Lower back pain and cracking

[nomercy89]

I've been meaning to write this post for quite a while but I've been extremely busy so here goes and a thanks in advance to anyone who reads and pitches in with their 2 cents.
I've been doing SL5X5 consistently now for 2 months and I'm quite enjoying it. I feel my form has been solid as I got the chance to workout with a friend of mine who's been lifting for the best part of 2 years now and he gave me some tips on my deadlift and squat form. I know however that I need to warm up better and work on my flexibility and mobility and definitely more glute work.

Recently, ie for the past 2 to 3 weeks, I've been having a stiff back especially lower half of my back and when I get up in the morning it's at its worst. I also feel like I want to constantly crack my back by twisting to one side and holding then do the same to other side. I used to have the nasty habit of cracking my back, knuckles, knees, and just about every bone in my body. I know it's awful and I'm trying to stop but a 10 year habit is hard to kill. The good news is that my knees don't crack as much as they used to, probably a result of the squatting. So, back to my lower back, I feel the pain/desire to crack when I bend over, arch my back, and sometimes, although not often, when I move sideways. Moving sideways means I don't have the ability to plant my butt in a chair and turn all the way to one side or the other. The other thing is that pain/desire to crack comes up after every squat/deadlift/ohp set! That is the real worry for me and I tried spinal decompressions but I also get the same feeling in my lower back. I'm worried my weak back may have been aggravated by poor form but it wasn't like this when I first began SL5X5 so I'm kind of bedazzled here. Do you guys feel I should see a professional for their advice or should I perhaps post some videos of my lifts (squat-deadlift-ohp) and see if I'm doing those correctly first of all?

Some personal info.
19years-82.5kg @ 18-20%BF....my weight hasn't changed much in the past 2 months but I'm feeling stronger and certainly look it too so I'm assuming my BF has gone down
SQ- 70kg PR - 65kg current working weight
BP- 50kg PR - 45kg current working weight
OHP 45kg PR - 35kg current working weight
DL 85kg PR - 70kg current working weight

The reason I have a different working weight is that during Ramadan I did 3X5 and dropped the assistance exercises then after Ramadan, went back to 5X5 with 20% weight reduction in all my lifts.
Any input would be greatly appreciated guys. Again thanks a lot for taking the time to read this and post.

[bkklift]

Post the videos and see a professional! It's always best to see a professional if something is bothering you. In the mean time getting your form check can bring some peace of mind at least : )

I also think doing mobility drills and foam rolling can only help.

[HarrisonSL]

Well, the cracking as long as it isnt painful is meant to be utterly harmless to your joints as its just gas/fluid moving. What do chiropractors do? Crack your back to loosen it.
Can you be more specific about pain?

It seems to me that the desire to crack is purely psychological as you think it will relieve the tension in the muscle which to some extent.
I get that feeling as well when doing spinal decompression, just do it for longer, and try holding it at the top of the dip position as well as in a pullup deadhang.

I think the pain is just muscular from squatting and deadlifting. Are you eating enough energy wise and protein wise?
~3000cal a day with 180g protein?

Anyone who says they need to warm up better is basically saying that they dont do a warmup
heres what I do:
Scap pushups
Leg swings (forward and sideways)
Glute bridges

reverse lunges with twist
arm swings (slowly in circles at first etc)
then move this to the elbows(making circle with forearm)
then wrist
jump up and down a bit
do some really light power cleans/snatches(just as easily do empty bar squats)

And then obviously start warming up with weights so if im deadlifting say 140
start on 2x5 of 60
4x80
3x100
2x115
1x130
work set

I assume you squat first so do your warmup, then
2x5 empty bar
4x30
3x40
2x50
1x60
5x5x65

JUST REREAD you post. Ramadan. this culprit again. I am gonna go out on a limb and put my eggs in the you have not been eating enough basket, your body needs more recovery. I feel for you though my mate made terrible losses ramadan last year. the worst thing you can do is not prepare for it
I recomend lower volume but heavy weights (best for maintaining strength) and have your meals planned ( possibly incorporate/plan around praying)
As my friend jokingly misquotes "A strong muslim is a good muslim"

I think this pain is just lack of recovery and nothing sinister. good sleep and food and you should be ok. if not then consult a professional

[nomercy89]

Sorry for the late reply but I've had midterm exams for the past week and so I've been a bit busy. Anyhow I appreciate your comprehensive post HarrisonSL and thanks for taking the time to actually write all that!

