Strengthening your core with a birddog-like exercise can help relieve back pain.
Image credit:
Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
Much of our daily back pain comes from what’s happening outside the gym. If you sit at work or in the car for a long time, your abdominal muscles will not move as much as when you are standing or moving.
“If your core is weak, your back muscles will take on more workload, stay upright and drive your day’s movements,” said Peter Donohoe, two-time Olympic and Hydro coach. Noho says. “But when the abdominal muscles are strong, the back is better supported and can function more freely without compensating for a weak core.”
However, adding crunches is not enough to relieve back pain. “Before doing strength training or endurance training, it’s important to prepare for physical mobility and flexible movements,” says Donoho.
He suggests adding flexibility and balance exercises to all your workouts to put your body in the right position for the added load. Survey in July 2020Tohoku Experimental Medicine JournalWe have found that performing core exercises and hip stretches only 3-4 days a week reduces pain in people with back pain and improves physical function, balance, and activity levels.
Try this 10 minute abs exercise for back pain
1. Cat cow
Image credit: Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
time
1 minute
Body part
Abdominal muscles and back
- Place your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, starting on all fours.
- Exhale with your back curled up, pull the belly button toward your spine, and push your chin toward your chest.
- After inhaling, bend your back in an arch and drop your abdomen toward the floor.
- Continue to move between the cat and cow poses for 60 seconds, breathing in and moving.
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Hint
If your back is very tight and you need to stretch a few more times, stretch your lower back flexors, lower back muscles, and quadriceps for a few minutes to relieve your lower back tension.
2. Abdominal roll-up series
Image credit: Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
- Bend your knees, lay your feet flat on the mat, place your hands behind your head, and extend your elbows to lie on your back.
- Press the bottom of your back against the mat. Tilt your chin slightly toward your chest, as if you were gently holding an apple under your chin.
- Curl to half crunch while keeping your abdominal muscles and back flat.
- Crunch 10 times and move up and down without returning to the ground completely.
- At the top of the last crunch, hold for 5 seconds, then lower your shoulders to the mat and rest for 5 counts.
- Repeat 10 more crunches and hold 5 counts at the top of the last crunch.
- Without going down to the ground, stretch your right elbow to the left and then your left elbow five times to the right.
- Lower your back and take a 5 count break.
- Then raise your legs and bend your knees on the opposite tabletop.
- Crunch as if you were trying to connect the bottom of your ribs to your hips.
- Repeat 10 times.
- At the top of the last crunch, hold 5 counts, then lower and rest for 5 seconds.
- Then angle it sideways, let each elbow reach the opposite knee 5 times on each side, and then lower it to the ground.
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3. Bird dog
Image credit: Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
set
3
time
10 seconds
Body part
Back, buttocks and abdominal muscles
- Start with your hands and knees, with your neck and spine in a neutral position.
- Extend your right arm and left leg at the same time.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- I will return to all fours.
- Switch sides and press and hold for 10 seconds.
- Repeat 3 times on both sides.
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4. Plank knee touch
Image credit: Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
set
3
manager
20
Body part
Abdominal muscles, buttocks, back
- Start with a low board, balancing your forearms and toes.
- Before straightening it again, tap the mat barely to lower your right knee.
- Repeat with your left knee.
- Repeat knee taps alternately, 20 times in total (10 times for each knee). Do 3 sets.
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5. Rotating side plank
Image credit: Hydrow / LIVESTRONG.com
set
2
time
30 seconds
Body part
Abdominal muscles
- Start with the modified side plank on the right. Support your upper body with your right arm and bend your right knee to support your lower back. Straighten your left leg and lift your left arm toward the ceiling.
- Lower your left arm and rotate down towards the ground. Pass your left arm through the space under your body.
- Remove the thread on the arm and return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement slowly for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the left side.
- Do this exercise twice on both sides.
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