Anyone working out with a slipped disc here? What modifications did you made to your routine...

not the hamstrings

Then the lower back? What does it mean if hamstring hurts.

You neee to stretch more

I had a motorcycle accident years ago and the MRI said I have a herniated disc in my lower back. I can't do any leg compounds, only high rep leg extensions, leg curls, and good girl / bad girl machines. I can still do standing OHP if my glutes are tight. I tried squatting with perfect form at light weight but it brought my constant 1-2 pain up to a 5-6 for 2 weeks after just one set. Leg presses put strain on my back even after light weight. Its been 7 years since the accident and it's something I'm gonna have to deal with for life. I'm currently repping 2pl8 bench and 1pl8 OHP but I'll never get the 3pl8 squat and the 4pl8 diddly.

Non fit neet, darkie here, do my shoulders stand a chance if I get fit?

I had something similar though not as serious. After an accident, I had a lower back spasm. For a good few months, couldn't do any squats and couldn't even do leg presses. That was back in my noob lifting days, so I didn't do any barbell rows, but if I remember, even cable rows fucking hurt. It was miserable. Luckily it wasn't as serious and it healed up after a few months. Shit sucked though.

I can still do bent over rows without pain, but no diddly/squat or anything with that type of load where I have to bend that low. I will be fine all day but if I have to sit on a hard chair, or even sitting on the toilet causes my back pain to flare up. My legs look small compared to my upper body but they have a nice shape from the machine work I've done. I have to always be careful when picking something up off the ground or I can aggravate it. I even have trouble tying my shoes without pain.

Do you guys have intense pain when doing squats/DLs or even just bending down to do things? I don't experience any major intense pain, it's more like a sore kind of feeling. But what concerns my is my right toe area always feels slightly prick and needle-ish . I can still squat without pain but a few hours later I can feel some sort of back ache/pain .

It's probably a very minor slipped disc but it's been ongoing for about 2 months.

herniated L5-S1 & bulging discs above that. Anything that doesn't aggravate my psoas muscle seems to be okay so far. Look into "psoas release" Its been really good for me. Im just getting back into squats and deadlifts from having a hard time walking 8 months ago .

Damn. No surgery or anything that can help, or you already got that and that is the best they can do?

The pain isn't intense during the lift but I'll have an incredible stiffness right after, and I can tell the difference between a back pump and spinal stiffness. As soon as I feel that I know I'm fucked for at least a week or two. Shortly after the initial tightness I'll have a constant pain like the bones in my back are grinding together, and that gets amplified every time I have to bend down. I do bodyweight back extensions and planks and that seems to help a bit once I feel safe to work my back again. My advice to you is to stop squatting if you're having those symptoms.

>But what concerns my is my right toe area always feels slightly prick and needle-ish

See this is my main concern. I'm the guy with nagging left lower back pain, but while not fully numb, the top of my big toe and the one next to it are slightly numb and whenever I sometimes move my ankle in a circle, the same area feels kind of tingly. The main 2 things that came up in search as possible reasons was slipped disked or diabetes. I am only 23 and outside of being a former fatass, I show no other signs of betes so I really hope it isn't that.

Does back extensions help strengthen back muscles? Or is it a avoid if you have slipped disc

I was 18 when it happened and the back surgeon said I was young enough for it to possibly heal on its own. I'm 25 now and it's better than it was a few years ago but it's never 100% fine. Another doctor says I might possibly need surgery in 10 years or so if it gets worse but as of now I have no means to pay for one. I've just given up on having strong legs and I'm going for the Zyzz type physique.

I know it's memed a lot, but to an extent, legs don't matter as much, it's true. As long as they are somewhat defined. That is of course figuring you lift for aesthetics.

If you truly enjoyed squats, diddly, and leg press though, sorry OP. Curls and extensions are boring as fuck.

It depends on which way the disc slipped. Mine is herniated outwards so it's beneficial to do back extensions. If it's slipped inwards then strengthening your abs would help more. I have noticed less pain over all after strengthening my lower back muscles, but I am very careful doing these types of exercises. I'd recommend training lower back endurance over pure strength, because when your muscles get tired is when your back loosens up and allows the disc to move.

When I first injured my back I had similar symptoms, and the doctor took those symptoms VERY SERIOUSLY. Stop doing whoever is causing them. I don't get any tingles or numbness anymore after all these years but the direct back pain is always waiting for me to fuck up like a manager looking for an excuse to get rid of you.

So would it be a good idea to do planks?

I'd say so. That's what the doctor had me doing planks in therapy for months and said to keep doing them at home. Avoid anything that causes you pain and be extra careful with your movements.

Okay throughout the past 3 months there have been some improvement but last week I did seated OHP and even though I hit a PR, I think my form failed and I was in kinda deep pain shortly after. So obviously I'm probably not gonna do ohp again, or do light 12 rep sets.

