hello BBM team,
I hurt my low back a few weeks ago, pretty sure from mismanagement of acute fatigue and overshooting RPE in hypertrophy after a peak and meet, and I’m pretty sure I know the exact deadlift rep that did it. the pain would set in after that whenever I hit a certain point in the ROM of hip flexion, with a barbell in hands just before the knee in a deadlift negative, and right before and in/coming ouit of the hole in a squat, especially low bar. It was getting progressively better for the first few weeks, taking your advice of easing into ROM and adjusting intensity and volume, after two weeks low bar would hurt after but with a belt was comfortable during the movement, and conventional deadlifts would hurt from when the movement was initiated until just above the knees, but was completely bearable after warming up with just bar romanians.
However, last weekend I was at a wedding that I had to drive 6 hours for one way and drove back two days ago, and due to this took 4 days off training. I drank too much Bourbon (surgary death liquor) and the driving may have played a role as well, but attempting to low bar squat today I couldn’t hit depth at all, let alone without pain, and high bar could be done but after 135 for a few reps I could feel the creeping death of agony in my low back. I didn’t go through the squat for today, couldn’t bring myself to do it through the pain regardless of the depth issue, and now cannot even bend over to tie my shoe while on one knee. it hurts now even when standing.
I’m pretty aggravated at all this, mostly because my own stupidity in overshooting RPE was most likely what led to this, and right before my squats today and all throughout the weekend my back felt great. I think I may have divebombed my squat a bit during warmups which may have contributed to this, but it hasn’t been this bad in recent memory. I was thinking of just doing cat/cow and tryting to push through toe touches (at a certain point in the ROM of toe touches it’s agony, then completely bearable if I can push through) when I wake up tomorrow and seeing how that goes, but I would hate to do something (else) dumb and mess myself up for longer and further retard my training. Is there anything you can recommend for help in recovery?
PS: Thank you for providing this service and the access to great educational material on all of this, I haven’t once felt lost or hopeless during any part of this because of you all, just severely frustrated at myself.