Well, the cracking as long as it isnt painful is meant to be utterly harmless to your joints as its just gas/fluid moving. What do chiropractors do? Crack your back to loosen it.
Can you be more specific about pain?

Regarding the pain, it's not the direct type of pain, it's more passive, like when I sit down tuck my chin and arch my back outwards, or when I'm standing up and bending down to pick something up. I have a gut feeling that it's lack of proper flexibility because I've noticed that I have tight thighs (quads and hams) and hip flexors. How did I notice? Because as the weight's gone up on the bar (I'm squatting 70kg/154lb @ 82.5kg/181.5lbsBW) there's been more stress placed on my body and I feel it during my off days as I just walk between classes or to the gym and if I don't do the flexibility and mobility work I've been telling myself to do since mid-August, I'm going to regret it now. I've noticed though that it gets better as the day progresses. I'm not sure I can really describe the pain though, it's just a strain (for lack of better words) I figure.

I'm hitting the gym tomorrow evening, so I'll do spinal decompressions and hold on longer at the top like you suggest. I'll be sure to post here again about the results.

Are you eating enough energy wise and protein wise?
~3000cal a day with 180g protein?

This is my problem and it's why I haven't seen as much gains as others have in the 10weeks I've worked out. My diet has been all over the place but for the last 4-5 weeks I've been making a conscience effort to eat enough of the right stuff and I started tracking it on FitDay. To my utter disappointment, I'm not hitting 3000cal a day! My max was 2770 and that was because I had a craving for a 450cal peanut butter cookie which I vowed never to eat again. I get enough protein though, I make sure of it. I'm having a hard time eating enough calories without the carbs flying through the roof and that's not gonna help my fat loss. This past week I got hit by a nasty cold, still hit the gym twice though but only managed enough energy to do 3 sets. This lack of energy was a combination of my diet being non-existent for the past week as I've been sick and caught up with exams meant I had to order burgers and eat out (urgh..ever since I've been cooking my food I detest eating out).
My plan is to ease myself into the slow-carb diet by the end of this week and stick to it for as long as possible because it aids fat loss and that's one of my goals.

Anyone who says they need to warm up better is basically saying that they dont do a warmup

Regarding the warmup, mine is no where near as intense as yours and that's probably my fault as I'm over eager to get under the bar and squat ..no jokes..I love lifting now. I force myself to take a 2 day break(weekend) from lifting but I find it so hard . Do something long enough and it becomes habit right? Well apparently 10 weeks of consistent lifting makes it part of you. Rambling..back to the topic... I'm going to take some of your warmups and do them, I also have M2 Mobility. I'll watch it this Friday and take notes and pick exercises out. I will still lift 3 times a week but I will do mobility/flexibility work everyday for the next couple of weeks and this time I'm serious about it. Another thing is I need to work on my sleep schedule. I'm really excited about where I can go with SL and it's not hard but I just have to focus and do the things that need to get done without thinking of it as a daunting task.
On the plus side, my motivation still exists from the fact that I see bigger legs, biceps, traps and I can swear to you my back is becoming thicker and I haven't even hit BW squat! The future looks bright!!! :D

I'll admit Ramadan was tough, but I got through it and I still worked out, while many of my friends kept telling me to stay home and relax and chill out. I've also noticed a lot of them are getting on my back about making lifting a priority in my life but I don't care, I know what I want and I know it's working. Most of my friends laugh at the idea that I squat most of the time while not focusing on important muscles like the biceps and triceps. I tried explaining......to no avail so I'll let my sheer determination be my explanation that this works.

Ok, I apologize for my incessant talk and ongoing ramble but I felt I needed to let a few things out so thanks a lot! Again, thanks for your input HarrisonSL and I'll be sure to let you know how things progress. I'm thinking of resurrecting my training log on this forum, even if it means I post once a week because of the demands of engineering undergrad

[nomercy89]

Post the videos and see a professional! It's always best to see a professional if something is bothering you. In the mean time getting your form check can bring some peace of mind at least : )

I also think doing mobility drills and foam rolling can only help.

I took videos of my squat, deadlift and overhead. Soon as I figure out how to youtube them I'll post them. I've never tried foam rolling for soft tissue work, but I think I'll do more mobility as I stated in my previous post and see how it goes from there.

Thanks bkklift!