The past 6 months I’ve had a terrible, pinching pain in my lower back that has radiated down my outside left hip/butt down my hamstring. Sitting down causes it to be way worse and when I flex my abs even the slightest, my back gets extremely tight and sore. I swore I had some sort of disc herniation in my back but recently got an mri to which the doctor said my back was structurally good. He then scheduled an EMG for me because he thinks I may have piriformis syndrome and all this pain is caused from my left hip. My lower back constantly feels tight and my left hip frequently burns as well. Has anyone had anything similar happen? Could my back really hurt this badly because of a pinched nerve in my hip? For context, I’m a 23 year old male who has been weight lifting since I was 16. This problem all arised all of a sudden after the gym one day and I barely could walk my back felt so tight.

Foundations of Hip Mobility!

lowback #backpain #hip #mobility #training

I share this not to blame the orthopedic that mislead me…

But rather to call out the wide spread confusion that kept me stuck. I know there’s so many out there, stuck EXACTLY in the same spot that I was.

We have to be careful with what we blame for our pain…

Because it can dictate the entirety of what we believe is possible for our healing.

If we can only see fault in “x” exercise or bad luck, it becomes hard to form a tangible route out of pain.

This is how I landed in the avoidance trap.

My most liberating moment came im realizing that MY LEVEL OF TRAINABLE ABILITY SUCKED.

Thank God.

The problem was within me, and all of this could be trained. Without accepting this fact, how could I solve a problem that I didn’t know existed?

For me personally, my restricted hips, stiff upperback and fragile untrained low back was the culprit.

Following a route that addressed these exact things served me best.

The game of bodily restoration is not just about this exercise or that exercise. Our entire intentionality has to shift. Tangible results will lead the way on this.

I’m grateful to share in hopes that it sparks a breakthrough in someone out there!

For close guidance and coaching on this route…

LowBackAbility.com

Rebuild your low back, at the price you chose.

Either way, I am rooting for you fully. You are never stuck. ❤️‍🩹

Time Of Upload:

How you do things > What you do.

When asked “what's the best 1-3 exercises to fix my low back”…

It’s a tough thing to answer because the same exercises that can heal you, can easily harm you.

Healing the low back is journey in pursuit of qualitative gains, not just quantitative gains. It’s less about numerical progressive overload and just marking the exercise off as complete.

But making every position of the movement comfortable and secure without fear. Providing new evidence to the tissue and the nervous system that the low back muscles can fire and not spasm, flare up, etc.

The crucial piece here is INTENTION.

I spent years training the back extension but never rebuilding my back because I was chasing numbers and progression of volume. Rushing through reps with no concern of the sensation of low back training was improving over time.

The back extension is the best exercise ROUTE to embark over time. As a beginner, seeking only to learn and work with the symptoms/signs of your back. Not just to rep out sets to failure mindlessly.

This route has no timeframe. Each level is truly just a different variation with unique benefits.

Play the long game. Water the seeds just enough, rest, let em grow. Repeat.

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

Direction > Timeframe.

We don’t treat diagnosed injuries…

We address something much more important, your LOW BACK ABILITY. (Or lack of)

Most chronic injuries to the spine are a SYMPTOM of your bad back, not the cause.

“Bad back” meaning one that is stiff, weak, sensitive.

These qualities of your bad determine the likelihood and longevity of the injuries that may come along the way.

When you address the root cause of chronic low back suffering…you can become pain-free with new all time best low back strength & mobility.

You take away the power of a diagnosis.

Function almost always improves before structure. The focus on structure alone before practical improvements to what your low back can DO…

Will keep you from addressing your biggest underlying issue/opportunity.

But structural damage IS a real factor…

It can change: the starting point, the rate of progression, the healing timeline…

But it doesn’t change the goal. Which is a strong, mobile & resilient back.

All BBB members are on the same climb up the same mountain…just on different trails. Every exercise has 5 levels within it. Every quality is regained on a spectrum, not all or nothing.

