Last week I finished my 3rd week of Active Rest. Was I ready to get back to heavy weights? Could my back handle it? These were questions I was unsure of so that lead me to a transition week. This week was where I would push the low back rehab to see what it could handle. The goal was to reproduce similar stimuli that I encounter in my training. Those stimuli included heavy compression on the spine, rapid loading of the spine over short time frame, high shear forces on the spine during accessory lifts, load/shear forces on the spine while in extremes of motion (i.e. start of deadlift, bottom of squat, arch during bench).
Knowing what stimuli I needed to reproduce lead me to choosing the right exercises. I added heavy KB swings to introduce an anti-flexion moment. I added high depth jumps to introduce rapid loading and requirement to maintain appropriate spinal position. I added heavy side carries to introduce lateral shearing forces. Over the week I progressed these in weights and heights. Each workout, my back felt better and better. By the time the week was over, I knew I was ready to move into my first hypertrophy block. Stay tuned for weekly updates throughout my workout regiment.