A bad back is the most common reason people give for not training, and one of the best reasons to start, done properly.
Section
What we ask first
What happened, what makes it worse, what makes it better, and whether you have seen anyone about it. If there are red flags or it is acute, Stevie will point you to a physio or GP before you lift anything.
Movements that usually help
- Hip hinges with a kettlebell, taught slowly, so the hips do the work and the back does not.
- Carries: farmer carries and suitcase carries build a trunk that holds you up.
- Rows and pulls for a stronger upper back.
- Split squats and goblet squats for legs without spinal load.
What we hold back
Heavy back squats, conventional deadlifts from the floor, and anything ballistic until the basics are solid and pain-free. That can be weeks or months. Nobody is timed.
The catch
Most backs get better with graded, coached strength work and worse with rest and fear. But coaching is not physiotherapy. If you need a physio, you will be told.
The first four weeks, roughly
Weeks one and two are hinge patterns, carries and rows at light loads, learning to brace before every rep. Weeks three and four add weight to the hinge and bring in the goblet squat and split squat. Nothing goes overhead or under a barbell until the pattern is right, and "right" is decided by how you feel the next morning, not by how the set looked.
What we do not do
No sit-ups, no loaded twisting, no rounded-back deadlifts, no "push through it". If a movement produces the pain you came in with, it is swapped that session, not next week. A tight or tired back after a session is normal; a sharp or nervy one is a message to Stevie the same day.
When to see someone else first
Pain that goes down a leg, numbness, pins and needles, or a back that has been bad for less than a fortnight: physio or GP first, then bring their notes. Coaching works alongside treatment, not instead of it.