Need fitness instruction (hips and lower back)

[tmw4h5]

Background:

I'm 6'1", 250lbs, 34 years old. I go to the gym 5-6 days weekly. I've had a bad lower back since I was 21 or so due to a slipped disc and pinched sciatic nerve. My back is much better than it was when I was younger, but I still struggle with rotation and my hips often get stuck on the downswing and I end up using all arms, which ends up in hooks.

 

I workout at Planet Fitness (get your jokes in) for a number of reasons. $20 per month (massage beds are actually nice) as opposed to my last gym ($80 per month) and a lot of open space/machines. I had to wait for literally everything at my last gym and you had to just stretch wherever you could -- here, I actually have room to do things.

 

My normal routine is something like:

Cycle 10-15 miles

Stretch and ab work (15 minutes)

Lift 

 

What exercise, lifts, or stretches would you recommend to increase flexibility and strength in my lower back and hips?

 

 

[BigManSlim]

I'm hesitant to recommend anything given your limitations but I would think you should be hinging (think deadlifts) and perhaps some hip thrusts.

 

I would recommend finding a trainer that really knows wheat he is doing and can build a program to attack the issues you have.  It's worth the investment.  Most trainers are a joke so do some due diligence. Generally IMO simple compound lift program makes the most sense.

[J13]

1 hour ago, tmw4h5 said:

Background:

I'm 6'1", 250lbs, 34 years old. I go to the gym 5-6 days weekly. I've had a bad lower back since I was 21 or so due to a slipped disc and pinched sciatic nerve. My back is much better than it was when I was younger, but I still struggle with rotation and my hips often get stuck on the downswing and I end up using all arms, which ends up in hooks.

 

I workout at Planet Fitness (get your jokes in) for a number of reasons. $20 per month (massage beds are actually nice) as opposed to my last gym ($80 per month) and a lot of open space/machines. I had to wait for literally everything at my last gym and you had to just stretch wherever you could -- here, I actually have room to do things.

 

My normal routine is something like:

Cycle 10-15 miles

Stretch and ab work (15 minutes)

Lift 

 

What exercise, lifts, or stretches would you recommend to increase flexibility and strength in my lower back and hips?

 

 

 

 

Go take a look on youtube at the Functionalpatters channel.  

[SirFuego]

It might be worthwhile to screen yourself and see where potential limitations are then focus on addressing those limitations.  It might not (just) be hip mobility that's problematic, it could be thoracic, shoulder, neck or even ankle mobility (or any combination thereof).  Some useful for resources for screening:

https://www.mytpi.com/articles/screening

https://par4success.com/articles/screening-what-should-we-actually-be-looking-for

 

Fixing your mobility is not the panacea for better golf.  Even if you improve your mobility, you still need to learn to ingrain new motor patterns for an improved golf swing.  It might make it easier to do certain things, but if you find the right instructor, you might even find that you CAN move in the right way without any mobility work either.  So while there is some credence to fitness improving your golf swing, there is certainly a possibility that you can still swing "correctly" even without "fixing" your body.

 

However, improving your mobility will almost certainly improve day-to-day life, so it's probably a good goal to pursue regardless of how it impacts your golf game.

[Shushwap]

Fit for golf.. it is the best money I have ever spent.. i have had a bad back for years... started the fit for golf program this year and my back and hip have never felt better...

I have been out of the gym the last few weeks.. just busy with life and being lazy...  

Anyhow.. I played today and it was a disaster I couldn't rotate... my early extension was really bad  and my back is hurting like it used to.. 

I guess I know where I will be tomorrow morning.. the gym lol 

I picked through the programs and I made up my own.. I really focus on stretching and rotation along with core 

I stopped lifting any weights this year and just focus on cardio and my program I mapped out 

I start with a hour of light cardio followed by 90 min or so of my program 

 

[phizzy30]

Delete

 

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by phizzy30

[phizzy30]

14 hours ago, tmw4h5 said:

Background:

I'm 6'1", 250lbs, 34 years old. I go to the gym 5-6 days weekly. I've had a bad lower back since I was 21 or so due to a slipped disc and pinched sciatic nerve. My back is much better than it was when I was younger, but I still struggle with rotation and my hips often get stuck on the downswing and I end up using all arms, which ends up in hooks.

