Lower Back Exercises Guide

You’ve probably heard by now that the majority of chronic low back pain actually results from weakness in those muscles at the front of the abdomen. The group of muscles that fitness experts refer to as the “core” includes the abdominals and some mid-to lower back muscles. Together, the core muscles wrap around the abdomen to form a natural girdle of sorts, for the purpose of holding the upper body upright. Good posture is a direct result of strong core muscles; and poor posture is a reflection of core weakness. Not surprisingly, so is lower back pain.

Now that we’re clear on the cause of lower back pain, we will move onto what can be done about it. If you’re already suffering from chronic lower back pain, it’s too late to know that it’s actually a preventable condition. But if you have not yet reached a point in your life where back pain is an issue, read on, and hopefully you never have to.

Lower Back Strengthening Exercises: Abdominal Training

Just because it’s easy to lose abdominal strength (sitting, sitting, and more sitting… sound familiar?) doesn’t mean it has to be difficult to gain it. Making an effort to incorporate abdominal exercises into your everyday life can be as simple as setting aside 5 minutes in the morning and at night for bicycle crunches and balance exercises.

Whenever you think of it during the day, tighten your abdominals by pulling in your belly button and standing (or sitting) tall. As we discussed earlier, posture is both a cause and effect of abdominal strength, or the lack thereof.

If you know you’ll be more successful with a structured ab strengthening routine, join a gym or studio that offers core strengthening classes, and go as many days a week as you can. Core strengthening exercises and lower back strengthening exercise are one and the same. So to reduce chronic low back pain and increase your body’s overall functionality, incorporate both into your daily life. It’s easier than you might think, and time will show that the choice was a good one.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.