Just posted in the injury section but thought this is training related too.
Hi BBM crew,
I’m not sure I have a question as such but I am getting a little frustrated with a recurring low back/sciatic issue on my left side.
I’ve had consistent mild pain in the area for about 8 weeks, however I have been able to tolerate training but with slightly less volume; E.G. Squat 1@8, back-off 70%x3x3. Almost every time I try to gradually increase volume on SBD my low back will get worse, to the point where I am experiencing pain in the squat and deadlift. I’m not sure how to progress at this point as each time I try to add sets, maybe 1 set every 2 weeks, things get worse and I end up backing off a couple sets for 1-2 weeks. Repeat.
Today I felt my back ‘go’ on my heavy deadlift single. I was able to do RDL’s with 60kg x3x12 without pain, just to get some movement/blood flow.
Sorry to hear about this. I think this is a situation where our usual recommendations would be very applicable.
I do not think now is a good time to be training heavy singles. Instead, I would be doing purely rep work, with modifications (e.g., tempo, exercise selection, etc.) to find your entry point for rehab, as outlined in the article. Does this make sense?
Makes sense. My goal this year to is deadlift 225kg, current e1RM is around 200. Do you think this is reasonable given my current situation? I’ve been ‘training’ for about 10 years and consider myself an advanced lifter, despite my relatively low numbers on the big 3.
I think it is a reasonable goal overall, although I typically advise against people putting arbitrary timelines on goal targets (such as “this year”), because that often leads people to make bad decisions in training in order to force things to fit such a timeline.
For example, someone might be reluctant to take enough weight off the bar to rehab pain issues if they felt like they needed to hit a particular weight by a particular time … hypothetically speaking, of course
So I trained today and things went as follows:
HBBS; Bar x 12, 40x12, 60x12. I tried another set at 60kg but the pain was a little worse, so racked it.
Floor Press; 40x3x12. Fine here.
Yates Rows; 40x2x12. My back didn’t like these much, the more I leant over, the worse the pain.
The pain was considerably worse after this workout.
I guess I’ll try again in a couple of days, maybe with less weight on the squat. I also plan to deadlift if I can.
If squatting 60 kg is enough to flare up your symptoms, I’m even less surprised that doing heavy singles on the deadlift was irritating as well. I’d try something like this to see if you can find an entry point
3-0-0 Tempo High Bar 3 ramping sets of 10-12 reps, RPE no higher than 6 (this may require taking even smaller jumps; if still not well-tolerated could do 3-1-0 or 3-0-3)
[whatever upper body work you want]
Single-leg Romanian Deadlift (can hold DB or barbell w/ straps), 3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg, RPE no higher than 6. If you would prefer not to do the single-leg movement, could do a regular RDL.
[whatever other accessory/isolation-type work you’d like]
If this is well-tolerated, you can use this as a starting point for gradual increments in load, decreases in rep range, and ultimately, returning back to normal tempos.
I don’t really like barbell rows in general, and typically do not use them for rehab of low back pain symptoms. And if you continue to struggle with this issue, I’d recommend a consult with our rehab team.
I’m going to get an appointment with a GP. The pain hasn’t really improved, it’s been 2 weeks since it ‘popped’. The pain isn’t in my low back, it’s deep in my glute area and there’s some dull pain down my leg.
I’ve been doing RDLs to about knee height, everyday, going up 2.5kg each day, started with the empty bar (Starr Rehab). It does feel better during the sets and for a short while after.
