Hurt Back... Ideas for leg training

[DCHMUSCLE88]

I hurt my lower back squatting, any suggestions for what my leg day should consist of... Thanks

[Diabetic Muscle]

Pre-fatigue with leg ext then move to leg press just make sure you don't let your butt come out of the seat or you will just aggravate the issue. Might try hack squats but that just depends on what you actually injured in your lower back. Laying leg curls and seated should take care of your hamstrings.

[ob205]

How do you think you hurt your back squatting? Was it excessive loading or form? If it was from loading, once you feel your back is recovered, you can switch to Front Squats for 6-8 weeks. For one, you can only use about 60-70% of the load you could on a back squat, and two, i feel it keeps the body more upright so less pressure is felt on the low back. Just my .02, hard to really say for sure without knowing the severity of injury.

[lomox]

I've had 2 lower back surgeries. I like the pre-exhaust extentions, supersetted with leg press. On the leg press keep your hands in front of you instead of on the handles or at your side. For some reason this take a little more pressure off the lower back. Also, if you are just avaoiding heavy squats you can do a set after ht eleg press as part of a giant set. By that time you should need 1 plate per side max to get 15-20 reps.

[Mike Hunt]

Front Squats.You can also try doing front squats on a smith machine.

[Blue and Gold]

This may sound slightly retarded, but I have been doing wall sits between sets of squats and they are absolutly burning out my legs. Back flat againsit the wall and knees at 90 degrees, then hold there for as long as you can.

[dropshot001]

front squats, leg extensions, leg press (with butt on the seat, not rolling off/up)

[Gerb]

I tore three discs in Feb. L3/L4, L4/L5, L5/S1. In the beginning it was very difficult to train legs. Leg extens, adductor, abductor, and single leg leg presses with the other leg out straight was all I could do. It took 3 months just to be able to leg press with both legs.

I am slowly healing up but have had one set back along the way from trying to rush things when I was feeling good. If it is disc related, discs take 6months - 18months to heal depending on what you did.

I am pretty much up to speed again but I still can not back squat, front squat, hack squat. If it is disc related injury, you should not squat until you know 100% you are fully recovered.

My current quad workout is as follows:

Leg Exten
45 Degree Leg Press
Walking Lunges
Leg Exten

I split hams and quads on different days so for hams I do:

Kneeling Leg Curl
Seated Leg Curl
Adductor

edit: Also, sissy squats and wall sits are very good

[Plates]

I tore three discs in Feb. L3/L4, L4/L5, L5/S1. In the beginning it was very difficult to train legs. Leg extens, adductor, abductor, and single leg leg presses with the other leg out straight was all I could do. It took 3 months just to be able to leg press with both legs.

I am slowly healing up but have had one set back along the way from trying to rush things when I was feeling good. If it is disc related, discs take 6months - 18months to heal depending on what you did.

I am pretty much up to speed again but I still can not back squat, front squat, hack squat. If it is disc related injury, you should not squat until you know 100% you are fully recovered.

My current quad workout is as follows:

Leg Exten
45 Degree Leg Press
Walking Lunges
Leg Exten

I split hams and quads on different days so for hams I do:

Kneeling Leg Curl
Seated Leg Curl
Adductor

edit: Also, sissy squats and wall sits are very good

Do you feel any compression on your lower back at all during leg presses? Im currently battling extreme lower back pain and am I've been watching this thread pretty close. How does your routine lay out over the week?

[militantmuscle]

I'd be really careful with 45 degree leg presses (use weight that is light for you), unless you find out exactly what the problem is. Do leg extensions/lunges until you get it checked out, if you have specialized leg press machines at your gym that do not require you to be at a 45 degree angle (preferably seated) than you can perform those as well.

[Gerb]

Do you feel any compression on your lower back at all during leg presses? Im currently battling extreme lower back pain and am I've been watching this thread pretty close. How does your routine lay out over the week?

when i first started, yes, i felt alot of pain. i had three major torn discs so pretty much anything, just piking up a 20lbs db hurt my back, benching, pretty much everything.

however, after 3 or 4 weeks I started doing extremely light One-Leg Leg Press on the LifeFitness leg press. The key is to let the other leg hang down straight. This allowed me to press without any rotation in the hips. After a few weeks I started going heavier and heavier and had zero back issues with this exercise. THE BIG KEY is you do not want your hips to rotate. Your butt has got to stay planted. Throw ROM out the window. Only press in a range that feels safe for you and screw what anyone says.

After a couple months I switched back over to the 45 degree press. I started one leg for awhile but finally switched over to 2 legs. I keep my feet fairly high and I the seat forward. I try to touch thighs to my chest but I only go as low as I feel comfortable keeping my butt planted without my lower back rounding and coming off the pad. That will kill the back.

You mentioned compression. Compression has never been an issue for me on LP, the issue has always been rotation and the "pull" on the lower discs. My back has got to stay flat. Does it limit ROM, sure, but in our case, it is the only way.

My weekly split is:

Mon- Chest/Calves
Tues- Hams/Inner Thigh/Biceps/Forearms
Wed- Back/Rear Delts/Core
Thur- Shoulders/Triceps/traps
Fri- Quads/Calves
Sat- OFF + core
Sun-OFF

Prior to my injury I was pretty strong, relatively, on my legs. After the injury I had to start from scratch. I was leg pressing silly weight like 1 plate per side LOL. Talk about an ego killer. But what I have found is that IF you rehab (I have had over 30 Chiro visits in this time period) and do all the core and low back exercise as well as stretching, your discs can heal and you can get back to pressing training legs hard. After about 5 months I was ack to pressing heavy, 1350lbs on the leg press in the form I outlined above. Recently I have max'd the machine out at 1640lbs. All this with a hurt back, I still can't squat, but I have found ways to train around the injury.

Walking lunges with a shorter step keep more on the quads. Just go till you fall over, that is one set, do three. They work. Stuff like that. I do alot of drop sets on Leg Exten too.

[Gerb]

I'd be really careful with 45 degree leg presses (use weight that is light for you), unless you find out exactly what the problem is. Do leg extensions/lunges until you get it checked out, if you have specialized leg press machines at your gym that do not require you to be at a 45 degree angle (preferably seated) than you can perform those as well.

The LifeFitness is a good one for this and wat I started back on.

[jeff_hardy]

I would still back squat. maybe adjust the weight and the form a little i.e. slower or going on a smith machine. the squat does more than build legs. Its an all body builder. I always believe that if you dont use it, you'll lose it

I agree with everyone, per exhausting, supersets etc to avold the heavy weight but get as good or not better workout

[dropshot001]

one leg leg presses are good at not putting a lot of pressure on the back. just make sure to do the weaker leg first and match reps with the stronger one.

[Ronnie Rowland]

It varies amongst individuals. Any form of leg press just kills my back. My best exercise is the hammer squat machine were you use a pin to make weight adjustments. Our other hammer v squat machine were you add 45 lb plates does not support my back very well at all.

Also pre-exhausting the legs can weaken the quads-hence put more strain on lower back during compound exercises!