Aging, lower back pain, core, yoga etc

Get an assessment from a sports physio, then a decent programme for stretching and strengthening, always better than guesstimating what to do in my opinion. It doesn't cost the earth either, couple of sessions and then simply following the programme and rechecking with the physio every few months?

I'm in the same camp just now, but do have a hip replacement coming up, and a shoulder/clavicle op required, but do follow the above regarding other areas with limited range of motion, that's the killer getting older!

Al, your in Edinburgh arent you?

Everyone should do some kind of strength/flexibility work as a matter of routine... this will (over time) sort out niggles/imbalances/postural issues. I personally like (and would recommend) weight training & yoga. If you found yoga dull, look for a different class... it can (and should be) really challenging, obviously having an engaging teacher helps massively also.

Mix of daily general stretching and mobility work plus a little core circuit (15 minutes total), a once a week weights/gym session (best done with mates to make it a bit more enjoyable) and some indoor climbing.

A lot of it is in the daily stuff for me. Nothing big or exciting, but if I get knocked out of my normal routine I notice it after a week or so that bits are starting to seize up.

Similar position to you - so started weights at the gym earlier this year. Been putting it off but resistance training is basically inevitable if you care about fitness as you age. It also coincided with some time off the bike for me so it felt like a positive thing to do.

I'm really ineffective at doing this sort of stuff at home - if you can, great. But for me it has to be at a gym - results are obvious, back is way happier.

I think the how of the routine that works for you is a lot more important than what it actually is - there are loads of sensible stretch / weight routines that will help your back and produce results. It's figuring out just the structure of where and when, so you actually do it week in week out that is the bigger question.

As mentioned already a good physio will help immensely especially in identifying biomechanical imbalances and suggesting fixes.

I also have a good sports masseur whom i see regularly who suggested the Asian squat for lower back stress. It stretches the whole back equally so I'm told and helps with other linked muscles, glutes, hip flexor etc

I do these for 15 mins a day (3 x 5min) sessions and works really well in dealing with stiffness and pain.

Might not work for everyone but do seek advice.

And if you can get a sit/stand desk, these are great!

I have a similar thing.  I don't what the injury is technically as I've never had much luck with doctors. Basically I pulled something as a yoof lifting heavy boxes in a Saturday job. 'Lift with your legs'... etc'.

It's as if it's always there waiting to flare up if I do something that triggers it. A common pose that started to set it off again was working on one's bike, that specific pose of bending down for prolonged periods of time to fettle with gears etc...

One thing that I did find that helped was in fact yoga. Did it for about ten years and certain poses really did seem to help. They felt challenging at first which told me the area was weak (lower back) but with repetition the area got stronger. It was all the poses that were the opposite of the forward bend type of action that must've caused it in the first place. So things like bridge etc.

who suggested the Asian squat

There are different methods/styles to a squat apparently.

If you found yoga dull, look for a different class…

+1
loads of different types of yoga and styles of teachers. just find one that suits
I do find Pilates better for my back as it focuses more on core

Lots of different teaching styles with yoga some hippy types ECT just find one that sits well with you, yoga with Adrian on YouTube is good for me if at home. classes can be odly competitive and a "look at me" thing if gym based I've found better and cheaper teachers in village halls ECT.

I agree with JonEdwards and Garry_Lager in particular, it's less about the specific exercises and more about finding a simple routine that you can do often.

Every time I try anything over complicated, over long or just over-ambitious, I fail, but when I just do 10 minutes gentle stretching and mobility in the morning while waiting for coffee, or maybe a simple squat/deadlift/lunge workout with light weights in the kitchen two mornings a week, I can sustain it.

Only additional advice is something an old physio told me which is that one of the biggest benefits of yoga and Pilates vs. basic stretching and core work, is the focus on breathing. I have found that learning simple breathing helps me to relax muscles, in particular lower back, and can sometimes have an almost immediate effect on pain levels. It's also useful for exercises (glute bridge being a good example) where it is too easy to use your low back instead of your glutes. Once you learn how to relax certain muscles with your breathing pattern you can do the exercises much more effectively.

Al if you're still in Edinburgh it was Ola @ Physis I went to see, she had a really refreshing modern outlook on a lot of stuff and although it has been a slow process I'm still benefiting from things she taught me (the breathing in particular)

Used to have the same problem as you, once or twice a year my back would 'go', leaving me in considerable pain for a few days. Since I started concentrating on core fitness and work outs that cover the whole body I very rarely have any trouble now. As above really, body weight exercises, squats, leg raises, mountain climbers, etc do the trick.

Not really lower back as such but I do on occasion suffer from a trapped nerve in my hips due to lack of mobility. I'll usually feel it coming on for a few days before and it eventually sends me into a spasms for a couple of days. The only way I can overcome the discomfort during those couple of days is to just to walk around.

It is more infrequent since doing some yoga, it helps that the Mrs is a yoga teacher. I do some ashtanga yoga a couple times a weeks and some beneficial stretching at other times to ensure my hips remain loose.

