Ouch. I hurt my lower back.

**Douglas** · 03-16-2008 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Chris Nagel

Do an unweighted squat and tell me how you feel. If it's not an injury, you just need to get your form right.

Lower back injuries in squatting are usually caused by rounding your back which puts a lot of stress on your lower back.

There are a few tips that I have that will help fix that. One is to keep you chest up, and lower back in which will give your back an arch and thus preventing it from rounding.

Don't lean forward as that would cause your lower back to round. Take a deep breath before you squat down and then keep your abs tight, it'll help protect your spine. It helps to keep your eyes on one spot on the wall slightly above you so that you won't have the tendency to look down and lean forward.

Even though you might think that a lot of guys have a wider grip when squating it might help in your case if you try to grip the bar closer to your shoulders. This will help maintain a better posture when squating while also making it more comfortable having the bar rest on your back.

I think that being warmed up and a good back stretch is very beneficial. The hyperextensions, and good morning exercise are very good exercises in my book. If you don't have a roman chair or some set up for hyperextensions, then you can just do it on the floor and arch your back and bring your head up as if you're the little mermaid. To warmup the lower back good mornings are Good, you can do it with the bar alone, or with weight, just do your homework and make sure you have your form right.

Thanks for the advice. When I do an unweighted squat, it doesn't hurt. I too have a tendency to lean forward and look down a lot. That was the problem, all the weight was on my back. I always tried to lean forward just a little bit to prevent the bar from sliding back off my shoulders, but I'll do things different next time around.

I just went for a run a while ago. Twas the first time I'd ran in a couple of months due to the cold. My back now feels loosened up a lot, so that will help too.