Spine First Performance

💥 Strained my back yesterday — here’s what I actually did about it

Most people default to rest and hope it gets better on its own. That’s the slow road 🐢

Getting the right muscles activated with the right load is what separates a 2-day recovery from a 2-week recovery. I’ve been through both.

Dosage is the part nobody talks about:

➤ Too much too soon and you’re back to square one
➤ Too little and you’re just going through the motions
➤ The sweet spot is where the real recovery happens 💪

Comment SPINE below and I’ll send you a free assessment so you know exactly where to start ➤​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Why you shouldn’t stop lifting after a back injury 🛑

After injury, your deep spine stabilizers shut down — not from pain, but from a neurological reflex response

Once inflammation clears, those muscles don’t just “come back on” on their own

Without targeted stimulation:

➤ The muscles atrophy
➤ Your spine loses stability
➤ You stay in pain
➤ Your risk of re-injury increases

The part most people miss 👇

The fix isn’t rest — it’s the right kind of loading

➤ Isometric exercise has been shown to reverse the muscle deconditioning that follows low back injury 🔄

➤ The key is proper load, duration, and frequency — not just “move more and hope for the best”

Get this right and you’re not just recovering — you’re building a more resilient spine than you had before 💪

DM me the word “LIFT” and I’ll personally help you find a solution to your back pain

Reverse planks are a fan favorite among my clients 🙌

✅ Simple

✅ Effective

✅ Do them anywhere

Another great way to load your deep spine stabilizers

Comment SPINE to get started on a custom program for your back pain 👇

One of my favorite drills for upper back pain and stiffness

Most thoracic mobility drills only address one plane of movement.

This one hits all three ✅

• Rotation
• Side bending
• Extension

If your mobility work has stalled, try this. You’ll feel the difference in your back, neck and shoulders.

Comment SPINE and I’ll send you the full protocol 🔁

Most people stop training their back the moment it stops hurting 💥

Pain-free is not the same as fully functional - and that gap is where re-injury lives.

Isometrics are one of the best tools for building load tolerance and eliminating pain.

But if you never progress beyond isometrics, you’re leaving your back undertrained.

Your rehab isn’t done until your back is strong through its full range of motion.

If you suffer from recurrent low back pain that has never truly resolved, DM me “spine” and I will reach out personally to help you get out of pain.

Follow for more progressions that take you from pain-free to fully functional 👇

What I wish I knew rehabbing my own back 🏋️‍♂️

You can have the right exercise, but the wrong dosage. That one detail held me back for months.

Here’s what actually changed everything:

• Changing my tempo and hold time
• Slow your tempo down
• Add a pause rep (isometric hold) to more effectively build your deep spine stabilizers
• It’s all about the proper stimulus 💪

If you’re doing RDLs, try holding the hardest position for 3-5 seconds. That’s where real rehab happens.

You might have the right exercise. Just the wrong dosage.

⬇️ Comment SPINE below or DM me SPINE if you suffer from recurrent low back pain and I’ll help you figure out exactly what I’d do differently.

Stretching alone won’t fix your thoracic mobility 📢

Most people do the stretch, feel good, and move on. But passive mobility without strength can limit results.

Here’s the fix:

✅ Open up the range with a book opener
✅ Then load it with a band to build strength into that new range

Your nervous system needs to feel safe in new positions before it’ll actually let you use them. Strengthening into end range is how you make mobility stick.

Save this and add it to your next mobility session 🔖

🪡 Thread the needle is one of the simplest ways to restore rotation through your upper and mid‑back without forcing range or compensating through your low back.

It gives you:
➤ Clean, isolated rotation through your thoracic spine
➤ Reduced upper and mid-back stiffness that limits your lifting potential
➤ A controlled way to reintroduce movement when your back feels locked up

🔹 3 keys: Move slow. Reach long. Breathe into the end range.

Save this for your next warm‑up or mobility day 💯

If you get back pain while deadlifting, your lats might not be doing their job:

➤ The lats help stabilize your spine during the deadlift
➤ When they’re not engaged, your spine may develop excess movement
➤ This drill teaches you how to lock in lat tension and keep your spine stable throughout the hinge

👉 If you missed it, check out my other deadlift drills on my page.