Train With Pain #22: Why Resting Your Back Keeps the Pain Around

Welcome to the New Faces

Happy Friday everyone.

A big welcome to all the new faces at IAC. We're loving seeing you join the programme and it's a pleasure having you with us. That's Nadia above, locking out her overhead press with a little hands on help from the team.

There's a real buzz around the gym at the moment. When I'm upstairs in clinic and I can hear a class going on below, the FOMO is real. I want to drop everything and come down and train with you.

Why This Message Hits Home

I thought yesterday's Instagram post was worth sharing here, mostly because it's what so many of you have been through.

It's all about the fear avoidance cycle. You hurt your back, so you stop bending. Bending starts to feel scary, so you avoid it a little more. A few months later your back feels weaker, stiffer and more sensitive than when it started. Not because it's damaged, but because it's been protected for too long.

If you've joined our programme, you'll already understand a bit more about why pain happens and how to break out of that cycle. If you're reading this and haven't joined us yet, does any of this sound familiar? Have you been told to rest your lower back and avoid lifting anything heavy? That running is bad for your joints? There's so much rubbish advice out there, so it's no wonder it all feels conflicting.

This is where we come in. We've heard it all and we know what you're going through. We start loading the body gradually, finding ways to get movement back into the positions that usually cause a problem. It all comes down to the dose. I say this to someone pretty much every day: give the body the right dose and it will adapt. Give it too much and it will react.

Get the dose right and you start to notice a little less pain, a little more movement and a lot less fear. Those small wins prove to you that it's working. Then before you know it, you're lifting heavy, chasing bigger numbers and flexing those biceps. What a journey.

Know someone stuck in this cycle? Send them our free 5 step back pain guide, or read more in The Fear Avoidance Cycle and How to Break It.

Summer Merch Run

We're doing another merch order very soon. This time we're keeping it simple with tops. We're looking at the 2XU Aero Trail Tank for both men and women, plus a mesh crop for the ladies. If tanks aren't your thing we can also do tees, but we'll need a minimum order to make that happen.

Men's Aero Trail Tank
Women's Aero Trail Tank
Women's Mesh Crop

Keen? Let the team know what you'd like and your size, and we'll add your name to the list.

A New Training Block

I love the start of a new training block. For those who've just joined, we're finishing up week 2 of a 6 week block. All of our programming runs in these 6 week blocks, and there's a reason they're built the way they are.

The first couple of weeks are all about volume. More sets, more reps and slightly lighter weights. This is where we build the foundation: more muscle, better technique when you're tired and the work capacity to handle what's coming. It's hard work and you'll feel it.

As the block goes on, the volume drops and the weight goes up. Fewer reps, heavier sets. By then your body has adapted to all that work, and as the fatigue clears, your nervous system gets better at using the muscle you've built. That's when the strength shows up and the PBs start coming.

Think of it like this. Early in the block we build the fitness. Later in the block we let the fatigue drop so you can actually show it. That's why we don't just go heavy every single week. Lifting near your max week after week piles up fatigue faster than your body can recover, and that's usually when progress stalls and niggles start to appear.

This week we hit some fairly high volume (think those 3 sets of 10 back squats on Wednesday 🥵). The legs were cooked and the heart rate was high. The good news is my starting numbers are strong this block, especially my bench and squat, which tells me all that strength work from the last block has stuck.

Poliquin Step Downs

Who enjoyed the Poliquin step downs? Tiny range of motion, looks like nothing, absolutely savage on the quads.

Here's why we love them. With your heel raised on the wedge, your knee can travel further forward over your toes, which puts the work squarely through your quads rather than your hips. Because the range is so small, the muscle stays under tension the whole time and you can really focus on controlling the knee as it bends. That slow, controlled lowering builds strength around the knee and gets it used to taking load in a position a lot of people avoid.

That makes them a great tool if your knees don't love squats or lunges yet. We can build strength in a range you can control without needing to go deep. And for everyone else, they're a brilliant way to build quads that hold up when you run, jump and squat heavy.

This Weekend

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing you at Saturday's conditioning class, which is FREE for members. We're building our engines. Then on Sunday I'm heading out for a hard 14km run at Albert Park.

If you're on the fence about Saturday, here's what to expect. We work for 45 minutes. Some will run, some will walk and some will be on the bike. The goal is simple: get your heart rate up a little and keep it there. It doesn't matter where you're starting from. We'll find your level and adjust from there. The important thing is turning up. Stay consistent and you'll see the improvements, and that's the ultimate win.

Looks like Melbourne is bringing the weather too. Nothing better.

Christmas BBQ

Save the date: Saturday 19th December.

We'll have a big class at 9:30am, followed by Rosetta coffee and a BBQ from 10:30am. Book in via "Courses" in the app so we know numbers.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Chat next week,
Craig