Butt or bicep pain after a hard workout can be a little satisfying, the sign of a workout well done. But there is nothing rewarding about a stiff, sore back.
If you wake up the morning after a workout with back pain, check to see if you’ve made any mistakes in your exercises. And if so, learn to fix your technique.
Training mistakes that cause back pain
You lean too far back or forward
There’s a reason coaches prioritize posture over weight and reps when strength training: bending the spine too far back (over-extending) or too far forward (over-flexing) when trying to lift heavier weights puts you in risk of back pain or injury.
When you lift a weight overhead or pick something up off the ground, you want your spine to be in a neutral alignment, somewhere between arching and rounding.
It is usually common to see excessive rounding during forward bending exercises (such as deadlifts) and excessive arching during overhead lifts (such as a shoulder press), so these are good exercises for closely monitor posture.
To avoid this problem, focus on tucking your pelvis down (the opposite movement of arching your lower back) and keeping your rib cage in line with the rest of your body (draw the two front sides together).
You can also work on these mechanisms while on the ground to make it a habit during strength training. Exercises like dead bugs or planks are a good place to start strengthening your core and perfecting your alignment.
You use momentum to lift
Although it can be tempting to grab heavy dumbbells up front, choose a pair that is comfortably challenging to start with. Picking up weights that are too heavy for you can make you dependent on momentum, rendering your exercises ineffective and creating back pain.
This happens quite often with bicep curls . If you are holding a weight that is too heavy, it is common to swing the dumbbell, as the biceps are not strong enough on their own. This movement can put stress on your lower back, causing stiffness or pain.
It is advisable to choose a weight that you can comfortably control without using excessive momentum. You can also check yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re not offsetting the heavy weight by rocking, arching, or overextending your lower back. And when necessary, lower the weight in subsequent sets or reduce the total reps per exercise.
You skip the warm-up
Before doing strength or cardio, starting with a well-designed warm-up routine is absolutely essential if you want to keep your back pain-free. Performing dynamic warm-up exercises helps increase the temperature and flexibility of the muscles, which helps prevent injury during training.
A warm-up routine should include some element of mobility , focused on opening the hips, upper back, and shoulders. Immediately afterwards, continue with some type of stabilization work, specifically focused on activating the glutes, core muscles of the back, obliques and shoulders in both the forward and backward directions.
To keep your back injury-free, start each workout with a warm-up of at least 3-5 minutes. Focus on dynamic mobility exercises, followed by activation or stability movements, such as dead bugs or bird dog.
You don’t do unilateral exercises
Also known as one-sided exercises, one-sided strength movements, like the single-leg deadlift or the single-arm chest press, are challenging but crucial if you want to keep your muscles balanced and injury-free.
Single leg or single arm exercises help to train both sides of your body equally, preventing you from using a dominant arm or leg . Additionally, unilateral movements help address muscle imbalances, which can be a potential cause of back pain while exercising.
Try to include one or two unilateral exercises per strength training. Swap your standard hip thrust for a single leg variation. Or try a dumbbell alternating shoulder press instead of a barbell overhead press.
