Lifting and Back Pain - #424

<div><a href="https://barbell-logic.com/team/rebekah-krieg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bekah Krieg</a> joins CJ to discuss lifting with back pain: modifications, mindset, & approaches as coach or lifter to deal with/overcome back pain & get stronger.<br /> <br /></div> <div>She worked as a physical therapist for 20 years, is an Exclusive Coach for Barbell Logic, and is the Barbell Academy Curriculum Director.<br /> <strong><br /> Weightlifting with Back Pain<br /></strong></div> <div>Back <a href= "https://barbell-logic.com/nerd-out-on-pain-science/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pain</a> seems to come with being human. Virtually all of us, if not all of us, experience back pain at one time or another. Some of us struggle with more severe back pain or chronic back pain.</div> <div><br /> How do we confront back pain as lifters and coaches?</div> <div>Some important concepts should be kept in mind.<br /> <br /></div> <div>There is no perfect approach. A coach or lifter can deviate by being too aggressive or too conservative.</div> <div><br /> An example of erring too conservatively is stopping all lifting and exercise and trying to do as little movement as possible.</div> <div><br /> To err too conservatively would be to ignore the pain, especially if the pain increases or does not diminish.</div> <div><strong><br /> Strength Training with Back Pain Properly<br /></strong></div> <div>The important question is to ask: what can I or my lifter do? Movement is typically good. It involves lots of blood flowing to the tissue. Someone will often find, the next workout after a back tweak or pain coming from elsewhere in life, that it feels better after the warm up. The lifter can perform the workout as prescribed or with a slightly reduced stress, via either intensity or volume or both.</div> <div><br /> If movement, even movement at reduced weight, causes pain, this is an important piece of information.</div> <div><br /> Now, the workout may have to be executed with SOME pain, and that is oka