Your lower back twinged during deadlifts, or it has been aching since a heavy squat session. When strength training is part of your routine, the thought of stopping can be frustrating. For most recent back pain, you do not need to stop lifting. Adjusting your exercises and load for a while can help your back settle while you keep training.

Why lifting is not the enemy

It is common to worry that lifting caused the pain and will make it worse. But your back is strong and built to bend and lift. Most recent back pain in people who train comes from a temporary overload, like a heavier session, a new exercise or less recovery than usual, rather than damage.

Exercise, including strength training, is one of the most helpful things for back pain. Staying active usually helps it settle more quickly than rest. It is also common for a sore back to feel stiffer the morning after a heavy session, then ease as you warm up. That pattern on its own is not a sign of damage.

Reading how your back responds

A simple traffic-light check can guide your training:

• Green. No pain, or a mild ache that settles within an hour. Carry on.
• Amber. An ache that lingers into the evening but has settled by the next morning. Keep training at the same level rather than adding more.
• Red. Your back is sorer or stiffer the next morning. Ease back next session.

Adjusting your exercises

You can usually keep training by swapping or adjusting the exercises that bother your back most. Some ideas:

• Swap barbell deadlifts for hip thrusts or bridges, which work similar muscles with less load on the back.
• Swap back squats for goblet squats or box squats, holding the weight in front of you.
• Swap bent-over rows for chest-supported rows, lying face down on an incline bench.
• Use machines, like leg presses and lat pulldowns, which support your back.
• Reduce the range of movement, like squatting to a higher box.

Adjusting your load

You do not always need to change exercises. Sometimes reducing the load is enough:

• Drop the weight for a week or two and focus on control.
• Reduce the number of sets.
• Slow the movement down, taking about three seconds to lower.
• Leave out heavy singles and max attempts for now.

Single-leg work

Single-leg exercises, like split squats, step-ups and single-leg hip hinges with a light weight, let you train your legs hard with less load through your back. They can be a useful way to keep your leg strength up while heavier lifts are on hold.

What you can keep

Most of your training can carry on. Upper body work, like presses and pulls with your back supported, usually feels fine. Lunges, step-ups and single-leg work can often continue at a lighter load. If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of lunges, bridges and sit to stands you can use at your own pace.

Warming up

A thorough warm-up can help your back feel more ready for training. Something to try:

• Walk or cycle for five minutes.
• On your hands and knees, slowly round your back up, then let it gently dip down.
• Lying on your back, gently rock your knees from side to side.
• Do a few light sets of your first exercise before adding weight.

If you would like a guided stretch, VIDA has short videos you can follow at your own pace.

Outside the gym

Moving regularly through the day helps your back recover between sessions. Breaking up long spells of sitting, taking short walks and changing position often all help. VIDA’s Pomodoro stretches, in the top right corner, can remind you to pause during focused work.

Building back up

When your back has been in the green for a week or so, you could start bringing back what you changed, one thing at a time. Start with a lighter load than before and build up over a few weeks. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your back responds.

What to take away

• Most recent back pain in people who train comes from temporary overload, not damage.
• Keep training, adjusting exercises and load rather than stopping.
• Use the traffic-light check to guide each session.
• Swap deadlifts and back squats for back-friendly options for now.
• Bring back heavier lifts gradually, one at a time.

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