I quite possibly had the BEST massage of my life this past weekend.
Me and my fiancée went for couples massage, where a little Asian lady proceeded to crawl up and down my spine with her elbows and knees as if she were trying to escape prison.
It reminded me of 2 things:
- I need to make massages a regular thing. If you do as much training as I do, you need to keep up the maintenance.
- Little Asian ladies are so STRONG!
I left that place feeling both battered and invigorated.
I'd been having some stiffness around my mid to lower back for a few days and it sorted my right out.
But if your back is constantly achy, or downright painful, a massage won't help you much.
So, in today's email I'm going to share the exact steps you should take the next time lower back pain stops you in your tracks.
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Step 1 - Avoid ALL Painful Movements
This might be plainly obvious, but you'd be surprised how uncommon it actually is.
It goes without saying that if your lower back is feeling a bit rough, the last thing you should be doing is putting it through further painful movements.
This applies to both the gym and day-to-day life.
If a movement such as the deadlift causes you pain, don't do it.
If bending over to tie your shoelaces, or for other recreational activities, causes you pain, don't do it.
It's the epitome of taking one step forward and two backwards.
As we'll see in step 4, I'm not telling you to avoid all movement, quite the opposite actually, but avoiding movements that cause you pain is a must.
Instead, opt to modify your movements to pain-free alternatives.
Rather than a conventional deadlifting, maybe opting for a rack pull lets you train pain-free.
Rather than bending over, for shoelaces and other stuff, maybe you lie on your back instead?
The objective here isn't no movement.
The objective here is SMART movement.
The most common one is picking dog sh*t off the floor.
I've had numerous clients come to me because they've pulled their back doing this heroic and strenuous activity.
It's not the weight of the poop that's the issue, unless you're walking a baby elephant, it's the lazy bending over with terrible posture and putting a bunch of unwanted sheer force through the spine.
This turns a harmless act into a disaster waiting to happen.
Step 2 - Stretch
When it comes to easing lower back pain, the goal isn’t to hammer the lower back itself, it’s to restore balance across the entire body.
This is where the joint-by-joint approach comes in.
The joint-by-joint approach is a simple yet powerful concept:
The body alternates between joints that need mobility and joints that need stability.
The hips and thoracic spine are designed to move freely, while the lower back is built for stability.
When the hips and mid-back become stiff from hours of sitting or lack of movement, the lower back is forced to take on extra motion it was never designed for.
That’s when pain and irritation can start to build.
By improving mobility where it’s meant to exist, in the hips, glutes, hamstrings, and thoracic spine, tension eases and the lower back can return to doing its real job ⤵️
Staying strong and stable.
So dedicate 10–15 minutes each morning to focused stretching and mobility work.
Move slowly and intentionally, breathe through the nose, and avoid forcing range of motion.
Effective options include:
- Couch stretch (90 seconds per side)
- Half front split (90 seconds per side)
- Pigeon stretch (90 seconds per side)
- Child’s pose to one side (90 seconds per side)
- Thread the needle (90 seconds per side)
Use a breathing pattern of 5 seconds in, hold for 5, exhale for 5, hold for 5, and repeat.
This isn’t about becoming flexible for the sake of it.
It’s about restoring proper movement where it’s needed most, reducing unnecessary strain on the lower back, and keeping the entire system working as it should.
Step 3 - Stretch
Between the desk, the car, and the sofa, most people spend far too much time sitting, and their lower back pays the price for it.
The human body simply isn’t designed to stay in one position for hours on end.
Extended sitting shortens the hip flexors, weakens the glutes, rounds the spine, and compresses the lower back.
Over time, this creates stiffness, poor posture, and chronic discomfort that no amount of stretching alone can fix.
Standing more throughout the day helps reverse that.
A standing desk, for example, allows for better posture, greater core engagement, and more natural movement.
Plus the body burns more energy simply from standing, shifting weight, and fidgeting.
The goal isn’t to stand all day, but to shift the ratio in favour of standing.
Aim to alternate between sitting and standing every 30–60 minutes, paying attention to posture and even weight distribution through both feet.
A few simple adjustments can make a huge difference:
- Raise your screen to eye level to avoid slouching
- Keep your hips, knees, and ankles aligned
- Use a small footrest to alternate leg positions
- Move, stretch, or walk briefly each hour
The more you stand and move, the less pressure builds in the lower back, and the better your entire body feels by the end of the day.
In my opinion, a standing desk is a non-negotiable if you work at a desk.
Step 4 - Move
When it comes to recovering from lower back stiffness or pain, movement is the single most powerful tool available.
The BIGGEST MISTAKE people make is doing the exact opposite and stopping completely.
The old doctor's advice of bed rest is absolute BS and will do you more harm than good.
Unless of course you've been struck by a car or kicked by an angry horse, then listen to your doctor and stay put 😂
But resting for too long causes stiffness to build even further.
What starts as mild discomfort can quickly snowball into something far worse.
Intentional, smart movement will help speed up the recovery process and get you back to your normal self ASAP.
If you’re working out in the gym, keep your normal routine but make a few smart adjustments:
- Spend extra time on your warm-up
- Drop the weights lower and lift lighter
- Prioritise quality of movement over intensity
- Include gentle mobility drills between sets to stay loose
When you're outside the gym, make sure you're walking regularly, standing up frequently, and using movement as a way to reset your body.
Talking of resetting the body, I've got an exercise that does just that for your lower back.
I've been using it with clients for years, with one last week seeing some serious progress after only just a few minutes.
It's got a voiceover with instructions so it's clear to follow. Click here to watch it.
The objective isn’t to avoid movement, just don't move like a dick and think about your back.
If you follow these 4 steps next time you tweak your lower back, trust me you'll feel the world of difference.
And remember, if your lower back is chronically sore, all these steps are doing is papering over the cracks.
You've got to get to the root cause and find a solution if you ever want to be pain-free.
If you need my help doing just that, I offer a 100% money back guarantee on my coaching programme, I'm that confident in my abilities to help you.
Pop me a reply if you're interested.
