You can stop barbell squatting now.
I know that sounds crazy but hear me out. Do barbell squats leave you feeling beat up?
Do you constantly battle low back pain during or after doing barbell squats?
The barbell squat is commonly known as the king of all lower body exercises.
As great as it seems to be able to do what everyone at the gym around you is doing. I want to fill you in on a little dose of reality when it comes to living and training pain-free.
Whether you suffer from debilitating low back pain or you have dealt with low back pain on and off for years.
I want to give you permission to never barbell squat again.
Anyone who is anyone inside of the gym has attempted, wants to attempt or will attempt a barbell squat at some point in their training career. I am going to go out on a limb and say that 90% of these people have been told to do them by someone they look up to or personally feel it’s the best exercise for their goals after watching someone else do them.
That leaves 10% of people doing them because they can knowingly do them correctly (form and technique) without pain or at risk of near future injury. Keep in mind these are not your average joe/jane walking around the gym.
At the end of the day, the risk-reward is not worth it and there are far easier exercises to execute with less technique being involved that will deliver the same if not better results.
Check out the video!
All I can tell you right now is that I’m dealing with a bulging disc (L5/S1), and I really wish I could squat because I miss the Oly lifts. I miss lifting heavy. Could I let the barbell squat go? Yeah, I suppose. Could I let go of my dream to Oly lift again some day. Not sure.
Thanks for commenting Luke! This brings up a good topic of discussion about the video. This is where as lifters we have to weigh the pros and cons and take the path that brings us the most joy and satisfaction. For someone like you, I would never say OLY lifting is out forever. If that is your true passion and the main reason you enjoy lifting ALL of my efforts would be focused around building resilience back in my body so that I can do OLY lifts at whatever capacity that is. There are so many powerlifters who have done so much damage to their spines over the years that there recovery and rehab are all based around them getting back under the bar as pain-free as possible. Just walking away from their training isn’t an option so they will take the damage and future consequences as they come. That’s their choice and they will own that. So it comes down to what’s worth it to you. If you want to lift heavy I say take the time and build yourself back from the ground up so you can return. What are you doing now to get to that point?
Thanks for commenting!
William
I had an L4-L5 decompression with some removal of cartilage and disc to help alleviate right drop foot, numbness tingling and pain.
Discomfort to right leg and lower extremity prevails post op. Now they think it might be my SI joint.
A post op MRI stated there were no complications from the L3-L4 bilateral laminectomy and I don’t know if the radiologist made an error or if my surgeon made an error.
I have a boatload of L4-L5-S1 symptoms and I can’t stand it.
I have been doing aquasize and gentle land fitness as a physically fit 58 year old woman but my low back, bilateral buttock, hamstring (right greater than left) is so utterly painful when sitting and the symptoms to my lower right extremity are exacerbated with sitting.
I’ll do just about any exercise to make this discomfort stop.
Suggestions.?
Hey Vicki!
Thanks for commenting! There isn’t a single exercise that will alleviate the symptoms (that is true for just about any pain…a single exercise won’t hold that much power). It’s more of a full-body approach (both physical and mental) that the majority of people in your shoes take in order to see results. This includes looking at how you move now. How/is the current exercise routine you’re doing causing more harm than good? If so replacing or scaling back on what you’re doing to bring relief and comfort back. Then looking at the biopsychosocial aspect of your pain and working through that (this is NOT “mind over matter” or the pain is in your head kind of thing…your pain and symptoms are VERY real). This is the exact process I take with students in Relief Academy I would check it out, it will be a game-changer for you.