>>35039665
>Should I just accept that there are some muscle groups I won't be able to train?
You can train everything, but confined to machines and benches. No squats and have a PT with an actual degree draw for you a routine.

i have spondyolthesis or how ever you spell it.Had also really bad sciatic pain.now its all gone been lifting for years and juice.Trick is that i always use belts for any workout.only limit is no deadlifts or front squat

>>35039665
I had 2 back surgeries, L4 L5
You will never be the same once you do it

>>35039665
They always give a stupidly low number. You can do pistol squats. Unweighted they put no more strain on your back than normal really. Most just go splits on machines tho.

>>35039665
You done fucked up, pal, 9/10 times you can heal herniated disks just by long sessions of hanging upside down and other noninvasive methods without resorting to getting them fused....

But since it's too late for you, I recommend swimming. If you don't have a pool, dips and pull ups are your only options. And if you must squat, do pistol squats instead.

Trap bar deadlift for legs. Can be done from a deficit standing on 25's. Kroc rows for back.

>>35039744
I was bedridden for over a year. Surgery was the only option, I didn't get a fusion though I got a spacer implanted, totally reversible. Fusion would've been dumb as hell since I'm only 26

Swimming was recommended yeah. Considering getting a membership at my local pool but the place is a festering hive. Guess I might have to just hold my nose and bear swimming in 70% child piss

I have a lot of lower back and knee pain from my job. Sucks, but I just have decided to avoid anything that makes it worse. No point risking serious injury. I just do >>35039692

I completely ruptured a disc at 18, 25 now and deadlift 550. Trick is doing heaps and heaps and heaps of stabilizing work, like so fucking much. I can hold a swissball plank, glutes up for like 10 minutes. Do massive amounts of work for strengthening the multifidi, transverse abdominus and every other muscle group responsible for keeping your spine safe. Jump on the juice of you want it bad enough, the amount of muscular growth you'll get is enough that you'll always be well and truly stronger than the weight youre lifting, being on steroids feels like youre constantly lifting just for a pump and are still somehow getting stronger. Surgeons recommending stupid bullshit like "never lift anything heavier than a clipboard ever again" are just doing so for liability. Look at doing pistol squats, adressing quad dominances, strengthen your gluteals, perform heaps of high rep hyper extensions to build up your erectors pretty much just develop the absolute fuck out of your lower back and all those important little stabilizers. Youll always be a little bit disavantaged and I dont recommend making a habit of pulling out of a 10 rep range on deadlifts but its totally possible to function like a normal lifter even after such a massive injury. It takes a long fucking time; like a LONG fucking time, but you can get there. I used to wake up every morning and do strengthening work for an hour and a half and even then I couldnt deadlift pain free for another 2 years after the operation. Youll get there though, just takes time. Until then I highly recommend bringing up your vertical pulls like pullups and doing high rep shrugs to give yourself shape, rows can be done somewhat safely if you use a machine and go light. Do lots of unilateral leg work as well to keep your gluteal stabilizers constantly strong, pistol and split squats, lunges and other dynamic global movements. Split squats are awesome dor developing your legs and can be done to great effect very light weight. Good luck.

>>35040062
Thanks man, your post gives me hope, appreciate it. I'm pretty out of shape so I'm going to have to start from scratch but strengthening the muscles that support my lower back is definitely a priority. I'm going to start off very slowly and see how I go, I'm a little bit gunshy because having that herniated disc was the worst experience of my life and I'm not eager to damage it again, but it's good to know that if I do build my core strength up I won't have to be treating it with the delicacy I do now.

>>35040103
I know how it is man, feels like someones wedged a fucking doorstop inbetween your pelvis and your spine when you try to bend over, cant do 20 kilo rows without feeling like your spines going to spray across the seat, its fucking shit and can be scary training it, but start with isometric stuff and stick with it for quite a long time and thats all very safe. Go to a really good physio and get him to reccomend some good core stabilization work for deep trunk muscles and you should be able to get there fast. Even the immediate relief you get from the excercises is worth it, I couldnt lay down on my back or sit for more than 10 minutes without feeling like I'd been stabbed in the back for the first year but you'll get there. Good luck dude much love

Get as light as possible with eating at a caloric deficit and swimming a few times a week. A solid year of that + core stabilisation work and you'll feel completely different.

>>35039665
>The surgeon basically said I shouldn't lift anything heavier than 10kg for the rest of my life
As a physiotherapist, this MAKES ME FUCKING RAGE. You MUST strengthen your back, and that simply WILL NOT HAPPEN if you never use it.
I'm not saying you should aim for pulling 5 plates for reps, but you gotta train your back, man. I actually had a herniated disc myself. Guess how I fixed it? Deadlifts.

All that being said, of course such a healing process takes time - a long time. I'm talking years, potentially. So take it slow, but DO NOT give up on your back. You still have a chance to become stronger than you've ever been, if you're willing to put in the work.

On a final related note, while you do need to be a little careful for a while after having had surgery for obvious reasons, it is CRUCIAL that you do not develop fear avoidance habits and start becoming afraid of using your back or afraid of any pain symptoms from your back. Pain is a funny thing and if you go around scared all the time, you will essentially end up hypersensitizing your nervous system to the point where somebody putting a finger into your back is going to feel like being stabbed with a blade. No joke.

just fyi, op, the whole pistol squat suggestion is a troll.

>>35041797
>As a physiotherapist, this MAKES ME FUCKING RAGE that I ain't a doctor
>Guess how I fixed it? Deadlifts.
>>35041805
>pistol squat is bad lel
Hopefully OP isn't idiot enough to follow your advices.