How To Train Around Back Pain (Without Making It Worse)

Back pain doesn't automatically mean you need to stop working out. In many cases, the better approach is learning how to modify your training so you can continue building strength while your symptoms improve.

In this episode, I break down when it's appropriate to keep training, when you should seek medical evaluation, and the six training variables you can adjust to reduce stress on your lower back. We'll cover how to modify your load, volume, range of motion, tempo, exercise selection, and recovery so you can keep making progress instead of losing strength by sitting on the sidelines.

You'll also learn how to safely progress back to heavier lifting and use your symptoms as feedback to determine whether your program is moving in the right direction.

Whether you're dealing with occasional back pain from lifting or looking for a smarter way to stay active while recovering, this episode provides practical strategies you can apply immediately.

If you want help applying this to your training, book a free call.

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Transcript

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Welcome back to the Black Line Blueprint. In this episode, we are going to talk about how to train around back pain, what is appropriate to train around, and also what modifications you need to make in order to keep making progress towards your fitness goals. Let's get right into it. So the first thing is should you train at all? So the green flags versus the red flags. So the green flags are things you can train around or just need to make some modifications for. And the red flags are you need to stop training and more than likely seek medical evaluation. So green flags, uh, the pain pretty much feels like stiffness or tightness and improves as you warm up, uh, is mild to moderate during or after training and returns to baseline within 24 to 48 hours, stays localized and isn't progressively getting worse, and then doesn't get worse throughout your workout. So the red flags would be pain that's constant or progressively worsening, pain radiating down the leg with significant numbness and weakness, loss of bowel and bladder control, night pain that is that doesn't improve with movement, severe pain with activities like standing or walking, and then pain following a recent fall, accident, or trauma. If any of these are present during your training, you want to pause training and seek medical evaluation. So let's get right into the modifications here. So the goal isn't to avoid movement, is to find what your lower back can actually tolerate and just keep going on with that. So the first thing is load. So one of the easiest ways to reduce the demands that's placed on the lower back is just to reduce the overall weight. If an exercise is increasing your symptoms, you can reduce the load instead of actually changing the exercise itself. So just simply reducing the load allow you to keep training that specific movement so you don't become deconditioned. So some examples of how to reduce the load because it's not as simple as just, or it is as simple as reducing the weight on the bar, but you could also do uh use other strategies to reduce the load. So one of the strategies would be, or some examples would be to take some weight off the bar. Um, you can use lighter dumbbells or kettlebells or whatever implement you're using. You can decide to shift from heavier sets. So instead of doing three sets of five reps, you can do three sets of 10 reps. And that's only if your back tolerates that higher uh repetition range. And then the last thing could be if needed, you can just modify or use a variation of that movement, let's just say a squat pattern that's harder to load heavy. So instead of a back squat, you can choose a goblet squat instead, or instead of a back squat, maybe an overhead squat. So one movement that is a little bit more limited by the equipment or by the technicality of the movement would make you have to use a lighter load. So it kind of forces you into the lighter loads. Okay, so that is the load. So just reducing the overall load of the movement can definitely help um reduce the stress on the lower back. So the next thing we're getting into is the volume. So fatigue changes how much your back can actually or your lower back can actually tolerate. So too many sets, reps, hard training sessions can exceed your current capacity, even if the exercises itself are appropriate. So, how do we modify the overall volume? We can do this by reducing the sets, repetitions, the number of exercises, reducing training frequency. So, how do we reduce the sets? Instead of let's just say doing five sets of five repetitions, we can do three sets of five repetitions. Instead of doing three sets of 10 reps, maybe we can do three sets of five reps. And this is kind of in contrast to what we talked about with the load, but we're just reducing the overall volume so that way we have more capacity, or we're reducing the volume to go to our current level of capacity, all right? And then reducing the number of exercises, so instead of, or that challenges the lower back, right? So reducing the number of exercises that heavily load the lower back. So that can look like instead of doing deadlifts and RDLs or deadlifts and good mornings in the same workout, you can just do deadlifts in the workout, or you can just do good mornings in the workout. Instead of doing back squats plus um some RDLs in a workout, you can just do the back squats in the workout or just the RDLs in the workout. Another way is reducing the frequency. So reducing the frequency can look like instead of doing deadlifts three days a week, you only do deadlifts two days or even one day during that week. And then you just build back up over time as your tolerance improves. Okay. So the next thing that we're getting into is the range of motion. So larger ranges of motion generally increase the movement demands placed on the joints and the muscles. So it doesn't mean that this is harmful, it just means that we can't tolerate that much right now. So reducing that stress on the joints and the muscles can allow us to recover and improve our tolerance to movements as we heal up, as that area um becomes more tolerable to movement. Um, so the next thing that we want to look at would be the modifications that we can make in this when it comes to range of motion. So the modifications