@dr.susie.squats: Back pain can be a little gremlin. 
It creeps in, messes with your head, and suddenly everything feels like a threat — even that barbell you used to yank off the floor like a boss. Here’s the thing, Back pain isn’t just a biomechanical issue. 
It’s a cocktail of fear of movement, increased stress, lack of sleep, iffy nutrition, beliefs about pain, and maybe even that one time you sneezed weird in 2016. But, if we do put on our biomechanics hat, we can get clever. Enter, paused deadlifts. 
Specifically, a pause just below the knees. 👉 This position keeps your tension in your trunk without max-loading the lower back. 
👉 It forces you to own your positioning. No cheating, no momentum, no ego. 
👉 It’s a sweet little isometric that says, ‘hey brain, this isn’t scary — we’re strong here.’ 👉 Using a lighter load with a pause allows you to still get a solid training stimulus. Why does that matter? Because when the low back is cranky and sensitive, heavy & fast pulling might be a bit much. But pausing mid-rep lets you still train the pattern, develop a positive relationship with hinging, and tell your nervous system to chill out. Plus, lighter load, solid stimulus. We love an efficiency moment. To be clear, loading your low back is not bad. It’s actually good for you. It’s necessary. 
But it’s gotta be dosed right — especially if pain is present. So next time you’re coaching or training through a flare-up, don’t scrap the deadlift entirely. Just make it work for you. Pause it. Feel it. Own it. What are some loading strategies you like to use for lower back pain? Want to learn how to coach and modify lifts for pain? Sign up for a @barbellrehab course! Want to take control of your body and finally lift without pain? Apply to work with @dr.susie.squats 🤓 #backpain #rehabcoach #deadliftform #strengthtraining #physicaltherapytips #barbelltraining #backpainexercises

Susie Spirlock, PT, DPT

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Monday 21 July 2025 20:44:30 GMT