Safe Weight Lifting Exercises with Sciatica (And Which to Avoid)

Many of my patients and clients are curious about how to lift weights safely with sciatica or how to resume exercising without exacerbating their condition.

Honestly, the most accurate answer is whatever feels best for your body while keeping your sciatic nerve safe. However, I'd like to share with you what I offer some of my clients.

The framework I use is SPARK. I review this more in my book, so safely with sciatica or how to resume exercising without exacerbating their condition, but essentially we are:

• Pain-free stretching
• Strengthening around the nerve
• Activating the nerve
• Regaining mobility
• Keep moving

When we discuss weightlifting, we are also referring to the routine in which you perform the weightlifting. You can easily find the perfect stretches, pain-relieving strategies, nerve mobility exercises, and spinal mobility exercises in my book, Revision Sciatica.

3 Weight Lifting Exercises That Are Safe With Sciatica and What to Avoid

Safe exercises include: 

• Romanian Dead Lifts
• Bench Press
• Squat Before Butt Tuck

What you want to avoid:

• Deep squats
  
• Heavy weights

Romanian Deadlifts

This exercise allows you to glide the nerve, stretch it, and strengthen the entire posterior chain. These are essential for improving back pain and sciatica. Start with feet about hip width. Then, as you slide the weight down your legs, keep your back very straight and knees slightly bent. The movement comes from your hips. You will stick your butt out and bend over from the waist until you feel a pull in the back of your legs. More range isn't better! You may also feel your sciatica symptoms here. Stop at that point.

Start with no weight and slowly progress weekly as long as your back and sciatica holds up.

• 2 sets of 12 repetitions

Bench Press

Bench press and other upper-body exercises are typically fine as long as you can set them up without experieing pain. I like to start with push ups for about a week then progress to dumbbell bench and finally regular bench.

Tip: If you do barbell bench, try to keep your feet on the bench and your back supported. That can help! 

Squats Before Butt Wink

Squats can be challenging at first, so it’s best to avoid heavy weights or heavy back squats initially. You can progress to them, but it will take time. Start with a gradual progression, as shown below. However you progress, I recommend avoiding the deep ranges of motion or the butt wink. The very end range of motion of the squat is where your lower back tilts underneath you. It's hard to tell on your own, so I recommend not going back 90 degrees. That will be a good way to remember.

While spinal compression during squats can be beneficial for disc health, it's essential to proceed slowly and wait a week or so before progressing to the next variation.

• Begin by testing bodyweight squats—if you can do them pain-free
• Try a weighted lunges with dumbbells
• Then, goblet squats
• And, eventually barbell squats

Is it Safe to Lift Weights with Sciatica?

Once you identify which movements worsen your pain and what is causing your sciatica it’s easy to get back into weight lifting. You can often start exercising your upper body before your core and lower body.

Can You Still Lift Weights with Sciatica?

Yes, you can still lift weights. What I tell my patients is that when you lift, if your pain is worse right after that, it can be normal, but if you are in pain about 8 hours after you lift, then you did something wrong. I would NEVER avoid working out, but how you do it matters.

The most common movement that worsens sciatica pain is forward flexion, or bending over. If bending forward increases your pain, it’s best to avoid or limit exercises that involve this motion. Examples include some types of deadlifts as well as movements like bringing your knees to your chest, since they also flex the spine.

It’s almost always how you do something vs. what you do. That’s what I review on my YouTube Channel and with my workouts. Check out this workout, you may enjoy it!

Which Gym Equipment Should I Avoid with Sciatica?

This is where gym equipment or machines can shine. They are often a great way to strengthen without making things worse. The two machines that I avoid are the squat machine and the Ab roller.

The squat machine or leg press machine is often a tight space and will immediately require you to flex your lumbar spine in a deep range of motion. I would rather you do seated leg extensions or some of the exercises we discussed above.

The ab roller seems harmless, but this bad boy increases abdominal pressure rapidly, which may feel like a good ab workout, but increases pressure on the disc and nerve very quickly. Instead, just do a standard plank and focus on small, gentle breaths.

Can you Build Muscle with Sciatica?

You can absolutely build muscle while managing sciatica. As mentioned earlier, many exercises won’t aggravate your leg pain. If your pain is severe, focusing on upper body workouts can help you stay active while you heal. Most leg machines and core exercises that target the lower back are also safe to use. Sciatica may slow you down, but it doesn’t have to keep you sidelined for long!

The basic muscle-building principles I have my patients follow are:

• Protein before and after the workout, within 30 min for men and 15 min for women.
  
  • 15 grams or so each time
  • Focus on 12-15 reps and 2-3 sets
  • 2-3 times per week
  • 8-10 total exercises

What is the Number One Exercise for Sciatica?

There is not “ONE” exercise for sciatica. There are some foundational ones that you can trust will always help. I never give just one, as you tell in my book, but if I had to pick. The number one exercise for sciatica is the Prone Press to Downward Dog. It’s a fluid movement that works on length, strength, and protection of the sciatic nerve.

Summary

If you’re dealing with sciatica, weightlifting isn’t off-limits, it just requires a smart, pain-free approach. This blog outlines the SPARK framework (Strengthening, Pain-free stretching, Activating the nerve, Regaining mobility, and Keeping moving) and recommends safe exercises, such as Romanian deadlifts, bench presses, and controlled squats, while advising against deep squats and heavy weights. With the right routine, you can still build muscle and stay active without worsening your symptoms.