By Roger Schwab

My personal interest in spinal injuries began somewhat abruptly, merely several years into serious strength training. Aside from several on-field contact sport related injuries, the most intense of my spinal and various joint-related injuries were the result of my misuse of a barbell. If any readers of this article trained in the 1960′s, you will recall that much of the training philosophy centered around the so-called Olympic lifts-press, snatch and clean and jerk. Subsequently, a great deal of attention shifted to the three powerlifts-bench press, squat and deadlift. These “power-movements” are to this day the “core” of many training routines of body builders everywhere. With no formal instruction at the time and a limited number of peers interested in serious weight training sessions, I struck out on my own, read whatever was available and worked hard two or three days a week in the Pennsylvania State University weight room, which facilities at the time were limited to many Olympic bars, a platform and several flat and incline benches. Though a major football powerhouse, the University’s lifting population was sparse. My approach to training consisted of the “basic” heavy exercises, combining Olympic and powerlifts, with an emphasis on substantial warm-ups and what I believed to be proper technique. This training seemingly paid off in exceptional (at the time) collegiate performances including a 365 lb. bench press with a two second pause at the chest, a 225 lb. squat snatch (I was one of the first lifters to vary from the then standard split snatch) and a 415 lb. full squat (below parallel with a pause) at 180 º lb. bodyweight. Nevertheless, though I instinctively proceeded cautiously, my choice of exercises caused structural damage that would manifest in long term chronic pain. Advanced spinal pathology at 20 plus years old! Disc herniations throughout my neck (cervical spine) C3-C7, a reversal of my lordotic curve and spinal stenosis at C-7. My lower back suffered severe degenerative change as well with disc herniations at L4-5 L5-S1. And as most enthusiasts will tell you, when your lower back hurts, along with muscle spasms of adjacent body parts, with numbness and “tingling” down your limbs resulting from nerve impingement, you think of little else and your quality of life deteriorates rapidly. Only after experiencing the experience, trial and many errors did I finally learn for myself what to practice and what to avoid while training to get strong, safely. It is worth considering by every trainee, that what you “think” you can handle in your 20′s will ultimately catch up with you later in life. Joint stress accumulates silently. Injuries that you suffer from later in life may have been caused by today’s mistakes. Sadly, but unmistakably, the same mistakes that I made 35 years ago are still being made today in gyms throughout the world. Plus, many newer mistakes that I never made. Rather than finding out for themselves what does and does not constitute safe, result- stimulating exercise, trainees are being taught training regimens that are outright dangerous and lack the fundamentals of common sense. Regrettably, strength training and “sport conditioning” in the year 2010 are, in many instances, fields in which common sense is anything but common. Well thought out strength training programs (of which I was obviously not a product of in my 20′s) in all cases, should strengthen the muscles, improve function and never damage the skeleton.1

Not everyone who trains with weights gets hurt. But many do. This is unfortunate since proper strength training should prevent injuries, not cause them. Football linemen, in their post-career years, inevitably show immense structural degeneration primarily caused by being exposed to high levels of repetitive impact force. Football, by its very violent nature, may cause life-long disabilities even for strong, naturally large conditioned athletes.

Empirical and anecdotal evidence is often (read: always) dismissed as inconsequential by the exercise science community, bent on peer reviewed scientific studies. However, make no mistake that “experts” espousing ballistic movement under load and fast heavy lifting are, in my opinion, dismissing common sense and ignoring a less than herculean bone-makeup in a majority of today’s weight training enthusiasts. After too many years of repeated mistakes, I finally “woke-up” to the fact that if anyone is going to lift weights to improve functional ability and build stronger muscles, do so in a slow, deliberate focused manner. Choose exercises wisely. Follow sound routines that emphasize quality rather than quantity and which do not leave the overall system depleted and ripe for muscular or skeletal injuries. Fast movements do not build fast muscles no matter what any “expert” might tell you. Even if fast lifting did build fast muscles, it would never be worth the risk of injury. You can probably never move resistance too slowly, but you can easily move it too fast. If you don’t believe that, you may find out for yourself the hard way, which may then be too late. And while you are finding out, ask the “experts” to demonstrate to you fast movements under load directly working the neck and lower back. The neck has seven functions-extension, flexion, lateral bending left and right, rotation left and right and shoulder elevation; the most practiced, arguably extension. Violently extending the neck under load once might be your last exercise! Similarly, the function of the muscles of the lumbar spine is to extend the spine with the pelvis anchored. Lumbar extension can and should be part of every trainee’s workout and can be performed in a safe and extremely beneficial manner. Weekly exercise on the lumbar extension machine will go a long way to substantially strengthen the lower back muscles while preventing many lower back injuries. Instead, most bodybuilders and strength trainees are going in a potentially dangerous direction.

Some trainees’ spines can handle several hundred pounds of barbell weight compressing the entire spine. Many more cannot! Regardless of where on the neck or shoulders the barbell is placed. At one time or another, probably every bodybuilding magazine and every physique champion has declared the squat to be the “king of exercises” and fundamental. Fundamental to whom? Everyone? If, and that’s a big if, you are a large-boned athlete with heavy, thick trapezius development, the properly performed squat (slow and deep) can and will stimulate great overall systemic muscular response. However, for the vast majority of people who train with weights, who are neither heavily-boned or massively muscled around the neck and lumbar area, squats can be dangerous and trainees should be cautious. Trainees who are tall and lean with long legs should weigh their options carefully. You have other choices to build hip, leg and overall strength. Hip extension exercises are rarely practiced, yet serve safely as an important foundation of any routine when performed correctly. Leg press machines, manufactured by companies who take orthopaedic considerations seriously, along with hip extension exercises can form a core for safe, sensible hip and leg strengthening routines. If you are determined to squat, the best way to include them in training routines is the following sequence. Start the workout with hip extensions, followed by leg extensions and leg curls all trained to muscular failure. Then, immediately begin squatting. This order of exercises, performed properly, will keep intensity high and force low, since squatting last will necessitate using less resistance without compromising intensity. (Actually, the order of exercises ensures far greater intensity.)

Though there are many differing viewpoints these days regarding what constitutes “the best way to train for strength”, there is virtual unanimity on emphasizing the “big, compound movements.” However, contrary to the status quo, common sense dictates both single joint and compound movements in all trainees’ workouts at various times. Furthermore, I would strongly suggest incorporating weekly direct exercise for two of the most vulnerable areas of the body, the neck and lower back. These are the “weak links” that are too often neglected. Remember, like a chain you are only as strong as your weakest link. Direct exercise for the neck and lower back, trained smartly and intensely will thoroughly strengthen these often disused or abused areas quickly, safely and sensibly. The results being greater muscularity and function with a lower risk of spinal injury.

A commitment to safely strengthening the neck and lower back will go a long way to improve functional ability, keeping trainees strong, active and injury free late into life. It is the logical approach to preventing spinal pathology, in many cases brought on by the onslaught of ballistic exercise under load, violent forms of plyometrics and other forms of insanity which fly directly in the face of medically sound exercise.