Weight Training
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I had back surgery performed one year ago to repair a herniated disk (L4) in my lower back. I was told to rest for 9 months to allow it to heal. My sciatic nerve was pinched when my disk herniated and I have no reflex in my left leg (cannot do a toe raise with my left leg). I was told it will take time for the nerve to heal. About 3 months ago, I started working out again. I am having a hard time doing any back exercises (especially back raises, which are difficult to do and cause pain to the point where I need a couple of days rest to recoup). Could you suggest a suitable workout program for me which will help me lose weight and strengthen my back. I am 24 years and 6'1" and currently weigh around 225lbs. My workout program currently looks like this.
Monday
30min stairmaster+30min treadmill
Chest: incline, decline, and normal bench+pec-flye
Tri: tri pressdown, reverse pressdown, kickbacks, tri extension
Abs
Tuesday
30min stairmaster+30min treadmill
Shoulder: bent-over lateral raise, front raise, lateral raise, shrugs, upright row
Wednesday
30min stairmaster+30min treadmill
Back: one arm dumbbell row, back raises, seated rowing
Bi: concentration curl, bicep curl, reverse curl, hammer curl
Abs
Thursday is a repeat of Monday
Friday I do the same cardio and biceps and shoulders.
Satuday and Sunday are rest days.
I do three sets and 10 reps of each. I do not do my legs because of the reflex problem and because (aside from the reflex) they have been strong my whole life. I will be honest and say that I do cheat sometimes and do less or no cardio on certain days (I am a full time student, you'd be surprised how draining it is). Also, as I mentioned, I do stop for a couple days when back pain persists. I do eat right. Please provide detailed info on what I can do to reach approximately 200lbs of hard muscle with no fears of having a weak back.
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Hey there training student,
There are a couple of things you could add to your routine to ensure a strong back, and there are a couple of things that you could remove because of their hindrance on the back.
ADD: Core Stability Exercises. This is a difficult term to explain. It would be best to ask a professional in your gym to give you some 'core stability' exercises or to look into this term further for more explanation. But basically it works on stabilizing the muscles that support your lower vertebrae. It is important for all recovering back injuries to incorporate these exercises into a daily routine.
Secondly, I didn't see any inclusion of abdominal exercises. Again, very important. One tip here, stay away from decline abs.
SUBTRACT: Shrugs have gone out the door. Research has shown that shrugs do very little to contribute to your strength or overall body composition. You would be better off doing pull-ups on a bar or 'gravitron' machine.
SUBTRACT: Back Raises. If this is the exercise that requires you to bend over an apparatus and lift 10-20 times, then it isn't the one for you. This exercise causes more injuries than it fixes, especially if you have already had surgery. Core Stability exercises will take the place of this.
I don't know how much luck you have had losing weight, but your routine sounds good. Just make sure you rest enough. Don't get confident to the point where you lift too heavy and risk injuring your back again. People are often never given a second chance for recovery.
Personal Trainer
YMCA, Edmonton, Alberta
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