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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/woman-exercising264x291.jpg\")
\n Front squats and using lighter weights puts less pressure on the spine. <\/p>\n
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\n Front squats and using lighter weights puts less pressure on the spine.
<\/p>\n
Protecting the spine is paramount when strength training. <\/p>\n
Poor form or lifting with too much weight are among the ways to wind up with a back injury before long.<\/p>\n
Dr. Emily Mills<\/a>, a surgeon at UCI Health Orthopaedic Surgery Services<\/a>, shares some of the more popular exercises that place a dangerous amount of pressure on the spine.<\/p>\n Mills suggests ways to perform those exercises without injuring the spine. <\/p>\n She also offers alternative exercises that strengthen the same muscle groups to try instead.<\/p>\n Deadlifts<\/p>\n Deadlifts can be extremely dangerous for your spine, says Mills. “They place a large amount of sheer force on the discs in your lumbar spine.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, she suggests a more upright posture and holding the bar or dumbbells closer to your legs. She says this ensures that your back is in a neutral position, not rounded. It also reduces pressure on the spine.<\/p>\n But even with those modifications, the move is still risky, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you are using proper form, the sheer force on your lumbar discs exceeds the safe threshold after about 120 pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Exercise alternative: Hip bridges or hip thrusts. \u201cThese exercises are safer for your spine and work the same muscles,\u201d says Mills.<\/p>\n Squats<\/p>\n While generally safe for the spine when using good form and lifting light weights, squats can be dangerous if one slouches or rounds their back.<\/p>\n \u201cThis dangerous posture tends to happen more with deep squats and heavier weights,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n Because front squats place less pressure on the spine than low squats, Mills recommends opting for them when possible.<\/p>\n \u201cYour low back will also thank you for trying shallow squats with lighter weights.\u201d<\/p>\n Exercise alternative: Try weighted step ups or reverse lunges. \u201cThese work the same muscles without the force on your spine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Running<\/p>\n Running is not recommended for anyone who has had recent spine surgery or has ongoing back problems.<\/p>\n The repetitive stress from running can also cause lumbar disc degeneration in people with the inherited condition, causing low back pain.<\/p>\n \u201cIf no one in your family has had back problems, you may not need to worry as much and can continue running to your heart\u2019s content,\u201d says Mills.<\/p>\n Exercise alternative: Safer cardiovascular exercises include swimming, cycling and the elliptical.<\/p>\n Strengthening the lower back<\/p>\n To maintain a healthy spine, Mills advises incorporating moves to strengthen the core and stabilize the hips.<\/p>\n Some core exercises that place minimal stress on the spine include side and front planks, hip bridges, bird dogs and dead bugs.<\/p>\n “Do these exercises a couple times a week and work them into your normal exercise routine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Front squats and using lighter weights puts less pressure on the spine.
Protecting the spine…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577727,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[499,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-577726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}