Customing the WLC Program for a Back Injury

Customing the WLC Program for a Back Injury

by Paul
(Vancouver, Canada)

Josh,

I am recovering from a disc injury in my lower back, which is not acute but does prevent me from doing certain things such as being on my feet for great lengths of time. My chiropractor has recommended that I avoid certain exercises which may place undue stress on my lower back, at least while I am in recovery (this could take anywhere from several months to a year or more). In particular, he has said to avoid deadlifts and squats, and I'm assuming pendlay rows are also out for now due to the position of the body.

I've been weightlifting mostly with machines for the past year. During that time I've been able to build up a fair amount of strength and am ready to take it to the next level with free weights. I have not been paying close attention to my diet but am now prepared to incorporate the good foods and cut out the bad ones in my regular intake.

Currently I'm 6'3" and 215 lbs. I'm just waiting on my order of fat calipers and body tape to arrive, but if I had to estimate I'd say my body fat is around 20%. My goal is to reduce my body fat to 10%, fit comfortably into size 34 or lower pants (I wear a 36 now), show off six-pack abs, and be able to bench press my body weight by this summer. I am starting the program with a focus on fat loss, followed by muscle gain after I have trimmed down.

I thought the following might be appropriate exercise substitutes in my workouts:

- Barbell Lunges instead of Barbell Squats
- Machine Leg Curls instead of Romanian Deadlifts
- Cable Seated Low Rows instead of Pendlay Rows

Could you please provide some advice on these and any other recommendations for customizing the WLC Program to my condition?

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Customing the WLC Program for a Back Injury

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Jan 30, 2010
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Let Me Know
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Let me know how everything is going for you. Would love to hear about your progress. Thanks again Paul.

Jan 29, 2010
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Works for me
by: Paul

Sounds good, I'll start with those weights. Thanks!

Jan 29, 2010
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Just a Guess...
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Hey Paul,

Glad to hear you are ready to start and have read the WLC Program Guide!

I can't give you a great guess because I'm not sure of your strength levels or what you're accustomed to lifting, but I would start out lighter than you think...

Maybe 10 pound dumbbells on the lunges, 30-35 pound dumbbells on the 1-arm rows, and maybe 20-25 pounds on the 1-arm overhead press. Remember, you have plenty of time to increase the weights. It never hurts to start out lighter than you think but can hurt your progress if you start out too heavy and can't increase much over the course of the cycle.

The most important thing is to increase the weight by large amounts over the course of the cycle, so that's why I recommend starting out lighter than usual.

Does that help? Just be easy on yourself starting out... you can always increase by larger amounts the following workout if it's too easy for you.

Jan 29, 2010
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Starting weights
by: Paul

Josh, I've now got the gear, read the WLC Program Guide in full and am ready to blast into this thing starting next week. Just a question on my customized plan, though: what starting weights would you recommend I use for the dumbbell lunge, one-arm row, and one-arm overhead press?

Jan 20, 2010
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Keep Me Updated...
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Let me know how everything is going for you. If you need any help, just let me know.

And thanks again Paul. Really appreciate everything. Have fun with the program!

Jan 20, 2010
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Thanks!
by: Paul

I appreciate the clarification, and I'll definitely incorporate this into my workout as well. Cheers!

Jan 20, 2010
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Clarification
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Since I was a little rushed last night when writing the below, I wanted to clarify a few things.

You will do the exercise much different than the video below. You won't be lifting each rep off the floor like that. I just wanted you to watch the form from the normal starting position and the press portion. And notice the dumbbell position at the top of the movement.

Plus, lifting off the floor like that every rep wouldn't be great for your back... just like a deadlift. You want to focus the lift on your shoulders only.

So start from around the shoulder area and finish around the shoulder area. Full range of motion.

Hope that clarifies things for you. That exercise also works the abs pretty well too along with a greater amount of stablizer muscles.

Jan 19, 2010
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Executing the One-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Press
by: Paul

Wow, that does look fun -- especially with the girl screaming the whole time. ;)

Should I do that exercise beginning with the dumbbell on the ground, up, then back to ground for one rep like in the video? Or should I start and end on the delts?

Jan 19, 2010
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1 Arm Overhead Dumbbell Press
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

It was pretty tough finding a decent video of the 1 arm overhead dumbbell press...

This guy here is doing them very well, but he's doing them fast. I hope you can tell how to do them with proper form... notice the path the dumbbell travels and not how explosive and fast he is doing them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ORoGFYdCDQ

Check that out and tell me if that helps you. Try them and see if you can get the hang of them. The dumbbell should travel over the center of gravity... so the dumbbell will travel behind your head as it goes upwards. See if you notice that in the video above.

If that doesn't help, I can see if I can find something better tomorrow. Seems like the videos of that exercise are limited. Let me know... you'll love the exercise, though. Very fun exercise.

Jan 19, 2010
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Re: 1-arm overhead dumbbell press
by: Paul

Thanks again, Josh. Do you happen to have a video of the 1-arm overhead dumbbell press on your site (or have a link to one) so I can be sure to get the proper form? I assume that would be a standing exercise as well.

Jan 19, 2010
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Thank You Paul
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Paul,

No problem. I will always be here whenever you need something. I'm very happy to help... I want you to succeed and meet your goals. And you will.

Yes, one arm at a time. The 1-arm overhead dumbbell press is one of my new favorite exercises. I started them about 6 months ago, and I love them. Great results too! They give a totally different feel and you get a much better range of motion.

