It’s no secret that squats are one of the most popular strength exercises and a staple in most fitness routines.
Not only that, but you’re probably doing a lot more squats on a daily basis than you realize – it’s a movement pattern we regularly perform – like sitting on the toilet or squatting down to pick up something.
This fact makes it especially important to address cases of lower back pain from squats, and find out what the root cause is and how to prevent it.
What are squats?
The squat is easily one of the best compound exercises out there.
Although primarily a lower body exercise (involving glutes, hamstrings, and quads), the squat activates to a great extent your core and spinal muscles as well.
There are many squat variations such as bodyweight squats, front squats, back squats, goblet squats, and a few more.
The essential part of any squat variation is the lowering of the hips from a standing position and standing back up while maintaining a neutral spine.
Although it might sound simple, the squat is a highly technical exercise and it usually takes some time to perfect it and perform it safely.
It is no surprise that many people experience lower back pain from squats.
If you want to learn more about the most popular variations of the squat and get simple, easy-to-follow cues on how to perform it, check out this related read to lower back pain from squats:
Compound exercise: The Squat.
What are the benefits of squats?
There are so many benefits of doing squats that it’d take a while to name them all but I’ll point out some of the most important ones.
Now, be prepared, the majority of the squat’s benefits stem from the simple fact that they engage some of the biggest muscles (the gluteus maximus + gluteus medius forming the biggest one) in the body and thus lead to greater muscle activation and muscle hypertrophy (also known as “muscle gains” 😀 )
1. Stronger, bigger lower body
Calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes – they all work together in sync to produce maximum power during your squat and enable you to perform the movement.
It is no surprise that a demanding resistance exercise like the squat elicits the needed endocrine response in your body to provoke muscle growth and tissue regeneration. [1,2]
Why do you need stronger lower body muscles? Improved stability of all related joints, reduction of injury
2. Improved posture
Aesthetics aside, good posture is also linked to many health benefits such as reduced wearing off of joints, increased lung capacity, improved digestion, and blood circulation to name a few. It’s definitely not something you want to neglect, especially if you spend most of your day sitting. If that’s the case, I strongly recommend you also check this list of stretching exercises that you can do while sitting at your office desk.
3. Improved Core Strength
Core strength is crucial for good posture and the majority of our daily tasks. I’ll touch more about this further in this article.
4. Reduced Risk of Injuries
Basically, squatting regularly turns you into a well-oiled machine.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
5 Extremely Easy Lower Back Stretches for quick pain relief
5. Link to longevity
You won’t have to search long to find plenty of studies coming to the conclusion that higher levels of muscular strength are associated with reduced all-cause mortality rate. Resistance training is one of the best long-term investments in your overall health.
How to squat with good form?
As mentioned before, there are many different squat variations and I cover the most popular ones in my in-depth squat article.
There I outline all the necessary cues to do a squat with proper form.
All squat variations are technical and require a lot of focus and attention to detail in order to perform them safely and get the maximum benefit from them.
Here are the main key points for the most popular squat – the bodyweight squat:
- Find a comfortable stance for you (it will vary depending on your anatomy). For most people, this will be slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Toes might point slightly outward. Again, this will depend on your anatomy, experiment and see what’s more comfortable for you.
- Inhale, brace your core, neutral back, and chest up – in a controlled motion lower your hips.
- Go as low as you can without losing tension in your core, rounding your back, or lifting your heels off the ground. Aim to reach below parallel level.
- Keep your knees in line with your toes (they can still go past them).
- Once you hit maximum depth, push through the heels, and following the same path, return back to a standing position.
What causes back pain when you squat?
There can be multiple reasons why you’re experiencing lower back pain from squats. In fact, the lumbar spine is one of the most commonly injured
Poor technique
There are several big mistakes that people often make while squatting that can lead to lower back pain.
Butt Wink
The so-called “butt wink” is characterized by posteriorly tilting your pelvis at the bottom of the squat so that the tailbone is tucked under you and there’s an excessive rounding in the lumbar spine.
Research suggests that continually performing squats with a butt wink, especially under heavy load, increases your risk of spinal disc injury and may cause lower back pain down the road.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
10 Anterior Pelvic Tilt Stretches To Relieve Lower Back Pain
In general, there are two likely reasons for the butt wink to occur.
It could be that your hip anatomy just restricts the movement of your thigh bone (femur) and forces your pelvis to reflexively rotate under the body to continue the movement. This is the case with deeper hip sockets.
To correct this, try:
- a wider stance when you squat
- lower the depth of your squat so that you can maintain a more neutral spine during the exercise.
Ankle Mobility
The second possible reason for the butt wink is poor ankle mobility.
If you suspect that this is the case for you, you’ve got some work to do.
Daily ankle mobility drills will do the trick.
In the meantime, adjust the depth of your squat to the range within which your back stays neutral.
Investing in some weightlifting shoes might help as well.
