Hurt my back.. What gives.

keithgeiling

keithgeiling

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So I'm at the gym last Saturday doing my leg workout and because I only did a few sets of front squats instead of my traditional back squats, I thought I would do a few sets of leg press on machine at end of workout and call it a day.. So the first set I'm going steady pace but not real heavy and a twinge in my lower back at about rep 7.. I knew instant I strained something so I stopped immediately and of course when my muscles cooled down, it hurt like a b**ch. so I guess my question is has anybody tweaked back doing leg press (machine or otherwise)? Should I wear a belt for a bit even on leg press machine? I was going to start new program Saturday with legs but scared to hit the weights heavy? My back is still a little sore today and hoping by Saturday if I wear belt I can go a little harder??? Anybody have advise or back pain story from leg press?
 
herderdude

herderdude

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If you have any concerns, don't belt up, see a doctor.

Next step: Find out why you hurt your back doing leg press. Namely, what did you do wrong with your positioning? What mobility and stability issues caused you to have improper positioning? Once you find out those things, you can take steps to ensure it never happens again. Otherwise it will happen every week like clockwork. Trust me.

I would NOT belt up for the sake of moving weight. When I threw out my back squatting, it was so bad I couldn't walk for a few days, I started over with just the bar and I packed my belt away so I wouldn't be tempted to lean on the belt for the extra poundage. It took me almost a month to be comfortable deadlifting anything over 135, but two months after that, I hit a 500# pull again.
 
keithgeiling

keithgeiling

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If you have any concerns, don't belt up, see a doctor. Next step: Find out why you hurt your back doing leg press. Namely, what did you do wrong with your positioning? What mobility and stability issues caused you to have improper positioning? Once you find out those things, you can take steps to ensure it never happens again. Otherwise it will happen every week like clockwork. Trust me. I would NOT belt up for the sake of moving weight. When I threw out my back squatting, it was so bad I couldn't walk for a few days, I started over with just the bar and I packed my belt away so I wouldn't be tempted to lean on the belt for the extra poundage. It took me almost a month to be comfortable deadlifting anything over 135, but two months after that, I hit a 500# pull again.
Thanks for advice. I have tweaked my back a few times back in the day. ( nothing too serious) so Im usually careful with form on the heavier movements like squats and deads. But I figure on something more simple I was probably not even close to using good form? That leg press machine will intimidate me when I jump onto it. So I think very light progression is the way to go.:
 

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