Has anyone stopped doing bent over rows?

[toaster]

I think I re-tweaked my back doing bent over rows today.

Here are the details.
Several weeks ago, I tweaked my lower back somehow - not sure exactly how, but it was after a Workout with Roxanne video. I love strength training and enjoy herself, but I thought it was maybe a weighted abs move or something like that. So since then I've been rehabbing myself, really focusing on a combination of core strength plus stretching via both yoga and Pilates. I've done some weights work, but not much.

I was really pleased with my progress, and I was virtually back to 100%. So today I decide to try another of Roxanne's workouts (as an aside, I've done plenty of her routines in the past with no issues). It was Back, Biceps, and Abs, and there were A LOT of bent over row variations. I've never particularly like that exercise, but I could really feel my back starting to tighten up again - I stopped, but not quite soon enough!

My back is fine - just mildly strained, so I'll have to be careful a bit again. But I'm really wondering if I should give up on weighted work for my back, at least bent-over rows and other bent-over exercises that strain my back. (Yet I love deadlifts and they seem to be fine for my back.)

Oh, I should note that I'm 55, will be 56 in April. So I'm just wondering if others out there have adjusted the types of exercises you do for your back as you have gotten older, especially if you are prone to lower back pain.

[Mickey12]

I stopped doing a lot of rows. I have low back issues and I don’t want to aggravate it. I sometimes will do only one set but avoid doing a lot of them. Instead I use bands and do seated rows. I feel like this keeps my back in a safer position, however I can’t go as heavy. I just do a lot more reps as I am not really concerned with going too heavy anyway.

[toaster]

Thanks for your feedback, Kim! I try to lift heavy when possible, but my back isn't somewhere I really need to build muscle - I just want it to be strong and healthy. I think I need to keep up with the core strengthening work and do more of what you are doing.

[Buzzer]

Toaster, can you lay on your stomach on an incline bench (feet on the floor on either side), and do the rows like that? That way you are supported. Or, do, for example, left hand and left knee on a bench in a table position, then right leg straight on the floor and do a one arm row with your right side?

I have a tendency to find alternatives to exercises that bother me or hurt me anymore, so I would probably switch to doing either of these exercises or just finding something that works for me and do those instead. I would stay away from back rows until you figure out your back problem. Maybe start doing some supermans as long as they don't cause you pain?

I haven't cut out back rows, however I have cut out pull ups, pushups, and tricep dips. I have found alternatives that work for me, probably don't work as well as those exercises do, but they work for me!

[fatkat555]

Originally Posted by Buzzer

I haven't cut out back rows, however I have cut out pull ups, pushups, and tricep dips. I have found alternatives that work for me, probably don't work as well as those exercises do, but they work for me!

I have a tweaked low back occasionally that I believe is my QL. I feel it sometimes in rows, but reverse lunges can flare it up. I have to be super cautious that my abs are engaged. Picking up my 20 lb old dog can do it as well.

I don’t do any kind of tricep dips that involve lots of elevation. I modify with reverse pushups. I’ll hurt my shoulder for days if I tried those off a step. I can do the old Firm tricep dips that use the 2 x 4, but I think that’s because you can bring your weight back instead of forward off a chair or step.

[Gale K.]

I will not EVER do push ups because they irritate my shoulder terribly. If they come up in a workout I do them on the wall, which I seem to tolerate. Bent over rows are questionable, and I usually have to use a really light weight, so not sure how much good they do. I have better luck with body rows using a suspension trainer such as TRX.

[alisoncooks]

Originally Posted by Mickey12

I stopped doing a lot of rows. I have low back issues and I don’t want to aggravate it. I sometimes will do only one set but avoid doing a lot of them. Instead I use bands and do seated rows. I feel like this keeps my back in a safer position, however I can’t go as heavy. I just do a lot more reps as I am not really concerned with going too heavy anyway.

Same.
It’s a catch-22 — rows strengthen the back, yet they are a risk for potentially injuring a weak back. I stick with seated when possible. Or if I must: one armed, supported rows (hand on a bench or chair). .

[prettyinpink]

I usually do supported, one-arm rows with one foot and hand on a bench. I think it helps me isolate the lats and not cheat with other muscles. If I do a workout with Cathe with barbell rows or another bilateral variation, I can start to feel it in my lower back a little, which isn’t what I’m trying to work. Same with too many of any exercise where I’m bent over and have to focus on extending the back rather than my natural tendency to curve in that position.

Is it possible that you just need to avoid workouts where they do so many? I think overkill of any one exercise can be a problem. When I do rows, it’s usually only 3 heavy sets in one workout, and that’s pretty usual for paper workouts. I think doing much more than that would be too much in one position for me. Rows are an exercise where I’m no longer going to do bunches of sets with moderate weight where I don’t get close to failure by 8-10 reps. And I think if I just had to stop doing them, I’d want to get back into the gym to use the different seated row machine variations and be able to do lat pull-downs. My back has never grown that I can tell, but I enjoy being stronger so I wouldn’t want to go back to bands or bodyweight only for the back.

[toaster]

Thanks for all the responses!

Buzzer - I do feel better if I support 1 hand on a chair for rows. They are still not completely comfortable; they don't aggravate my back per se, I've just never really liked them. Supermans are okay. Those are the types of yoga and Pilates moves I've been doing recently to strengthen.

Gale - I actually feel that push-ups (or even plank) can aggravate my back! I can feel my back tighten up if I'm doing a plank hold.

Fatkat - I've had some issues with QL in the past too. The current issue is different though - it's more of a tightness that I can feel across my back waist on either side, right along the top of the pelvis.

Alison - exactly! I want my back to be strong, but rows don't seem to be the best way to do it for me.

prettyinpink - you are right, I think this one particular workout was overkill! I can probably still do rows with lighter weights, maybe some modifications. Also, you sound similar to me in that I have tendency to have an exaggerated curve in my low back.

I've never had a diagnosis for my back, but I think my recurrent symptoms are consistent with lower crossed syndrome:
https://blog.nasm.org/lower-crossed-syndrome

All of the exercises described in that article feel fine on my back.

Thanks again everyone for your feedback!

[donnamp]

Hi Beth,

I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't the exercise itself but the volume?

This past summer I strained my back doing bridge work. Normally, bridge work is excellent for me and I do it a lot in Pilates and PT-type workouts. I think what did me in was the volume - a lot of reps, which probably resulted in the muscles I was supposed to be engaging giving up and allowing my lower back to take over the work.

I'm wondering if the same thing happened here - the bent over rows are not the problem - but the volume of bent over rows may be the problem.

Since my "bridge" incident, I am more mindful of taking breaks and not doing as many all at once. With videos it is sometimes hard to know when to stop - you are in the groove and don't realize something is an issue until it is too late.

Also, I like Buzzer's modifications!

Hope you feel better soon!

Donna