Lower Back Health for Lifters: Training Hard With 13 Damaged Discs

A Spine That Tells the Story of 44 Years

I am Eric Snider, founder of Long Game Lifting. A 2024 MRI series of my cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine revealed 13 damaged discs—six herniated and seven bulging—along with widespread disc desiccation, spondylosis, Schmorl's nodes, and spinal canal stenosis at multiple levels. That is what 44 years of training, two hip replacements, bilateral shoulder repairs, and a lifetime of contact sports look like on imaging. And yet I still bench 475 pounds, hack squat 360 pounds, and train five to six days a week.

Understanding Disc Pathology

A spine like mine is not a death sentence. Imaging studies consistently show that disc abnormalities are common in pain-free adults: a landmark 2015 systematic review in the American Journal of Neuroradiology found that 30 percent of asymptomatic 20-year-olds and 84 percent of asymptomatic 80-year-olds had disc bulges visible on MRI. The lesson is that imaging findings alone do not predict pain or function.

Why I Stopped Deadlifting

Disc pathology is worth understanding clearly. A healthy intervertebral disc has a tough outer ring (annulus fibrosus) and a gel-like center (nucleus pulposus). A bulging disc is uniformly extended beyond its normal margins; a herniation involves the nucleus pushing through a tear in the annulus. Most disc injuries occur not from a single max-effort lift but from the cumulative effect of repeated forward flexion under load—the bend-and-lift pattern multiplied across years.

Spinal Loading: Compression vs. Shear

The decision to stop deadlifting was not easy. I deadlifted heavy for over 30 years. But after the 2024 MRI, my spine surgeon, my physical therapist, and I agreed that conventional and even trap-bar deadlifting placed unnecessary shear and compression forces on already-compromised lumbar segments. For lifters with healthier spines, deadlifting can absolutely continue to be a productive movement. My decision was personal and based on imaging, not a blanket recommendation against deadlifting.

The Brace That Actually Works

Spinal loading divides cleanly into compression and shear. Compression is force directed straight down through the spine—squatting, overhead pressing, walking with a heavy carry. Shear is force directed perpendicular to the spine—bending forward under load, deadlifting with poor position, twisting under load. Compression is well-tolerated by even compromised spines when load is reasonable and bracing is solid. Shear, especially with flexion, is what destroys discs over time.

Movement Selection With a Compromised Spine

The brace that actually works for spinal protection is not a belt. It is the coordinated co-contraction of the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor—the deep core musculature that creates intra-abdominal pressure and stabilizes spinal segments. Practicing the brace under light loads, with deliberate breath holding, builds the motor pattern that automates under heavy loads. Stuart McGill's research consistently shows that lifters who have well-developed bracing patterns can tolerate loads that would injure others.

Mobility Work That Actually Helps

Movement selection becomes everything with a compromised spine. Hack squats, leg presses, and belt squats deliver heavy lower-body stimulus with minimal lumbar shear. Front squats and high-bar back squats produce less spinal flexion than low-bar back squats for most lifters. Romanian deadlifts at moderate loads, with absolute neutral spine, can build posterior chain without the risk profile of conventional deadlifts. Dumbbell rows supported on a bench remove the unsupported spinal demand of barbell rows.

When Heavy Squats Are Still Possible

Mobility work matters but not in the way Instagram suggests. Excessive lumbar mobility under load is the enemy. What helps is mobility in adjacent segments: hips, thoracic spine, ankles. A stiff hip forces the lumbar spine to compensate during squatting and bending. A stiff thoracic spine forces the lower back to extend during pressing. Daily attention to hip flexor stretches, thoracic extensions over a foam roller, and ankle mobility drills protects the lumbar spine.

Daily Habits That Make or Break Spinal Health

Heavy squatting is still possible with disc pathology, with the right setup. Belt, brace, neutral spine, controlled descent, no excessive forward lean, and reasonable depth (not collapsed past parallel into spinal flexion). I cap my barbell back squats at 225 pounds—heavy enough to load the legs, light enough that I can maintain perfect position even on a tired day. The hack squat handles the heavier loading because it removes most of the spinal compression.

The Case for Long-Term Optimism

Daily habits matter as much as training. Sitting for prolonged periods loads discs and dehydrates them. Standing desks, walking breaks every hour, and decent posture habits protect spinal health far more than any single training intervention. Sleep position matters: a medium-firm mattress and a pillow that maintains cervical alignment make a measurable difference.

The case for long-term optimism is real. Despite 13 damaged discs, my training has continued without significant flare-ups for the entire two years since the MRI diagnosis. I am stronger now than I was five years ago in some lifts. The keys have been intelligent movement selection, perfect bracing, eliminated deadlifting, daily mobility work, and a willingness to adjust load when the spine talks back. A compromised spine does not have to end a lifting career. It only ends careers when lifters refuse to adapt.