re: Just found out I have a bad back

Take it slow. You're life isnt over yet, but it will be if you overdo it. I had a similar issue at a young age and tried PT, dry needling, and the epidural shots but nothing worked. I had surgery and for the first 6 months I was convinced that I was worse off than before the surgery. But it drastically improved over time and now I'm 3 years post surgery and feel great.
I completely shut down weights for 2 years because I wanted to be overly cautious being so young. Swimming laps is great for your back and you can still stay fit just doing body weight exercises. Obviously you'll be better off trying to cut rather than bulking. A PT will be able to help you determine what exercises you can and can't do but I would absolutely stay away from leg press as it loads up too much pressure on that area. Also avoid running on treadmills or concrete since those discs are shock absorbers and you dont want to shock the spine too much. Run on grass.

I didnt start lifting weights again until after 2 years but I'm still careful. I never load a bar on my spine. I've just recently started overhead press and deadlifts but if I feel any pain I shut it down and try again next time. Pay attention to your body and use good form.

For leg work try to do single leg so you can use less weight. Be careful with leg curls that you dont use your back. Bulgarian split squats have been great for me. Pistol squats are good too if you can do them. If not focus on flexibility and get there. Also swimming will help you with all your body weight exercises.

As far as flexibility goes, it's very important to have loose hamstrings and hips. Take up some yoga to help you get there, but the hamstrings pull on the spine so you need to be flexible.

Reverse hypers have been great for me as well. Get a stability ball for abs and back extensions, and maintain a good pelvic tilt on ab work.

Lived with a bad disc at L5/s1 since high school. It does suck but it happens to most men at some point, Some sooner than later.

Do the physical therapy, don’t be afraid to try different treatments (within reason). Sometimes injections relieve the pain for years for some they don’t help. Yoga is great. Anything to strengthen the core and increase flexibility are good. You’ll still be able to workout but do as others mentioned. Lay-off certain exercises and don’t try and go super heavy. Just be smart about it.
What you should NOT do is become sedentary. Just modify your workouts and keep seeking out different treatments that may work.

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I had shots, nerve oblations and a rhysotomy. Finally had fusion of L3,L4 and L5. Still trying to get back to some normalcy. I had been a gym rat for over 20 years. Have deteriorating disc disease.

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Well, now I feel like an insensitive frick because I've never had anything diagnosed, just have almost always had some sort of back pain, almost always lower back. Not accounting for an injury, it's never really kept me from working, playing basketball, softball or working out as an adult. It is however by far the part of my body that I've hurt or injured the most in my life. I used to be really fat up until when I started exercising and dieting at 37 so carrying that extra weight seems to have put some wear and tear on my ankles, knees and lower back.

Anyways, sounds like you're improving. Hope it continues.

Keep exercising. Keeping the muscles strong will assist the structure. I have a disc and it only flares up when I don’t exercise.

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Just found out I have a bad back

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As a PT myself, I would suggest you find a PT that either understands weight lifting or has a background in sports medicine. Often times an MRI with those findings aren’t indicative of what’s causing your pain. I was diagnosed with a herniated disc ~10 years ago after feeling a sharp pain when I bent over to pick up a plate. Had an MRI that showed a bulging disc and Doc told me no more squats etc...ended up missing out on about 7 years of deadlifting, squats, and a bunch of other stuff I enjoyed all the while continuing to have back pain.

Turns out about 20% of 20-30 years have asymptotic bulging/herniated discs on MRI and that number goes up as we age. My issue was most likely due to something else. I’ve been back to lifting heavy on squats and deadlifts for 3-4 years now and rarely have any issues. When I do it’s usually due to overtraining.

Dr. Aaron Horschig has some good information on lifting and rehab. Here is one of his articles and a link for more of his articles. Let me know if you have questions I can help with.

LBP epidemics

LINK

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When I do it’s usually due to overtraining.

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Absolutely this. I think a lot of us have it ingrained in our psyche that everyday has to be a balls to the wall, grueling session. That’s just not true. I don’t always do it, but rest weeks are important. Giving your body a chance to heal is where the strength gains comes from.

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Are there specific workouts I should be doing on a daily basis? Can I still do squats or should I be doing machine leg press? Overhead press? Deadlift?

I have a lot of questions right now. The doctor pretty much told me do what I can in which the pain is manageable. Thing is my back only hurts when I wake up in the morning or sit for a prolonged period. I haven't scheduled PT yet as I just found this out in the past day, but will do that soon. Hopefully they have some answers as well.

TLDR; Back fricked, is my life over?

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L3/L4 here. My two cents: you should stay away from yoga. You should focus on doing training to strengthen your "core" - meaning mainly quads, hams and glutes. Lots of that stuff can be done with just body weight exercises. Learn to use proper form ALL THE TIME. Drop a pencil and want to pick it up? Do the right "squat" to get down there to get it. etc.

Good luck!

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Why stay away from yoga? I'm going to get an MRI today to try to diagnose a lower back injury that's been plaguing me for years (after a major flare up last week I'm finally taking it seriously), and I've been doing more yoga in the last few days to stay active while avoiding aggravating the issue. When I take it nice and slowly it really seems to help loosen my entire posterior chain and mitigate my pain so I'm just wondering if I'm going to pay for that later.

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I think it's way more likely to injure/exacerbate than it is given credit for. I also think flexibility is overvalued relative to strength.

I think it's smart for you to to wait and see your MRI.