4 Stretches For Lower Back Pain Relief From Squats & Deadlifts
Any active cross fitter knows how much squats and deadlifts can tighten up and cause lower back pain. Not to mention the variations of both squats and deadlifts are heavily featured in addition to hang cleans and heavy overhead pressing which also places a burden on your low back. Focusing on both your mobility and flexibility can go a long way in helping a Crossfit athletes recover and improve performance.
These are four exercises that we recommend every crossfit athlete add to their program for lower back pain relief from squats and deadlifts.
Hip Internal Rotation (90/90) stretch
Our hip mobility is compromised every single day by sitting then compounded by squatting. As we lose hip internal rotation, we compromise by externally rotating our feet outwards since we can’t get that motion in our hips. This leads to increased torsion on our knees, hence why cross fitter have knee pain. These 4 hip mobility drills for Crossfit deserve your time.
Lacrosse Glute Release
Our glutes can produce the most force of any muscle in our body but they are often “turned off” by the length of the time we sit. When our hip flexors get tight, our glutes get weak. So when we go to deadlift or squat, we over use our hamstrings and low back.
Begin by getting a softball or lacrosse ball. Sit on the floor and cross your right leg over your left. Place the ball under your right glute and begin to roll around on the ball until you find tightness in your glute. Maintain the pressure for 60 seconds then move to another area on the same side.
Downward Dog
This is a great yoga movement for low back pain relief from squatting and deadlifting. When performed properly, the downward dog opens up your lats,calves, mid back and lower back. It also is a good training method to help you do your first hand stand push up.
Couch Stretch
A big problem that crossfitters face with their squat volume is that they have tight quadriceps that when ignored can potentially cause problems. The couch stretch is a great movement to continually assess the recovery of your sore legs and as signal that you may be over training. It’s really simple. Kneel in front of a couch and elevate your right foot on the armrest. Keeping your chest upright, lean back toward the couch. Hold for 2 minutes and switch
Perform these mobility drills for 10 minutes per day and you'll notice some quick relief from your low back pain and better squat and deadlift performance.