Back from the gym and I’m feeling incredible. I just did some of the best back pain strengthening exercises ever! No joke. I started out on the squat or Smith machine. Normally, you may want to do a light warm-up on the treadmill or exercise bike just to get your blood flowing before you partake in any kind of lower back pain or back pain strengthening exercise. In fact, just about every fitness expert out there would recommend it. I prefer to do my warm ups on the Smith machine itself. I do this just by doing a back pain exercise at an extremely light resistance. I find this to be pretty harmless plus it also draws blood right away to the muscles you want to target namely the quads, pelvic muscles and lower back.
After a good warm-up, it is also good to stretch. Even though I may seem like someone who devalues stretching, I hold it to be a critical component of my back pain strengthening exercise routine. I always stretch in between sets. One of the best stretch exercises you can do in between a set of squats on the smith machine is to just reach up with both hands and hang from one of the metal bars that makes up the frame of the Smith machine itself. I love to do this to really stretch out my lower back. Another good stretch exercise is to just squat down like a catcher for a baseball team. This will stretch out your quads and the muscles of your pelvis as well as the lower back.
So after about 4 sets of squats–using a 45 lb weight and a 10 lb weight (a 25 lb weight with the last set) on each end–I was pretty tired. Next I did some leg extensions to work my quads. I did about 3 sets of these while once again practicing different stretching exercises.
And that’s it. I finished with some light cardio walking on a treadmill. Today my legs are pretty sore but that’s ok. It is a good sore. The tingling and numbness in my right thigh is GONE!!!!
I’m in bad shape. My lower back is killing me today. In about an hour I will be heading to the gym to work out and do some lower back pain exercises like squats and the lat pull exercise. You might be wondering how I could be in such pain especially if I’m blogging how not to be. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve completely neglected myself and my lower back the last 3-4 months. I have not worked out once or done one exercise for lower back pain in that amount of time. The reason for this is because I’ve had to watch my little 9 month old and it has pretty much made me a prisoner in my own house. I can’t go anywhere until the wife gets home. Very frustrating. Sitting at the computer all day doesn’t help either. In fact, over the last couple of days I’ve started to acquire some numbness or tingling in my right thigh. I’m not sure what this is. I’ve never experienced it before. I think it may have something to do with my sciatic nerve being compressed or irritated. My spinal stenosis does not help the situation. In case you don’t know, I also coach (just 2 times a year) a video coaching program on how to “annihilate” your back pain. I love the word “annihilate.” I’m getting ready to start that up again too which is good for me. It is a 16 weeks program that motivates and teaches lower back pain sufferers to end their back pain forever with back pain videos. I know this will help relieve my back pain too and I need it in the worst way right now.
I am pretty surprised that I’ve been able to go this long without experiencing lower back pain. Usually, I can go maybe a month without exercises before the pain starts to bother me. I have made it a priority to eat very well the last few months which I think has helped a great deal. My diet consists of fish like salmon or halibut at least once per week along with a fresh vegetable and rice. I stay away from red meats as much as possible and try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies. Nothing real fancy. I just tried to make some smart and healthy food choices.
So, I’m off to the gym to try and heal my maladies. I’ve always felt better after doing exercises for my lower back especially the kind that strengthen it. That is what I’m trying to get you to see as well. You need to strengthen your back. Don’t be afraid to challenge it with these kinds of exercises. I’m out of here. Talk to you soon.
When your back is hurting, you may be tempted to pop pill after pill in search of lower back pain relief. After all, if something works the first time, then trying it a second time is a no brainer. A pill, however, only represents a quick, temporary fix for back pain sufferers. True lower back pain relief comes from doing the right exercises. Let me explain.
The source of back pain for many is weak, underdeveloped muscles that lack strengthening and conditioning. Utilizing the right lower back pain exercises will make muscles of the quads, pelvis, glutes and core much stronger. Having a stronger core and midsection will lend structural support to the mucles of the lower back and therefore provide true lower back pain relief.
Of course, having a strong support structure for the lower back is not achieved in a pill. It takes time, patience, discipline and even some hard work. If you are interested in true lower back pain relief, then I would suggest hiring a personal trainer and having him or her show you specific exercises to really help strengthen and condition your lower back. Just an hour once per week of doing the right exercises should really benefit you and provide some welcome relief from lower back pain.
The squat is the very best exercise for lower back pain. Why? Simply because it works the largest muscle groups (the quads) in the body and the main pillars of support for your lower back. If you don’t have a strong set of quads, then you are most likely lacking the strength and support you need in your pelvis and glutes. And if you don’t have the strength and support in your pelvis and glutes, then your lower back will most likely experience pain and discomfort.
