After doing some more tweaking on my bike position, I did a hard 1.5 hrs. on the trainer Saturday, feeling like I might be getting close.
Half an hour later, upon getting out of the shower, I’m hit hard with back spasms the right side of my lower back.
This happened a couple of times last year, once (to a minor degree) in a race.
Am I left with no choice but to give in, add some spacers and sit up more to take the pressure off my back?
Being faster and more aero in races is a sound goal, but righ now I’m worried about getting to the starting line.
I’m just glad it’s March and not June or July.
I had the same problem, especially when I wasn’t swimming much. Also, I have a long history of lower back pain and “throwing out” my back. These things seem to have made a big difference for me:
(1) I started swimming ~4x/wk, and especially working on abdomin strength. I think the flip turns help stretch the back and strengthen the core.
(2) Do back extensions on a pilates ball fairly soon after riding.
(3) Do upper body push-ups with the back and legs relaxed. Started these for an abdomin issue, but now do them for both front and back therapy. Can stop a mounting spasm in its tracks.
I still have problems if I push the envelope for too long, like several hard efforts of ~20min or so during a moderately long ride (60-70 mi) can trigger spasms and back pain before the ride is over.
I have a history of lower back issues myself. I used to have back spasms (a couple times/year) so bad that they would force me to lay down for a day or two at a time. When I really started getting into multi-sport, I struggled a lot with lower back pain & stiffness. I bought a Softride and went back to a local fitter a couple times trying to get a comfortable position. He had me pretty high on the front (not much drop) and game me a really high saddle (which he thought allowed one to “spin” better).
Eventually I figured out that my position sucked and my saddle was simply WAY too high. I dropped my seat height quite a bit, and once I got that dialed in, I was able to ride with a lot more drop and almost never have the back flare ups that I used to have. In fact, over the last few years, I’ve discovered that riding is the best therapy for my back. If I ride a lot, I have few back issues, if I slack on my training, my back starts to hurt.
I believe that having a saddle too high puts a lot of extra stress on your hamstrings and lower back. I used to think I needed to raise up my front end to allow me to ride with my back issues but once I got saddle height dialed in, I’ve been able to ride in a very competetive position.
I obviously don’t know what your issues are or what your fit looks like, but lowering your saddle and/or sliding it forward a bit might be worth experimenting with.