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Comment by ahh | Hacker News Reader

I know this well, but standing for more than about an hour is torture on my back. (I suspect my flat feet and tight hips contribute here.) I have no idea how to fix this.

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Just deadlift.

3x per week. Start with an empty bar, then add 5lbs to the bar each time you deadlift. Once it gets so heavy that you can't add anymore, just back off to 1-2x per week and maintain the weight on the bar. It'll take you about 20 minutes each time and the bar and plates will take up about 4 square feet in your living room or garage when not in use.

Here's how you deadlift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGZrATR1O4E

You can get a barbell and plates on Craigslist for $250. If you decide that it ain't for you, you can sell your barbell and plates on Craigslist for $250. So there is no financial downside. But it has the potential to be the best $250 you have ever spent. On anything.

I can pull twice my bodyweight, actually.

Tight psoas could be a problem. When it's tight, it pulls your lower back vertebrae forward, creating significant shear force. There are stretches specifically for psoas. Try them, they might help.

Ah, was just playing the odds with my response. My experience is that aches and pains are generally the result of the fact that most people are quite weak. Clearly not the case for you!

apparently weight lifting is bad for you: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060915204024.h...

I'd have to say that the benefits of weight lifting probably outweigh the slight chance you'll get some form of glacouma.

The title of the page you link to is "Weightlifting Increases Pressure Within The Eye". That is not at all the same thing as it being overall bad for you. The worst thing mentioned in the article is "Prolonged weightlifting could be a potential risk factor for the development or progression of glaucoma (an eye disease)".

Deadlift won't particularly help here. Humans weren't designed to just stand still for an hour. Most people can go for a leisurely walk for an hour and end up feeling better than just standing still for an hour.

Agree with you. Turns out the person I responded to is already quite strong (pulls twice their body weight), so my advice obviously won't work for them. But, generally speaking, most people are quite weak and getting stronger is usually the easiest way to deal with aches and pains.

Agreed! I've been pulling for years and have never had any back hip or knee problems, and am very active in sports. Still doesn't help me standing still for a long time though:)

Yeah, standing absolutely stock still is probably going to hurt for anybody, but getting stronger made it much easier for me to work at a standing desk for extended periods of time (1-2 hours). Of course, I'm not standing absolutely still, but back when I was weak I could hardly make it 20 minutes.

Get a standing mat to help with foot discomfort and work your way up.

Week 1 - 10 min stand, 50 min sit.

Week 2 - 20 min stand, 40 min sit.

Week 3 - etc...

Postural muscles take time to develop. Do the Agile 8 every day to work on your flexibility. https://www.t-nation.com/training/defranco-agile-8

The shortcut to an iron back is deadlifts, find a quality trainer and get in the gym for 30-45min 3x a week and you'll really improve.

Daily mobility work (even just 5 minutes in the evening makes a difference when done daily) combined with a hip hinge exercise a couple of times a week does indeed work wonders (it did for me).

As an alternative to the deadlift, I'd like to suggest the two-arm kettlebell swing. While there's no magic bullet in training, the kettlebell swing seems to come pretty close [1]. Plus, you can get one for home/work if you don't want to go to the gym.

I would however second the recommendation of learning exercise technique from a qualified trainer, particularly for hip hinge exercises - most adults, myself included, seem to suck surprisingly hard at what is one of the most fundamental human movements.

In case you do decide to go the YouTube route however, at least learn from a quality resource like StrongFirst [2], there's too many technique videos ranging from ineffective to plain dangerous.

[1] http://www.strongfirst.com/optimizing-back-health-with-the-k...

[2] https://youtu.be/ZQEFc6rSKvA

Tight hips—and mobility improvement in general—is very likely something you can address. I'd encourage you to look into yoga or exercise programs that emphasize functional mobility. You might want to check out the Kelly Starret's Mobility WOD[0], which has a bunch of short videos that provide pointers on diagnosing and addressing mobility issues. He talks about sitting, standing and posture in particular that you might find useful.

[0] https://www.mobilitywod.com

Have a stretching regimen, watch your posture, change your position often during work (I do so even in a chair), and do some decent physical activity that involves your back. Gardening is a popular one that keeps seniors structurally sound. Volunteer work, tinkering with cars, handymanning around the house, taking care of lingering projects like that can really help and have more benefits than just moving weights back and forth. However, the latter is also pretty simple if you can keep yourself doing it regularly.

Our founder is actually coming to Seattle (if you're still there as your profile says) over Labor Day - maybe you can join one of her Free Workshops to get an intro?

Esther did a talk at Google in Mountain View in 2008 > http://gokhalemethod.com/video/authorsgoogle maybe she could do one at Google in Seattle during her trip? Get in touch! info@gokhalemethod.com

Cheers

Make sure to have good shoes. If you suspect your flat feet are a contributor, head to the foot doctor where you will likely get a custom insole. My sister did the very thing years ago and it keeps her feet/ankles from hurting most of the time. The major downside is that she can't wear many "women's summer shoes" or some dress shoes since the insert won't fit.

You mentioned you can DL 2xBW. Do you do a lot of ab/core work in addition to the DLs?

For many people back pain is actually caused by weak abdominals. The imbalance puts things out of whack. I also DL heavy (2-3x BW at my best), and if I also was not crushing my abs I would get back pain.

The body can be a mysterious machine.

I got plantar fasciitis from using a standing desk for 18 months. of course I switched to the standing desk to cure a bad back from sitting

I'm going through the bad back from sitting (and being sedentary in general).

I've got a standing desk as well. But standing is no substitute for exercise, which is what your back really needs - both the movement and the strengthening.

Same problem here, but good shoes and off-the-shelf orthotic inserts have made a big difference.

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