Excessive Low Back Fatigue after Squating

[Iksan Ismailov]

Previous thread: Squat From Check SSLP #5

Age: 23 male
Height: 175cm (5ft 9in)
BW: 95kg (210 lbs)
Working weight: 147.5kg (325 lbs)
Workout 48, week 16 of SSLP

My last 2 heavy squat workouts (Mon 18 dec, Fri 22 dec 2017):




The Problem:
1)I feel unusual amount of low back fatigue after every single set on the presented videos. I often times I feel as my low back has done a tremendous amount of work. Feels like the only thing working was the low back. I want to know if my form is on point and if I'm grinding with proper form.Grinding at these weights is new to me and I lack the experience to tell if I'm doing it the right way. The peak of this feeling of fatigue is right after a heavy grinder set.
2)Up until this week I didn't have any problems with low back fatigue.
3)The feeling is of stiffness,tightness all over the low back area.No pain,no cramps,nothing sharp. The feeling consists for about 5-10 minutes and is present after a completed set of heavy squats.The feeling dissipates after finishing with the squat sets and after some rest often times it doesn't bother me (given this analysis I contribute it to just fatigue and excessive stress on the arena).
4)I am concerned because I don't feel like this is normal and I don't think I can train like this for a long time. Often times I say to myself "am I lifting only with my back ?" and when I sit and review the videos I can't tell, please help!

[Ryan Arnold]

Aside from not always staying in your hips, your form looks fine. But you are really grinding these reps, so this seems like a programming issue. If you haven't switched to Advanced Novice yet - do that. If you have then its time for intermediate programming. You are probably just not recovering.

[Iksan Ismailov]

Aside from not always staying in your hips, your form looks fine. But you are really grinding these reps, so this seems like a programming issue. If you haven't switched to Advanced Novice yet - do that. If you have then its time for intermediate programming. You are probably just not recovering.

I am running an advanced novice LP as it follows:
P.S. The low back fatigue issues came to be these last 2 weeks (which are presented here)

Last week (week 15) looked like:
Mon:
SQ 140x5x3 (310lbs)
OHP 62.5x5x3 (137.5lbs)
Chinz BWx11,8,6 (5min rest)

Wed: Light day
DL 145x5 (320lbs)
BP 100x5,4,4 (225lbs)
SQ 112.5x5x3 (250lbs)

Fri:
SQ 142.5x5x3 (315lbs)
OHP 63,5x5x3 (140lbs)
Chinz BWx10,10,8 (7min rest)

This week (week 16) I switched to a 1heavy single + 2back offs @ 95%:
Mon:
SQ 145x5x3 (320lbs)
BP 100x5x3 (225lbs)
Chinz BWx10,8,6 (5min rest)

Wed: Light day
DL 147.5x5 (325lbs)
OHP 65x5,4,3 (142.5lbs)
SQ 115x5x3 (255lbs)

Fri:
SQ 147.5x5, 140x5x2 (325, 310lbs)
BP 101.25x5x3 (227.5lbs)
Chinz BWx10,10,8 (7min rest)

[Ryan Arnold]

Yes If I had to guess I'd say you are accumulating excess training fatigue(mainly in your back) and no longer recovering fully. Time for intermediate programming. If your back is hurting on all heavy squat and deadlift sets then you don't want to go too much longer in that state, if at all. The reps are slow. You have my permission to move on!

[Amitchell]

Also it could be the camera shot but if that is a tapered belt (wide in the back, thin in the front) it may behoove you to spend a little extra change and get a better belt, as it doesn’t look tight enough in back(again bad angle for it so I could be wrong)

[Iksan Ismailov]

Yes,your observations of the belt are correct. I have ordered a proper powerlifting belt which should arive anytime (3" custom from General Leathercraft).

Regarding the programming issue - I was thinking about moving to a TM style variant(one from 12 ways to skin the TM) with a reduced weight for 2 weeks, same weight from the end of LP for the 3rd week and a new PR on the 4th week(just as Andy Baker pointed out in the article "Understanding the intensity day of TM"). I was considering moving only my SQ and DL to a TM style of training because I think that I havent exhausted the linear gains on the BP and Press(still haven't switched to 1top + 3back offs @ 95%).

What do you guys think? Is this an intelligent way to handle the problem or should I look for something less stressful than the TM. I can say that I have a lot of free time and pretty solid sleeping and eating habbits thats why I tought about giving TM a shot.

[Ryan Arnold]

Sounds like a good plan to me

[Iksan Ismailov]

Thanks for the support and the feedback. Happy holidays!

[Rob-UK]

They still look irritatingly good to me! ����