You are 6-feet tall and 155. If I were your back I'd hurt too. Take your calories up to 6000/day starting NOW.
Member
Chronic lumbar pain/stiffness for a month now, gradually getting worse
Hello,
Sorry in advance for the huge ass post but I wanted to include as many details as possible.
- 23 y/o Male, new to training, 6', 165lb, 19% BF
- Chief Complaint: Chronic lumbar stiffness/pain.
- Narrative describing the mechanism of injury: I'm in my 8th week of SS and it started at the end of week 3. It was mild at first but it's getting worse with every workout as I follow the program's LP.
- Pain: today 7/10, as in: My back is so stiff that when I take a walk, I feel a slightly painful sting with every step. It's not like that everyday, but it's usually worse the day following a workout.
- Describe the pain: I guess deep? If I arch my back, loosen my shoulders and tuck my chin to face the floor: the pain becomes sharp.
- What makes it better? I'm seeing a reputable sports PT in my city. My back feels much better after seeing him. He doesn't seem to have any advice to give me in regards to my workout though. He has me doing lumbar erector exercises and bodyweight obliques everyday. The thing is: there is a definite correlation with my workouts and the intensity of the pain during the following rest days.
Short relief:
- When my PT pulls on my legs (spinal decompression perhaps?), it hurts a tiny bit but it feels good at the same time.
- What my PT calls "flossing" (of the sciatic nerve I think).
Hurts like hell at first but when I'm done it feels so much better. My PT said no more than twice a day, I'd do it every hour.- Stretching the hamstrings helps for about 20minutes.
- What makes it worse? The press seems to be doing the most damage and squatting isn't helping either. Since the deadlift is the last main lift of the day, it's hard to tell if it has an impact or not but I don't feel "worse" after doing it.
- How do your symptoms behave throughout the day? Much worse in the morning when I wake up. As the day goes by it gets better. The end of the afternoon is when the pain/stiffness diminishes the most. I workout in the evening and it's usually hard to tell when I do something wrong because the adrenaline hides most of the pain.
- Signs and Symptoms: I definitely lost some back flexibility, perhaps hamstrings too.
To give as much information as possible, here is my progression (which was hindered in the last month because I started to worry about my pain).
- Squat: 75 > 175lb
- Press: 60 > 95lb
- Bench: 95 > 140lb
- Deadlift: 95 > 205lb
- Clean:Attempted it once at 80lb but my back started bothering me around that time so I thought it was best to put a hold on learning the clean.
I track my calories, I eat an average of 3750 kcal a day since I started SS.
My macros are:
- Minimum 200g proteins;
- Between 375-425g carbs;
- The rest is fat (usually around 100-125g).
Obviously, I can't keep this up. The pain is getting worse every week.
I want to deload (perhaps even reset my press) and work on form, but I was wondering if I should stop the gym for a few weeks and let my back recover first? I'd hate to stop working out but I don't want to make things worse.
Also, perhaps the SS linear progression is too fast for someone with a shitty lower back like me? Maybe I should progress more slowly? I can't be the only person ever who've had this problem, but I haven't found definite answers by just searching this FAQ. Also, experiencing these problems when my lifts aren't that heavy at all... it's frustrating.
I'm writing here looking for guidance about my next course of action. Heck, any tip to help me get out of this vicious cycle would be appreciated.
Thank you very much for your time!
TMPHBITEU
You are 6-feet tall and 155. If I were your back I'd hurt too. Take your calories up to 6000/day starting NOW.
Member
Is it even possible to be 6'0/165 and 19% bodyfat?
OP, are you a very large jellyfish?
TMPHBITEU
Good point, probably not. Most bodyfat assessments are quite wrong anyway.Originally Posted by Milo's Ghost
Member
Rip, your point is that eating 6000 calories a day will let my back muscles grow sufficiently so that they can keep up with the SS linear progression, therefore less stress on the spine? I'm just trying to understand your logic.
I actually weight 168lb as of this morning but I assure you it's true. The 19%BF is perhaps not accurate but I have a 35.5" waist (with relaxed abdomen) and a 15" neck.
Anyway, back to my main concern: In your opinion, should I deload, reset or just keep pushing through LP while upping my food to 6000kcal?
I really appreciate that you took the time to reply!
TMPHBITEU
Hell, maybe you do have 19% bodyfat. Or maybe you don't know how to measure your waist. Your numbers indicate that you're not very strong, you need to gain weight, and that tall people have a lot of leverage against their low back, and yours may be sore for that reason. But first, post a video of your squat and deadlift so we can rule out the obvious.
Member
Post your press and see if you are hyperextending on it. If the press is the most bothersome that could be the culprit. My back has felt similar to yours (though less severe) and keeping my core tight seemed to help. My presses also can end up extremely hyperextended and I'm also 6'1. Also, how you described tucking your chin to me implies a nerve issue (since that motion I believe puts tension on the spinal chord).
Member
My press form was definitely bad. I found that Press 2.0 video from last year with Rip and gosh I didn't realize how bad my form had gotten. I think that the nerves are hurting because there might inflammation around my spine... but this is pure speculation from someone who speculates a lot!
My next workout is Monday. I will ask my gym partner to record my squat, press and deadlift. Looking forward to be told all the things I might be doing wrong!
Anecdote: I go to a public gym in Montreal, Canada. People speak French there so SS isn't very popular. However, one of the trainers there approached us and asked us if we were doing SS. He said he was working there for 4 years and we were the first ones he ever saw doing what he calls the "Rippetoe squat". He said our form was good, but I will let you guys be the judge of that!
Member
More like 7% or your diet has not contained any protein for a year....6'0/165 and 19% bodyfat...
Member
Yeah, the stats have got to be wrong.
I weigh the same as the OP and my bf% is close to 19.
But I'm 5 or 6 inches shorter.
On the other hand, I have a bigger neck and a smaller waist.
He's either got the numbers wrong or he's the poster child for skinny-fat and actually has a higher bf% than he claims and very close to 0 muscle mass.
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