Squat substitute

So I'm having trouble squatting due to lower back pain - a lot of trouble, last time I squatted the following day it was painful to pick up a coffee cup. So I'm ruling them out for now. I want to become strong, not a cripple.

What are some exercises to do instead? I have a barbell and some dumbells, but that's it - not a lot of room at home for extra equipment.

So far I'm thinking lunges...

Im with you on lunges mate. SInce my back op, lunges and calf raises have been all I can do. Kept most of my size in the quads too, plus you can eventually hold db's in each hand to up the resistance..

Find out whats wrong with your back, then continue squatting.

Everybody should be mobile enough to squat.

Does it still hurt when you reduce the weight?

Other alternatives you can try
Lunges
Farmers walk with dumbells
Goblet squats
Barbell hack squats
Trap bar deadlifts
Dumbell squats

Ultra heavy partials out of the rack might be good
It's only when you go deep right? Lunges are gay and you'll probably fall over when you start going heavy

Backwards and or forwards sled drags is what I use when I can't squat. Don't even need a sled, just find something heavy and tie a rope to it and drag it.

Sticky said:

Find out whats wrong with your back, then continue squatting.

Everybody should be mobile enough to squat.

Click to expand...

Bingo boingo.

My thoughts on the matter are, if you are unable to squat *properly without weight, that is no bar, then you have no right squatting with one.

* that means all body parts are fully stretched in the squat position without power leakage.

0ni said:

Ultra heavy partials out of the rack might be good
It's only when you go deep right? Lunges are gay and you'll probably fall over when you start going heavy

Click to expand...

Not if you have good balance! There's nothing to compare to squats, but he's looking for an alternative. Lunges & step ups have done the job for me since my back op, I'm sure they can for him too

Like scott said I'd be looking at why. Perhaps go see a coach who can have a look for you.

Cheers guys. Will look into sled drags, maybe some partial squats ill see how they go too.. and lunges.

I did 3-4 years or so of heavy baggage handling in my 20s. I am starting to think I might be in the same boat as Taurus and others who just abused their bodies too much. 10 hour shifts day after day lifting heavy shit in the worst way possible (leaning down to the side to grab it etc) and running around with 30-40kg in one hand just isnt good for you.

I've had my form checked by a coach I might try that again but yeah....

Wtf

Lunges are a good alternative to squats (I'm not saying replacement) since you can have some variety in them. Db lunges, BB lunges, stationary lunges or simply changing the length of your lunge will recruit different muscles.
So experiment with these and report back after a couple of weeks

my coach got me doing heavy front box squats to a med-high box when I injured my hip and couldn't squat for a while.

was really good for quads especially and didn't put pressure on my hip or back, despite going to 72.5kg (I'm 46kg).

Plus split squats (bw and DBs, BB) were part of my rehab routine with progressively more weight.

How low is the pain in your back ? You need to figure out where the pain is coming from, most common are, Lattisimus dorsi (Lats), top of the glutes (where they connect to hip) or the fascia (common with squats). All are under enormous stress when doing back squats.

Once you figure out where the pain is coming from, start with aggressive mobility work of that muscle. I would do self massage and static pressure followed by stretching (use a roller or ball for your back). I think you will find your back muscles will be super super tight especially if you have been lifting and not doing any mobility work.

Also don't rule out hamstrings, tight hamstrings will reduce hip angle in the squat and can cause many different back problems.

As others suggest reduce the load significantly but don't stop lifting. Keep up the mobility work you will be surprised at the results and you back will be stronger than ever.

I ended up doing the stretches here
How To: Kettlebell Goblet Squat - YouTube

Focussed on hip mobility for a while and eliminating ANY butt wink and so far so good. Also joined an oly gym with people who will occasionally correct you and know what they're talking about.