How I almost blew out my back (again) - Doing MOBILITY work

REFERENCES:
[1] - Lewit K. Relation of faulty respiration to posture, with clinical implications. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 1980 Apr;79(8):525-9. PMID: 7364597.
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276912/
[3]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278249048_Diaphragmatic_Breathing_The_Foundation_of_Core_Stability
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/
I mentioned last video that the first time I severely injured my lumbar spine was from deadlifting a medium-heavy weight.
And that was because I bought into the lie of -
“All you need to do is train the ‘Big Lifts’ to work your core.”
And the “Big Lifts” in this context are the Squat, Deadlift, Press, and the Olympic Lifts and their variations.
In the “Kettlebell World” it Swings, Get Ups, (especially!), Cleans, Presses, Snatches, and so on.
That was 22 years ago.
Fast-forward 7 years and I’d once again bought into another “half truth.”
15 years ago if you asked me what to do for your sore tight back or stiff, painful shoulder, I knew the answer was simple:
Dynamic mobility drills.
They were the “cure” for everything.
For your lower back, all you needed to do was some thoracic spine mobility, 4-way hip circles, and 3 to 4 specialized foot mobility drills.
BAM! - Simple!
For your painful shoulders?
Also some thoracic spine mobility, 4-way hip circles, and 3 to 4 specialized foot mobility drills. And probably some shoulder camshafts in a pain-free range of motion.
BAM! - Simple!
Until I almost blew out my lower back (again) - this time while squatting.
And I just couldn’t figure out why.
I was 3 years into a “performance mobility system” and feeling pretty darn good.
It was August 2009 and I had to travel 2 weeks in a row for RKC kettlebell certifications.
Upon return, I was warming up my barbell Back Squat and something felt… Off.
I put on 100kg (220lbs) and squatted down.
But the shocking thing is I could barely stand up!
And the reason it was so shocking is because just 2 weeks prior I’d squatted 10 sets of 5 reps with 140kg (308lbs)!
Furthermore, the reason I could barely stand up was that I felt like my lumbar spine was grossly unstable - like about to break!
It felt like I had zero control over it.
What was going on?
So I spent the next 2 to 3 months going even deeper into the system and nothing fixed me. I couldn’t get my squat back.
In fact, I felt like I was getting weaker all over.
So I called my good buddy Brett Jones, who was also involved in this mobility system and another one, and asked him for help.
I flew to his place and he ran me through a movement screen and to my dismay (and yet, relief) we discovered my problem.
And guess what?
It wasn’t that I needed “more mobility work.”
Turns out I couldn’t stabilize my lumbar spine and pelvis…
Even though my entire spine, pelvis and hips were more mobile than they’d probably ever been - at least since I was about 2!
So, my CNS (Central Nervous System) had practically “pulled the plug” on my strength - my ability to lift.
My body’s internal stability system had basically shut down.
The only thing I could figure out was that all that incessant mobility work overrode my body’s natural stabilizing mechanisms and it left me floppy like a rag doll.
It turns out that I didn’t need mobility work.
And it may be the same or similar with you. (Except you’re probably not “Ragdoll Floppy.”)
Let me explain.
Naturally, if you feel a little stiff or tight as a result of Swings - especially 1-Hand’ers… you’d probably be tempted to think that you need some hip or t-spine mobility to “loosen” up.
But what happens if / when that doesn’t work?
The reality is that more likely than not, if your mobility work isn’t helping get rid of your tight lower back or sore shoulders, then you don’t need more mobility.
So, what do you do instead?
Reboot your body’s natural stabilization system by working on what’s called reflexive core stability.
And how do you do that?
Systematically.
The best and first place to start is with your BREATHING.
Specifically, Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Research by Lewitt [1] suggests that proper breathing patterns - diaphragmatic breathing - are the foundation for all other movement patterns. If your breathing is off, so is everything else.
Other research shows that diaphragmatic breathing improves spinal stabilization, decreases pain, and increases the thickness of other lumbar stabilizers like the transverse abdominus and multifidus. [2]
Already doing diaphragmatic breathing?
Do MORE.
Other research shows that the more, the better. Up to 30 reps multiple times per day.[3]
Plus, diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. And vagus nerve stimulation has been shown to potentially decrease pain [4], which is another plus.
How do you know if diaphragmatic breathing will decrease your stiffness or tightness, or improve your ranges of motion?
Simple - Test it.