FACT: 90% of Americans Will Have Lower Back Pain at Least Once in Their Lives – Here’s How to Avoid Being One of Them!

By Adam Armstrong

Lower Back Pain is no joke, affecting nearly EVERYBODY at some point or another in their lives. And, plaguing some people on a daily basis.

If you have a dodgy lower back, or simply don’t know how to lift in a way that PROTECTS your lower back – doing resistance training could actually put you at serious risk of pain and injury.

Here’s how to avoid lower back pain and injury… and, the Good News is:

What helps you avoid pain, will also make you STRONGER.

First, a quick story:

Injured Doing Deadilfts with 135lbs…

The first time I ever did a deadlift, I used 135lbs, and on the 5th rep of the very first set, I really HURT my lower back.

Badly.

I remember walking very gingerly back to the changing rooms, taking a hot shower to try and alleviate the pain, and then failing miserably to put my socks on! Yup, the pain was so bad I couldn’t bend down to reach my feet!

A week of doing ‘not much’ made me realise that if I wanted to get STRONG – I had better learn how to lift without screwing up my back again!

Long story short…

8 months later I deadlifted 500lbs for the first time, in competition, and have never had any issues with my lower back since.

The first thing you need to understand is:

It’s Not Heavy Weight that Causes Lower Back Injury!

Everybody thinks it’s HEAVY weights that lead to injury.

But, that’s not really true.

What leads to injury – specifically: lower back injury in the gym – is almost always:

• Poor positioning and lousy technique

• Being too ‘relaxed’ under load

And therefore, the way to protect your lower back in the gym, is this:

• Ensure your lower back is always in a good position when you lift (preferably maintaining the slight natural arch in your lower back)

• Use great technique on every lift you do

• Learn how to use your Abs, Gluts and Lats to protect your lower back

• Understand that, under load, the lower back should be FIXED in place. It should not flex or extend. Instead, movement should occur at your hips and upper back

Let’s talk more about:

How to Use Your Abs, Gluts and Lats to Protect Your Lower Back…

If you try to lift weights without tension in your abs, gluts and lats – your lower back will pay the price!

This is especially true of exercises where you’re standing – like Squats, Deadlifts, Military Presses and even Barbell Curls.

When doing exercises like this you MUST maximally tense your abs, gluts and lats. Because it’s these 3 muscle groups that ‘lock’ your lower back in place (in it’s neutral, slightly arched, and SAFE, position).

If the abs, gluts and lats are not tensed HARD, the lower back is WEAK, and will move around like a leaf blowing in the wind, causing undue wear and tear, and probable PAIN and INJURY sooner or later.

Let’s talk in detail about how to tense your abs, gluts and lats:

Tensing The Abs When Strength Training:

DO NOT suck your belly button into your spine. This ‘advice’ has become common and popular, but it does nothing to protect your lower back.

What you actually want to do, when doing resistance based exercise, is BRACE your abs, as if you were going to take a punch to the mid-section.

Tensing The Gluts When Strength Training:

The Gluts are the muscles of your backside. The biggest, strongest muscles in your body!

Tense them hard when you are doing resistance training.

For instance:

• During the Bench Press, your gluts should be tensed as hard as possible the entire time

• During a Military Press, yours gluts should be tensed as hard as possible the entire time

• In the start/finish position of your Squats and Deadlifts, focus on squeezing your gluts as hard as possible

Tensing The Lats When Strength Training:

Most people don’t even know what the lats are. Which is a problem.

In layman’s terms, they’re the muscles under your armpits.

To learn how to tense your lats, do The Lat Activation Drill. Here’s how it works:

• Set a barbell in a power rack or squat rack at about chest height

• Stand facing the barbell

• Lift your arms up, and put your upper arms on the barbell. The barbell should be near your elbows (not your armpits)

• Now drive your elbows DOWN into the barbell as hard as you can. You will instantly feel your lats ‘turn on’ and fire.

Now you know how to tense your lats – recreate this feeling when strength training.

Remember:

>> Braced Abs + Tensed Gluts + Lats that are ‘On’ = a Safe Lower Back

Because it’s those 3 muscle groups – when strong and ‘switched on’ – that lock the lower back into it’s safe, neutral, slightly arched position. Preventing hyperextension (essentially: leaning back too far), and flexion (rounding of the lower back).

Oh, and I nearly forgot…

Not only does everything I’ve just shared with you PROTECT your LOWER BACK – it also makes you stronger. I guarantee it.
When you actively engage your abs, gluts and lats when you lift – you are creating enormous tension in your mid-section, which will help you lift more weight. Period.