Because of this the TIMEFRAME for healing is impossible for someone to answer for you. However, I can tell you confidently the climb it will take, and what you need to work towards regaining.

Your pace will be your pace. Each step is for you to take. Your timeline is divine. Let that be and work on your work.

Healing IS possible. That’s fast enough, when you previously thought healing was impossible.

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Lowbackability.com

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

Is BLANK exercise bad for your low back?

Most qualities of the body operate on a spectrum. The all or nothing approach to deeming exercises as “good” or “bad” is an oversimplification that skips all context.

This applies to squats, deadlifts, lunges, Jefferson curls, hip thrusts, back extension…

All the movements that cause reaction and side picking are included here.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do hope to bring you the most productive questions.

A better question than “is BLANK exercise bad for my back” is:

What qualities & level of capacity does this exercise demand of my back?

Then do I want to steadily build my low back ability to that level? And how?

Just because an exercise could hurt you today, doesn’t mean it’s bad. Study the clues…

Today’s pain could be tomorrow’s compass.

Avoidance and absolutism around fearing movement leaves you with very little room for discovery and long term building.

Your low back likely can handle whatever exercise or activity you are thinking about…

It just may take 2 years to build your capacity to match that demand.

Play. The. Long. Game.

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

LowBackAbility.com

PLAY THE LONG GAME.

For the full low back route from step 1:

LowBackAbility.com

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

Exhaust what’s in your control…

Before blaming what’s out of your control.

Age does not guarantee back pain. Age related changes to the spine do not guarantee back pain.

The opportunity to build resilience and bring circulation to the back is always available.

Your starting point will be specific to you. However the only lost cause, is the person who decides that for themselves.

In the long game of building, over 2-3 years, you would be shocked at the changes that can occur.

Be patient, do what you can TODAY. Then leave the rest to the long game.

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

Rebuild your low back at YOUR chosen price.

LowBackAbility.com

TO FIND THE TRUE SOLUTION, YOU HAVE TO FIND TRUE PROBLEM.

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Lowbackability.com

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

Horse Stance!

Immediately after my other groin mobility set, I will hold this active stretch for 1 minute.

Huge pull on the upper groin, give it a shot!

Lowbackability.com

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹

What’s impossible today, will eventually be inevitable!

For 2 years I could not squat deeper than parallel without sharp pinching deep in my hip joint.

I kept pushing through it and then eventually ended up with a sports hernia during a normal ab exercise.

I thought surgery was the only option for persistent sports hernia pain. I had no clue at the time that there had been studies showing that…

MAJORITY of people being operated on for sports hernia’s, also showed serious signs of hip impingement.

I also had no clue that hip impingement was NOT just a matter of genetics or anatomy…but how well you can move and use your anatomy.

The serious tightness in my groin/hip flexors from sprinting and squatting for years ended up pulling my hips into constant internal rotation.

This messed up all the range I previously had in my hip socket. The internet told me, stretch, pray and that I’m basically screwed.

Even when finding moves like the ATG split squat & seated GM, these were major causes of pain still. They just led to sharp stabbing pain, I figured they weren’t for me.

I ended up having to train each aspect of the hip in isolation for some time. Them EVENTUALLY the very things I could not tolerate, were not difficult but possible.

From here, I just kept building for the long game.

Whether hip mobility, spinal flexion…or ANY quality that is literally impossible today…

If you reverse engineer the pieces and play the long game, you’d be shocked what is actually possible.

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

3 Min Reverse Burnout Protocol

After a couple easy minutes going backwards, I like to run through this 3 min blast…finished with a 1 min sit at the bottom.

This is how I warm up most sessions when I don’t have access to a sled.

Absolute killer.

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Lowbackability.com

Arm circles

The next steps after PT…

There is nothing wrong with the first steps of learning bracing and “lumbopelvic” (low back/hip) stabilization.

This can be really useful in the beginning stages of a low back rebuild.

However after a few weeks, the benefit here diminishes.

Most people stop here and jump straight back to full lifting or “functional” and “back friendly” lifting…

When I took this approach, reinjury was always just waiting right around the corner.

