Lower back pain from training: what to do and what to stop immediately

Almost everyone who lifts gets lower back pain at some point, usually because the weight grew faster than the technique. Most of that pain is not a disc injury but overload of muscles and joints that settles in two to three weeks — provided you behave sensibly.

First: what kind of pain is this

• Tension or ache in the muscles alongside the spine, dull and spread out, better when you move and worse after long sitting — usually benign overload.
• Sharp pain in one spot that appears during a set and does not settle — end the session for that day.
• Pain travelling down the leg, tingling, foot weakness, problems controlling your bladder — see a doctor the same day. That is not something to wait out or stretch away.

What to do in the first 72 hours

1. Do not lie down all day. Resting for more than a day or two makes back pain worse. Move gently — walk 10–20 minutes several times a day.
2. Remove the heavy exercises that load the spine from above: barbell squats, deadlifts, standing overhead press, bent-over rows.
3. Keep training in a form that does not hurt: leg press, chest press, lat pulldown, bike, walking. Movement helps more than a full break.
4. Heat usually feels better than ice for muscular tension. Neither is a cure; both reduce how much it hurts.

Three exercises that usually help

• Dead bug — on your back, arms up, lower the opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back pressed down. 3 × 8 per side.
• Bird dog — on all fours, extend the opposite arm and leg without rotating your hips. 3 × 8.
• Side plank — 3 × 15–20 seconds per side. Strengthens what holds the spine rather than compressing it.

These three work because they teach the trunk to hold position without moving the spine — exactly what is missing under load.

How to get back to squats and deadlifts

1. Once you have had 7 days without pain at rest, start at 50 % of your weight, 3 × 5, with perfect technique.
2. Add 10 % per week. You will be back to full load in 4–6 weeks — returning faster is the most common cause of a repeat injury.
3. For the first two weeks, replace conventional deadlifts with a trap bar or dumbbell Romanian deadlifts.

What prevents it coming back

• Brace your stomach before every rep, not just on heavy sets.
• Do not skip steps in progression — 2.5 kg a week is plenty.
• Train your trunk twice a week (the three exercises above).
• Get out of your chair every 45 minutes if you work at a desk. Sitting is often the real culprit, not the gym.

See a doctor if

• the pain travels below the knee or comes with tingling or weakness,
• it has not improved at all in two weeks,
• you have a fever, unexplained weight loss, or you are over 50 and this pain is new,
• you have any problem controlling your bladder or bowels (urgent).

The short version

• Most training-related back pain is overload, not damage.
• Keep moving; drop the exercises that hurt and keep the rest.
• Dead bug, bird dog, side plank — twice a week.
• Return at 50 % load and add 10 % a week.
• Tingling or weakness in the leg means doctor, not trainer.