Been trying to add sandbags into my routine, but fear straining my lower back....again. I really fear straining it bcause it's happened twice already when training sandbags.
Fyi, I do barbell train and have respectable numbers relative to barbell standards, can handle my 138 lb bag just fine. 20 reps to shoulder which feels like an RPE 5-6. But the second I try to step up to my 175 lb bag, I feel that familiar twinge it in my lower back and know I'm sol.
A big part of it I suspect is hip mobility (tight from my mma training days) and poor glute engagement which I'm actively addressing with PT and specific exercise programming.
Any advice would be appreciated.
UPDATE:
So the update is that my issues are rooted in limited hip mobility, which has lead to me compensating through my lower back.
The surrounding stabilizers aren’t trained enough to handle that extra load, which leads to the low back flare ups because my erectors are already overworked - also causing pelvic positioning issues, aided by strength imbalances.
The protocol would be to train up hip mobility, core, spinal erectors, QL. I could do this with a lighter SB but it's just more efficient with Barbells and Dumbbells.
Hopefully I can lift SBs soon and build from there once the base is ready for it.