Specific Hyperlordosis Questions

[Jake Leuty]

Rip,

My wife is doing the program with me and I have some specific questions for you regarding her hyperlordosis she has suffered from forever.

I have done a fair bit of searching the forums and I have come up with some possible solutions, weighted sit ups, massage erectors, etc.

My first question is, what should the weighted sit up program look like as far as reps and set go? I was thinking of telling her to work them in between sets of power cleans. Would you agree, or should weighted sits be in both the A and B workouts?

Secondly, do you think spinal decompression would be worth her time? I have seen it recommended in the forums for other back issues.

Lastly, have you noticed many lifters with hyperlordosis winding up with spondylolisthesis? It seems to me that the former could cause the latter.

Thanks,

Jake

[Mark Rippetoe]

I don't know that weighted situps are necessary. This would assume her abs are not strong enough, and if she can do them weighted, that's probably not true. And I see no benefit to decompression (she's not compressed, she's overextended), and I am not familiar with a case of spondylolisthesis caused by chronic overextension. I think her problem is that she needs to learn to hold her lumbar in normal anatomical position while she lifts. It's like depth -- the position must be learned.