Build A Better Back Now
Keep your spine strong with six moves that provide stability and support.
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Poor posture and back pain are common. Up to 80 percent of the population has experienced some back pain, according to several surveys. What’s worse is that intermittent back problems can worsen over time and become chronic.
While there are many kinds of back problems, and all with different causes, often, an underlying injury is associated with weaknesses in the surrounding muscles. Weak back muscles make you more vulnerable to stress, strains and pain in your spinal ligaments and discs. Plus, when certain back muscles are weak, others may over-compensate, leading to postural or muscular imbalances that further aggravate the load on your spine.
A strong, stable back is a healthier back, so including back-friendly moves into your regular workouts is crucial. This workout is designed to mobilize, stabilize and strengthen the core muscles that surround your spine. You’ll warm up with an easy back movement, undulating your spine to help loosen it and lubricate the joints. Exercises to strengthen your latissimus dorsi and rhomboids, along with other muscles, will help you stand up straight and erase slumping shoulders. Moves that use your abs and erector spinae in a variety of side-lying, face-down and face-up back-lying poses will help you develop spinal stability, especially in your lower back. These moves concentrate on stabilizing your spine while it is straight, rather than bent. (Many people with weak backs find that “crunching” and “pelvic tilts” that flex, or bend, the back, can put too much stress on the spine.) Here, six moves to keep your spine strong.
HOW TO DO IT:
• Start by performing one set of each exercise, and work up to doing three sets.
• Warm up with five reps of the Spine Wave. Do eight to 12 reps of the two-band exercise as well as the Dead Bug. Do three to five reps of five- to 30-second static “holds” when performing the Side Plank and the Superman.
• Do this workout three times a week with a rest day in between.
• Modify this workout to match your fitness level. Follow the recommended moves, or adapt them as needed.
• If you experience any back pain, or have a history of back problems, always consult with a health professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating the spine.
• What you need: a towel and a resistance band.
START: Rest on all fours, supporting your body weight on your hands and knees on the floor. Position your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Open your knees and hands shoulder-width apart for a solid base of support. Press your chest toward the floor and raise your head slightly. Do not push to the end of the range of motion and over arch your back.
FINISH: In a smooth motion, tighten your abs to round your back, pushing up with your spine, and lower your chin slightly. Do not push to the end of the range of motion. So stop rounding the spine before you get to the top of the curve that your back can achieve. Continue undulating your spine down and up in a fluid motion, working within the mid range of both ends of the curves. Breathe normally.
Common Error: Sucking your bellybutton to your spine
Fit Fix: Try not to force your abs to push against your back. Glide gently back and forth in a small range of motion.
START: Sit on the floor with your legs extended and knees slightly bent. Hold the handles of a resistance band in each hand and loop the middle of the band around the bottom of both feet. Make sure the band is secure; you may want to wrap it around your feet twice. Extend your arms in front, alongside your legs, with your palms facing each other. Make sure the band is taut. If you have slack, wrap the band around your feet again.
Technique Tip: Lift out of your lower back, rather than sinking into it, as you sit.
FINISH: Keeping your core muscles tight, lead with your right elbow and pull your upper arm close to the outside of your ribs. Stop when your elbow is just past your back. Then straighten your right arm to the front, and pull back with your left arm. Repeat, alternating arms.
Safety Tip: Avoid letting your shoulders slump forward when you straighten your arms. Flatten your shoulder blades to your back and hold your shoulder low—away from your ears--throughout the move.
START: Lie on your right side and rest on your bottom (left) bent elbow. Extend your legs straight in line with your upper body and stack your left foot on top of your right foot. Lift up from your right shoulder to avoid pressing down on the shoulder joint.
Technique Tip: Hold your rib cage high, away from the floor, to avoid bending your waist.
FINISH: Raise your entire body sideways so that you form a straight line from head to toe. Tighten your abs all over your torso and squeeze your butt. Align your top hip directly above your bottom hip so that your abdomen faces forward, rather than up or down. Hold for five to 10 seconds. Then lower and repeat. Then switch sides.
Safety Tip: If your supporting shoulder feels uncomfortable, make sure that your elbow is directly underneath, rather than in front or in back of the shoulder.
Common Error: Bending the neck.
Fit Fix: Your neck makes up the first seven segments of your spine, so keep your entire spine in line by letting your head tilt sideways during the movement.
START: Start on your hands and knees. Tighten your abs, but maintain the natural lower back curve. Then raise your right leg straight up in back, stopping when your foot is hip level. Keep both hips even so that your abdomen faces down, not out to the side. Make sure that your elbows are not locked out and that your shoulders are not scrunched by your ears.
Technique Tip: Look down, not up, to keep your neck aligned with your spine.
Finish: Continue to loop the around from the right to the left. Keep your abs tight as you weave through the move. As you rotate your torso, hold your spine tall and move your head with your body, following the weight with your eyes. Try to increase the range of motion of each turn as you continue to circle around—but keep your core muscles tightened to support your spine in all directions.
Safety Tip: Do not bend at the waist as your rotate your body to each side.
START: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat and place a small rolled-up towel underneath the natural curve of your lower back. Tighten your abs slightly, then bring your right knee toward your chest. Then bring your left knee toward your chest. Hold your legs close together with your knees above your hips and your calves parallel to the floor. Raise both arms straight above your shoulders.
Technique Tip: Shift most of your legs’ weight in front of your hips.
START: Hold the handles of a resistance band in each hand and step on the middle of it with both feet. Separate your feet slightly and lean your straight back slightly forward with your arms by your sides, shoulder-width apart, palms facing in. Stand tall as your torso leans from the hip, pressing your chest forward and lifting your body weight up off your lower back.
Technique Tip: Tighten your abs slightly to preserve your neutral lower back curve.
FINISH: Keep your arms straight as you slide your shoulder blades closer toward each other, allowing your shoulders to move slightly back, and your elbows to soften as you do. Then, keeping your torso stable, open the shoulders blades by moving only your shoulders forward a few inches. Try not to let your whole upper body collapse, focus on moving just the muscles in the upper back. Repeat.
Safety Tip: Try not to round your lower back as you separate your shoulder blades to repeat the muscle squeeze. Keep your chest press forward and lifted throughout the move.
Common Error: Scrunching your shoulders to your ears
Fit Fix: Avoid letting your shoulders inch their way up to your ears. Keep them low as you pull them back.
FINISH: Keeping your core muscles engaged, slowly lower your left foot toward the floor and tap it with your toe or heel. Keep the abs tight as you bring the leg back to starting position. Then lower the other leg toward the floor. Repeat, alternating legs.
Safety Tip: If your back feels strained, limit your range of motion by only moving each knee slightly in front of each hip, instead of dropping each foot to the floor.
Common Error: Cycling the thighs.
Fit Fix: Complete the full movement on one leg before lowering the other leg.
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