Lower back exercises

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Nachi, Sep 29, 2016.

  1. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    Everything Icefield said. That said, it's likely a more systemic issue than just local to the lower back, particularly since the lower back muscles are what cause lower back lordosis in the first place. Lordosis is the natural curve of the lumbar and cervical spine (curving towards extension/arching backwards), and kyphosis the natural curve of the thoracic spine (curving towards flexion/arching forwards.

    This is also referring to normal static posture, as the spine can and will mobilize in a variety of directions through different ranges of motion while doing different movements, both increasing and reducing the curves, or curving in other directions. Pathological curves, hyperkyphosis, hyperlordosis, scoliosis (sideways flexion and rotation) and rectification (straightening of the curves) refer to when the spine is wonky while you're at rest, rather than being roughly vertical, with minimal rotation and with a normal range of kyphosis and lordosis.

    Now the spine has a ton of different individual joints, and attaches to a ridiculous amount of muscles, so there's a lot of room for error where things are tighter or looser somewhere along it and it gets pulled out of position.

    Things to look at:

    Within the lower back itself, both the big muscles (erectors and QL) and the small muscles (transversospinales); the latter are deeper and more geared for stabilization, so best worked by spending time moving in a controlled manner through slightly unstable positions (controlled rotation, slow flexion and extension, multiplanar movements like windmills and TGUs), as well as the more heavy-duty strengthening that'll target the erectors and QL more (like heavy deadlifts, heavy good mornings, and heavy back extensions).

    Outside of the lower back, the abs flex the spine, and hyperlordosis is excessive extension, so strengthening the abs should help a lot, and the hip flexors can wreak havoc as well if they're weak and/or tight, since hip joint angle and pelvic position are intimately related (feet fixed = hip flexion tilts the pelvis forwards = pelvis pulls lumbar spine into extension), so they also need to be looked at (rectus femoris and psoas are the usual subjects, in particular since psoas has attachments on the entire lumbar spine, mixed with those of the diaphragm). Planks and rollouts are your best friends here, but you have to do them in a very specific manner (that is, correctly :p): you have to actively resist your body's constant pressure to arch backwards, and keep the hip joints extended, so as to engage the abs and keep tension on the hip flexors while they're lengthened. Imagine trying to lengthen the rear side of your torso, while shortening the front side, or even "pushing upwards" with your lower back (similar to sanchin posture, actually). Planks are easier than rollouts, but can get boring, while rollouts are easy-ish done on knees, super hard done on feet, but will always require (and will help develop) strength in the lats to prevent the spine from arching backwards. A way to make planks harder and less boring is to actively "pinch" the floor between your arms and feet using your abs, lats and hip flexors, which is usually called an RKC plank (because they were made popular by a group called RKC which do kettlebell stuff).

    One last thing to look into is strength and activation of the hip extensors (glutes, hamstrings, adductors). If the hip flexors happen to be short, then the extensors are lengthened. Regardless of cause and effect, some work on them is always useful. The "flagship" exercises for hip extension are deadlits, good mornings, and glute bridges/hip thrusts, which can be done with a wide range o resistence, from bodyweight to heavy barbells to everything in between, resistance bands being a good option for home workouts.

    I'll see about making a video with some of these exercises if I can, to show you exactly what I mean.
     
  2. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Hi Fish, thank you for the thorough answer!

    To answer, when I was sent to rehabilitations with the scoliosis a long time ago, the doctor also mentioned, that my lordosis is too much (I'm not sure if she used the term "hyperlordosis" and I try to avoid it, because I don't know if hyperlordosis is a term for when you have a specific angle of the lumbar spine or something like that). She didn't pay too much attention to it. I only remember she said I may have it because I used the baby walker when I was learning to walk or something like that. That being said, I have this thing ever since I was little, probably. Not sure if the main cause are the muscles, but I'm not too sure about how these things work and they surely play their part. And are probably a way to improve it. If there's any.

    In my karate classes I do work on strenghtening the abs. I think I managed to strenghten them significantly in these past years. I'm going to continue the work-out, but I thought about adding specific exercises mostly for the back.
    I'm not too sure about hte state of my hip flexors. About a year ago I went to a fitness class and did stretches with the instructor. She showed me stretching that is helpful for people who sit all the time (like I do except when I exercise), that was meant for the deep flexors. I did the stretch without any problems and she determined the muscles are alright. Of course, it won't hurt to work on them more (and I'm not even sure if those were the muscles you mentioned), I'm just saying they may not be the main reason of my curved back. But I know very little about this all, so...
    Thanks for all the advise, though. Planks are easy to do at home, I will look into the variations you mentioned. We used to have the ab wheel in the dojo for some time, but is gone. I get buy one, though. It is a clever think for work-out I think. I found a YouTube video starting with showing how the roll-out is done wrongly. I immediately recognized that I was doing just that :D No wonder I felt pressure on my back when I did this for the first time. Too bad I can't try again right away :)

    My dad also has a rubber band he never uses, but I'm afraid it may not be too long for doing the heavy mornings that were linked in the video.... I'll look into it :)

    In case you find some time to make a video, I'd be very happy to take advise from it ^^

    Thanks again!
     
  3. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

  4. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Planking is something that should probably be incorporated with lower back exercises. Although Fish said they're boring, there are a ton of variations to them to make them more interesting. Side planks, and extending one arm/one leg in the air are two options to make planking SIGNIFICANTLY more difficult.

    It's important to do them because it focuses on the support structure of your core. A lot of the time if your core isn't strong enough it either places your lower back in a weird position with extra strain, or makes your lower back work in ways it's not supposed to.

