Newbie back question

[KingJustin]

I am pretty sure that I finally have my squat form down. My knees aren't moving forward much and my butt is going backwards, with a lean in my (straight/semi-arched) back. I have been practicing it a little bit with just the bar for the last couple of days, and so finally today I got under some weight. I've been doing very light squats because my form sucked and it has been bothering my knees to go too heavy. Well, today I added about 25 lbs and for my legs and glutes it felt incredibly easy, but it was really hard on my back, both with and without the belt (before I had next to no forward lean, and lighter weight).

I've been doing light Straight-legged deadlifts and progressing on them, but I don't know whether they really are helping with my back problem. I know I have really crappy lower-middle lumbars and mild sculleosis, but I don't know if I can improve that over time or not.

The big thing is that I want to start doing a real Westside routine come May, as opposed to using Westside for upper and light/high rep stuff for lower. I've got big hips and pretty big legs (mainly from genetics .. my parents do, too) and I think squats/deadlifts should be my strong point, but they aren't at all right now. In 8 months I want to be able to have done something to where I can start doing 3 rep maxes on good morning/DL/Squat variations. However, I don't want to rush into anything at all. Making slow progress would be just fine..

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Adam]

When you say your back hurt's is it the muscles or actual back ligaments/bones?

[KingJustin]

More the bones and such, maybe a little pain in the spine in the mid and lower area.

[KingJustin]

Well, the sad thing is it hurts when I do even pretty light weights. Now, I don't care at all about the pain, but I don't want to push it and end up injured. Calcium is definately not the problem, though. I drink about a gallon of skim milk a day and have drank lots of milk forever.

Also, I saw a chiropractor when I was having pretty bad pain about 14 months ago. He just said that I had flaring or spasms or something in my mid and mid-low lumbars or something about that. He didn't end up helping much.

[KingJustin]

I should probably add in that it feels about the same as when I do heavy seated military presses .. except that it's a lot harder than military on my back.

[defcon]

maybe its nothing to do with the weights or your form, maybe it has something to do with the fact you may be genetically programed to have back problems? does your dad/uncles/aunts/brothers have anything similiar?

[DK]

Have you had an MRI on your back? If it is ligaments/spine it would probably be a good idea to get it checked out.