Lower Back Stretching

[powerlifer]

Hey all, ok im having some lower back tightness that gets aggravated on squats, deadlifts and even bent over rows to some extent.

I think it might actually be the root cause of my IT band syndrome which is another pain in the you know what for preventing me from lifting at times.

Anyway i cant find one stretch that actually hits my lower back. Any input is appreciated.

[JP]

i dont know much, but with a history of dicky back more important than stretching, at least in the lifting game, have been various warm up, mobility and rehab movements.

Plus a copious amounts of deep heat.

Shake them hips man!

[powerlifer]

I do a fair amount of warming up as im pretty prone to injury it seems. I will check out some mobility and rehab movements cheers.

Its not even that ive got a bad back it just seems to get really tight and the foam roller helps abit but could do with some localized stretches. All the ones i know of and those ive found online just dont seem to hit it properly.

[ultra_whippet]

Agree with JP that warm-up & mobility are really important. I definitely would not recommend doing any flexion stretches for low back, but if you want some good decompression stretches then google "ELDOA stretching". They are very complicated and fiddly to get right but amazing if you do. This book goes into them in a bit more detail.

[Linnéa76]

I find that yoga poses with spine rotation seem to stretch the lower back in a good way,
like this one:
http://www.yoga.com/ydc/enlighten/enlig ... =9&cat=149

You can also try this variation of the pigeon pose:
http://www.yogacards.com/yoga-postures- ... se-dw.html

[ultra_whippet]

I would be very wary of that first one in particular, as it's forcing your lumbar spine into excessive rotation. There is only about 13 degrees of rotation available at the lumbar spine, if you try for anything more then you're just putting excessive pressure on the facet joints.

[Linnéa76]

I would be very wary of that first one in particular, as it's forcing your lumbar spine into excessive rotation. There is only about 13 degrees of rotation available at the lumbar spine, if you try for anything more then you're just putting excessive pressure on the facet joints.

Yes but for most people it would be a very small movement, and of course always in a controlled manner and listening to your body etc etc.

The yoga freaks modelling for the pictures can make it look a bit extreme...