Q: I always feel pain during stiff-legged dead lifts, regular dead lifts and bent-over barbell rows. Do I have a weak lower back or a chronic injury?

-Mark Stacey
Venice Beach, California

A: Back pain isn’t something to joke about.

WEAK BACK

For one, your lower-back muscles may not have fully recuperated from your last workout—a heavy squat workout can fatigue your lower-back muscles quite a bit. They won’t be as strong, especially during exercises in which you’re bent over and your lower-back muscles are holding in an isometric position for 30 to 60 seconds. Check your program and see if you’re overloading your lower back too frequently. It takes anywhere from three to 10 days to recover from a heavy dead lift or squat-based workout. The heavier it is, the more days off you’ll need.

CHRONIC INJURY

You could also have a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint that doesn’t move correctly, is painless or could be exposed only when put under a heavy load. Get your lower back checked and find out if there are joints moving abnormally or muscles that are dysfunctional, damaged with scar tissue or weak compared to other muscles in the area. If there are, rehabilitate them and slowly rebuild your strength in your lower body.

-Ken Kinakin, DC, CSCS

Want more useful tips? Pick up the September/October issue of Maximum Fitness—on newsstands August 25, 2009.