Show Notes
A herniated disc doesn't mean you have to stop going to the gym, and being told to stop is often what keeps people struggling for months or years. If you've got a slipped disc (a herniated disc), a disc bulge, degenerative disc disease, sciatica or spondylolisthesis from training, or you're getting back to the gym after lower back surgery, this session is for you. It's for people who've been cleared of emergency symptoms and want to rebuild properly, rather than rest, avoid and lose the strength that protects the lumbar spine. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com We explain why most people with a back injury don't have much strength to lose (over 90% of adults in the UK do no significant strengthening work), and why the squat and hip hinge are the safest way to progressively load the lumbar spine. We cover the two technique errors that catch out experienced lifters, the butt wink at the bottom of the squat and driving through the top of the hip hinge, plus how to standardise your depth with a block, what "aggravation-free" really means when you still have some tingling, and why changing depth and load together leaves you unable to tell what went wrong. We also look at muscle memory outpacing the spine, hip mobility, back belts, massage guns, and why the piriformis label and the figure-four stretch so often miss a lower back problem.
🔑 Key Topics Covered 🏋️ Keep training without feeding the injury: a step back should lead to a step forward, not months off. Rehab already includes load, and much of it can be done in the gym, with the weights becoming more gym-like over time. 🦴 Fix the two habits that catch out lifters: tucking the pelvis at the bottom of the squat strains the L5-S1 segment first, and thrusting through the top of the hip hinge jams it for no gain. Touching a block between reps keeps your depth honest. 📏 Change one thing at a time: the lower you go, the more load passes through the spine, even with good technique. Add depth or weight, never both together, so a flare-up is traceable and the mental setback doesn't snowball. 💪 You can come back stronger: the muscles adapt faster than the spine, so progress needs pacing. And because most people have never trained consistently, many end up stronger after doing the rehab work than they were before the injury.
Chapters 00:00 Who this live is for: back injuries and the gym 03:00 Why "stop training" is such damaging advice 05:00 A step back to go forwards: rehab can happen in the gym 08:00 The butt wink, L5-S1 and using a block for squat depth 12:00 Leg symptoms, tingling and the aggravation-free rule 16:00 Why your scan doesn't change the rehab 19:00 Stop trying to activate individual muscles 22:00 Night-time pain and the middle ground of recovery 31:00 Training frequency, towel decompression and hamstring stretches 40:00 The hip hinge is not bending forwards, and the lockout mistake 44:00 Change one variable at a time: depth, then load 47:00 Muscle memory, fatigued sets and letting the spine catch up 52:00 Hip mobility: strength first 54:00 Should you wear a back belt? 59:00 The piriformis label and the figure-four stretch 1:05:00 What a real rehabilitation program looks like 1:11:00 Injections, pelvic tilts and building load capacity 1:16:00 Why "just rest" keeps you weaker 1:20:00 The question to ask any clinician about your treatment 1:22:00 Can you end up stronger than before the injury?
Learn more: Read the full article here: https://backinshapeprogram.com/2026/10/herniated-disc-why-you-shouldnt-just-stop-going-to-the-gym/
#HerniatedDisc #Sciatica #BackInShape #DiscBulge #SlippedDisc #LowerBackPain #SpinalRehab #HerniatedDiscRecovery
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Sciatica isn't a diagnosis — it's a symptom description, and chasing the pain in your leg instead of the injury in your lower back is what keeps it coming back. If you've been told you have sciatica, a trapped nerve or a pinched nerve, this session explains why that description is incomplete. The pain running down your buttock, thigh, calf or foot is generated by an injury higher up — usually a herniated disc, a disc bulge or spondylolisthesis irritating the nerve roots where they leave the spine — so stretching, massaging or icing the leg itself never touches the actual problem. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com We explain why thinking in terms of "sciatic-type pain" rather than one strict diagnosis helps you trace symptoms back to their real source, why piriformis syndrome is usually muscle guarding rather than the cause, and why relief from an injection, a nerve block or nerve flossing is never the same as healing. We cover why going by how you feel day to day keeps people stuck in the same loop, why sitting can put more strain through an injured lower back than a careful, controlled squat, and why exercises like elephant walks, nerve glides and generic mobility routines are not rehabilitation. The common thread throughout: build the capacity of the injured lower back itself, rather than chasing the symptoms it's sending down your leg.
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