 

I workout at Planet Fitness (get your jokes in) for a number of reasons. $20 per month (massage beds are actually nice) as opposed to my last gym ($80 per month) and a lot of open space/machines. I had to wait for literally everything at my last gym and you had to just stretch wherever you could -- here, I actually have room to do things.

 

My normal routine is something like:

Cycle 10-15 miles

Stretch and ab work (15 minutes)

Lift 

 

What exercise, lifts, or stretches would you recommend to increase flexibility and strength in my lower back and hips?

 

 

You've come to the right place.  I'd like to state that I'm a personal trainer.  I work with clients ranging from the everyday joe/jane to pros.  I have 3 herniated discs in my back from my bodybuilding days and a lot of baseball/golf.  FYI, there's nothing wrong with Planet Fitness except they throw you out if you make too much noise, lol.  Getting back on topic, for leg day, get on the adductor/abductor machines and do those.  3 to 5 sets, 12 to 25 reps.  You don't need to go heavy.  In fact I recommend going lighter.  Don't want to risk injuring your hips and or/inner thighs.  Those exercises will strengthen those areas.  Yes, those exercises are not just for women.  To strengthen lower back, I still do dead lifts BUT, I go lighter and do higher reps and I NEVER go to failure.  I stop about 2 to 3 reps short.  I also don't do full motion on them either but partials.  It's helped my back a ton.  So 3 to 5 sets of those is more than enough.  Next move on to back extensions.  You can do them with dbs or if your gym has them the machine.  Go light on these never heavy.  The objective is to work not just the muscles, but the stabilizers as well.  This will strengthen your lower back and help alleviate some back pain.  I'm talking 3-4 sets, 15 to 25 reps doing the full range of motion, not partials.  Again, never to failure.  A person with a healthy back can go to failure although not recommended for reference.  For hip/lower back flexibility and mobility, it's really difficult to explain the motions and stretches here and it would be so long and drawn out, but you can look them up on youtube.  If you need more help, PM me and I will be more than happy to help you. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by phizzy30

[Freerider]

Lots of good info here. Also tight calves and quads can lead to lower back problems, make sure to incorporate stretching for those areas.

[Barfolomew]

Im same size but 50 and go gym everyday.... I've learned to lift light weights and get the reps in.  Besides the obvious exercises for lower back and hip stretches....

 

I would definitely recommend squats..... go really light!  But when you get past the break in period on squats you'll def feel so much stronger in the lower back/hip area which is so under rated by many and SO useful in golf!  Think about just getting out of a chair way easier and how much more strength and avoidance of future injuries if you can get that area in shape..... just go really light every 5 days or so

[golfarb1]

Try some yoga strengthening exercises 

Prone cobra 

Locust

[Nels55]

Muscle Activation Technique has been a life changer for me.  I am able to golf and practice quite a lot with little to no lower back pain since I started working with Carrie Edwards in San Jose.  Here is a thread that I started on M.A.T. a while back:

 

[Tax77]

Lose 40 pounds.

[Righty to Lefty]

I have been there and come to the other side to where I now have no limitations or ongoing back issues.  I will say that what you done to your back likely can be undone but it takes persistence and much discomfort to correct.  My disc looked like a triangle it was pinched so bad but I aggressively addressed the root of the issue and the cure ended up being....a piece of 6 inch diameter PVC pipe!  I don't used a foam roller, I use a PVC pipe to roll out on and it restored me back to full speed after about a year of doing it every day religiously and the now I just roll out for maintenance but I addressed the root cause first and then everything else tended to correct itself along the  way. I found 6 inch in diameter PVC pipe to be the right amount and that is important because if it is too small or too big you can't isolate the vertebrae because the arch in your back will be too big or too small. 

 

First things first is that you have to begin the process of getting the pressure off the nerve and this is tough to do as the muscle around the lumbar vertebrae are very strong it is hard to get them to relax.  I don't know of one stretch that will get them to relax enough for the disc to get back into position. The only things that I know that provided enough force was a PVC roller and inversion table but the PVC roller is all I needed in the beginning because the inversion table is very aggressive at full inversion and there is no way I could hang upside down for the 45 mins that it takes to get the muscles to relax. It is also much cheaper than an inversion table. Until the muscles relax you can't even begin to get the vertebrae in place.  It is super painful and I was nearly in tears every day early on and could barely stand up afterwards but the goal is to help the disc work back into position a little at a time everyday and that is why you have to be so persistent do it daily or you will lose all your progress.  Once you have addressed the disc issue then your hip movement will come back around.  The pinched nerve is made worse when you try to rotate the hips to swing the club so your body restricts that motion as best it can. At my worst I would hit 5 golf balls and then my right leg would go numb but now I have no such issues.  