    I've also found that being able to do deep squats (heels remaining on the deck) loosens up my hips, and takes a lot of stress off of my lower back as well. That in turn keeps the lower back from being strained during other movements, which transfers into more strength as well. Goblet Squats (easily Googled) are great for that. You don't even have to do a routine with them, just use the bottom position of the squat as a stretch for a warm up and you'll get the desired results.

    Beyond that, deadlifts are king. Since you don't have access to weights regularly I recommend saving a few of your enemies' corpses and tying a rope around them for grips. You can just deadlift the bodies of your slain enemies. Weight is weight you know. ^_^
     
  5. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    I make planks less boring by reading and/or listening to music while I do them. Bonus points for reading out loud or singing along :p
     
  6. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Sometimes I go to the park and plank across two benches, and have all the children walk across me like I'm a bridge.

    (No, I don't really do that)
     
  7. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter



    I've not done enough planks that I would think of them as "boring". Rather they are terrible in that I just focus on the holding out and that takes my mental strenght away, too :D Yep, I can try the different versions, although I don't think I'm at a level where I could easily afford to take my limbs off the floor :D
    And as I wrote previously it's a really easy and suitable exercise to do at home :)

    Thanks for the squat tip, I'll google a bit :)

    Oh, sure, I just don't like to be pushy and slay random enemies. ...so, any volunteers? :D :ninja1: :lowblow:
     
  8. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I find the best thing for my back is to sit at a desk all day, drive an hour and a half every day and then try to do high kicks like I could when I was in my 20's.
    Oh no...hang on...that's the worst thing for my back. Doh. :(
     
  9. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I better not say what I do, then :D It's soooo totally different! ... except the "being in the 20's" part.
     
  10. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    One idea crazier than the other! :D
     
  11. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    Planking across two benches and having little children walk across you like a bridge while you sing "London bridge is falling down" :3
     
  12. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Planking across two benches and having little children walk across you like a bridge while you sing "London Bridge is falling down" while the benches are covered in Crisco and you have to hold a spoon in your mouth and scoop Crisco from one jar to another.
     
  13. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    While blindfolded.
     
  14. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    Huzzah, video is here!

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL83j1Nvv5g"]low back herp derp - YouTube[/ame]

    I have apparently forgotten how to speak like a human being, but I think it's more or less understandable.
     
  15. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I see you support the use of satanic standard weights.

    You're dead to me -_-
     
  16. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    That's actually the bar from my first weight set. I still have under my goatee the scar it gave me when I attempted my very first push press.

    Nowadays I play with these instead: https://www.instagram.com/p/BKBTKvXATUF/ :p
     
  17. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    That snatch is pretty 0_0
     
  18. Kwajman

    Kwajman Penguin in paradise....

    As a retired x-ray tech I've filmed hundreds of scoliosis patients so I feel for you! I also suffer from chronic back pain and what I teach my students (and do myself) is a lot of stretching first then strength training like some of the above posters have suggested. I'm not a 'weight guy' so they would know more than I...
     
  19. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Hi Fish,

    sorry for the slightly later answer, I've been on a seminar just beyond the borders and ad no internet access.

    The video is awesome and very helpful for a complete beginner in this, like myself, so thank you very much, I appreciate you took your time. You're like a walking and talking encyclopedia :D

    And about some of my comments in response to the video:

    Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to use ishi sashi. Our dojo doesn't have all the hojo undo equipment, nor does any other dojo of our Czech association. So unfortunately the exercise you mentioned isn't familiar to me.

    Now I understand what you meant by pinching the floor while planking! I couldn't figure out what exectly you meant. Thanks. It looks quite difficult, I'm going to try it! :) (not today, though, I'm really tired from the seminar and my whole upper body huuuurts :D)

    The tip about doing something whle in plank is good, thanks, though I can't picture myself reading as I tend to start shaking after a while :D It's difficult to read, then! :)

    Haha, when you showed the sort of "duck" position that happens with shortened hip flexors, you sort of looked just like me :D

    I'm happy you showed me a variety of exercises that can easily be done at home and with only bodyweight or no sophisticated weight for the start. Lunges and plank is something I can do anywhere anytime :)
    As for the deadlift, I never really thought too deeply about it and never realised it can be done with a kettlebell, too! That would be a nice not-much-place taking item I could perhaps get at some point. Too bad it's weight can't be changed, but perhaps if I figure a good one...

    I also never thought about Sanching being the same posture as plank, but you're right, that will help! :) And I should start focusing on Sanchin more...

    Thanks again for the video and I can't see any problem with your talk ;)
    I need to watch it again later where my mind is less blank and telling my body to go to sleep :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2016
  20. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    Yay!

    Re: Kettlebell: there's an implement called a T-handle that's usually used to do kettlebell swings with adjustable weight (plate-loaded) and is easily home-made, that can of course be used for deadlifts too, although going heavy would be a bit tricky and the range of motion would be limited unless you stand on something. Still, it's always useful and you can transition to kettlebell swings later on, which is always good.

    http://rosstraining.com/blog/2008/12/31/homemade-t-handle-demonstration/
    http://rosstraining.com/blog/2009/03/25/t-handle-on-blocks/
    http://rosstraining.com/blog/2011/06/23/t-handle-exercise-tutorial/

    Additionally, if you can get a sturdy hook or carabiner that you can attach to it or replace the actual handle with, and some sturdy rope or chain and a leather belt, you can squat with it (albeit without loading your back, so it will all be hip and leg strength):

    [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PldcPTOACm4"]Hip Belt Squat - YouTube[/ame]
     

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