Are Lower Back Pumps On Leg Day Bad?

April 11, 2023 0 Comments

Table of Contents

Introduction

In this article I will be answering the question “are lower back pumps on leg day bad?”. Lower back pumps are quite common on leg day, they aren’t necessarily a negative thing.

However, for some people they can be annoying. This article will explore this topic in greater detail.

Are Lower Back Pumps On Leg Day Bad?

Lower back pumps on leg day are not necessarily a bad thing. Many people experience them for various reasons. It should be stated that enhanced lifters suffer from lower back pumps a lot more.

Lower back pumps can happen on leg days due to exercises like heavy squats. If you do any deadlift variations on leg day, you can also encounter this. 

You can reduce the likelihood of suffering from lower back tightness and pumps on leg day by strengthening your lower back and abs.

Developing endurance in the lower back muscles through targeted high rep work will also help to reduce the chances of getting lower back pumps on leg day.

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clarence squat

Lower Back Pumps Can Be Uncomfortable

Whilst lower back pumps are not really a bad thing, they can be uncomfortable for many people. They can hinder you on other exercises later in your workout. 

There are various reasons why you may be suffering from lower back pumps. This article will explore further what you can do to reduce your chances of experiencing this.

Strengthening Your Lower Back Can Help

Making your lower back muscles stronger can help you in exercises like the squat and deadlift. A stronger lower back will reduce the cumulative fatigue that you will suffer on higher rep squats and deadlifts.

This will also help to reduce your chances of suffering from lower back tightness and pumps. You should also train your lower back muscles with higher reps to develop endurance and pump a lot of blood into the area.

Exercises such as 45 degree hyperextensions, romanian deadlifts and good mornings are very effective at working the lower back. You should consider rotating through these exercises every now and then.

My personal favourite for targeting the lower back is the 45 degree back extension. This exercise will carryover very well to the deadlift as well, it will also help to keep your lower back healthy.

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Add In More Ab Work

Adding in direct ab work can help to strengthen your abs. Ab wheel, decline sit ups and cable crunches are all terrific exercises to work your abs through a full range of motion.

Using these exercises for prolonged periods of time will certainly help to make your abs stronger. Stronger abs will help to keep you more stable on big compounds like squats and deadlifts.

This in turn will reduce the workload on the lower back. Inability to maintain a tight core can cause other muscles to take over to lift the weight. Many people with weak cores are unable to keep their lower back tight when lifting.

Maintaining tension in the abdominals and keeping the lower back tight are critical when squatting big weights. By having a stronger core you will reduce the chances of getting lower back pumps.

Chris Duffin’s Views On Lower Back Pumps

Chris Duffin is an elite level powerlifter and holds the record on the raw squat in the 220lb class. He is also an accomplished coach and gym owner.

His views about lower back pumps are very interesting. He says that he has experienced them before and that lower back pumps are not anything to be worried about.

In his view diaphragmatic breathing is very important when lifting weights. It is crucial to eccentrically load the muscles in the abdominal wall and keep a lot of tension on the core muscles.

This serves to keep you more stable and protect your lower back. Managing spinal biomechanics is also another critical thing to be able to do when lifting weights.

Since concentrating more on these concepts, Chris is able to squat and deadlift super heavy without experiencing any lower back pumps!
 

Final Thoughts

Are lower back pumps on leg day bad? The answer is that they are not bad but they can be uncomfortable for many people.

You can reduce your chances of getting lower back pumps by strengthening your lower back and abs. Learning how to keep your lower back tight and generating intra abdominal pressure will also assist you greatly.

If you have any comments or would like to share your experiences of lower back pumps, please leave them below.

As always, stay safe and enjoy your training!

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