[kevinjonny]

What was your injury? There’s no need to do barbell exercises if you feel you can’t or they cause pain. There’s plenty of substitute movements and many bodybuilders work around injuries.

What would advise first is you see a physio/ sports therapist and get them to write you a rehab program and look at your movement patterns. Then you’ll have able to figure out what you can and can’t do

I saw a physiotherapist, but it didn’t really help much. He told me I had damaged the lower part of my back and should avoid deadlift variations in the future. I’ve been trying to find ways to work around it, but I still get discomfort sometimes, even with things like cable rows. Do you have any experience with clients who had to work around something similar? What kind of movements would you suggest to strengthen my back without risking re-injury?

[kevinjonny]

It’s hard for us to say exactly because we do not know what your exact injury is and we can’t feel what your body is feeling.

Ultimately if you are doing self rehab it just comes down to going by feel and finding movements that you can safely do and continuing to progress those

Yeah, I get that. I went to a physiotherapist, and he told me I had damaged the lower part of my back and should avoid deadlift variations in the future. I haven’t really been doing any dedicated core work either, which probably hasn’t helped. I’m planning to add some in, but I’m not sure how to structure it. Would you recommend just basic planks/leg raises, or should I focus on something else? Also, if I avoid hinge movements completely, do you think that will create more issues long-term?

[kevinjonny]

What injury did you have?

Do you focus on your core strength? I have a couple of clients with spine issues due to past sports and focusing hard on their core work with exercises that fit them helps them stay pain free. So maybe focusing a little on that with some planks, leg raises and true bracing when lifting

You could start by trialling something with a little less risk like a low weight reverse hyper at the end of your lower sessions and aim to build that up to help strengthen the lower back over time

Hey Meg, I actually went to a physiotherapist, but it didn’t help much. He told me I had damaged the lower part of my back and should avoid deadlift variations in the future. He gave me some movements to do, but they only helped a little bit—not much at all.

I’ve also skipped core work almost entirely, except for when bracing during heavy lifts, which in hindsight is probably really stupid. I’m going to start incorporating it now, but I’m unsure about the best exercises and approach. Would you suggest training core every session or just on lower body days? Also, do you think skipping indirect lower back work entirely would be a bad idea?

You mentioned reverse hypers, but my gym doesn’t have a reverse hyper machine. Would back extensions be a good alternative, or do you think I should look for something else?

Also, what do you think of the training volume I suggested in my post? I feel like it makes sense, but I might be overlooking something.