yall are probably not going to belieive me on this one but here it is.
i did a BUNCH of sit-ups and just sit-ups, every day almost from the 6-8th grade. little did i know about overtraining. i once did 1200 crunches non stop!!(probably dont believe me) i never stretched them. when i did crunches, i was so sore in my abs that i could barely walk the next day. i guess this was what caused them to be supertight. usually i did 600 twice a day.
then when i went to that trainer. he put the emp on my abs.
the only good thing about this is that i have an awesome 6-pack(sorry i try not to brag)
Yes, but the question was if you could build strength without weights.
Personally, I’d suspect weights would be the best choice to stabilize the problem area- which must be done before max forces are applied.
charlie, my chiropractor/trainer says that if i do start squats again, then i can go no lower than 33degrees. the reason why he said, is because going any lower than 33degrees would stop the hamstrings from contracting, and it would just put more pressure on your patella.
this makes sense to me, but this would still hurt my back because of the weight on my back.
If your form is akward then yes it would put pressure on the patella but I dont think you are doing yourself harm if you can squat properly… I would think if anything doing squats would strengthen your back because of the tension put on and the isometric contraction required to stabilize… But if it is bothering you then I guess you have to find things that don’t.
An isometric contraction (in my own words here) is when you are resisting or pushing against a force but there is no movement. What cortese is referring to in the squat is the isometric contraction involved with the back muscles in particular to maintain good form while lifting and lowering the bar. Typically, the isometric contraction is used as a means of learning to recruit more motor unit through a maximal contraction without movement. Isometric work is not always the best for building strength because strength gains are only made at the angle of the contraction. Still, they can be used as a supplement and their value cannot be discounted.
well if that is the case, you should not be squatting. Find alternatives, we have listed many. Find what works for you and is safe yet effective. Only you can really determine if the pain is too much or if it is going to be too harmful to your training and athletic career.
Everyone’s back is out of alignment!!! This occurs at about the same time you are born. It is not always a source of pain. I agree with Charlie, you need to improve your spinal stabilization. If you will do this, you should be able to return to weights, sprints, etc. without any pain or problems. You most likely have some spinal instability that is a result of muscle imbalances. You trained your abdominals (rectus abdominis), which does little to stabilize your spine, and neglected your lower back and stabilizing muscles.
Weights are hurting your back because you are using poor form. Squats do not damage your knees if they are performed properly.
How did your chiro fix a narrow disc? No chiro or other health care professional can widen a disc except by surgically installing one. However, there are things that can be done to alleviate the pain and other symptoms.
No one can tell you exactly what you need over the internet. To many factors come into play when diagnosing pain, expecially low back pain. You need a postural analysis, full subjective and objective evaluation that includes strength assessment, ROM, reflexes, assessment of intervertebral movement, etc. With all of this information in hand, a hypothesis can be formed on what exactly is going on, what caused it and how to fix it.
first off, ive never had poor form in any OLifts, I was properly coached on these lifts. Benching hurt my back a lot because the coaches made me arch my back when i benched.