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I followed a lot of the suggestions in this thread, as well as the ones in briskis's old thread relating to glute activation and hip mobility. I've consistently done the activation/mobility exercises for the past week in a row, and I must say the results are wonderful! Not only has my back pain gone, I feel more flexible and overall, very fit. I would say these exercises are a *must* for anyone with a desk job, whether you're doing SS or not.
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My original post follows:
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OK, I planned to do stronglifts/SS about two months ago. Unfortunately, real life stepped in, and I put off my plans till last week. The first four workouts went great, I got walloped in the one I did yesterday. Among all the soreness, two things cause me concern -
(1) Lower back ache - Not just any lower back ache; it's localized at my spine area, right at the center of my back just about my butt. I was talking to a fitness buff at my workplace, and he said that's a very bad place for soreness/mild pain.
(2) My entire right knee is sore. Left knee is fine.
Everything else is normal DOMS.
The ache near my spine is causing me a lot of concern, especially at the relatively light 75 pound lift. Now, my lifestyle is extremely sedentary, and I'm a total noob to lifting. I haven't done any cardio or anything else on the off days so far.
So I was reading up a bit on both this board and the stronglifts forum, and here's what I've found -
Lower Back:
(1) Improper technique - I have a video that I took a couple of sessions back. It doesn't look like my lower back is rounding, but It would be great if you guys can take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3UBj4IcI2Y
(2) Hyperextending - is this possible? Ever since I began this program, I've tried my hardest to keep my back flat. Can I overdo this, and put too much strain on my spine?
(3) Flexibility - I do the squat stretch for about 20 seconds, twice. During this stretch, I squat all the way down, but my back rounds. Is this the right way to do the stretch? Or, should I keep my back straight while doing this stretch?
right Knee -
(1) I guess I find it odd that only my right knee hurts. My left knee is perfectly fine.
(2) I make it a point to extend my knees out while squatting. I'm planning to get a friend video just my knee to see what's going on. Any suggestions on what I can do to improve?
I don't want to hurt my spine, so I've decided to go back to the empty bar next session, and see how it feels. I've also decided to switch out barbell rows to inverted rows. For the next few sessions, I thought I'd do light squats and deadlifts - with the empty bar, and maybe some weight. I'm also considering 20-50 body weight squats. I basically don't want to add weight till I stop feeling this pain. I plan to continue adding weight on other exercises.
Any advice/suggestions are welcome. Thanks a lot!
I followed a lot of the suggestions in this thread, as well as the ones in briskis's old thread relating to glute activation and hip mobility. I've consistently done the activation/mobility exercises for the past week in a row, and I must say the results are wonderful! Not only has my back pain gone, I feel more flexible and overall, very fit. I would say these exercises are a *must* for anyone with a desk job, whether you're doing SS or not.
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My original post follows:
----------------------------
OK, I planned to do stronglifts/SS about two months ago. Unfortunately, real life stepped in, and I put off my plans till last week. The first four workouts went great, I got walloped in the one I did yesterday. Among all the soreness, two things cause me concern -
(1) Lower back ache - Not just any lower back ache; it's localized at my spine area, right at the center of my back just about my butt. I was talking to a fitness buff at my workplace, and he said that's a very bad place for soreness/mild pain.
(2) My entire right knee is sore. Left knee is fine.
Everything else is normal DOMS.
The ache near my spine is causing me a lot of concern, especially at the relatively light 75 pound lift. Now, my lifestyle is extremely sedentary, and I'm a total noob to lifting. I haven't done any cardio or anything else on the off days so far.
So I was reading up a bit on both this board and the stronglifts forum, and here's what I've found -
Lower Back:
(1) Improper technique - I have a video that I took a couple of sessions back. It doesn't look like my lower back is rounding, but It would be great if you guys can take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3UBj4IcI2Y
(2) Hyperextending - is this possible? Ever since I began this program, I've tried my hardest to keep my back flat. Can I overdo this, and put too much strain on my spine?
(3) Flexibility - I do the squat stretch for about 20 seconds, twice. During this stretch, I squat all the way down, but my back rounds. Is this the right way to do the stretch? Or, should I keep my back straight while doing this stretch?
right Knee -
(1) I guess I find it odd that only my right knee hurts. My left knee is perfectly fine.
(2) I make it a point to extend my knees out while squatting. I'm planning to get a friend video just my knee to see what's going on. Any suggestions on what I can do to improve?
I don't want to hurt my spine, so I've decided to go back to the empty bar next session, and see how it feels. I've also decided to switch out barbell rows to inverted rows. For the next few sessions, I thought I'd do light squats and deadlifts - with the empty bar, and maybe some weight. I'm also considering 20-50 body weight squats. I basically don't want to add weight till I stop feeling this pain. I plan to continue adding weight on other exercises.
Any advice/suggestions are welcome. Thanks a lot!