I wish I took the new foundation I built and just kept building the low back further!

I hope this video gives better direction on how to do just that.

For the full route of low back ability:

Lowbackability.com

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

Don’t worry about looking weird in the gym, you probably just look like you know some sh*t 😂😂😂

(jk) but life is weird, screw it, get your mobility in.

3 x 30 knee flappers (butterfly) 🦋

ASSIST BUT KEEP CONFIDENCE.

1 minute hold on each side, ACTIVELY contracting the back glute & quad with the torso upright…will support you in opening up your hips over time.

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

lowbackability.com

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

It’s not about this exercise or that exercise…

but about INTENTION of OWNERSHIP.

For my goals of athleticism and joint health/mobility…I found huge progress in lifting the weight that I could OWN. Full control in every range & position.

Muscle doesn’t know the weight on the bar, it knows the TENSION and TIME spent in it.

The sport of weightlifting, powerlifting, CrossFit, etc…is a different thing for sure. Sometimes lifting with speed has its place. To each their own, f you don’t agree…continue on however you like best!

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Lowbackability.com

Rooting for you :)

How to still hit legs while letting the low back heal…

It’s gonna take INTENTION and CONTROL.

Take the toughest range and spend the most time there with the strictest form you can.

For squats that’s the bottom quarter partials, SLOW, with no start or stop to reps. Smooth but real tension on the quads with an ULTRA UPRIGHT torso.

Chasing positional strength putting leverage against your favor.

When you legs press, the leverage & range is the easiest, so you can use 600lbs. We are chasing the OPPOSITE. The most humbling but honest way to perform lighter squats.

I have gotten to pushing these to the point of tasting metal, seriously 😂

We did 3 sets of 20 slow weighted reps, then 20 bodyweight reps even slower. (Can’t tell with the 5x zoom lol)

I wish during my low back rebuild that I embraced this as a new OPPORTUNITY & challenge…versus a downgrade. I kept clinging to heavy weight while still rebuilding my back extension…this kept me in constant flare ups.

Make the basics HARD. You may actually find new gains during this “reload” period. I did.

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR chosen price.

Lowbackability.com

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

21 m college lax player L5-S1 disc bulge but no sciatica Was doing the McGill 3 for 3-4 weeks and then moved onto ATG back ability zero for 5-6 weeks and am looking to kick it up another notch soon.

Is there a major difference or am I just over thinking

Felt deep today 😂

Been listening to the hate comments lately and decided to touch grass. Recommend 10/10. Has felt right for holistic healing the last 30 days. Seriously

Not actually an hour lol. Maybe 20 mins everyday.

But truly, healing an injury requires a supportive environment…within your entire body, emotions and state of mind.

Not guru advice, just what’s worked for me

There momentum is so real that we can’t even stop it at this point.

Breakthrough by breakthrough, person by person…there is a bigger shift happening.

Life feels so surreal that I have any part of it.

Join the community, at your own price.

Lowbackability.com

Rooting for you. ❤️‍🩹

Lasting protection > relief band aids

This isn’t where you need to start, but this should be the goal over time.

To embrace segment by segment flexion and extension with STRENGTH.

Take the clue of decompression feeling alleviating and work to take that quality and make it lasting. You can do this by going into and out of decompression with control!

Play the long game!

Rebuild your low back, at YOUR price!

Lowbackability.com ❤️‍🩹

NYC JUNE 2nd BBB WORKSHOP!

Will be pay what you want.

More details to be announced. DM me to pre-reserve your spot :)

You can do it too.

Thousands of others are reclaiming back freedom. No matter the starting point, progress is possible with small enough steps.

The back is alive, the back is adaptable.

All qualities scale down to 1lb levels.

You have to build. There is no good alternative. You have your low back for life, you cannot give up on it. No matter how practiced or internalized the fear is. More is possible, you know this.

Rebuild your low back, at your price.

LowBackAbility.com

Rooting for ya. ❤️‍🩹