Aging low and mid back.

[Buckshot85]

I’ve injured my back so many times at work I’m almost afraid some days to get out of bed for fear of the next lightning bolt.

Gonna be hitting 54 soon and I have 2 hunts on my radar. One extremely physical.

There has to be some low impact strengthening for my back that can get me feeling less worthless, for lack of a better word.

It’s very frustrating when my mind thinks I’m still 24 and my body says go ahead and try.
Then I will pay the price for a week or two. I always had a physical job and pounding my feet for 35 years on concrete in the factory probably hasn’t helped.

For a long time I weighed in at 210.
Last year I dropped about 30 pounds. It did help my knees some, but they still need some help.

Anyway, if someone can recommend a few exercises to get me started I’d truly appreciate any help.

 

[Rob5589]

Yoga. Honestly, you'll be amazed after a month of regular sessions how much better your back feels. Look up Yoga by Adriene on Youtube. She has a ton of videos, many back specific. She can talk a lot but, she's pleasant to look at

 

[Buckshot85]

Thanks, Rob. I’ll check it out.

 

[fightthenoise]

For me it’s hip flexors and posterior chain (ass and glutes). When my back hurts it means I’m neglecting those areas and they need attention. A week of diligent stretching and foam rolling in those areas makes a world of difference in my lower back. Then I stop doing it till my back hurts again because I’m not a smart man.

 

[pk_]

I’m not there yet I’m in my 30s but before COVID I played a lot of ball and some guys in there 50s looked and moved like they were still in their 30s. They say it’s all about keeping the weight (fat and even muscle mass) off and stretch, stretch and stretch again...

 

[Warmsy]

Yoga is good. Look into hip mobility, thoracic spine mobility. May be some new age hooey, but at 34, I'm the only carpenter I know that doesn't have back pain (knock on wood), and the only one I know that stretches every day before work. The mobility guys give a convincing argument about your back pain being a symptom of right hip s or poor posture, etc. Look into it. Hope you find relief.

I really like the 9090 position and hamstring stretches. I feel it during the workday if I don't perform those two.

 

[Buckshot85]

Really appreciate the help, everyone. Sometimes, I guess I get so down that I miss the simple solutions like stretching. Crazy.

 

[swavescatter]

I kept hurting my back. Then I decided to actually strengthen it with deadlifting. Start light, high reps. It's low impact and will strengthen your entire posterior chain and core. Now I can rep over 400lbs and haven't tweaked my back in years.

Squats and deadlifts. You don't have to go heavy. Way more effective than hip thrusts IMO. Lifting weights keeps bone density up. So many benefits.

Age is irrelevant, unless you're trying to compete.

 

[phillyfan365]

I'd definitely start with simple stretching, especially focusing on your hip flexors as this is generally where back issues begin. Also sauna always helps me out, helps your back and your overall mood!

 

[ScottRK]

I’ve had a few back problems fromdisc, and vertebrae. 2 chiropractor trips 10 yrs apart helped me. I started back into training with squats and deadlifts about 2014.
What I noticed that helped me the most was when traveling I tried a glute ham raise bench at a gym. Most anytime fitnesses have them. First time down I heard about 3or 4 pops in my lower back from decompressing I guess. I ended up building 1 for my home gym. Good mornings and RDL’s have about the same motion, but don’t seem to do the same thing for me.

 

[swavescatter]

I use a back extension stand after deadlifts and bent over rows. I definitely feel the decompression and pops on that, but I imagine a formal GHD stand would do even better.

I started with back extensions after straining my hamstrings while deadlifting heavy. I had to listen to my body telling me that was weak so I strengthen them now.

I'm a big fan of strengthening (slowly over time) the parts that are telling you they're weak (frequently getting hurt).

 

[homers]

Youtube "Ring Dinger" chiropractor

 

[Buckshot85]

Thanks, Everyone. It's going to take a long time, that's for sure. I'm that far gone, but I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Poser]

Back Pain and Back Strength | Mark Rippetoe

Deadlifts and barbell squats for a low back in chronic pain sounds like the stupidest idea that has ever appeared in print, I know. It flies in the face of The Conventional Wisdom. The fact is that it works nearly 100% of the time if you do it correctly, and that 90% of the time a stronger back...

startingstrength.com

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[Farmingdale's Finest]

I’ve injured my back so many times at work I’m almost afraid some days to get out of bed for fear of the next lightning bolt.

