Where to next after Powerbuilding 1 with some back pain

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi Team,

Ango back again. Still enjoying lifting and after some more advice.

Male. Age - 43. Height - 182cm. Weight 92kgs.

The last 16 months of consistent training has seen me run the Beginner Template, Powerbuilding 1 2nd Gen, Low Fatigue General S&C Gen 2, and Powerbuilding 1 2nd Gen again. I ended Powerbuilding 1 last year feeling beat up and was advised by Jordan to try the Low Fatigue General S&C in which I made good progress on my cardio fitness and bench, felt fresh, and felt really strong within my body.

Having just run Powerbuilding 1 again, I’ve felt great throughout given my history of chronic back pain (Advice on adjusting templates) except for Day 1 and Day 3 of testing week (this week). The Squat 1 @ 90% on Day 1 was fine but I my lower back was sore for three days after the deads at 84% (which was 15kg lighter than my 1 @ 8 four days prior). Lower back was fine during the day but sore overnight (this is not uncommon for me) then a little sore after the Squat 1 @ 9 today so I called the squats so I moved on. The squat moved well and I had another 10 - 15kg in me but back was saying “no”. I then hit a Bench lifetime PR which I’m really happy with. Started warming up the deadlift and called it after lifting 8kgs less than my 1 @ 8 last week - I could move the weight but my back was telling me “no” again. My back’s been sore all day but I’ve ensured too keep moving as I have full ROM, it just wants to tell me to stop through pain which dissipates when I continue to move through it.

I’m feeling pretty frustrated. I’ve been consistent, not overshooting RPE, in bed for 7.5-8 hours each night (I’ll sleep for about the first 5-6 then on and off with the sore back), and eating enough to keep weight stable with my physique improving and waist dropping a little, but can’t seem to really push my squat or deadlift without my back getting angry. My E1RM on these movements hasn’t really moved in the last year although I feel stronger and more conditioned in general.

In an ideal situation, I’d be alternating the Strength and Powerbuilding programs to get bigger and stronger and work towards a lifting meet. I can’t see that happening anytime soon with my lower back getting pissed off at heavy singles.

So, would General S&C 1 or 2 be an option or perhaps I move to the Low Back Pain Rehab Template. I’m pretty sure my back will be fine to move sets @ RPE 7-8 in a few days as it usually settles down quickly. Or any other thoughts?

Cheers,

Ango

2

Howdy! Sorry to hear about the recurring back issue. I’d be very frustrated to feel like things are trending well, but then seemingly hit the same wall each time.

I think the total training lower body training load is a bit beyond what you can currently tolerate. Whether it’s the addition of the single-rep set itself or everything else that changes in the program when the singles show up, I can’t say. Fortunately, the exact cause doesn’t really matter because the management is the same: reduce training load.

In the template, I try to have a pretty gradual “run-in” period for singles to avoid this, but everyone is different. I’d recommend reducing the training load, mostly via an intensity reduction (-2 RPE across the board or ~ 10%). I’d also make sure all of the accessory lower body lifts don’t use barbells and, ideally, are unilateral.

I do not see any reason to run the low back pain template given how things are improving.

I think if a meet is in your orbit within the next ~ 6 months, training like you’re going to do one is a good idea, which makes Powerbuilding and our Strength templates the correct pick. If it’s more of a stretch goal for end of 2026, early 2027, you could kick the can down the road with respect to single-rep sets and run a different style template. That’d be reasonable too.

My 0.02

1 Like
3

Thanks for the quick reply Jordan. I appreciate it. A couple of questions to help me move forward:

  1. Would you reduce training load by about 2 RPE when working towards singles? Say in the preceding 3-4 weeks? Or just by 2 RPE for the whole program?
  2. Would you reduce training load for all movements or just those for the lower body?

No plans for a meet as yet so late 2026 is more likely than sooner. Given my training history and back issues, do you think General S&C 1 or 2 would be more suitable?

Thanks again,

Ango

4

For follow up, I’d reduce the RPE by 2 for the entire block where singles show up, on all lower body movements.

Either GSC would be fine, but if you haven’t been doing a lot of conditioning recently, I’d start with GSC 1.

5

Thanks Jordan. I’ll approach lower body singles and accessory movements as suggested above. I’ve purchased GSC 1 and just ran the first session. The low stress week is always welcomed. :slight_smile:

1 Like
6

Sounds good. Let us know how it goes!