31/07/2026
Your back doesn't need more rest. It needs a plan.
This is the rough skeleton of the 12-week block I run with people rebuilding a back. The real version gets built around your assessment, your history, and the lift you want back, so treat this as a map and not a prescription.
Three sessions, four days, and each day owns a pattern. D1 is squat. D2 is hinge. D3 is the short mobility and core day, twice a week. The supporting work rides inside those days: hip and t-spine mobility, anti-rotation, carries, hamstrings, back extensions, and flexion, rotation and side bend tolerance. Upper body training never stops.
The rule that governs all of it: pain up to about 4 out of 10 that settles within 24 hours is a green light. During a session, 0 to 2 means train as planned, 3 to 4 means finish but add no load today, 5 or more means swap it. Sharp, lingering, or running down the leg changes the plan.
Stage 1, restore motion and build trust. Practice, not training. You move on when you tie your shoes without guarding, sit 45 minutes clean, and hinge and squat to parallel with bodyweight.
Stage 2, load the pattern. Trap bar from high handles, rack pulls, front-rack squats. You move on when you pull about bodyweight pain free and squat full depth front loaded.
Stage 3, desensitize and expand range. Back to the barbell, slow tempos, Jefferson curls, loaded rotation. You move on when a light deadlift from the floor and a full depth squat are quiet.
Stage 4, rebuild capacity. Restart near 50 to 60 percent, volume before intensity, never two new stressors in a week. The program dissolves into normal training.
Every week range here is a rough estimate. Some people clear a stage in two weeks, others need eight or more. The criteria decide, not the clock. And a flare-up is information, not failure.
If your back has been the reason you stopped lifting, let's build the version of this that fits you. Link in bio to book a free consult call.