Hips Rise Faster Than The Chest (Good morning squat)
Your hips and your chest should move at the same speed and as a single unit throughout the entire movement.
When the opposite occurs and you raise your hips faster than your chest (also called the” good morning squat”), you’re putting more stress on your lumbar spine.
Over time, this will strain your lower back and lead to lower back pain.
Additionally, it makes your squat and power output less efficient.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
8 Lower back stretches to relieve tight and painful back
Elbows flaring back
This might not seem like it makes much of a difference but you’ll be amazed at how much every little detail affects your movement mechanics.
When you have your elbows flaring back rather than pointing to the ground, it automatically gives cues to your upper body to lean forward.
Just like with the good morning squat, this can potentially strain your lower back and cause problems.
You need to have your lats engaged, chest up, and elbows pointing to the ground.
Not breathing properly
The way you breathe during squats can have a significant impact on your spine stability and performance.
Research suggests that increasing your intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) during squats significantly lowers the pressure on your lower back by creating more stiffness in your trunk and spine. (3,4)
How do you increase your IAP?
Don’t breathe out on your way up! Instead, before the descent, take a deep breath and brace your core.
Hold your breath throughout the entire movement – descend and ascend, breathe out, and rest at the top.
You’re overdoing it
You have to respect the limits of your body.
If your muscles are already fatigued and you keep pushing yourself to perform more reps, you’re just asking for trouble (and trouble usually does come when you call for it).
Another common mistake is loading too fast. Don’t let your ego lead you, add more weight to the bar only when you’re sure you can perform
Be mindful of your fitness level and how much you can tolerate. Progress happens slowly, and more importantly – recovery is essential for it.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
7 Anterior Pelvic Tilt Exercises To Fix Painful Lower Back
You have an existing lower back injury
Sometimes old injuries don’t get completely resolved and reappear when sufficient triggers are present.
If you’ve ever had a lower back injury and suspect that it’s causing you trouble again, it’s worth consulting with a specialist to find out exactly what the problem is and create an action plan.
Your lower back muscles are tight
Most people these days tend to spend way too much time sitting and/or staring at screens.
Given this, it’s pretty common that certain muscles will get stiff and tight leading to pain and discomfort.
One way to counteract this is to make sure you take breaks every hour or so to get up and move around for 5-10 minutes.
Additionally, you want to incorporate regular stretching and mobility drills to keep your muscles flexible and agile.
Some of my most popular articles on this blog are all about lower back stretch routines.
They incorporate some of the most effective and easy-to-perform stretching exercises, so you should definitely check them out.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
10 Abs exercises better than sit-ups – 6 for back pain relief
Your core muscles are insufficiently strong
As mentioned before, core muscle strength is key for the proper performance of many compound exercises including the squat.
A weak core will be unable to keep the tension throughout the movement and will lead to poor mechanics and potentially lower back pain from squats.
How to fix lower back pain from squats?
First off, you’ll need to assess the pain. Does the pain only occur during squats and if so, during which portion of the squat? Did the pain only occur once you were finished and for how long does it last?
Most commonly, people complain of pain during squats.
Now that we’ve listed what the most common mistakes are, it makes sense to figure out which ones you’re doing and to start eliminating them.
Fix your squat form
If you’re determined to get rid of the lower back pain from squats for good, you’ll have to let your ego go.
Return back to basics and start with either the air squat or an empty barbell.
Examine your form either by taking a video of yourself or having a friend observe you and give you feedback.
Experiment with your stance to find the right one for you.
Related read to the Lower Back Pain From Squats:
Banded Deadlifts: Best 3 Resistance Band Deadlift Variations
Take enough rest between your workouts
Make sure you’re sufficiently recovered from your last workout and there’s no residual pain or discomfort left.
If you start your workout and pain occurs, end it there. Don’t push through the pain.
Of course, sleep and nutrition are key for recovery as well but that’s a really long topic that deserves its own blog post.
Strengthen your core
Your core muscles are much more than just your abdominal wall (which we often refer to as just your “abs”).
Your core includes your internal and external obliques, your abdominals (transverse and rectus abdominis), pelvic floor, diaphragm, erector spinae, and multifidus.
All these muscles work in sync to stabilize your torso and allow you to keep it upright while performing squats (and any other standing exercise for that matter).
Having a weak core doesn’t allow you to keep the tension in your torso throughout the movement and lets your back round.
Fortunately, there are some GREAT core exercises that are ideal for people who already struggle with lower back pain and I have a whole article covering this topic.
How to prevent lower back pain from squats?
There are a few basic rules to follow in order to minimize the risk of lower back pain caused by squats.
- Don’t go over your limits. Use a weight that allows you to perform the squat in good form without losing tension. Don’t let your ego lead you – it’s always, always important to prioritize good form.
- Never push through the pain. If it hurts – stop it.
- Have a well-rounded strength routine – don’t neglect any major muscle group. Any weaknesses and imbalances will show over time.
- Give your body enough rest between strength sessions.