eaglesandcycling

I've recently been riding a lot more than ever before, for about the last month or 2. I ride a gravel bike and am doing on average 4 rides a week from 40-80km a ride and usually with elevations from 300 to over 1000meters (i ride in both the woods and roads). I do notice though that my lower back tends to hurt when climbing. I'm 47 and in very good condition. If anyone has such issues, how have you dealt with this?

Lemond1985

Try standing up for a few pedal strokes.

I have had a lot of low back pain over 50 years of riding, and the best solution I have been able to come up with, is to alter my climbing style slightly, so that my back stays straight, while climbing in the saddle. What this does, is utilize the glutes, the largest muscle in the body, instead of the lower back, as happens when you fatigue and start riding with a rounded back.





I've found that when I'm really fatigued is when i need to work on this the most, because my natural tendency is to slouch when tired, and what this does is start using the lower back to pedal instead of the glutes. If the climb is long enough, I probably WILL fatigue and start slouching a bit. But i try to climb with a straight back as long as i can. Not only is it more efficient muscle-wise, I think I can get more air into the lugs as well.

You can use your lower back to pedal if you want, but I think it's very bad for the back and will probably result in pain and eventual misalignment, IMO. Try it out.

rumrunn6

I have not but while I was still going to the gym before the virus I was doing some yoga stretches specifically for my back due to a bad strain many years ago. I feel like they were beneficial. I should be doing them still, at home, but I stink at home exercise. you might try to dig up 5 or 6 of those & try them for a cpl weeks to see if they help. they were easy to find

eaglesandcycling

.......Nice! Thanks for the reply and input. I'll try standing more on climbs and just be more aware of my slouching when exhausted. Love the pic too!

Iride01 

I don't know, my typical ride is up and down constant hills of 30, 40 and 50 feet, maybe an occasional 100 ft climb that's not steep.

For things like back pain, any time I get an inkling of such, I'll start doing exercises and things that strengthen my back muscles. But I do them off the bike.

Increasing your time on the bike significantly or increasing most any other exercise will almost always will bring up some issues. Sometimes it's just your body rebelling till it gets used to it, or other times something you might have to change like posture both in and out of the seat. Are you hunched over when you climb that hill with your back in a big tight curve? Straining in too big a gear?

Some do like to climb while standing, but I don't like to climb in high gears and my cadence while climbing is too fast to stand until I run out of gears and the grade gets over 10%. There are only a few places here to find that steep a climb and they are only briefly that steep. Maybe over in Vicksburg and Natchez, but not here.

Carbonfiberboy 

Uh, yup. IMO it's because your back needs strengthening. The posterior chain runs all the way up to our shoulder blades. I also try to hold my back straight on climbs and everywhere else. I tend to climb a lot on the tops to make that easier and to open my chest. To illustrate the posterior chain issue, the most successful single lift to work one's hams in the gym is the stiff legged deadlift. One can feel that all the way to the shoulder blades, hams, glutes, back. A fun quick thing one can do is to google "posterior chain" and choose Images.

So what I do is to try to strengthen my posterior chain in the gym. I used the back machine with heavy weights every visit, adjusting it so my knees are bent which works the glutes and hame, this kind of thing:

plus deadlifts, and other back work. Can't do that now, so I do floor work to the same end. Pushups, planks, side planks, twisting side planks. If you have anything handy for it, you can do kettle ball swings. A couple long sets of that will also make a difference. That's my strategy, just keep at it.
Standing for a bit does give your back a rest, though sooner or later the quads give out and no more standing. That only takes a couple thousand feet for me now, working on it.

Lemond1985

I was thinking about this today while climbing, how everyone knows that "bad lifting" can hurt your back, where you use your back to lift instead of your legs. Climbing is much the same way, you can injure your back just as easily from poor posture on climbs, as you can as you can lifting something heavy the wrong way, especially if you use bad form repetitively while lifting.

I like planks for my back, combined with avoiding stretching or extreme twisting motions. IMO, the back should not be stretched. From my experience, discs and vertabrae can become loose and misaligned from stretching. It should stand tall and strong, like a tree trunk, and not be loose and flexible like a bag of bones.

ZHVelo

Try deadlifts and changing your sleeping (I am convinced that since I started sleeping with a pillow between my knees, my lower back issues have improved).

Also, go in a lower gear. Grinding uphill in a high gear definitely hits my lower back.

Trakhak

Over the years, I've experienced the same thing, but for me it seems to be a consequence of being too eager about upping my mileage (and not taking enough rest days). Ease off on the mileage, take some rest days, and your back should be fine.

alo

As others have said: Improve your posture. Keep your back straighter. That is pull your belly in. You can do this while cycling, and even at other times, such as while walking. In the beginning, you may have to make a conscious effort to do it. After some time, it may come more naturally. You will find you are using some different muscles, and need to build up the strength of them.

Also abdominal strengthening exercises. You can do these by lying on your back and raising your legs. You can look on the internet for other abdominal exercises.

bruce19

No. Unless you're asking if hills are a PITA. Then, yes.

CAT7RDR

By lower back pain do you mean spasms or just soreness from overuse? If it is spasms, you may want to consider seeing a DC for an adjustment. If normal soreness from exertion, Rest, Ice, Compression and Massage.

diphthong

as a lower back pain casualty (bulging disc, sciatica, general discomfort. spasms), i find standing just to stand and count out
30 or 50 or 75 pedal revolution strokes every 5 mins or so helps on climbs over 3 miles.

eaglesandcycling

great. thank you for the input! i’ll try it

eaglesandcycling

just soreness. i assume just overuse as i’ve been riding so much more lately.

eaglesandcycling

good ideas and thoughts. thanks. yah i do notice when climbing or even just riding flat (if i have the pain) if i suck in my stomach and strengthen my core in that moment, the pain subsides.

eaglesandcycling

yah. i’ve been pretty bad about that honestly. i need to lay off slightly. i recently found Strava and have found so many amazing routes i wanna ride a ton clearly i need a break.

eaglesandcycling

good advice. thank you!

eaglesandcycling

great ideas. thx! i’ll give a try

eaglesandcycling

yah, i must be slightly hunched over when climbing. I need to start standing a bit on climbs. it must be the increase of riding i've done that has caused this pain. hope i can sort it out soon..

wolfchild

Start doing some exercises which strengthen your core and posterior chain muscles.

Drew Eckhardt 

After I got my bike fit my muscles were sore climbing until I dropped my saddle 3mm.

That was the case with a moderate effort seated pedaling at just 150W and at least 60 RPM.