But what can I replace ohp with. Upright row?

reverse hypers dude
do it

I can do OHP no problem but I keep my entire body rigid. I've noticed pain if I can't hold perfect form. I'd say work your core while your back is healing and slowly ease back into OHP. Fuck no to squats and diddlies. Maybe do some high-incline dumbbell presses and side raises in the mean time to keep shoulder gains.

What's that and why does it help?

Yeah since I can't do heavy ohp anymore I was thinking light ohp of 12 reps, then side raises and probably upright row.

Sounds like a good idea?

This. Basically, if you fucked up your back, you neglected your core.

Fix that shit then two years later you can lift heavy again.

Physio's tips on low back pain:

#1: Temporarily avoid positions that aggravates your pain, so whatever's wrong gets a chance to heal up. Just like if you have a broken arm you wouldn't start every day slamming it into a door frame. Take a systematic approach to finding these position. Bend forward, backwards and to the sides for example, and note what happens.
You may even find some positions alleviate your pain and are good for you.

#2 Stay physically active (without fucking up #1). Trying to rest it out and becoming a shut-in is often what causes pain to become chronic. We need movement. So don't stop your training, but do temporarily skip or at least deload exercises that bother you.

#3 Don't panic. Your body will heal itself if given the chance. Even broken bones heal on their own.

#4 As your pain gets better, ease back into the problematic positions/activities SLOWLY. Your strength level will increase much faster than your nervous system's tolerance to load. So take it easy and be patient.

>all these people in the thread destroyed their backs doing squats
S O F U N C T I O N A L

I don't even think I want to lift heavy anymore, who cares if you can bench 2pl8? Or dl 4 pl8? Do you buy pl8s for groceries?

Fuck it hypertrophy ranges seems to promote longevity if I want to lift till I'm old and saggy

Seriously, what are reverse hypers?

Not even trying to be a dick, but 2plt bench is not heavy.

Yeah I mean just lifting heavy in general.

>hypertrophy ranges seems to promote longevity
What makes you think "hypertrophy range" is any more safe or dangerous than doing e.g. 3 reps?

How did you guys slip a disc?

I need deetz.

height/bodyweight/lift/weight of lift

My deadlift feels amazing as does my squat. Can't imagine hurting myself.

Was rear ended while riding my motorcycle. Can't squat 1 pl8 without pain flaring up again for weeks. But I can do standing OHP 1 pl8 for reps.

DEADLIFT INJURIES

The number one cause of injuries (aside from having had a previous injury of the same kind) is a too rapid increase in training load. "Load" here can mean both volume and intensity. Basically if you go from doing a little to doing a lot too quickly, this is where people get hurt. This applies to ALL exercises, which means that if people hurt themselves more doing deadlifts than doing pull-ups it most likely has more to do with how they approach the exercise than it has to do with the exercise itself.

Regarding form/lifting with a rounded back:

The distance you pull from is dictated by the diameter of the plates and is therefore completely arbitrary. If you're doing the exercise to achieve a certain training effect, and not because it's a competition, it's very likely that you need to either elevate the bar or yourself to get the same training effect as somebody else. People have different anthropometry and the plates' don't care about that fact.

That being said, among the scientific community there's actually far from a concensus on whether it's dangerous or not to lift with a rounded back. I'd say that physios are split 50/50 on this matter. Anecdotally though, it's probably better to be safe than sorry, and try to do a proper hip hinge while maintaining a neutral lordosis. Although note that "neutral" is more of a range than an absolute.

Still, the deadlift is one of those exercises where you can truly keep grinding out that last rep long after you should've terminated the set. If you have the willpower, you can probably keep going until you shit out your spine. Again, this has to do with how you approach the exercise rather than the exercise itself.

Would you recommend going from sedentary to squatting 2plt with sandals on your first day in the gym?

As a rule, no. But it's going to vary from individual to individual.
If pulling 2 plates is literally easy, chances are you're well within your capacity.

Also, you have to fuck up humongously to get seriously hurt on your first day. Unless you happen to drop a loaded barbell on your face or something like that, injuries are mostly the result of accumulated load over several sessions rather than just a one time thing.

...

Sorry brah, thought you knew about the pasta an knew I was kidding.

Ah, yeah I do now haha. Well people ask the most retarded shit on here so I take all questions seriously. Guess you just proved my point.

Are lunges and leg presses and core work enough to replace the squat?

That's a start, try Bulgarian split squats too. Watch the ATHLEAN X form video 1st tho, his version is more effective.

Try seated ohp

It's easier to fuck up and go into hyperextension when seated, in my opinion. Standing is the safer option.

pretty sure that standing OHP puts more pressure on spine than seated.

Yeah that's what I realised. That's how I injured myself a week ago. Probably gonna do standing with light weight from now on

Is that the one where you put your leg on a bench and squat. I can't balance that for shit.

Bump