back problems are making me depressed.

[mbag012]

ill explain my situation and ask for advice

so basically i was on the 5x5 intermediate program for 2 months where i increased my squat from 220 to 290 and my bench from 90 to 170. i then started the westside conjugate method for 3 weeks where i increased my squat from 290 to 400 and bench from 170 to 210. as you can see i put more weight on the bar in 3 weeks than i did in 2 months on the squat and put 40lb on the bench in 3 weeks.

on the 4th week of the program there was a powerlifting competition where i managed to squat 350 and bench 190. i was nervous as fuck because it was my first competition and i knew no one there. anyway, i think i pulled a muscle on my lats and my back while squatting because im struggling to squat 300 now. just this monday i tried to do good mornings for triple on 290 and my form just broke down pathetically. my bench is fine but i found i couldnt bench over 175 for some reason. im basically training by myself with no one to coach me. i have to find random people to spot me on the bench everytime i go.

im turning 21 this december and im natty. weight is 165 and im 5"8. for the people wondering why its monday, i live in nz where its around 18 hours ahead of america.

can someone please give me advice on whats going on and what i should do? the decrease in strength is really making me depressed.

 

[Mark One]

You know ur body better than anyone so i'd say u need to lay off the heavy lifts til ur back has time to heal up to avoid more extensive injury,may have it looked at also to be safe

 

[stevesmi]

thats a massive increase in strength in a short amount of time. basically your body is saying enough is enough.. allow it to catch up ...

i wouldn't do any competitions for a while, when you do them you've got your adrenaline going and you will over work the body and sometimes you can injure yourself and you won't even know it until the next day. when i used to compete my body was wrecked for 2 days afterwards, same way football players need a week to recover from their games.

anyway if you pulled a muscle its not a big deal at all, it will recover.... just give it a break. you will come back stronger than before so no reason to get depressed. you CANNOT expect to always set PR's every time you set foot into the gym. build consistency and over time you will get stronger. there is a time to push things and a time to back off. learn to listen to your body.

 

[mbag012]

thanks for the quick reply guys

when you guys tell me to rest, does that mean that i will not work my back at all? that kind of limits what i can do at the gym. im thinking of exclusively benching for a couple weeks while i rest my back.

 

[buddhabuilder]

IMO, this is an excellent time to really focus on your form. Take a little digital camera with you to the gym, and get video of you doing all your compound exercises. You can do the 5x5 compound lifts, but back the weight way off. Chances are you will have some form corrections to make, which will help the exercises feel challenging in a new way. I'd say work like this while your body recovers from the hard core stuff you have been doing. It's a chance to "turn poison into medicine", since you will be able to hit even heavier weights with improved form.

Oh, and good mornings are a support exercise so I would not recommend getting into low rep/high weight stuff with them.

 

[mbag012]

thanks ill work on my form until my back is up and running again

 

[wootoom]

Go to Chiro or Physio is another option

 

[stevesmi]

thanks for the quick reply guys

when you guys tell me to rest, does that mean that i will not work my back at all? that kind of limits what i can do at the gym. im thinking of exclusively benching for a couple weeks while i rest my back.

if it hurts stay away.. listen to your body. it will heal up fast. lessen the weight and stop trying to PR everytime you lift.

 

[raze]

Its hard to take time off and rest sometimes and even harder to take time off for an injury but it has to be done. Keep your diet in check while you are off.

 

[mbag012]

staying away from the gym wont be possible. the gym is my heroin and i need a fix.

im going hard on the restoration excersizes. has anyone received a massage before? are they worth it? im keen for a thai massage + extra service *wink wink*.