How should you do the squat as a way to exercise your lower back? There are several ways. The most simple way is to just fold your arms across your chest and squat down. Be sure to only squat down to where your legs are parallel with the floor or ground. Any more than this could be bad on your knees. While squatting, be sure to keep your back arched slightly. If you keep your head slightly up during the squat, your back will naturally arch itself.
Another way to do the squat is with a Smith machine. A Smith machine is a track-like apparatus that allows you to move a barbell up and down rather easily without worrying about your balance. This is the one lower back pain exercise that I strongly recommend every back pain sufferer to perform. It has greatly helped me time and time again. Check out below this awesome tool to help you perform lower back pain exercises!
So, always keep in mind the squat and the Smith machine for performing lower back pain exercises. When it comes to getting rid of your back pain, there is no better exercise available!
As I noted in my previous post, you definitely should not do exercises for lower back pain that only offer a short term solution or temporary relief. This is not going to help you and your back pain in the long run. For instance, I consider stretching exercises for lower back pain to fall into the short term category. Now, don’t get me wrong. Stretching exercises that enhance flexibility are certainly beneficial for back pain sufferers. Yoga and Pilates are effective tools in the battle against lower back pain.
A longer term solution, however, must involve working specific muscle groups of the body including the larger muscles of the legs, glutes and even upper back and shoulders. A wonderful benefit for lower back pain sufferers is achieved when these muscles groups are strengthened and conditioned. As the larger muscle groups of the body are worked directly, muscles of the lower back, core and pelvis are strengthened and conditioned indirectly. This is good for two reasons:
It makes the muscles of the lower back much stronger
The stronger, surrounding large muscle groups offer the lower back a much better pillar of support
Think of it this way…if you are going to construct a building, you need to have a solid foundation. If you are a lower back pain sufferer, the right way to build a solid foundation is by doing exercises for lower back pain that strengthen and condition your large muscle groups.
A true lower back pain exercise is one that offers a lasting benefit for back pain sufferers. A bad lower back pain exercise just offers temporary relief or a short-term benefit. The one underlying premise that I try to teach people is that lower back pain exercises should not be done to relieve or treat back pain but instead to manage it effectively over the course of a lifetime.
In other words, who wants to do lower back pain exercises everyday if instead, you have the option of doing them once per week, once every two weeks or even once per month? Not only will you be doing lower back exercises less frequently but you will also experience less back pain because of it.
I’m sure you’ve seen it before at the gym…some poor fitness newbie, somewhat overweight I might add, struggling to do sit-up after sit-up in the hope that one day their gut will magically disappear and they will have that tone, firm set of six-pack abs that you see on commercials. Of course, all the personal trainers just ignore the lost soul. It’s a real shame.
Well, I’m NOT going to ignore you and your back pain. I’m NOT going to let you do a worthless set of exercises for lower back pain like sit-ups are to someone trying to get that ever-elusive 6 pack.
Now, this may be a shock to you. You might be wondering if you really are wasting your time and energy doing lower back pain exercises. Well, ask yourself if you are getting a true benefit from them. Are you feeling less pain? Is your back feeling stronger? If it is, then don’t listen to me. Leave my blog and carry on with what you are doing.
But, if you are NOT getting a benefit from lower back pain exercises yet and/or you are still experiencing back pain, then you are just like the poor guy or gal wasting away on the gym floor doing all those sit-ups!
Most lower back pain exercises are stupid if you ask me. A lot of the lower back pain exercises you see on the web are more like stretches to help with lower back pain. This is good but it really just provides temporary relief for back pain sufferers.
People with back pain or sciatica need a more permanent solution for their back pain problem. And that is what my blog is all about. I want to show you the right kinds of lower back pain exercises that can really help you.
Now, why should you listen to me? Well, because I’ve lived with back pain all my life up until about 6 years ago. I was born with spinal stenosis, a congenital condition that involves a narrowing of the spine. This condition compresses nerves and it is a real pain in the back. I’ve learned to overcome herniated disk or discs, however you want to spell it. I’ve even had spinal fusion surgery if you can believe that which I will talk about at a later point. I’ve done it all and experienced it all too as far as back pain goes.
Now, you probably noticed that I said “Most Lower Back Pain Exercises Are Stupid.” And I believe this to be the case, but certainly not all of them and definitely not the ones that I use and teach people to do on a regular basis.
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