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Back muscles hurt after skiing bumps

KingGrump

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The back extension exercises that @Jerez mentioned are great. I usually do 1 set of 10 reps of the 45 degree back extensions then rotate my body 90 degrees both left & right to work the oblique. I also feel the side-ward extensions also stretches the back muscles in a diagonal fashion. Making them a bit more resilient. I usually repeat the same sets two more times with first a 10 lb weight then a 25 lb weight. Really good for lower back conditioning.

Besides strength, I believed resiliency and flexibility are very important qualities for the lower back. I find the cable exercise machines are great for working on upper and lower body separation issues. With the cable machine, I can also work on separating the head from the upper body. An additional degree of separation within the body. Great for reconnaissance purposes while skiing steeps, bumps & trees.
 

crgildart

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When I was skiing bumps USSA I did a lot of these.. usually with a 45 pound donut behind my neck...

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Guy in Shorts

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Daily soak in the hot tub after skiing works wonders. I keep trying not to get any older but that doesn't seem to work. Once you hit the half century mark you are allowed to ski over 50 line in the bumps.
 

chemist

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@Daron Rahlves might have the answer.

Yes, it's important to incorporate rotational as well as single-plane exercises. I'd recommend starting with something gentler (less ballistic) than this, say cable chops and cable lifts (chops: stand at a cable machine with the handle positioned at the top, and pull the handle diagonally down across your torso by turning your waist; lifts: same except start with the handle at the floor, and pull diagonally up; repeat for both sides).
 
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chemist

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Stability ball (aka Swiss ball) exercises are also great for the core.

But, as a more general recommendation to the OP, I'd consider seeing a physical therapist, esp. if your insurance has good enough coverage that you don't take a significant financial hit. As I experienced it many years ago, PT merely tried to get you to basic functionality after a bad injury (walk up and down stairs, tie your shoes, lift groceries, etc.). But today, the best PT clinics want to get you to the functionality needed to return you to doing your desired activities, even if those activities are high-level (skiing double black moguls, for instance). So a good PT will work with you to get you into mogul shape. By the time I finished rehabbing my R knee with the PT, he had me doing one-leg squats while standing on a bosu while playing catch with the trainer.

Plus they've gotten remarkably sophisticated over the last decade or so. You can certainly train on your own. But a good PT will identify the particular muscle weaknesses and imbalances that are contributing to your back pain, and design a program customized to address that. It thus provides you with a much more informed way of addressing your issues. With my PT, I got 30 mins. with him, during which he did various releases and manipulations, and then 30 mins. with the PT assistant who took me through the exercises (towards the end he loaded me up with so many I need 45 mins., but by then I knew the exercises well enough to finish them on my own). Other PT's give you 45 mins., but don't have assistants to train you afterwards; I prefer the former.

It's also a bonus if your PT facility is located inside a fully-equipped gym. Mine is, so I can then stay longer and do general exercises; the main motivation problem with lifting weights is getting to the gym, and in this case I'm already there!
 
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Tom K.

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When I was skiing bumps USSA I did a lot of these.. usually with a 45 pound donut behind my neck...

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IMO, this is the single best back exercise. Big, smooth range of stress. I don't have this piece of equipment in the house, and have long ago tired of going to clubs to work out, so I do a variation on my breakfast bar, where I lay across it and lift/lower my legs. Almost as good, esp with some ankle weight.

Of course, it can't be the ONLY back exercise, but it's one of the best. SO much smoother than the "lay on the floor on your tummy" ones that involve small, straining ranges of motion.
 

Brian Finch

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@Josh Matta -ism. "It's not that your back hurts skiing bumps, it's that you can't ski bumps and your hurt back proves it" It is said half in jest but is could be an adjustment in skiing technique. I will soften it up with a @Bob Barnes -ism "That thing that you are doing to make your back hurt when skiing bumps, don't do that".

Technically this is known was Second Ass Syndrome- you're form & glutes are not working. If you lift up a shirt of SAS afflicted, the thoracic paraspinals will be jacked up aka the second ass as a compensation.

Work core & get some solid instruction.
 

Erik Timmerman

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Make sure your legs are moving. If they are stiff, you will be folding at the waist and your back will hurt.
 

NESkier_26

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So -- do some back exercises, and stay with them, even if the pain doesn't completely go away. After all, your better off with a stronger back and some pain than you are with a weak back and some pain. ....
 

Ken_R

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I stretch quite a bit.
My bump form is pretty good, used to ski in some bump comps.

And the soreness goes away after the first few times.

That is normal. I do not have great technique but after the first day my back is quite sore, much less the second day skiing bumps and then its like nothing happened.
 

CalG

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The responses about "doing it wrong" are spot on. Hard on the back!

When bumps are done "right", Your stomach muscles will be the ones doing the complaining.

Suck 'em up butter cup! ;-)
 

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