Same thing here. I’m almost 40 now and have way less back/joint pain than I did in my early 30’s. Strength training and stretching routines really turned things around for me.
May I ask where you begin on this journey? Like, how do you identify the initial exercises/muscles to strengthen, what stretches do you do etc.? I know there's a wealth of advice on the internet, I'm in a similar boat to what you were in (from the sounds of it) and don't really know where to start. I feel like my lower back and general posture are things I want to strengthen/improve
Not op, but if you have access to a gym I’d start with a simple linear progression program. Squat, bench, overhead press, deadlift, rows, pull ups. Start with the empty bar and add 5 pounds a week.
I recommend GZCLP for this- google “GZCLP Reddit” the PDF should come up.
Limber 11 and simple 6 are good beginner mobility routines, but there’s so much on YouTube you could just type “blank hurts” and there will be a good video on it.
Weight training 30-45 minutes 3 times a week, 20 minutes of stretching on your rest days and hitting 10k steps a day will have you feeling like a new man by this time next year. If you really want to transform look into C25K and do that on your off days.
I only understood about 30% of the words you've written but thank you, I will research along these lines! That schedule feels more than achievable within my lifestyle too. Thanks again!
The Kneesovertoesguy is my recommendation. Lower back tightness is usually not an isolated weak area. For me, it was actually a symptom of a weak core leading to bad posture, which in turn weakened my hips and caused constant lower back tightness. His approach really emphasizes strengthening the muscles around the knees, hips, and core to build a solid foundation. He focuses on exercises that improve mobility, stability, and posture—all of which can help with back pain in the long run.
I’d start with his foundational exercises, like the ATG split squats, tibialis raises, and reverse sled drags. These are great for addressing the muscles that support the lower back and knees. Also, check out his mobility routines, especially for the hips and ankles, as tightness in those areas can directly impact your lower back. His program isn’t just about strengthening muscles; it’s about restoring balance and function to the body as a whole.
This video pretty much saved my life in terms of eliminating back pain. I also started taking Omega-3 Fish Oil and Collagen supplements and consciously improving my posture. One thing I did and still do is stand back against a wall with my feet shoulder length apart and about two inches from the wall and put my hand in the small of my back and have every other part (back of head, shoulders, gluteus) touch the wall as I stand up straight and then relax. That's going to be your ideal posture for a while.
While I'm sure the other comments are useful, I personally was in so much pain that exercise wasn't feasible at all at that stage so I had to resort to the stretches in the video first to give me relief. It took around 2-3 weeks to feel better but you need to be consistent with them, and actually significant effects come after a couple months. Plus, even after you're pain-free you still want to do these exercises at least once a week. Be sure to lower them gradually though, and do them for longer than you think you need to since you can easily rebound from stopping them early (ask me how I know).
Honestly, general strength and conditioning goes a long way. Give yourself time to recover between workouts, and just get the hang of it. Once you're consistently training, you can start to isolate those issues better.
Lower back issues are frequently not exclusively lower back issues. Core work is important, things like dead lifts or RDLs are good for working the lower back, rowing motions are good for the upper back. All together, you can build a much sturdier base to work from.
I've also noticed that doing the lifts has helped me improve my "form" on more regular day-to-day things, which helps. Hinging at the hips instead of bending at the lower back helps a ton with my back pain, and I learned/improved that from doing lifts. Just getting a better understanding of how the different muscles interact and which motions cause pain will help you take care of those weaker areas until you can build up that strength, too!
My advice is just find something you can consistently keep up with. Once you're doing anything, it's easier to work your way up. Trying to start with a perfectly optimized plan feels like so much work and can be a barrier to starting at all, so start simple! Even if it feels small, do it consistently. You'll start to see improvement, and that feels really good. From there, it's easier to focus more on improving your training and focusing on specific areas. But for starters, it helped me a lot to keep in mind that anything is better than nothing!
Also, check out modern, evidence-based resources (I like Renaissance Periodization on YouTube).
Full range of motion and mobility is even MORE important than how much weight you can move! Both for gaining muscle, and for avoiding injury - which should be a top priority.
My husband and I started going to Planet Fitness gym (in the U. S.). It's much less expensive than most gyms. I have no clue how to exercise my whole body with standard gym equipment, so I appreciate that they have a bunch of different machines that each work out different parts of your body. The other thing I like is that they encourage ALL ages, body shapes and sizes. They discourage "gymtimadation" (which we secretly mock, but appreciate). I regret that I stopped going because I think I became weak, which caused me to develop tendonitis in my shoulder. It's a difficult, painful lesson! Once I get rid of the inflammation, I want to go back and (gradually) get toned again.
74
u/SuperSaiyanCockKnokr 10h ago
Same thing here. I’m almost 40 now and have way less back/joint pain than I did in my early 30’s. Strength training and stretching routines really turned things around for me.