Be sure that the dumbbell is more behind your head at the top of the movement. Many people get the overhead press wrong and keep the weight in front of their head at the top. You'll get much stronger a lot faster with proper form on the overhead press. Let me know if you need any help with that.

Definitely start with Phase 1. It's a great program, and you'll get strong very fast which is good while focusing on fat loss. Then, you can take advantage of that new strength when you switch over to muscle building goals.

Hope that helps you out. Let me know.

Thanks again Paul.

Jan 19, 2010
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Re: Exercise Substitutions
by: Paul

Thanks for your input, Josh. I really appreciate you being so readily available with helpful advice!

I will substitute the one-arm dumbbell row for the pendlay, plus use dumbbells instead of a barbell for lunges and the overhead press. When you say "1-arm dumbbell overhead press", do you mean I should just lift one arm at a time? Or should I do both together?

I was planning to start with the Phase 1 workout, unless you think I should skip it.

Cheers,
Paul

Jan 18, 2010
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Exercise Substitutions for Lower Back Injury
by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Hey Paul!

Nice to hear from you... Been looking for your questions. Looks like you already know what you might like to use for the exercise substitutions. I see you have some good knowledge about weight lifting already.

Definitely, I would lay off the Pendlay Rows for now. You want a back exercise that's going to take all pressure off your lower back. Let's see...

My first choice for Pendlay Rows substitution would be 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows and then Low Cable Rows. Either is a good choice, but I prefer the free weight 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows... there shouldn't be any pressure at all on your lower back since your arm will be supporting you.

Awesome on your decision to change your eating habits... this will make a HUGE, HUGE difference in your results. Just wait! When you start eating all healthy foods as described in the WLC Program, your results will skyrocket. And I mean skyrocket.

So, to reach your goals you need to lose about 23 pounds of body fat. You can do that most likely in 3 to 4 months depending on how well you eat and how consistent you are with your workouts. And I can tell you are dedicated so I would bet on you meeting your goals sooner than later.

Substitute for Squats? Lunges are the perfect substitute. Are you planning on doing them dumbbells or a barbell on your back? You might want to opt for dumbbells and make sure you have some pretty heavy dumbbells available. Lunges are actually one of my favorite exercises and one of the absolute BEST in my honest opinion.

If you have access to a hip belt, you can actually do hip belt squats which are very easy on your lower back... if you're interested let me know and I can give you more info. But Lunges are a great substitute anyway.

Now, a substitute for the Romanian Deadlifts could be machine leg curls. I would rather opt for the Pull Thru, but it might be a little rough on your lower back plus it's a more explosive movement. Stick with the leg curls but make sure to use only your hamstrings to left the weight. Try pointing your toes straight, and you will feel a huge difference. It puts most of the stress on the hamstrings. Try it if you haven't before.

Before we go on any further, though... Which phase of the program are you planning on doing? Are you going to start with Phase 2 or do phase 1 first? Let me know, and I've got some more recommendations for you...

For example, I would not do Overhead Barbell Press with your lower back condition... I would definitely change that to the 1-arm dumbbell overhead press... definitely.

Let me know, and I'll tell you exactly what I would do in your situation. Glad you're dedicated to this... I'll be here to help you along the way.

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Jan 18, 2010
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Submitted by: Josh -- Author WLC Program

Title

Comment
Hey Paul! Nice to hear from you... Been looking for your questions. Looks like you already know what you might like to use for the exercise substitutions. I see you have some good knowledge about weight lifting already. Definitely, I would lay off the Pendlay Rows for now. You want a back exercise that's going to take all pressure off your lower back. Let's see... My first choice for Pendlay Rows substitution would be 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows and then Low Cable Rows. Either is a good choice, but I prefer the free weight 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows... there shouldn't be any pressure at all on your lower back since your arm will be supporting you. Awesome on your decision to change your eating habits... this will make a HUGE, HUGE difference in your results. Just wait! When you start eating all healthy foods as described in the WLC Program, your results will skyrocket. And I mean skyrocket. So, to reach your goals you need to lose about 23 pounds of body fat. You can do that most likely in 3 to 4 months depending on how well you eat and how consistent you are with your workouts. And I can tell you are dedicated so I would bet on you meeting your goals sooner than later. Substitute for Squats? Lunges are the perfect substitute. Are you planning on doing them dumbbells or a barbell on your back? You might want to opt for dumbbells and make sure you have some pretty heavy dumbbells available. Lunges are actually one of my favorite exercises and one of the absolute BEST in my honest opinion. If you have access to a hip belt, you can actually do hip belt squats which are very easy on your lower back... if you're interested let me know and I can give you more info. But Lunges are a great substitute anyway. Now, a substitute for the Romanian Deadlifts could be machine leg curls. I would rather opt for the Pull Thru, but it might be a little rough on your lower back plus it's a more explosive movement. Stick with the leg curls but make sure to use only your hamstrings to left the weight. Try pointing your toes straight, and you will feel a huge difference. It puts most of the stress on the hamstrings. Try it if you haven't before. Before we go on any further, though... Which phase of the program are you planning on doing? Are you going to start with Phase 2 or do phase 1 first? Let me know, and I've got some more recommendations for you... For example, I would not do Overhead Barbell Press with your lower back condition... I would definitely change that to the 1-arm dumbbell overhead press... definitely. Let me know, and I'll tell you exactly what I would do in your situation. Glad you're dedicated to this... I'll be here to help you along the way.

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