herniated disc - what exercises can i do....

i have a herniated disc in my l4/l5 vertabrae.. i am meeting with a neurosurgeon/neurologist to discuss what needs to be done... i will also be given a referral to physical theraphy.

i know that i should not lift heavy or do anything that my cause more pain but after i meet with the neurologist i want to come up with a workout routine that i can do to maintain the mass i have and workout my core and do more cardio.

do you all think it is ok if i workout my core (abs/obliques/lower back) to make it stronger? these will be bodyweight type exercises.

3-4 day split

SUNDAY back, triceps - cable row, lat pulldown, pullups, dips (bodyweight), tricep pulldowns, close grip..

MONDAY OFF

TUESDAY shoulders, cardio - front, side lateral raises, rear delts, *maybe* light bb shrugs with ez bar, cardio - bicycle, elipiical, and ab workout

WEDNESDAY OFF

THURSDAY abs (core), cardio - bicycle, eliptical, ab workout with bodyweight - leg raises, crunches, obliques

FRIDAY OFF

SATURDAY - chest, biceps: bench press, cable flys, variations of pushups, db curls, hammers, reverse curls

Ask your doc. He'll provide you with a list of exercises that will help strenghten your back.

ttt


let me know what you all think of my split...

doc ssaid i can workout at about 50% of what i can normally do..

Had herniated disc at C5...idk if that has anything to do with "5", but upright rows, cleans and deadlifts especially hurt A LOT, when doing them. It feels like that area is on fire, but more than it usually does. (You should know what i'm talking about if you have herniated discs)

I have a herniated L4/L5 as well and it is pretty severe.

Basically, no squats, deadlifts or shrugs. Period.

My back is OK with seated dumbbell press and leg presses, and surprisingly upright rows. Just listen to your body.

Strengthening your abs is supposedly beneficial. Any twisting/side-to-side motion though bothers my back (bicycles, most oblique workouts)... talk to your PT about this specifically, they will tell you what works and doesn't work.

Step 1: Go through a proper physical rehab program ... no real weights except those prescribed by doctor (for me even bodyweight exercises made my back tender when I first Fd it up). You're probably ****ed for the first few months & it sucks.

Step 2: Start working out with light weights, only doing the stuff you can handle - what you can handle is up to you. I personally went machines only for a good while (3+ months), and I slowly conditioned myself to light jogging. From this point you want to be slowly adding in things like bent over rows with no weight, squats with pretty much no weight, etc, and you want to be progressing slowly up to normal weights. It took me at least a year to be able to dead lift again.

also:
- take any advice given to you by your doctor with a grain of salt, you know your own body better than he does
- ease into your workouts ... your doctor's advice could be too conservative, but your body is pretty f*cked right now, and you're going to have to relearn what does and doesn't make it hurt
- check to see if prolotherapy is an option for your injury

It's been about 3 years since I herniated my back, and I can do everything you would want to do in the weight room. My back still limits my workouts in some ways, but I am basically back to normal. About a year ago, I pushed my back past its limits setting a personal record in dead lifts, and when I came back from my work out my back was F U C K E D. I thought that I had undone everything I did over the years to get myself back to normal. Luckily taking 2 weeks straight off of everythng & then slowly working back up in dead lifts solved the problem. The message: Don't let this sort of thing happen to you - take it slow.