One day, you wake up and your back hurts.  You hope it will go away but the pain persists.  Eventually, you go to the doctor who sends you for a scan.  And lo and behold, they discover that you have a bulging disc!  And it's right where you are experiencing pain.  The obvious conclusion is that your back pain is due to the bulging disc.  Case closed. 

But wait one moment.  How can you be certain that the pain is due to the bulging disc?  Well, you never had pain before but, did it start with the bulging of the disc?  How do you know the disc bulge and pain began at the same time?  Unless you scanned your spine before the pain began, you really don’t know.  But who scans a healthy spine? 

Well, researchers have scanned spines of healthy individuals with no back pain and can you guess what they found?  That’s right, they discovered large percentages of people living with no back pain despite having bulging discs!  What’s more, scans of folks suffering from back pain often return showing no bulging discs at all.  So, what we have is a large population of people living with bulging discs but no back pain and an equal proportion of people with anatomically healthy spines suffering from chronic back pain. 

The correlation between bulging discs and back pain is tenuous at best.  And the older you get, the higher the likelihood that you have bulging discs whether or not you have back pain.  And strangely, folks over 60, those most likely to have bulging discs, report less back pain than people in their 40’s and 50’s.    

So, what’s going on here?  Yes, you have a bulging disc but that is not why you have back pain.  Known triggers for back pain include prolonged sitting, stress and inflammation associated with poor diet, stress, sedentarism and lack of sleep.  Where will you feel this inflammation first?  Wherever a bulging disc protrudes from the spine and presses on a nerve.  But, as the studies show, a disc bulge is not required to experience back pain.  The above factors can contribute to back pain even in the absence of a bulge.

Now let’s tackle some of the misconceptions surrounding back pain:

1. Lifting is not more dangerous for your back than sitting.  Sitting is more strongly associated with back issues than lifting.  As your coach I want to emphasize that lifting with correct mechanics and appropriate intensity is key to preserving back health.

2. Exercise does not increase but has been demonstrated to reduce back pain.  Your body heals through movement!

3. Rest slows recovery.  No, I do not recommend exercising during the acute phase of any back flare up. The first day or two you are best to stick with walking or other low impact movements that do not trigger pain but, the sooner you can get moving, the faster your pain will dissipate.  With the proviso that you do not engage in movements that aggravate your back.

4. Avoid overloading or training under fatigue.  Volume is not your friend.  When recovering from back pain, you do not want your movement mechanics breaking down. 

5.  Stretching is not your best bet.  Mobility is great but don’t overdo it.  We want to mobilize the hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes and other muscles that tie into your spine while strengthening the muscles of your trunk so that you can better brace your spine. 

We also want to get your glutes firing efficiently.  Back pain is strongly associated with poor glute and hip function.  Exercises that help you engage the glutes can be very protective for your back - if you do them correctly!  The hip extension is one such exercise, take your time, keep your midline rigid and really emphasize the squeeze at the top.  

Monday
For large classes we will start in different stations.

We will cap your double under time at 3 minutes.  Whatever number you hit in round one will be the number of double unders you perform in rounds 2 and 3.

We will share the GHDs for hip extensions.  When you need a break, get off and let someone else have a turn.  Focus on form rather than speed.  Make sure your glutes are doing the work, not your low back.  Make sure you are rising all the way to parallel to the floor.   

Warm Up
3 rounds (1 min each):
Skip
Hip Extension Hold
Row
Glute Bridge Hold

Tech
Hip Extensions
1. Set up: hips free to move
2. Glutes only: trunk remains rigid
3. Full ROM: rise until parallel with the floor

WOD
3 Rounds
400/500m Row
120 DU
40 Hip Extensions