Gonna be hitting 54 soon and I have 2 hunts on my radar. One extremely physical.

There has to be some low impact strengthening for my back that can get me feeling less worthless, for lack of a better word.

It’s very frustrating when my mind thinks I’m still 24 and my body says go ahead and try.
Then I will pay the price for a week or two. I always had a physical job and pounding my feet for 35 years on concrete in the factory probably hasn’t helped.

For a long time I weighed in at 210.
Last year I dropped about 30 pounds. It did help my knees some, but they still need some help.

Anyway, if someone can recommend a few exercises to get me started I’d truly appreciate any help.

First a little background. I am a Widowmaker heart attack survivor. I had it when I was 43 just 7 months after winning the over 40 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan ams. I have had 3 knee surgeries from college football and 6 bulging discs from a construction accident.

Due to my injuries. There is no running and if I do traditional weight lifting I end up in PT for months.

I did backpack cardio 3-4 days a week with a 40-60 pound pack before work and distances of 2-4 miles.

I did a basic kettlebell workout consisting of swings, squats, deadlift to upright rows and overhead presses. I also did single arm farmers carries. After lifting I would do a combination of exercises given to me by the PT’s and yoga with a lot of planks. All of this concentrates on strengthening the core.

Then a couple days a week I would put my pack on with 40 pounds and do step ups onto a folding chair for 1/2 an hour.

This enabled me to climb a 1000 feet vertical in only 1/3 of a mile with minimal discomfort. I wore a fit bit to get my HR and on that climb I got a peak HR of 196 bpm. I haven’t had a HR that high other than the day I had the heart attack. I waited about 15 minutes to get it down to 140 or less. I got in good enough shape at 52 coming from the NJ shore that as long as I kept my HR at 7500-10000 feet under 185 I was fine.

This year we got a spin bike for Christmas and I have been doing interval training for 30-45 minutes 3-4 days a week and my fitness is significantly better than 2 years ago doing the spin and the kettlebell workout. I only just started the weighted cardio a few weeks ago due to slipping on the ice and twisting the knee that had the surgeries.

I feel with this workout I will be much lighter and in better shape than I was 2 years ago.

 

[Bearsears]

I kept hurting my back. Then I decided to actually strengthen it with deadlifting. Start light, high reps. It's low impact and will strengthen your entire posterior chain and core. Now I can rep over 400lbs and haven't tweaked my back in years.

Squats and deadlifts. You don't have to go heavy. Way more effective than hip thrusts IMO. Lifting weights keeps bone density up. So many benefits.

Age is irrelevant, unless you're trying to compete.

I agree with this and Yoga. Another thing that helps with back pain is a strong core. Do ab and oblique exercises. A stronger core takes pressure off of your low back. There are alot of low impact exercises on youtube for core.

 

[Werty]

I changed the way I walk, from being a heel stomper to walk walking more in the balls of my feet. It helped a lot

 

[Buckshot85]

Wow, I appreciate all the help!!!!

 

[swampthing]

I have suffered from lower back pain all my life. I always worked a very physical job as a tree climber. 10 years ago I moved to a management position basically doing nothing physically. My back got worse. Last year I suffered bad spasms, right before a week long hunt of course. My back has been next level worse since then. I finally decided to try physio. I just finished my 7th and last session of acupuncture and traction. I feel this has reset my back a bit. It no longer hurts in the morning when I get up! I still get sore lifting heavy things but I recover quickly. I hike or bike about 6 days a week for the last couple years and this would aggravate my back. It no longer does! I have always stretched my whole life and learnt some new stretches from the physio chick that seem to help too

 

[hilts]

I was in a bad car accident 8 years ago. Messed my lower back up. After 4 months of physical therapy they sent me on my way and gave me a regiment of core strengthening activities. Stretching, planks, squats, some band exercises and what not. The stronger my core got the better my back got.


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