A STRONG CORE WILL NOT ONLY HELP TO KEEP YOUR BODY STABLE, whether you’re sitting or standing, walking or working out, but it is also the foundation for full body strength and power generation.
Modern life can be hard on our bodies. We spend so much time sitting – up to 12 hours a day on average – which, if we’re honest, is an unnatural anatomical position. We then hit the gym or road for a serious high-intensity session, often without a suitable warm-up and transition from our sedentary to active states.
It should come as little surprise then that many of us have experienced some kind of lower back pain in our lives.
Whether it’s a small tweak of discomfort resulting from a funny twist, turn or bend, or a lingering dull ache after a long, hard day, lower back pain can derail our training and make life miserable.
If you’re a chronic sitter, as most of us are these days, what can you do to help your lower back? For a start, follow these tips and incorporate them into everyday life and your training routine:
1. Stretch
Stretching can be a very effective means to manage and prevent lower back pain. Every muscle in the body has an origin and an insertion point, with many of these located around the lower back and hip area. If these muscles are too tight they will significantly limit your range of movement and will start playing a game of tug and war that usually doesn’t end well for your joints, including your lower back.
Tight hamstrings are a major cause of lower back pain as tension states in these muscles will limit your ability to move your hips naturally. This is a problem because you need to hinge and rotate your hips whenever you bend, squat or pick up something. Restricted hip mobility means you’ll have to bend from your back every time, which happens a great deal throughout the day. The stress this places on your lumbar vertebrae will quickly cause that dreaded back pain and excessive stiffness. If left unchecked this can often snowball into more serious conditions, such as a slipped disc.
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