How Joel went from hurting his back every time he deadlifted to pulling PRs in his lifts on the Momentum Program (Online Powerlifting Coaching)
Here’s how Joel overcame a chronic, recurring low back injury from deadlifts and PRd his bench press at the same time.
4 months ago, Joel approached me with an interest in taking part in my Momentum Program – an online powerlifting coaching+mentorship service that I offer.
He’d been running Juggernaut AI beforehand and while his strength was going up in some lifts, in others he was perpetually spinning his wheels due to injury – particularly his lower back that would give him grief for 3 to 4 weeks every time he would deadlift.
Not only would this hold back his deadlift training, but when his low back injury would come up it would naturally prevent him from squatting heavy as well.
After growing frustrated with this seemingly neverending cycle of injury an no progress, Joel decided it was time for a change so we got started on the Momentum Program.
Initially, we went through a thorough assessment looking at all of the following areas:
- posture
- mobility
- active range of motion
- pain free and painful range of motion
- technique on his main barbell lifts at low and high intensities (where permitting)
Over the course of the assessment, we noted that Joel was severely lacking in a 2 key areas: his ability to properly brace and his ability to hip hinge +internally rotate his hips.
So, we got to work on both of those areas while developing technique on all 3 lifts.
Believe it or not, we didn’t have to take any time off from barbell training though we did start his lower body work off light to allow us a change to really develop the techniques and mobility we were looking for – these would be very beneficial down the line.
After the first phase of training where we focused on technique, mobility and single leg training in addition to normal barbell work, it was time to graduate to phase 2 where we would begin to load the main lifts with heavier weights and challenge his newfound movement mechanics and more robust lower back.
Fast forwards a few months and not only is he leaving the gym without any low back pain, it doesn’t even bother him the next day. To add to that, he has also:
- hit a rep PR @ 90% on his squats
- deadlifted over 400 lbs without back pain
- hit a new 2 rep max of 320 lbs on his bench press with some room to spare
It’s been a TREAT to work with Joel these past few month and help him overcome the challenges he was facing with his powerlifting training that an app couldn’t break through. I’m looking forward to seeing his progress that is yet to come now that he can step on the gas instead of needing to work around a long-standing injury.
Apply to join my “Momentum Program” and become a case study. We’ll work with you 1-on-1 (in-person or online, depending on location) to consistently increase your PRs.
It takes less than 60 seconds to apply HERE in order and find out more information.