Upper back problems with squatting - JP Fitness Forums

vintage · 08-30-2007, 01:50 PM

Hello everyone,

I am a relative novice to the world of NROL and weight lifting in general. I have been an amateur road cyclist for about 4 years but have found it is not conducive to overall fitness; in other words I had strong legs but a weedy upper body.
This leads me onto my problem. At the moment I am doing the last leg of the FL I program dropping down to 10 reps with 45 sec rests. 6 weeks ago I started doing squats with 44kg and I am now up to 61.5kg. My legs find this weight very manageable (no knee or lower back problems) but my upper back between the shoulder blades is struggling (where the neck joins the back). I get a numb uncomfortable pain in this area and it hurts my spine. I spend most of my day sitting down at work and get a pain in the same area. My motivation is waning and I am afraid of causing myself long term damage.
Does anyone have any advice or has anyone suffered a similar problem?

All feedback is much appreciated

Lisa~ · 08-30-2007, 02:11 PM

You've really answered your own question. Your upper body is a lot weaker than your lower body. After years of nothing buy cycling, it's possible that you might also have some kyphosis in your thoracic spine (hunchback posture) and maybe even some anterior tilt to your scapulae (winging). But it's hard to say without someone taking a look at your posture. It might be only an issue with strength.

For more on those potential postural issues, Inside-Out is a great resource. You can search the name on this website and find a lot of information about that manual and DVD.

My second thought is that maybe getting a chiropractor to take a look at you might be a good idea. You could at least figure out what the problem really is.

Pman · 08-30-2007, 03:00 PM

It may take a bit of time for your upper body to catch up with your lower body. On top of all that Lisa mentioned you may have to lessen the load until your upper body catches up.

vintage · 08-31-2007, 01:21 AM

Thanks for the replies there guys. Your comments regarding posture Lisa are pretty much spot on. I have developed mild curvature of the spine and definitely have a slight hunch in my posture with my shoulders leaning forward.
Do you think that strength training will remedy this situation?

I can only manage about 20 chest to ground push ups which suggests to me that my upper body might need time to catch up but because my legs are relatively long (and slender) for my height (inseam 87cm at 6 feet tall) I think flexibility might also be an issue.

Its a damn shame as squats are my favourite exercise I think I will have to visit a medical professional before continuing.

Thank you once again

ravewings · 09-21-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintage

Hello everyone,

I am a relative novice to the world of NROL and weight lifting in general. I have been an amateur road cyclist for about 4 years but have found it is not conducive to overall fitness; in other words I had strong legs but a weedy upper body.
This leads me onto my problem. At the moment I am doing the last leg of the FL I program dropping down to 10 reps with 45 sec rests. 6 weeks ago I started doing squats with 44kg and I am now up to 61.5kg. My legs find this weight very manageable (no knee or lower back problems) but my upper back between the shoulder blades is struggling (where the neck joins the back). I get a numb uncomfortable pain in this area and it hurts my spine. I spend most of my day sitting down at work and get a pain in the same area. My motivation is waning and I am afraid of causing myself long term damage.
Does anyone have any advice or has anyone suffered a similar problem?

All feedback is much appreciated

I have some sound advice for you. Going to the doctor to see what problem you have in your spine will be helpful meanwhile the workout must go on. I suggest you use the Squat Strap. it's just as intense as a regular squat with no stress on the spine.

www.squatstrap.com

I hope this helps,

Angelo Bonavera

OldGuy · 09-22-2007, 06:57 AM

OMG. Don't waste you money on that piece of crap. The ad copy alone shows they have no understanding of what a squat is or does.

Follow Lisa's advice. Get yourself checked out and start doing some research what your problem may be. You could also go over to T-Nation and look up a series called "Neanderthal No More". It was a series on posture related issues and the authors gave suggestions on how to fix them.

Hunter · 09-24-2007, 07:05 AM

Squat Strap!!? Keep your lame spam to yourself, "Angelo."

Did you watch that video? His legs are nowhere near parallel, and you have to lean ridiculously far forward to keep the thing on your hips.

ravewings · 10-03-2007, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldGuy

OMG. Don't waste you money on that piece of crap. The ad copy alone shows they have no understanding of what a squat is or does.

Follow Lisa's advice. Get yourself checked out and start doing some research what your problem may be. You could also go over to T-Nation and look up a series called "Neanderthal No More". It was a series on posture related issues and the authors gave suggestions on how to fix them.

Getting yourself checked is great really, but you'll still want a way to work your legs out despite any back problems., I have a back problem myself and this is what I use. I'm just spreading the word. If you have an argument please present it. Don't waste forum space with empty insults. If you have a question or don't understand something I've said ask me nicely and I will answer. I'm here to help. Ask me and I'll try to answer your questions.

Angelo
squat strap

ravewings · 10-03-2007, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

Squat Strap!!? Keep your lame spam to yourself, "Angelo."

Did you watch that video? His legs are nowhere near parallel, and you have to lean ridiculously far forward to keep the thing on your hips.

