post video for form check.
Okay, I've been having this problem with my deadlifts recently (not my squats but I suspect using a belt for my work sets is helping) where after my work set I get an intense pain in my lower back. Lying down helps, sitting only helps if I'm leaning over. Moving plates hurts like a bitch.
Now, that doesn't sound so strange. The strange part is that after about 30 minutes my back is -completely- fine. Holding an arch is hard because the muscles are tired, but I can do it. I've tried searching the forums but it seems like most people get chronic back pain.
Any ideas on what can be causing this? This is starting to piss me off as my squat is slowly moving ahead of my deadlift.
post video for form check.
Is it a muscular pain or in your actual spine?
Unpossible at the moment. I have some CF friends with barbell certs so I'll have them take a look next time I lift, though. I'm not that new to deadlifting so I believe my form is good (it was in the past, at least) which is why this is strange.
As far as I can tell it is muscular (sorta on either side of the spine, an almost triangular area of pain). I don't think I know what spinal pain feels like, though.
I talked this out a bit with a friend last night and think we may have figured out what is going on:
1. When I started SS I knocked down all my weights so that I could continue linear progression later on without any issues (this was a great choice) but I didn't knock down my deadlift nearly as much as the other lifts. I was very stubborn about this.
2. When I deadlifted regularly (about two times a month) I was doing CrossFit five times a week. My affiliate puts a heavy emphasis on the posterior chain so nearly every day I was working to maintain a good arch and hip drive. I developed good muscular endurance this way. However, I hadn't done CrossFit for a month before starting SS and it is going on four months now. I also work a desk job where I'm sitting with not so great posture for ten to twelve hours a day.
3. My back was getting sore/tired on the warm-ups even though the weight was going up easily. I also can't do nearly as many back extensions as I once was able to do. "Supermans" also seem considerably more difficult to hold.
So, in considering all this, I think that because I didn't start at a light enough deadlift and since I wasn't making up for it with any accessory work I've lost the strength and muscular endurance my back once had so I'm straining much, much more than I ever did to keep a good arch and get the weight up. The pain is probably coming from that strain and it is going away so quickly because all that is needed is some time not under tension to relax. The solution would be to go back to a light weight on the deadlifts and begin linear progression to give my back time to develop properly under SS while also adding in the occasional set of back extensions and supermans to keep blood flowing without putting a ton of stress on my body.
Does this make sense or am I just talking out of my perfectly formed ass?
Rip has commented on something similar before and I experienced it early on in my lifting career.
The theory is that the rapid initial growth of spinal erectors exceeds the fascia's ability to stretch, and you end up w/ a painful lower back 'pump'. This is if I remember correctly.
I've experienced it doing 20 rep squats, and swinging from a pull up bar or just dead hanging seemed to decompress it a bit and allow the muscles to relax.
I agree that a form check could easily rule out form issues.
I hate to bump an old thread like this, but I'm experiencing exactly this. I know it's not the spine because I hurt that before when I overextended during squats (and when I took a break and fixed my form it went away). However, ever since my squat and deadlift exceed my bodyweight (200lbs), I get this lower back pain that is described here. It hurts when I stand up, walk and carry weights, but it's fine when I sit down and lean forward (e.g. arching my back) and it just goes away completely after about half an hour like it never even existed.
So my question is how did you deal with it? Just lower squat+deadlift weight with 20% and build it back up? Total rest for a few weeks? Or just train through it?
Some info, started SS May 30th after dicking around with a gym program for 2 months, no past experience with training. 6'4"/192cm, 29yo male, starting weight 88kg/194lbs, now 93.5kg/206lbs. Started squat at 52.5kg/115lbs, now at 105kg/213lbs; BP 35kg/77lbs, now 52kg/115lbs; OHP 30kg/66lbs, now 38.5kg/85lbs; DL 45kg/99lbs, now 107.5kg/236lbs; clean 30kg/66lbs, now 50kg/110lbs (struggling with presses but microloading helps). Eating ~3500kcal and ~250g protein daily including raw unprocessed LOMAD.
Last edited by infernix; 07-27-2011 at 12:52 PM. Reason: stats
Wow, I haven't been here in a while.
Anyway, to answer your question, I had a pulled muscle which I pretty much kept pulling anytime I'd deadlift. Don't do what I did which was ignore it for 6 months, stop lifting so it could get better and then re-pull it when I started again. In hindsight, I'm a dumb-ass.
What fixed it? Starr Rehab, mobility work and re-evaluating how I deadlift (long arms, long torso, short legs changes the angles a bit). I have no low-back issues anymore.