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| I am 25 years old and have been weight training seriously, for 10 years. Recently I have been having problems with my lower back. Occasionally, the next day after a workout, it will hurt or become stiff. For being as young as I am, I should not be having these problems. I am afraid, that if I continue, I will seriously damage my back. Weight training is a hobby of mine and I really like doing it. I like the feeling I get during the workout and I like the body its given me. I was talking to a friend of mine and he said, that yoga might help my back problems. Yoga sounds like it could be a challenge and I wouldn't mind doing it, but I don't want to give up the weight training. I guess I'm afraid that if I stopped the weight training and tryed yoga, I would shrink and lose all that I've worked for. What do you guys think? I'm open to any suggestions, ideas, and opinions. |
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| Hi Brian! Welcome!
A couple of questions: where does it hurt (low back, middle, neck)? Have you worked with a trainer or teacher that could observe your form and see why your back might be bothering you? Do you do your primary weight training on free weights or machines? Standing up or sitting down? What is the frequency & duration of your workouts? What else do you do to work out, if anything? What do you do for a living (i.e. do you hunch over a computer all day, or stand up at a counter)?
Assuming that your back pain is mainly due to your weight training (which it may not be), I would guess that it is either because a) your posture is not as good as it could be while you lift, or b) overtraining certain muscles has resulted in tightness in some areas and weakness in others. In either of these cases, adding a yoga practice to your routine would probably help you immensely.
Yoga is great for your posture and alignment, AND for becoming aware of your posture and alignment. You may not even realize the position of your back while you are lifting, or what muscles you should use to support yourself in order to avoid straining the spine. In yoga class, you will learn a lot about alignment and about listening to your body, being more aware of how you are positioned.
Also, muscles that are training hard need to be stretched. For example, if you have very strong/tight hamstrings, that could be pulling your lower back out of alignment. Regular deep stretching to keep the hamstrings long, and to equalize the strength in your back, will help keep your back in perfect alignment and avoid strain. Hamstrings are just an example, there are a lot of muscles involved in your posture.
Pilates has helped immensely with my sacro-iliac pain, but in my case it was primarily due to flabby abs not doing their part to hold my body up - I doubt that is the case with you. However, you might not be fully engaging your core muscles (esp. abs) when you are lifting, which causes your back muscles to pick up undue slack. Since you're probably not weak in the abs, yoga would help you to start being conscious of how your abdominals are engaging while you train. Pilates is fun too, though, don't knock it til you try it!
The main thing is, if your doctor has not advised to to stop weight training, there's no reason you should give it up completely and switch to yoga. There are forms of yoga that really build strength, but they won't get you "big" like weights. If that's what you like, yoga will add a perfect balance to your workout.
DO find a good teacher and tell him/her your concerns before you start, so that your particular situation can be addressed properly! And let us know how it goes! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Welcome Brian - we have lots of fitness-oriented people here with lots of knowledge so I'm sure you'll get even more good advice. I agree - don't quit lifting, just add yoga.
One thing I have done lately in regard to form is to use my digital camera to take short videos while I do poses. It has been very instructive! Some things my teachers have taled about for a long time have become clearer when I see myself doing them on video. You might want to give that a try. |
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| one word --------YOGA IS AWSOME 
..................  O AND WELCOME  |
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| This is a great question. Thanks for posing it.
Let me respond generally this way:
You're 25 and as such appropriately rooted in your ego, which is reflected for you in your external body. To be expected really. And this attachment would make letting go of weight training and this chiseled body you like looking at quite difficult. (which you've stated already)
I don't think weight training is a hobby for you. I think it's far more and you've either understated it or you have yet to discover/admit it. Either way, based on your text I think weight training is more than a hobby in your life.
The aim of yoga, however, is not to harden the body (or the muscle as the case may be).
For many yoga is complementary with weight training, running, swimming, whatever it is they are doing in the name of "fitness". I suspect yoga will not compromise your physique as you will be training on weights much more intensely than in yoga practice.
Now you've got some low back issue. We can't be sure based on "it hurts" and "low back pain" exactly what is going on. Frankly you may need a yoga practice just to be able to more accurately identify with your backside and feel what is where and what is happening. Most no yoga practitioners know only the body they see which typically is the posterior or front body. So as an awareness practice the proper yoga practice might help you become more attuned to the back of your front.
Additionally, since you are now experiencing some nebulus "low back pain" you've done something. Right? I mean the things we get in life are a direct result of things we do. I know several of my students who run marathons (much to my chagrin) and complain constantly of hip, knee, or feet pain. But they never consider to stop running. IN fact it's the last thing on their mind.
So we, the board, should likely wonder about your mechanics in the weight room. Does this make sense? Because in the weight room your mechanics can be absolutely awful and you can still build lean muscle mass, right? You can still look good (as you say) and yet be doing damage to connective tissue with your bio-mechanics.
So the hows of your lifting are important. If you want to keep lifting at the level you do perhaps consider a certified, degreed, personal trainer for a couple of sessions to work on mechanics.
If you pursue a yoga practice you may reach a point where you can be in the weight room with enough body awareness (internal) that you can protect your cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spine. I believe there are ways, methodologies for lifting such that the spine, and subsequently the nervous system, are not as irritated as the typical weight lifting sessions I observe.
The rest of my comments would liekly echo the postings of others and are therefore unneccessary.
Brian3613 - 2005-07-17 2:39 PM
I am 25 years old and have been weight training seriously, for 10 years. Recently I have been having problems with my lower back. Occasionally, the next day after a workout, it will hurt or become stiff. For being as young as I am, I should not be having these problems. I am afraid, that if I continue, I will seriously damage my back. Weight training is a hobby of mine and I really like doing it. I like the feeling I get during the workout and I like the body its given me. I was talking to a friend of mine and he said, that yoga might help my back problems. Yoga sounds like it could be a challenge and I wouldn't mind doing it, but I don't want to give up the weight training. I guess I'm afraid that if I stopped the weight training and tryed yoga, I would shrink and lose all that I've worked for. What do you guys think? I'm open to any suggestions, ideas, and opinions.
Edited by purnayoga 2006-07-30 6:02 PM
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Can Yoga help me?