Hmmm parallel... In regular squats bending your legs till your thighs are parallel to the floor give you a 90 degree squat. 90 degree leg bend is the safest and most efficient form for squats, extension, curls etc. if you look at my video you will see the 90 degree bend. The thighs aren't parallel to the ground because you're positioned farther forward then you are in a standard squat. I'm not trying to scam anyone here I injured my back doing regular squats (like a lot of people have) and I was forced to find an alternative. It's the truth what do you want me to say huh?.. Turn your hater switch off and think about what I'm offering here, free weight alternatives for a leg workout that doesn't involve the spine! good.. it's a good thing..

I hope this explains things more. If you have questions go ahead and ask. I can answer them, because I use it and it works.

Squat Strap

Hunter · 10-03-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravewings

I hope this explains things more. If you have questions go ahead and ask. I can answer them, because I use it and it works.

You have no credibility when your only 3 posts are hocking a piece of exercise equipment. Here's a question: do you gain in any way from the sale of the squat strap? (Honestly, I hope the truthful answer is "no".)

OldGuy · 10-03-2007, 08:23 AM

Like Hunter said you have zero credibility on this. Every one of your posts has links to your product. You're a spammer.

If you are having back issues then you need to find out what they are and how to correct them. The squat not only works the legs but also activates your core, which can help with the back issues. Plus there are single leg exercises that would serve you better than using that strap.

Also, you can note that on a good squat, with the thighs parallel to the floor, the angle at the knee is less than 90 degrees.

You may want to check out this thread for proper technique.

ravewings · 10-12-2007, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hunter

You have no credibility when your only 3 posts are hocking a piece of exercise equipment. Here's a question: do you gain in any way from the sale of the squat strap? (Honestly, I hope the truthful answer is "no".)

Credibility? I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you understand what I said. I'm just using standard knowledge, research what I'm saying and see.

ravewings · 10-12-2007, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Like Hunter said you have zero credibility on this. Every one of your posts has links to your product. You're a spammer.

If you are having back issues then you need to find out what they are and how to correct them. The squat not only works the legs but also activates your core, which can help with the back issues. Plus there are single leg exercises that would serve you better than using that strap.

Also, you can note that on a good squat, with the thighs parallel to the floor, the angle at the knee is less than 90 degrees.

You may want to check out this thread for proper technique.

Your legs in proper squat are pretty much considered parallel with the floor but not quite. The goal is to get 90 degree knee bend. Any more and you aren't increasing your leg workout significanty and you are increasing the stress on your knees significantly.
Check this thread out
click here

Squats are a better overall leg workout then Squat Strap, but as far as purely working the quads, I think the Squat Strap is better. If you want to challenge that you'll have to use fact or be specific.

Squat Strap is just like a Squat only more forward, focusing more on your quad leg muscles not your back.

Hunter · 10-12-2007, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravewings

Credibility? I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you understand what I said. I'm just using standard knowledge, research what I'm saying and see.

You didn't answer my question.

tbrim20 · 10-19-2007, 02:39 PM

Please... Do not use the "Squat Strap" unless you have nothing better to do with your money than give it to a Physical Therapist. It does not promote a natural squat motion and all you will be doing is teaching your body how to squat improperly. This will lead to you squatting improperly in every day life further making you prone to injury.

You are only as strong as your weakest link in the kinetic chain. If you use this strap and develop strong legs, what does that get you? Nothing! In order for a squat to carry over into you daily activity, you must develop all of the musculature associated with the squat motion(abdominals, lumbar extensors, thoracic extensors, transverso-spinal, etc). By neglecting abdominals and back musculature, you will still not be able to stabilize your spine in every day life. So in reality, you might have strong legs but when you go to lift anything in your daily life, you will most certainly hurt your back due to these imbalances.

Another imbalance this thing will cause is in your hip flexors(psoas). As can be seen from the video, this thing forces you to bend over to the point that introduces anterior pelvic tilt. This will cause you to develop anterior pelvic tilt in your daily posture. Another result is that your hip flexors will work more and become tighter and shorter. That will result in your Quadratus Lumborum to become shortened which will all lead to lower back pain.

You can also see in the video that his head posture is bad which is over-working his cervical extensors which will lead to forward head posture and eventually more back pain.

Conclusion... Squat Strap = Hurt Back.

If you hurt your back by squatting in the first place, then you obviously were not squatting properly. You must first learn how to squat with proper form, and then you must only squat with as much weight and through the ROM in which you can maintain proper form.

Back to the original poster...

Like Lisa said, it is hard to recommend anything without first assessing the person and discovering the true issue(s). But if the only problem is that you are kyphotic and are having trouble maintaining thoracic extension through the squat, then you need to do 3 things.

#1 Most important... Fix your bad posture. Bad posture = muscle imbalances which will lead to injury.

#2 Also, very important... Only Squat as much weight as you can without pain and with proper form.

#3 Incorporate Front Squats... These will force you to use your thoracic extensors throughout the lift. In other words, you will no longer be able to squat once your thoracic extensors(upper back) become fatigued(This is when you should stop or you will promote further muscle imbalances).