Corsaire

My lower back has been preventing me from climbing to my full potential in the last few past weeks. It didn't bothered me much during the peak summer season as I was climbing real well, but as the season is winding down my lower back has started to protest loudly again, is not really so much about pain, but more about making my buttock and thigh muscles real tight and tense when doing the steep climbs I've been attempting as of lately, I know I'm in shape but once my muscles ( and I can feel it coming) tensed up from my lower back down I'm done, making me work up the hills twice as hard slowing me to almost a crawl.

I stretch a lot, do lower back extensions, a lot of abs work outs and still comes back, don't know what to do anymore. I've been doing what Mike Carmichael calls "Leg Muscle tension" work out for climbers or doing repeats on high gear to make me stronger, but unforunately some of those work-out leaves me sore in my lower back the next day, perhaps I shouldn't do them, very frustrating 'cause I really want to improve. I'v tried high cadence in lower gears too which is fine in short steep climbs, but when I get into the long climbs everything changes.

Any advise from you guys with back problems ?

Corsaire

merlinextraligh

I don't think you want to be doing a lot of muscle tension workouts back to back. They're hard on your joints, and your back. In my program I just do them in the early season phase, and it's rare that they're scheduled for more than once a week.

timmhaan

what's your form like when you climb? i have a natural tendency to stoop lower and rock my shoulders back and forth. sometime's it kills my back and it's a habit i'm trying to break. try sitting up as much as possible.

TCR

You whine about it, drop out of the tour, blood dope, get caught, and make up a lost twin defense.


OK, the only advice I can give is proper bike fit for your body. I used to have a huge drop in seat to bar height and it destroyed my lower back. I now have the seat/bars almost level and all back pain is gone.

Corsaire

I used to have my saddle to bar height at about 3 1/2 inch, now it's only 2 1/4 inch and it feels very comfortable, I doubt is it, but I could experiment with a higher bar to the saddle.

It's really frustrating to see other riders I know I could keep up with them under normal "back conditions" take off on me, very frustrating.

Do you think fast spinning would help if I put more emphasis on developing more aerobic capacity?

Corsaire

krazyderek

spinning is always a good idea on hills, do you stand or mostly sit? standing is great to stretch out, but don't do it continuously especially if you're a bigger guy cause you're really using your lowerback/glute's when you do, then factor in the fact that you're supporting your own weight standing, and the lower cadence compared to sitting, and it can really strain those muscles. For long long climbs, sit with a goood cadence, it might burn the legs a bit, but you can always stand up for 10 seconds to help switch things around.

Sounds like you're doing alot of good stuff, but how many days off do you take to just relax? Trainning is great, but muscle's can only take so much then you have to let them recover, regardless of what program you might be following, individuals vary, and maybe you should consider just taking a break for a week, let your batteries charge back up.

You might also want to find out some more excersizes to do for your back, i do 5 different kinds, ontop of 3 or 4 different ab excersizes, and of course lots of stretching for the hams, back, and abs.

I myself slacked off my back stretching and stengthening excersizes for a week during the summer and really started to feel the impacts the following week.

Hope that helps some.

F1_Fan

Lower the seat in 5mm increments until the pain is lessened, tilt the seat slightly forward and spin rather than grind. I've been recovering from a herniated disc in my lower back. I know all about climbing with back pain.

Keep your hamstrings stretched. It wouldn't hurt to consult with a sports physio and/or sports doctor. I'm lucky... my sports doctor works for the Cdn. Nat. Cycling and Rowing teams. He's able to give me both medical advice and bike position advice.

ImprezaDrvr

Fair advice if you've seen corsaire's position on the bike.

Corsaire

Then, how would you maintain your climbing power if you do them only at the start of the season. I feel
it has to be "sprinkled" at least every other week to maintain your climbing "shape".

Don't you think?

I do most of my climbing, specially the long climbs seating, and my saddle height is adjusted to where I feel my pedaling is fluid, w/o rocking from side to side and yet being able to heel down if necessary on the up stroke.

Corsaire

whitemax

I have had the same problem with back pain and I am what would be considered a good climber. My problem starts around mile 60 which doesnt bode well for the rest fo the century; really saps your strength. Hamstrings are believe it or not very important. Stretch them a lot before riding and do it even while watching tv. Something else you might try is to raise you shifters up a bit on the bar to improve your reach. Good luck.

merlinextraligh

The muscle tensions are part of building the base. As you progress into the season, you maintain, and build by doing climbing intervals, hill repeats. Higher intensity efforts, but also at higher rpm than the muscle tensions.

jslopez

Not an immediate fix but maybe a little core work is in order, some pialtes classes should help stregthen your back a bit.

Also overtraining may be an issue. I was riding a ton the last few months and started developing some weird knee pains. Took a few days off and changed my training schedule (so as to space my "hard rides" ) and I feel stronger than ever.

hi565

Now by lower back there is difference by what most people call it and what your lower back really is (I just learned this myself BTW)

The red area in that picture is where technically your lower back is, where the yellow is that is where your mid back is. Now distinguish if its truly lower back or mid back. (btw areas are estimates)

Now right now I am going through physically therapy for my back. And I found out through it that It is way way more than just stretching and strengthening your core, and some of your back. Its related to your shoulders and certain muscles in your back and in your core. If the problem really stays with you and doesn't go away I would highly reccomend seeing a physical therapists. I found out that this process for my back isnt going to be a quick ordeal at all btw.

I was also told by my physical therapist that If I didnt catch this back problem early like I am it could most likely keep me from riding if I didnt address it.

So look into it and see how it goes...

slvoid

Be careful about f'ing around with your seat, otherwise your back problems will turn into knee problems.
I fell hard on my ass exactly 10 days ago and as a result, I can't get out of bed in the morning. Every morning, I roll off my bed onto my knees, hands on the floor, and slowly push my back up, put my hand on a chair, and pull myself up. Then I stretch for 2-3 min before I can even walk. It was THAT bad, no joke, but yesterday I pulled off arugably the best hilly century I've ever done in my life, no pain.
I started wearing one of those large ace-bandages around my waist at work and at home and using a thermacare heating patch at night when I sleep so in the morning my lower back and pelvis remains supple. Ice it at night after I get home.

Corsaire

Sorry to hear that slvoid, hope you get better, once in the 90's hurt my back like that too, couln't get out of bed w/o pain (doing lunges the wrong way caused it) it went awy quickly but came back to bite me in the ass, in my back rather years later as a herniated disk.

Funny you say seat, I just discovered that my saddle is not level when looking from behind the bike (IT IS level profile wise) from the rear tire. Placed a bubble level on the wider part of the saddle and it just confirmed it. It goes down a bit like 5 degrees towards thw are where the right buttock is supposed to seat/rest.

Could this be my problem ? What's misaligning me, messing my back?

Corsaire