041 : 018 Back Injury Mitigation

I've been having a good bit of success with these sessions inside the gym, working with quite a few folks who have some lower back problems, either from years of poor movement quality, recurring injury, or genetic issues (scoliosis). The most significant issues I've seen that we are trying to overcome are the need for more ability to generate proper tension while performing movements or compensating as they move with improper mechanics. We are doing very little "for time" workouts because I don't want these particular clients to move under fatigue with the stress of a running clock before they understand how to correctly set up their body in this environment under load while also understanding how to properly generate tension. If you've been following the Back Mitigation series, I'm curious to know how it's going for you and if there has been any carryover to the other sessions you go through on the Space Program. 

Warmup:

McGil Big 3 (progressed)

8/8 Weighted Curl-up (light to moderate load)

30m Bear Crawl

30m Suitcase Carry per side

x 3 sets

Work:

Superset

10-12/arm Single Arm DB Row

:30 Hang on Pullup Bar

rest :30 btw movements

rest 2:00 btw sets

x 3-4 

Superset

8-10 Romanian Deadlifts (barbell / dbs / kbs)

:30 Forearm Plank

rest :30 btw movements

rest 2:00 btw sets

x 3-4

Finisher

20m DB Long Step Walking Lunge

40 Seated Banded Hamstring Curls

:30-:60 Sorenson Hold

x 2-3

Flow:

Treat the warmup as part of the workout, meaning put as much intention into moving properly, creating tension when required, and being aware of how your body feels while you do it. For the curl-ups, hold one dumbbell with both hands and arms extended, holding each head of the dumbbell like you were bench pressing. As you curl up, maintain a perpendicular arm position to the floor by reaching your arms toward the ceiling as you move. The bear crawls should be complete with hips and shoulders level with one another. Move the opposite leg and arm as you do when you walk; the same sides should never move together. Go heavy on the suitcase carry, but only as heavy as you can maintain good posture, meaning you should look like you're holding two implements without any torso deviation (leaning left or right). 

The supersets are pretty straightforward. Your goal while you go through them is to generate tension throughout your core and hips. Practice the ability to "stay tight" while also remaining calm through your breathing. Find the appropriate flow for YOU in each movement where you can do this. The dumbbell rows will be easier to do this for since you're partially supported on a bench, so carry over the tension you practice to the RDL's, where learning to breathe through tension becomes more difficult. The plank and hang are a low-skill / low-risk way to practice generating tension, so if you're hanging loosely from the bar or not actively engaging your core in the plank, you're doing them incorrectly. 

The Finisher should be completed in as many sets as you need to feel like it rounds out your session. For the long step walking lunge, you should have a good bit of forward ankle flexion so that the knee tracks over the toes or goes beyond them, depending on mobility. Do not try to maintain an upright torso position, which will stress the lumbar spine. Your torso should be at the same angle as your forward shin angle to keep the movement in the quads and alleviate lumbar stress. Use a band for the hamstring curls that you could perform 50-60 reps with if you went to "failure." Every ten to fifteen reps, change the angle of your feet from pointing out to straight ahead to slightly turned inward. This will help target all aspects of your hamstrings, or you could change your foot angle for each set. A Sorenson hold is performed on a GHD machine where you hold your body parallel to the floor, scapula's protracted (think turtle shell), with your glutes tightly engaged. If you feel this in your lower back, decrease the angle to the floor slightly, as you're most likely flexing your lumbar to hold that position. Again, I'd like you to practice breathing while maintaining this position.