Why your back hurts when you exercise
and KB swing tips
The common thing I see with chronic back pain is NOT that your back is weak, but
Your back is tired
And what likely happens is you over use your back for things that require the hips.
I recently had a call with someone and we discussed back pain and kettlebell (kb) swings.
So like I always do, I say
“Can you show me”
Luckily he had his kb right there so he did.
His technique was good, only 1 thing stood out.
I’ll cover that and 2 other issues I see with swings that cause pain.
And i’ll share how to fix them (he was #3)
NOTE: i’m discussing kb swings, but this applies to RDLs and Deadlifts, and anything classified as a ‘hinge’
#1 not having the Hips finish first
This is the most common technique Issue.
Hip extension DRIVES the kb
Pulling with the arms OVER WORKS the back to fix. This makes mechanic sense, if you’re leaning forward and you try to pull something form behind you with your arms, your back will do most of the work
The fix - PATIENCE
Keep the arms connected to the hips for as long as possible.
You’ll notice the arms don’t need to do any pulling.
#2 Being squatty and not hinge-y
The swing is a HINGE, so you want to get your nipples pointed towards the ground.
There’s multiple reasons why people don’t hinge. Here’s some:
short legs (makes it easy to squat)
you’ve been brainwashed to think “back straight” means being upright
have no clue what your body is doing
fear
Being upright will make your back work harder. So it would be like holding something in place versus moving something through a full ROM.
In additional using the full hinge pattern puts more power on the swing.
Some people can handle being more upright.
This doesn’t make it right or wrong - but the fact remains that your back is working more than it needs to.
#3 Leaning back
I see this all the time with other hinge patterns (rdl, deadlift)
You shove the hips forward and lean back to “finish” the movement.
The goal of a swing/hinge is hip extension, not MORE lumbar extension.
This is not necessary.
To fix It, just FEEL the glute flex.
Be less tired
Like I stated in the beginning, your back is tired, not weak.
It could be both. Then doing the technique fixes above will still solve your problem.
You don’t work the same body part every day, so why would you work the low back that way?
Remember to move today
Bengal
If this looks familiar it’s because it’s a tweet I sent out yesterday.
Go check the tweet here (LINK)
Like and share it for me. Comment if you realize it’s mistakes you’ve made or are making.