This is very true, ive been lifting for 8 yrs or more and from time to time i'll really screw my lower back up either squatting or deadlifting. Normally its due to a lack of focus, I find that protecting your lower back during squats and deads makes those lifts very technical. Your form has to be spot on or youre probably over compensating from your lower back.
If you've ever watched a legitimate training video they always inform you that an exercise is not for everyone... this is especially true of a deadlift... a deadlift is not for everybody!
Really thankful for this video and the low back control video you released a long time ago. I finally can deadlift without worrying about injury and get strong.
This is kind of blowing my mind right now. I'm a very experienced lifter, and as I stand here now, I'm unable to feel my low back muscles contracting. I've also been experiencing alot of low back fatigue/pain from lifting. Going to try the methods mentioned here. Thanks Rip!
I've wondered this myself, and yeah, I've typically thought of it as an issue with overuse, but the fact that I seem to lack the ability to contract my lower back as discussed in the video, has me wondering it's more of a problem with a weakness in that musculature.
You can always take your breath with a neutral spine and then shift into APT. However, in APT, retracting your navel allows diaphramatic breathing possible
I can activate and contract my low back but when I get down into the low deep squat stretch outlined in the book my back rounds badly. What's the cure or cause? Lack of strength or inflexibility?
CWBush73 you could have stiff hips compared to your low back. Practice getting deep hip flexion with a tight/extended low back in the hands and knees position and rock your backside towards your heels. progress to bodyweight squatting and push your knees out with your elbows.
i can definitely feel my lower back contracting, its just that when i decent down into a squat at a centain point its almost like those muscles just dont respond anymore no matter what i do, once i go into a butt wink i cant find a way to contract them
Hearing rip say he couldn't play an Amaj7 made me happy. There is at least one thing in this world I know that rip doesn't =) Still he doesn't seem like a jazz guy.
I'm 60 yrs. old. I lifted from 1977-2010. no matter what anyone tells you, YOU WILL HAVE ARTHRITIS LIKE YOU WILL NEVER IMAGINE, SORE JOINTS AND PROBLEMS FOR YOUR ENTIRE "Last year's alive" because you "thought" repetitive working out, running, jumping, lifting etc. etc. would be "good" for your strength, mobility, health etc. etc....it's all NONSENSE! Squats with weights or no weights achieve the same effect...BAD KNEES! I wasted my body, and I can't even walk up 2 flights of stairs now because of DEAD LIFTING, STAIR STEPPERS, TREADMILLS, RUNNING ETC ETC.... Get a clue! Working, walking and just doing normal everyday getting around on a daily basis will make your life easier when your over 60! STOP REPETITIVE EXERCISE-YOU'LL HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE! Ask a Doctor and stop listening to this nonsense!
My grandfather is in his 70s and he’s never lifted. He was a manual laborer. He has arthritis like you wouldn’t believe. He never trained for strength. You will get arthritis if you use your muscles. So ask yourself if you’d rather live an entire life weak and frail, or endure the pain of old age that comes to everyone, but with the added benefit of being strong and conditioned.
Could someone please insult my intelligence and point me to an explanation of why the lumbar spine should be in extension when lifting, rather than being in a neutral position?
I think the point is that not being able to arch your back means you can't contract your erectors and won't be able to maintain a neutral spine under load. He specifically says that lumbar hyperextension under load is potentially more harmful than lumbar flexion.
Thus my confusion about what I should be doing with my lower back... the positioning of the lumbar spine is determined by relative strength and firing of all the core muscles; erectors, RA, TVA, obliques, right? It should all be firing to some extent and kept pretty tight when I squat/deadlift/press. Putting my lower back into extension makes it more difficult to keep my abs contracted, which makes me think that now I'm in more danger of hyperextension than flexion. Because of this, I've been aiming for neutral spine in all barbell exercises, following the Kelly Starett procedure.
"the positioning of the lumbar spine is determined by relative strength and firing of all the core muscles; erectors, RA, TVA, obliques, right?" Yes. I think maybe you're confused because you're overthinking this since you answered your own question. You do want neutral spine, but you won't be able to maintain that optimally if you're not able to intentionally contract your spinal erectors. This clip explains ways to develop conscious control of your erectors. This intentional control of your lower back improves your lifting by improving your ability to transmit force through a more rigid torso (ideally with a neutral lumbar spine).
Love Uncle Rip, but i just wish he would drop the anecdote about female postural proficiency. Though a humorous observation, it detracts from a credibility standpoint; id hate for his message to be lost, or for him to come under fire from some leftist pc group (is leftist pc redundant?).
I am from denmark, so im a "lefty" and i dont find this anecdote insulting or anything like that... hes just telling what he has seen. i dont see whats wrong with that
I think the comment about women in burkas is more objectionable, though neither one bothers me that much. I know what kind of person Rip is, what generation he comes from, and I acknowledge that his lifting knowledge is very good. Hence I overlook these little throwaway comments and focus on the good that he has to offer. Any leftist that would be unable to have a critical view of him, as I do, would be doing himself or herself a disservice by depriving themselves of a valuable resource. And if we can improve on his ideas by engaging with him and developing a critical view, that would be best, rather than ignoring folks like him entirely, folks with whom we may agree more than we disagree
