do squats put stress on your lower back at all?

[Jizzle]

When i do barbell squats I feel stress on my lower back as well but not to the point of it being painful. Is this normal because now that i'm trying hard to make sure my kness dont bend foward i feel more pressure on my lower back.

[lucabratzi]

it does with me a lil...make sure ur not bending forward..try to go straight down...

[Myka]

yeah...you should feel enough to work your lower back...it also works abs...

The core in general...not sure if lower back is included in "core" if its not it should be...

[RuhlFreak55]

it does with me a lil...make sure ur not bending forward..try to go straight down...

this a major consideration....leaning over can lead to bad things, injuries

[Mealticket]

just keep your patella @ or behind the ball of your foot. Back will be fine

[sonar1234]

I injured myself doing squats and deadlift.

Be sure to use perfect forms

[BlueAndromeda73]

Ya use good form, but it will stress the lower back for stabalization after all you do have a ton of weight above normal to control going down and up

[RMBros]

Try front squats and see if they hurt your lower back as much.

There are a lot of reasons for lower back pain -

Bad form
Bad bar position (bbers almost always put the bar to high on their shoulders)
Weak core/posterior chain
Injury

It's hard to tell one from the other unless you have someone there to critique your form while you squat.

Maybe post vids???

[PLAYA4LIFE]

if it starts hurting i recommend getting a readjustment at a chiropractor and that should help tremendously if not take all the pain away.

[helium3]

when im doing heavy squats i cant afford to let the weight drift too far forward so i find that looking up helps me keep things in check,just a tip.i dont like using belts as feel they take something away from the exersizes im doing but it might help.

[GunTotingHipGangster]

a belt would help, i find it gives me great back stability

also are you doing dead lift for back? this could be the cause of your problems
if you arent doing dead lifts, your lower back may be weak causing you pain
if you are doing dead lifts it may be that your doing squats too soon for your lower back to recover...i work my back on tuesday and do squats on friday, assuring that my lower back and hammy's have plenty of time to recover

[suckysucky]

when im doing heavy squats i cant afford to let the weight drift too far forward so i find that looking up helps me keep things in check,just a tip.i dont like using belts as feel they take something away from the exersizes im doing but it might help.

ya i was jsut going to say that. Look up. Pick a spot on the wall or ceiling and stare at it while you are squating. It also helps because you are going to want to go where you are looking at. And that is up.

[drinu]

i have the same problem every time i do squats my back kills me the next day
so i decided to avoid them because it is just not worth risking back injury

[GunTotingHipGangster]

i have the same problem every time i do squats my back kills me the next day
so i decided to avoid them because it is just not worth risking back injury

i wouldnt give up...squats are necessary...try things like belts and change in form, if that still doesnt work try hack squats

i'm willing to bet you get pain because your form isnt correct

[LX-1]

not really...im sure they do but i dont feel it...smith machine squats on the other hand, hurt my back.

[llsdotmacll]

if ur really hurting like actual pain not jus tired lower back muscles then i would hav to say ur doing squats wrong... ur technique/form needs some fine tuning... i would suggest practicing with jus the bar and no weights, it would also help if you could get some assistance from somebody who is experienced with squats.... dont take it the wrong way with me telling u that ur doing them wrong but personally i did the same thing so im jus trying to help becuz squats r the best workout for ur lower body

[boondockSAINT]

if ur really hurting like actual pain not jus tired lower back muscles then i would hav to say ur doing squats wrong... ur technique/form needs some fine tuning... i would suggest practicing with jus the bar and no weights, it would also help if you could get some assistance from somebody who is experienced with squats.... dont take it the wrong way with me telling u that ur doing them wrong but personally i did the same thing so im jus trying to help becuz squats r the best workout for ur lower body

What he said. Your back should probably be sore because it is getting worked, but it should not be painful. I recommend using a belt, but you should get your technique down first before throwing a belt on because it is not a remedy for poor technique, it just helps to stabilize the lower back muscles when the weights get heavy.

[llsdotmacll]

no offense but if u use a belt i consider it cheating and hurting u in the long run unless u are huge and u squat mega amounts of weight then its to prevent back injury but the average person does not fall under this category... if u need a belt its most likely becuz ur back needs more of workout to gain strength there i dont even put the neck wrap on the bar anymore, it just sits nicely right above my shoulder blades... trust me lower the weight and focus on technique and form and the weight u can put up will increase quickly

[stayinstacked]

yes, even with perfect form there will come a point where the heavy workload will stress the lower back. I dont care how perfect your form may be, the bottom line is you have some odd hundred lbs. resting on your shoulders between you and the ground. I'd just be sure to do some hyperextensions and/or deadlifts here and there to keep a strong back, it'll help you avoid injury

[hauss man]

"neck wrap" those are for girls right?

[stayinstacked]

"neck wrap" those are for girls right?

You mean the fag pad?

[llsdotmacll]

haha yea the fag pad... might as well where a tampon too

[SwoleCat]

I use a fag pad.

Call it what you want, but after hearing about vertebrae breaks from squat bars,
I'm willing to use those items that are labeled as such. (for whatever reason people choose to call them fag pads)

Funny, some people at my gym call them that. They are also the same people who are about 160-180 lbs. soaking wet and who think they look somewhat decent. They are squatting like 225 thinking they're the shit, when I could take that off their shoulders and shoulder press it over my head repeatedly.

I'd rather be on my side of the fence, fag pad and all.

I know that comes off as being cocky and shit, but hell, if one side of the fence is going to be as extreme as "fag pad", then the other side of the fence is definitely going to present it's side intellectually, and show a purpose for the use of such a product, all while not affecting the results of an individual's development.


~SC~

[boondockSAINT]

I use the pad while training, no sense of putting youself under additional strain. It's obviously not allowed in competition though, although this forum is more for bodybuilders.

About the belt, I always warm up without it, but anything over 405 and the belt goes on. It's not hurting you, it's preventing injury. If you want a lower back that is strong you should still use a belt on your heavy squats, and then do heavy good mornings afterwards to build that lower back.

[SwoleCat]

I use the pad while training, no sense of putting youself under additional strain. It's obviously not allowed in competition though, although this forum is more for bodybuilders.

About the belt, I always warm up without it, but anything over 405 and the belt goes on. It's not hurting you, it's preventing injury. If you want a lower back that is strong you should still use a belt on your heavy squats, and then do heavy good mornings afterwards to build that lower back.

I fully agree with both points there w/out a doubt.

Good advice.

~SC~

[xmenWolverine]

if you are using light weight don't use a belt this will strengthen the lower back.
If you are squatting heavy then use a belt.

Good tip is to squat to a bench. This will give you confidence as you won't have to look down and you can keep the core tight.

Use a fit ball to strengthen the core just try balancing on it. Most of the people i squat with i make them use fit balls for 5 minutes a day. We all squat in the 200kg - 250kg range.