3 Ways to Vary your Squats to Avoid Back Pain
Barbell squats are a staple in almost every lifting program to develop strength in the hips & lower extremity. Making improvements in your squat will directly translate towards increasing total power output, durability for contact sports and general body awareness/control during movement. On the other hand, many clients will complain of back pain from squatting, which can be caused by several elements including: improper form, glute/lower extremity weakness or simply squatting too heavy. Today we will discuss some simple ways to reduce back pain while squatting, that anyone can try!
Performing glute and core activation exercises prior to your lift, or between sets, are great ways to remind the body on how to stabilize during your compound movement. Our nervous system is a complex group of nerves that help us use and control the muscles in our body. By “waking up” these important muscle groups before squatting, they become more readily available during key moments of the exercise. A few helpful exercises (and my personal favorites) to perform before getting under the barbell are: paloff press, banded lateral walks, planks and bridging.
Variation is another excellent way to avoid back pain while squatting. If you continue to lift the same way, over and over, for weeks/months on end, you are likely to overtrain those joints & muscle groups. This can lead to unnecessary stress on the body, which can cause inflammation, stiffness, disc-related injury and pain. Here are some examples of different ways you can squat to change up the workout:
Back Squat
Front Squat
Box Squat
Single Leg Squat to Bench
Bulgarian Split Squat
Kettlebell Offset Squat
In addition to varying the type of squat you are performing, you can also vary the tempo & timing of the squat itself. For example, if you are working on a barbell back squat, you can include a slower eccentric movement, pause at the bottom, pause at either half-way point, or all of the above! Changing the tempo of your squat will force the body to maintain optimum control throughout the entire movement, thus reducing the risk of injury. It is recommended to lower the weight which you would typically use when tempo training, in order to truly demonstrate maximum control and spinal stabilization during the squat.
If you have difficulty with squatting and have been experiencing pain during your workouts, do not hesitate to contact Restore Physical Therapy. The staff here not only have experience with treating weightlifting & CrossFit athletes, but they are also active weightlifters themselves! We work closely with the strength and conditioning trainers within our facility on a regular basis, helping to enhance the knowledge behind our treatment methods. Click the button below to register for a FREE Discovery Session! Let the experts discuss your goals, thoroughly evaluate your injury and get back to squatting pain-free!
