancy for orthodics. Recommended I just use an extra insole or two in my lifting shoes.

I can't figure out why my lower back seems to get more stress from my squats than from my deadlifts. Videos of each are below... (yes, i am a skinny bastard. believe it or not this is me after gaining 20 pounds. I put on that 20 pounds in the first 4 weeks of the program, so that should be right on pace, no? The first trip through the program back in the spring, I weighed less than i do in these videos, but didn't stall out until 275 or so then... so how can being underweight be the issue?

Squats: 250, right before I stalled out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mad7SD6hRA4

Deadlifts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWeJr...eature=channel

[Gunnhild Bruno]

In my experience, if you are a lifter or athlete with any kind of appreciable musculature, you will seem overly "tense" and "tight" to MTs who are used to dealing with a zaftig, sedentary clientele. You don't have to be a hulking beast of a human to get this assessment, either. You just need some mass of tissue that's relatively less wobbly than fat between your skin and bones.

I also think this is a very good point. From my experiences with MT/chiro types, I believe that normal tonus of a stronger/larger than average muscle is more frequently than not confused for pathological tightness.

[tweakxc03]

thanks for taking a look at the squats Rip.

just so there's no confusion... as far as my lower back being constantly "tight", I mean that it continues to ache and "pump" throughout the day, even though I've been out of training now for nearly a month. I'm trying to stretch everything out more to see if that helps.

So then, if my back is bothering me right now, would restarting the SS program be a good or bad idea?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have written about this several times, the "muscle compartment syndrome-like thing that happens to low-back muscles. Get a hard massage.

[JM3]

Also- stretch your psoas/iliacus alot (lunges etc) if youre sitting a lot and the pump is on the lower side of the low back- try focusing on your flexors...