would generally look like instead of um a conventional deadlift pulling off the floor with the bar in front of you, you can do a trap bar deadlift. Um, instead of pulling from the floor, you can pull from blocks when it comes to deadlifts. Um, instead of performing regular back squats, you can do um box squats. Instead of performing a deep lunge, you can perform a step up, a low box step up. So these are different variations that just reduce the range of motion that you go through in that movement so that way it can potentially take some of the stress load off the lower back. You just have to figure out which variation actually works for you because depending on your anatomy and your your body type, it will change on how you actually move through certain movements. So some variations of some alternative variations when it comes to these movements may not actually work well for you, and you may need to use a different variation. So you just have to figure out play around with what movement variations would work for you. But when you uh reduce the range of motion, it can definitely help. All right, so the next thing that we're getting into is the tempo. So faster movements increase the rate at which force is applied and generally require greater control and capacity. So slowing the movement can improve control and often makes exercise tolerance a little bit easier. So instead of rushing through each repetition, you want to deliberately control the movement from start to finish. So, what are some examples of kind of slowing this movement down? So that can look like using a three-second lower. So let's just use a back squat for an example. So instead of just dive bombing down into the bottom of the squat, you can use a three-second count on the way down. So as you go down, you count one, two, three, then back up. Again, one, two, three, and then back up. So I like to say like one Mississippi or two Mississippi. So that way it actually is a good count instead of it being like one, two, three. That'll be the same thing as you die bombing in the bottom of a squat. The next thing you can think about would be adding a pause in the bottom of the movement. So if it's a squat, you can pause for two to three seconds in the bottom. So that slows the movement down and also reduces that bounce, that stretch reflex that's required for the movement. So again, you just have more control over the movement itself. And let's just say if you're doing a press overhead, that just kind of means you're pausing at the top of the press. And then if we're looking at the press in our lower for that three seconds, it would be press at to the top and then lower for three seconds on the way down. The other thing is using a three-second ascent instead. So if you're coming out of the bottom of the squat, coming out with the one 1000, two, one thousand, three one thousand, or one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi on the way up. And the same thing if you're pressing. So pressing off of the shoulders, let's just say you're going three seconds on the way up. So using those different strategies, you can mix and match, you can add a three-second lower plus pauses, you can add a three-second lower and a three-second up. It all depends on what you're actually trying to get out of it and what feels good to you. Remember, these are just general guidelines that I have used and I have seen work, and then also just how the body normally responds when it comes to the speed of the movement. Okay, so you got to pick and choose, you got to fill out what actually works for you in your situation. All right, so the next thing that we're gonna get into is exercise selection. So if adjusting the load, the volume, and the range of motion isn't enough, changing the exercise itself is often the next step. So the goal isn't to stop training or movement pattern, it's to find the variation that better matches your current tolerance while continuing to build strength. So these exercises, they aren't magical exercises, they just change how the body is loaded. And again, it will depend on you. So some examples would be doing a front squat instead of a back squat. And oftentimes the front squat would encourage more of an upright torso compared to the back squat movement, which would encourage more of an incline of your torso, which can cause more stress load on the lower back when you're performing that movement. So the other variation would be a heel elevated squat. So again, this changes can change where the load is primarily focused to more so the knees with the heel elevated compared to the hips in the lower back when you're just doing non-hill elevated squats. The other thing would be the split squats or a step up instead of uh bilateral squats. So a basically a single leg movement instead of a bilateral squat. So instead of let's just say back squats, maybe you do back rack uh reverse lunges. And potentially you might have more, again, of an upright torso throughout this movement. Um, and that can prevent some of the stress load that goes on the lower back. So a little caveat to that would be that if you have hip mobility issues, this may actually cause you more discomfort in your lower back. So that's why these are just kind of general guidelines on things that you can try out in order to reduce the stress on the lower back, in order to reduce that pain and allow your lower back to recover and build back up that tolerance so that way you can keep training the way that you want to train. So those were the primary modifications. And another really important point is the recovery capacity. So your ability to tolerate training isn't about the training itself, it's about like how well you can one tolerate and recover from that training. So if you have poor sleep, high stress, inadequate nutrition, and insufficient recovery, then all that reduces your ability to tolerate training load and training volume overall. So sometimes just improving your recovery itself can be enough in order to build your tolerance in your lower back to be able to train the movements that you want to train. So now we're gonna get into how to progress. So as your symptoms improve, you want to gradually increase your load. So from week to week, let's just say it might be five to 10 pounds that you add on to the bar or with the dumbbells or kettlebells or whatever implement that you're using instead of making big jumps because you've one week you reduce the load