Lower Back Pain After Squats: The Limitations Behind It and What We Do Next

Lower back pain after squats can feel confusing because the lift looks fine, the set feels fine, and then later you pay for it.

Most of the time, that happens because the squat asks for options at the hips, ankles, trunk, and ribcage. When one of those areas runs out of usable range or usable control, your body still finds a way to complete the rep. It borrows motion or stability from somewhere else.

The low back is a common place to borrow from.

Here’s the simple version. If your back gets lit up after squats, it usually isn’t because squats are “bad.” It’s because your current squat strategy is expensive. Our job is to identify what’s missing, build it directly, then earn the squat back with better options.

If you want the bigger context for how we think about positions and capacity, start here: Move With Purpose Credo.

Squats don’t cause the issue, they expose it

A squat is a high-demand position under load. You’re asking for depth, coordination, and stability at the same time.

When the hips can’t accept the bottom position, the spine helps.

When the ankles can’t contribute enough, the torso shifts to keep you balanced.

When you can hit depth but can’t control it, your nervous system finds a “safer” strategy mid-rep.

Most of these changes are subtle. You still stand up. The set still gets done. Then your low back tightens up later because it did extra work to make the reps happen.

That’s the pattern. The back becomes the backup plan.

What we look for first

At Motive Training, we don’t start by throwing cues at your squat. We start by finding the limiting factor, then we build it.

Most squat-related back irritation falls into one of these buckets.

Limited hip motion or hip control

If the hips can’t accept the bottom position, the pelvis and spine will often take over to create depth. That can show up as a jammed bottom, a shift you can’t explain, an early butt wink, or a descent that feels smooth until the last few inches.

What it usually looks like.

• Depth feels blocked or “stuck.”
• You change position quickly near the bottom.
• The rep turns into a find-it-and-survive-it strategy.
• Your low back feels like it’s doing work your hips can’t do.

What we do next.

We establish baselines, then build usable hip range and control.

• We compare what you can access passively vs what you can control actively.
• We look at hip flexion and rotation options that actually show up in your squat, not just what looks “tight.”
• We train the hip like a joint, not like a pattern.
• We reintroduce squatting through a version you can own, then progress back toward your preferred squat.

A lot of this lives inside the system we use for joint capacity: Functional Range Conditioning.

Limited ankle dorsiflexion

A stiff ankle doesn’t just change the ankle. It changes the entire squat.

If the tibia can’t travel forward enough, most people find depth by shifting the torso, dumping into the foot, or turning the squat into more of a hinge. The low back often becomes the stabilizer that holds the whole thing together.

What it usually looks like.

• You can’t stay balanced through the midfoot.
• You hinge more than you want just to stay upright.
• Depth feels inconsistent depending on the day.
• Heels want to lift, or the arch collapses to “find” more range.

What we do next.

We confirm the restriction and build workspace and strength where you keep running out.

• We identify which ankle limitation matters for your squat, not just what looks limited.
• We build strength at the edge ranges, not just motion.
• We bring squats back in through ranges you can control without compensating.

If you want structured joint work you can repeat outside the gym, KINSTRETCH is built around that idea.

You have the range, but you can’t own it under load

Some people have enough range to hit depth, but they don’t have enough control and tension at the bottom. Under load, the nervous system doesn’t trust the position, so it finds stability somewhere else.

That “somewhere else” is often the low back.

This is one of the most common reasons someone says, “I don’t feel it during the set, but later my back is tight.”

What it usually looks like.

• The bottom feels unstable or unpredictable.
• You rush the last part of the descent.
• You lose tension at depth and rely on a bounce.
• Your back feels tight later, not during the rep.

What we do next.

We reduce the demand so you can train control without flaring symptoms, then we build end-range strength so the bottom becomes trustworthy again.

The simplest daily input we lean on is CARs. If you want a clear explanation of why we use them and how they fit into a plan, read: Controlled Articular Rotations.

Trunk and ribcage strategy that locks you into extension

A brace can be strong and still be inefficient.

A common strategy is to start already compressed, flare the ribcage to feel “tight,” and hold extension through the entire rep. It works until it doesn’t. When it fails, the low back becomes the bottleneck.

This is also why front squats or goblet squats often feel better for some people. They encourage a different trunk strategy.

What it usually looks like.

• The unrack feels like the hardest part.
• You feel compressed rather than just tired.
• You can’t get a breath without arching.
• Front-loaded squats feel better than back squats.

What we do next.

We clean up setup so you’re not starting the rep already jammed, then we rebuild your ability to brace without rib flare being the main strategy.

That often means temporary squat variations that make “stacked and controlled” non-negotiable. Less load, more ownership. Then we build back up.

What’s normal soreness vs a problem

Not every post-squat sensation is a red flag. Squats are demanding. Some fatigue and stiffness can be normal.

Here’s the line we care about.

Normal tends to look like.

• General muscle soreness in the legs or hips that improves over 24–72 hours.
• Mild low back fatigue that feels “worked,” not threatened.
• Symptoms that improve with a warm-up and don’t escalate week to week.

A problem tends to look like.

• The same back spot gets irritated every squat session.
• Symptoms are getting sharper, more protective, or more frequent.
• You keep changing your squat just to survive it.
• The discomfort lingers and starts shaping your training week.

If you’re living in the “problem” column, you don’t need better motivation. You need a clearer target.

The common theme

Most squat-related low back irritation isn’t solved by avoiding squats forever or trying to think your way through it.

It’s solved by identifying what’s missing, building it directly, then earning the squat back with better options.

Sometimes your squat looks different for a block of training. Sometimes your range is reduced on purpose for a few weeks. That’s not regression. That’s rebuilding the base so the squat stops being expensive.

When an assessment saves time

If lower back pain after squats is lingering, escalating, or forcing you to change how you train, the fastest path forward is getting a baseline.

The Functional Range Assessment is a joint-by-joint process. It shows what your joints can do, what’s limited, and where you have large passive-to-active gaps. From there, training gets specific and the guesswork drops fast.

If you want the full breakdown of the process, start here: The Ultimate Guide to the Functional Range Assessment.

If you’re in Austin and want help fixing the limitation behind your squat, here’s the simplest entry point: South Austin Personal Trainer.

A quick note on red flags

If you have symptoms like numbness, tingling, radiating pain, loss of strength, changes in bowel or bladder control, or pain that is severe and getting worse fast, get evaluated by a qualified medical professional. Training should build you, not scare you.

FAQs

Why does my back hurt after squats but not during?

Because your low back often acts as the stabilizer when hip, ankle, or trunk options run out. You can get through the set, then feel the cost later once the nervous system downshifts.

Should I stop squatting?

Most people don’t need to stop. It usually makes more sense to change the demand, build the limitation, then progress back with better options.

What’s the fastest way to get a clear plan?

Stop guessing and establish baselines. A joint-by-joint assessment makes the next steps obvious, then training becomes targeted instead of generic.

If I want to work on this at home, where do I start?

Start with daily joint work and build control at the edges of your current range, then earn the squat back through simpler variations you can own. KINSTRETCH is a solid starting point if you want structure.

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