Effects of resistance training on pain, well-being, and inflammation in chronic low back pain

Participants will complete a 12-week supervised resistance training program. Across this time, they will attend two group-based (3-4 participants) 60-minute face-to-face resistance training sessions per week (24 total sessions), prescribed and supervised by a qualified physiotherapist from the research group. Before the start of the intervention, a physical assessment (health history; lower back assessment and blood pressure) will be conducted by the physiotherapist. Resistance training sessions will be individualised based on the participant’s muscle strength. After learning the correct technique of each exercise, muscle strength will be determined by a series of submaximal strength tests in week three to determine the required training intensity. Resistance training sessions will consist of a ten-minute general warm up, including dynamic exercises for the trunk, legs, and shoulders. After warm-up, participants will perform 3 sets and 8-12 repetitions of the following resistance exercises with a barbell and weights: squat (1), barbell row (2), deadlift (3), and bench press (4). The selection of exercises is based on a prior study with a similar population and was considered safe. The training intensity will initially be 50% of the maximal strength (adaptation phase) and will gradually increase by 10% every 3 weeks, which is informed by previous studies. Adherence to the resistance training sessions will be assessed by documenting the overall training session attendance, within-session training load completed and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) for each training session.