and then the next week you feel better, and then you jump straight back into where you were when you left off. Not a good idea. The next thing is to slowly restore your range of motion. So let's just say you did four weeks of box squats, your back is feeling great, and then you just decide to go straight back into the regular squats. Might not be the best idea. Maybe you just reduce the box height for that movement, or maybe you just do your squats, but you pause before you get to that end range that you were at before. Okay, you don't want to just jump straight back into it because again, your body needs to build up that tolerance to that um movement pattern or that range of motion that you had beforehand. The next thing is add volume over time. So you don't just jump straight back into if you were doing, let's just say, five sets of 10 reps, but now you're down to three sets of 10 reps. You don't do it for two weeks and then jump straight back into five sets of 10 reps. What you would do would be maybe over the course of four weeks, you do three sets of 10. And then over the next four weeks, maybe you do four sets of 10. And then on that next following four weeks, you could do maybe five sets of 10 as you continue to go through it. So that's just one example of giving your body time to adapt and to tolerate the volume over an extended period of time. And then the final thing would be to progress back to more demanding exercise variations within their well-tolerated limit. So um, again, if you convert it to a goblet squat and then you worked into a front squat and then you work back into a back squat, that would be an example of progressively working your way back into um the movement variation that you actually want to do. So you also want to check your response to the modifications that you're making. So, signs your modifications are working include your pain stays relatively stable during the workout rather than progressively worsening. So if you're doing your back squats and or you're you're doing your bot squats now because you decided to reduce the range of motion and it stays stable, it's not getting worse, you have a good amount of load on the bar, you're doing a good amount of repetitions, and there's no more the pain isn't getting worse, you're probably in a good spot. But if you made that modification and it's getting worse, then maybe that's not the modification that you need to make. Maybe it might need to be the movement modification, or maybe you need to make the load modification. Uh, your symptom returns. So, another thing is your symptoms return to your normal baseline within 24 to 48 hours after training. So let's just say that maybe you do get some stiffness uh after that session, like we talked about with the green flags, but within the 24 to 48 hour range, you're back to normal and you're able to squat again on Wednesday when you did the another set of squats on Monday, then you're in a good place because that just might be normal training fatigue for you and just where you are at the moment. So the next thing would be everyday activities become easier over time. So again, if you're just doing this stuff, um you're working out in order to prove improve your quality of life. So if let's just say beforehand, just bending, um, reaching into cabinets and picking things up off the floor was irritating you, but now those things aren't irritating you as much anymore. That might be another good sign that you're making progress. Or it could just be picking up weights off of the floor at the gym. So if you're at the end of your session, you're clearing off the barbell for deadlifts or whatnot, um, or clearing off the barbell for back squats, and that's always a hassle because your back is just really um irritated during that time. But as you continue, as you made these modifications and then you start to adjust um and you feel that, oh, okay, well, this isn't as hard as it was before. That's a good place that you're in. Uh, another thing is you're gradually able to lift more weight, uh, perform more work, or return to your more challenging exercises with fewer symptoms. Okay, so you're able to lift more. So again, you're adding weight each week and you're perfectly fine with that, you're not getting any more symptoms, or you're gradually increasing your volume and you're not getting more symptoms. So now again, if your pain continues to worsen during every workout, doesn't settle within a couple of days, or your overall tolerance continues to decline despite making appropriate modifications, it's time to reassess your program or seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. So you don't want to just keep making these modifications and trying different modifications and you're getting worse, right? You don't want to be like, oh, okay, well, I tried the load, your back pain's getting worse, and then you're like, okay, maybe it's the volume, and then it's still getting worse. You want to just try the modifications sooner than later, and then you should again, if it the green flags like we discussed before, if all it is is a tolerance thing, you should just be able to make the modifications and see improvements fairly soon in your symptoms. And if you're not, then it is very wise to go ahead and seek a medical evaluation. All right. So most exercise-related back pain doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop training. Sometimes it's just the modifications that you need to make to your training to build back up that capacity and that tolerance to those movements because it could be a ton of different things going on that could be contributing to that pain. And oftentimes, what I've seen with people is just that they were doing way too much. Um, and they just went beyond their recovery capacity. And it's non-specific because they don't have any specific um issue that's like um, oh, you had a trauma or you had an accident or a fall that caused some type of issue there, right? So it was just non-specific pain that they had going on, and more than likely it's due to a tolerance issue with their training. And if you're unsure about what to modify in your training, you can book a free call with me by going to the link in the description, and we'll pretty much figure out what modifications you need to make in your training in order to keep training and making progress towards your specific fitness goal. Thanks again for tuning in, and I'll see you in the next one.