Lower Back Care

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Does your back fatigue or hurt right here? 

Extension faults can be shortsighted stability strategies used to guard the body, or help to produce force, but at the expense of closing joint angles, poor position, prefatigue, and submaximal force.

Coaching virtually from the suburbs the last few months I’ve found myself sitting slightly more, and walking less. Though I’m training as much as I normally do, and recently added a standing desk, a change in lifestyle exposed some underlying movement faults in my lower back and pelvis, creating lower back stiffness. And in videoing some content for the topic, I realized how poorly I was moving through certain patterns. Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for seeing a doctor and missing days of work, with 60-70% of the population experiencing some form of it in their lifetime. While it’s out of scope for coaches to address pain, it’s well within scope to identify postural dysfunction and poor movement strategies, to bridge treatment gaps, in consultation with a medical professional, and reduce recurrences. 

Your core functions to absorb and transfer force between your hips and shoulders. To do this optimally, it’s important, your head, ribcage, and pelvis are aligned, facilitated the surrounding musculature. Applying theories from DNS, PRI, and the Joint by Joint Theory, it makes sense to start from the center out, beginning with breath work, then aligning and stabilizing the core, while mobilizing and loading the periphery. Train to create a subconscious and reflexive stiffening strategy in your core to produce force. 

Interested in more lower back programming? Sign up for a complimentary coaching call to discuss coaching and assessment options, or head over to our marketplace for the full program delivered in app.

Here’s a series of some of my best core stability practices, inspired by the research of Dr Stuart McGill, and his seminal work, The Back Mechanic. The movements progress in intensity with orientation to the floor, supine to seated, static stability to dynamic stability, and increased lever lengths.

Give these a shot, to help yourself, or your clients, to not only reduce injury risk, but also build an athletic core. Share this with someone who needs it, and let me know how it goes in the comments, or reaching out here. 

Bilateral Glute Bridge - A glute, hamstring, and spinal erector dynamic stability exercise. Great for encouraging a posteriorly tilted pelvis, and reduction in lumbar hyperextension.

Bilateral Glute Bridge - A glute, hamstring, and spinal erector dynamic stability exercise. Great for encouraging a posteriorly tilted pelvis, and reduction in lumbar hyperextension.

Leg Locked Single Leg Bridge - A progression of the bilateral bridge. Additionally, the flexed opposing hip, prevents hyperextension in the spine, allowing for authentic hip extension in the working leg.

Leg Locked Single Leg Bridge - A progression of the bilateral bridge. Additionally, the flexed opposing hip, prevents hyperextension in the spine, allowing for authentic hip extension in the working leg.

Marching Bridges - Dynamic bridge progression. Work to keep your pelvis level, imagining a glass of wine sitting on top of your belt buckle.

Marching Bridges - Dynamic bridge progression. Work to keep your pelvis level, imagining a glass of wine sitting on top of your belt buckle.

Bilateral Straight Leg Bridge - Long lever bridge, increasing the demands on the hamstrings and glutes.

Bilateral Straight Leg Bridge - Long lever bridge, increasing the demands on the hamstrings and glutes.

Single Leg Straight Leg Bridge - single leg progression, increasing load and fitness, one leg at a time.

Single Leg Straight Leg Bridge - single leg progression, increasing load and fitness, one leg at a time.

Dead Bug - Mobile hips and shoulders through a stable core. Flatten your lower back to the mat, by pulling your waistband to your belly button. Keep the bottom corners of your ribs, connected and stacked over the top corners of your pelvis.

Dead Bug - Mobile hips and shoulders through a stable core. Flatten your lower back to the mat, by pulling your waistband to your belly button. Keep the bottom corners of your ribs, connected and stacked over the top corners of your pelvis.

Side Bridge - Static lateral line stability. Connecting the fascia of the shoulder to the knee.

Side Bridge - Static lateral line stability. Connecting the fascia of the shoulder to the knee.

Dynamic Side Bridge - Dynamic progression, encouraging lateral line stability coupled with hip extension.

Dynamic Side Bridge - Dynamic progression, encouraging lateral line stability coupled with hip extension.

Split Stance Side Plank - level length progression with a wide stable footprint.

Split Stance Side Plank - level length progression with a wide stable footprint.

Side Plank - Increased stability demands with legs stacked.

Side Plank - Increased stability demands with legs stacked.

Cat Cow - A progression in posture from side lying with an emphasis on spinal mobility, lumbopelvic rhythm.

Cat Cow - A progression in posture from side lying with an emphasis on spinal mobility, lumbopelvic rhythm.

4 Point Plank - static stability. knees are one inch off the ground, with back flat like a table, with four legs, through your arms and hips.

4 Point Plank - static stability. knees are one inch off the ground, with back flat like a table, with four legs, through your arms and hips.

Birddogs - Increased lever length and dynamic movement. Maintain a neutral table top spine, as you coordinate mobilizing your opposite hip and shoulder.

Birddogs - Increased lever length and dynamic movement. Maintain a neutral table top spine, as you coordinate mobilizing your opposite hip and shoulder.

4 Point Plank with Alternating Limb Lifts - Knee elevated, contralateral limb alternation. Resist rotation, and weight shifting here, by impinging a glass of wine on your lower back.

4 Point Plank with Alternating Limb Lifts - Knee elevated, contralateral limb alternation. Resist rotation, and weight shifting here, by impinging a glass of wine on your lower back.

Forearm Plank - Increase lever length, static stability, with a stable forearm base.

Forearm Plank - Increase lever length, static stability, with a stable forearm base.

High Plank - Increased demand on the plank, in the high push up position.

High Plank - Increased demand on the plank, in the high push up position.

Hand Supported Seated 90/90 - finishing with an upright seated hip mobility exercise, to improve internal and external rotation of the hip, through a stable spine and core.

Hand Supported Seated 90/90 - finishing with an upright seated hip mobility exercise, to improve internal and external rotation of the hip, through a stable spine and core.