 

This is a video that I made for one of my friends who had back problems as it quickly goes through the first part routine that I did but keep in mind early on it would take almost 1.5 hours per day and I would just do it while watching T.V. or something but now it only takes me about 20 mins for the muscles to relax and I do it for maintenance at this point.  I also use the inversion table for 15 mins first thing in the morning for maintenance and it is great on the hip flexors and low back also but of course it is using your entire body weight so it is very aggressive.  Once the muscles relax then you can roll out your whole back and then rinse and repeat the next day.  I should have worn tighter shorts so that you can better see the difference in how high my butt is off the ground at first and then how my butt is almost touching the ground when the muscles have relaxed but if you need more explanation then just ask and I'll respond back as the continuation of this video was lost and so I only had the first part uploaded to Youtube. I am used to this so you don't hear much discomfort in my voice but trust me...early on this will suck but it is addressing the root of the issue. Over time the pressure on the nerve will be reduce day by day and eventually it will work its way back into the proper location and then the pain will go away and hip mobility can be restored also. Best of luck with your progression.  R to L. 

 

 

[tmw4h5]

8 hours ago, Tax77 said:

Lose 40 pounds.

Obviously the goal. Although when I was 22-23, I also had back issues, I weighed 205lbs and things still sucked.

[J.Bex]

I had nagging lower back pain for a while, hurt it and my neck at times where I could barely turn.  It's pretty much gone.  What did it for me was to stop relying on stretching, massaging, heating, and foam/ball rolling... but instead get to work strengthening those areas.

 

To bulletproof your lower back you have to get it to work as a team with surrounding muscles (I mean the whole body really).  Posterior chain - get those glutes and hamstrings working any time you're bent over (golf stance) to keep the lower back from dominating.  Depending how capable you are, here are some exercises.  Opt for bodyweight stuff before weights to be safe:

 

- Glute bridge variations... #5 in the vid below is great (really all her content is great for at home bodyweight exercises):

 

- Back extensions like @phizzy30 said. Those should be as popular as ab work IMO, though I know people can be embarrassed to thrust their hips at the gym 😊

- Swiss ball leg curls

- Superman extensions 

- Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) are key for me

- Weighted hip thrusts 

- Core work incl. anti rotation like Palloff presses 

- Not sure if you lift heavy, but if you do it's good to wear a belt to push into as a queue to brace the core for a lift.  I love heavy deep squats, DLs and all, but I always need to "listen to the body" when I feel off.  Then just stop and do something else. 

[Righty to Lefty]

18 hours ago, tmw4h5 said:

Obviously the goal. Although when I was 22-23, I also had back issues, I weighed 205lbs and things still sucked.

That is because working out or losing weight doesn't address the root of the issue which is the pinched nerve and sure losing weight would reduce the amount of pressure on the disc, but the nerve would still be pinched.  Once you get the pressure off the nerve and the disc back in to proper position everything else will be of benefit but not until you address the root cause.  It would be like dislocating your shoulder and the advice is to do some shoulder strengthening exercises before the shoulder is put back into place. Sure all of the exercises and such are beneficial but they are of no use until the shoulder dislocation is corrected.  

[J.Bex]

2 hours ago, Righty to Lefty said:

That is because working out or losing weight doesn't address the root of the issue which is the pinched nerve and sure losing weight would reduce the amount of pressure on the disc, but the nerve would still be pinched.  Once you get the pressure off the nerve and the disc back in to proper position everything else will be of benefit but not until you address the root cause.  It would be like dislocating your shoulder and the advice is to do some shoulder strengthening exercises before the shoulder is put back into place. Sure all of the exercises and such are beneficial but they are of no use until the shoulder dislocation is corrected.  

This is true, proper rehab for the injury is number 1.  No deadlifting or golf with a slipped disc and pinched nerve!

 

However OP said the injury was many years ago, and he's been able to have a normal gym routine, golf, and is specifically asking for exercises.  I assume (I know...) he had rehab, possibly surgery, to get to this place and the lingering back issues are not exactly the same slipped disc and pinched nerve, but rather stems from that (?).