Thanks all, @piemonster yes I am, @13thfloormonk I know Ola and she has given me some tips, I need to look them up again. Part of my issue is I've had snippets of advice from various sources (Inc former Big Hitter TrollingZooFighter*) but a simple package that covers everything (including running injury avoidance) is what I am after. I'll maybe speak to George*.

How old are you? Joined a new gym where there are people in their 70’s deadlifting. Pretty cool to see, gives me hope…

A mere 53. I feel it's the age to start thinking about these things so your body wont let you down too badly in years to come.

After 20 years of rowing and cycling I had a massive problem with lower back flexibility and hamstrings etc.

Find a good physio and get something you can do every morning in a few minutes and do more stretching generally after you ride or train. Make it a priority!

A physio gave me 4x exercises to do daily forever, every morning, and I have. Four reps x4. I always used to stretch, but ended up possibly 30% of the time. 2.5 years ago my wife ignored me and bought a Peloton bike, not just the riding but the app based core and stretching has been life changing. Every session, even if I ride outside, I do a 5-15 min session.

No issues in years/as far as I can remember, and at the last two bike fits comments I have received have been very encouraging. Hip flexion RoM is amazing, I now can ride mad distances and no pain or issues at all.

Peloton has been excellent for the discipline. I am now on a 2 year run, not missing exercise and stretching at all in the past 24 months.

I am 55

I’m really ineffective at doing this sort of stuff at home – if you can, great. But for me it has to be at a gym

Thought it was just me like that. Think I might find a gym membership for the winter and see if I can get it together a bit

If you want specific exercises while avoiding a physio, then anything that strengthens the lumbar extensors is as good a place as any to start. But you also need to be a bit honest with yourself, and recognise what kind of person you are. There are some types who will smash out a set of exercises like clockwork everyday, and seem happy enough to do that, and good for them as they can be doing the specific, targetted exercises that will making the most progress for the effort put in- but 5 years as a physio has shown me that these people are not in the majority as compared to the population as a whole, and if this is not you then, with all the will in the world, you are going to struggle to fix things this way. Therefore the next best option is to find an activity that you enjoy, that will also manage your back pain- you have already said you enjoyed that Pilates class, therefore I would recommend trying that again, and this time try to find an objective measure to assess your progress- because I will be very surprised if it was not doing you any good at all. You may have had a flare up of your pain at the time, but this does not mean it was pointless, it is just the pattern your back pain has, and it is reasonable to expect up to a 12 week wait before you notice a difference! Which is a really long time, and the diffence may well not be the complete absence of pain that you will probably hope for- it is more likely a gradual decrease in the frequency and severity of your flare ups. I hope that helps!

Similar for me with lower back, I’m also 6,3” so being taller exacerbates it. I usually start and finish runs and rides from home, so for the last 6 months I come home and do 20-30 mins of core exercises at the end of a session as a warm down sort of thing and it’s made a huge difference for me. Pretty easy to keep as part of my ride routine and no extra cost. It’s worked for me…

Thought it was just me like that. Think I might find a gym membership for the winter and see if I can get it together a bit

Nope, I'm another. My wife can happily sort a routine out for herself at home and motivate herself to do it where as I need the gym and instructor led classes. Booked online for the week then turn up when required and have someone qualified make me hop about.

As above as well, 15+ years of only really running or cycling has ruined my hamstrings which affects everything else down there, leading to back problems. The classes really help.

I used to put my back out a couple of times a year. Yoga helped a bit but I had to be consistent with practicing it or the back problems would return. The thing that finally fixed my back (I've not had a single problem in the 5 years since starting) are heavy Kettlebell swings and deadlifts. At first it felt like the swings would be more likely to damage my back but they have proven to be way more effective than yoga. It's a simple thing to fit in as well as it only takes a few minutes to do.

I do a couple of abi carver 15 min sessions at the start of a commute to the office day. It costs 20 dollars a month which is Sufficient discipline in itself to get myself out of bed 30 mins earlier.
If it took any longer I wouldn’t do it.
Yoga definitely helping with body strength and flexibility. If I miss a few days I really ache.

I’m probably a typical cyclist/runner with a fairly sedentary occupation, bad posture and bodily imbalances/weaknesses.

Occasionally I “put my back out” bending over etc and have to spend a few days after hobbling around for it to ease off.

sounds like me, but I put my lower back out doing some bmx riding and trying to do 180 to backwards grind on a flat ledge, it really went and I was walking like I was riding a horse! Physio got me doing some stuff for mobility in my lower back and to strengthen it, this really worked, but then I stopped doing it.

Started doing more MTB and Road Riding recently and noticed I could feel my lower back being weak on longer rides or rides with lots of climbing, I downloaded an app called Bend onto my iPhone and did the wake up 5min routine everyday and I can tell my back is getting better and I'm closer each day to being able to touch my toes! The apps free for the week or so.

In the nicest way it’s so good to hear I’m not the only one.

Bent down to pick a croissant out of the oven the other day and my Lower back spasm’d and was clearly inflamed for around 3 days!!

I’m doing yoga with adriene back specific yoga now, I always find it happens if I’m rushing. Maybe 3 times a year it happens but Jesus Christ it’s debilitating at the time!

I had joined the gym a year ago and made some good progress too but it fell by the wayside and I think this was a reminder!