A workout for a bad lower back should keep you training while pain settles: exercises your back tolerates today, a clear rule for how much discomfort is acceptable, and a gradual return to bending and lifting. This eight-week plan runs three sessions a week in three phases. Phase 1 builds trunk endurance and gets you moving, phase 2 adds loaded legs and upper body with a neutral spine, and phase 3 brings back hinging and carrying. It trains around back pain; it doesn’t treat it. If you have any of the warning signs listed below, get checked before you start.
Check these first
Get urgent medical help, or call 911, if back pain comes with any of the following. These are the warning signs listed in NHS guidance on when back pain needs urgent attention:
- pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs
- loss of feeling around your genitals or anus
- changes in your bladder or bowels, such as difficulty peeing or loss of control
- new problems getting or keeping an erection, or changed sensation during sex
- chest pain
- pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash
Book an urgent appointment with your doctor if the pain comes with fever, chills or feeling generally unwell, or if it’s severe, started suddenly and is getting worse quickly.
See your doctor or a registered physiotherapist if pain hasn’t improved after a few weeks, stops you doing everyday things, or you’ve lost weight without trying.
Why exercise, and which kind
Guidelines for low back pain encourage people to continue with normal activities and consider structured exercise programs. A network meta-analysis of 89 studies found low-quality evidence that Pilates, stabilisation or motor control work, resistance training and aerobic exercise were among the most effective options for chronic low back pain. This plan uses three of those four: trunk control, resistance training and walking.
The pain traffic light
Use this during and after every session.
| Signal | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Green | No pain, or discomfort up to about 3 out of 10 that settles by the next morning | Carry on, progress as planned |
| Amber | 4–5 out of 10 during the session, or stiffer than usual the next morning | Stay at this week’s level; reduce range or load on the exercise that provoked it |
| Red | Above 5 out of 10, sharp or shooting pain, pain into the leg, or worse for more than 24 hours | Stop that exercise; go back a phase; if it repeats, see a physiotherapist |
The weekly layout
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength session |
| Tuesday | Walk 30–40 min |
| Wednesday | Strength session |
| Thursday | Walk 30–40 min |
| Friday | Strength session |
| Weekend | One longer walk; avoid long car rides without breaks |
Walking is not a filler here. For many men with back pain, a daily walk at a comfortable pace is the most tolerable exercise there is.
Phase 1: weeks 1 and 2, build tolerance
Same session three times a week. Rest 45 to 60 seconds between sets.
| Exercise | Sets × reps or time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cat-camel (gentle spinal rocking) | 1 × 8 | Small range, no forcing |
| Curl-up (one knee bent, hands under low back) | 3 × 6 with 8 s holds | Head and shoulders lift only slightly |
| Side plank from knees | 3 × 15–20 s per side | Stack hips, breathe |
| Bird dog | 3 × 6 per side with 8 s holds | Don’t let your back sag |
| Glute bridge | 3 × 10 | Push through heels |
| Dead bug | 2 × 6 per side | Low back stays in contact with the floor |
| Goblet box squat to a high box | 3 × 8 | Light kettlebell; box at knee height |
| Band row | 3 × 12 | Standing, ribs down |
Phase 2: weeks 3 to 5, load the legs and upper body
The trunk work stays, shortened to two sets each. Add these:
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat to a lower box, or leg press | 3 × 8–10 | 90 s | 2–3 reps in reserve |
| Chest-supported row | 3 × 10 | 90 s | 2 in reserve |
| Split squat, holding a support | 2 × 8 per leg | 60 s | 2–3 in reserve |
| Incline dumbbell press or push-up | 3 × 8–10 | 90 s | 2 in reserve |
| Cable pull-through, after a set of dowel hip hinge drills | 3 × 12 | 60 s | Hinge from the hips, light |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 10 | 90 s | Ribs down; stop if your back arches |
| Pallof press | 2 × 10 per side | 45 s | Slow |
Phase 3: weeks 6 to 8, bring back hinging and carrying
Keep phase 2, and replace the cable pull-through with a raised-handle hinge. Add carries.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trap bar deadlift, high handles or from blocks | 3 × 6 | 2 min | Start at about bodyweight × 0.5 and add 5 kg a week if green |
| Suitcase carry | 3 × 20–30 m per side | 60 s | Stand tall, don’t lean |
| Farmer’s carry | 2 × 30 m | 60 s | Moderate weight |
| Side plank, full | 2 × 20–30 s per side | 45 s | Progress from knees |
Eight-week progression summary
| Week | Phase | Main change | Progress only if |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 1 | Learn trunk exercises; walk daily | Green for most sessions |
| 3 | 2 | Add squat, row, press, split squat at light loads | Green after week 2 |
| 4–5 | 2 | Add 1–2 kg per dumbbell or one rep per set | Green |
| 6 | 3 | Introduce trap bar from blocks, carries | Two green weeks in a row |
| 7 | 3 | +5 kg on trap bar; longer carries | Green |
| 8 | 3 | Lower the blocks slightly if comfortable | Green |
There’s no deload week because loads are deliberately modest. Any amber week acts as your deload: repeat it rather than moving forward.
Warm-up for a sensitive back
- Walk for five minutes, ideally outdoors or on a treadmill.
- Ten cat-camels, slow.
- Five bird dogs per side and ten glute bridges.
- A light set of the first strength exercise.
Avoid long static toe-touch stretches before training if they tend to provoke your back.
Daily life matters as much as the sessions
Your back responds to the whole day. Break up long sitting every 30 to 45 minutes, walk after meals, and split long drives with stops. If you sleep badly with pain, mention it to your doctor; poor sleep tends to make pain feel worse. Read working out with lower back pain for more on what to change outside the gym, and sore versus injured for how to tell normal training soreness from a problem.
How to know it’s working
By week 8 you should be doing more with the same or less pain: longer side planks, a goblet squat to a lower box, the trap bar loaded, and fewer amber days. Morning stiffness should be shorter. If you’re stuck in amber for two weeks, or pain is spreading, stop progressing and see a physiotherapist.
Bottom line
You don’t need a pain-free back to train, but you need a plan that respects where it is today. Work through the phases at the pace your traffic light allows. If you’d like a coach to adjust the plan session by session alongside your physiotherapist’s advice, weekly 1:1 coaching starts from $99 a week. When your back is calm, the core workout builds on phase 1.
Questions people also ask
Should I work out with lower back pain?
Usually yes, if you have no red-flag symptoms. Staying active is standard advice for most low back pain, and exercise is one of the better-supported options for long-term back pain. Adjust what you do so pain stays mild and settles by the next day.
What exercises should I avoid with a bad lower back?
There's no universal banned list. Avoid, for now, whatever reliably makes your pain worse during or after training. For many men that's heavy deadlifts from the floor, loaded sit-ups and fast twisting, which this plan swaps out at first.
Is it OK to deadlift with a bad back?
Many men with a history of back pain deadlift again safely, but not as a starting point. This plan rebuilds the hinge in stages and only reintroduces a loaded deadlift variation in weeks 6 to 8, from a raised position.
When should I see a physiotherapist instead?
If pain isn't improving after a few weeks, is stopping your daily activities, travels down a leg with numbness or weakness, or keeps flaring despite easing off.