Having the opportunity to work with clients of all ages, abilities and walks of life I have discovered that most people suffer from low back pain. Although each individual’s pain can be caused from a wide range of issues or injuries, through weight loss, minimizing repeated stressors and strengthening your core muscles this pain can be reduced and managed. To strengthen your core muscles you need to have an understanding of which muscles you need to target and the best exercises to execute without compromising your lower back. Learning how to engage these muscles and brace your core properly is critical so that your back is supported. When most people think about their core, they think about the rectus abdominis a.k.a. your ‘6-pack muscles’, but there are several other muscles that make up your core. The other main muscles I am going to refer to in this article are the internal and external obliques and the transverse abdominis. There are so many exercises to strengthen, stabilize and tone your core without causing excessive flexion and extension of your spine. Please stop doing sit-ups! Especially if you have low back pain, sit-ups are the worst exercise to strengthen your core. Try my top 5 core exercises at least 3X/week and your lower back will thank you.
Here are my top 5 core exercises that will not damage your low back:
1. Curl-up
2. Side Plank
3. Bird-Dog
4. Straight Leg Dead-bug with Stability Ball
5. Mountain Climbers
The first three exercises are from the low back expert Dr. Stuart McGill. The other two are also excellent core exercises that will keep your spine in a stable position while challenging your core. The key with all of these exercises is to maintain a neutral spine. Read each description thoroughly before performing the exercise. Always remember to consider your fitness level when considering the intensity and frequency.
