Category: Weight Loss Exercise

When doing any kind of exercise and even at times when you are not doing any exercise you will notice your core of your body. Your core is the muscles right around your torso, that is the muscles of your abdominals right around your lower back and everything in between.

The muscles of the core of your body give you the ability to stand upright, to bend over, to pick things up, to lean and also for you to turn around. Think of all the times during the day that you use these core muscles and you will realize that this is indeed a very important part of your muscle to keep strong.

Low back pain is very common. It affects 4 of 5 people at some time during their lives. It is the leading cause of disability for those aged 19 to 45 and is the second most common cause of missed work days (after the common cold) for adults younger than 45. Low back pain becomes more common as people age.

On the flip side of a strong core is a weak set of core muscles. If you have any back problems you may be dealing with weak core muscles (I am a little sensitive to this as my wife has a bad back and a stronger core has not helped) and strengthening these core muscles will give you less pain and a lot more agility.

How To Train Your Core – Abdominals

To strengthen your core lets look at the muscle a bit separately. To start in the front you can strengthen your abdominal muscles by doing crunches or situps as well as lying down on your back and doing some kind of leg lifts.

For these abdominal exercises do them for about 20-30 reps for three sets. A related set of muscles are on your sides called the obliques. You can strengthen your oblique muscles by standing straight up with your hands on your head and then leaning over to one side, coming back up straight and then leaning to the other side. do about 15 reps on each side for three sets.

How To Train Your Core – Lower Back

To strengthen your lower back you will want to do the same exercise as your obliques except bringing your body forward and then back straight up. Do not go too far as you do not want to overextend these muscles. Another great exercise is the pelvic tilt. Do do a pelvic tilt lie on your back with your legs bent and just push your pelvis straight up.

Pilates has become really popular over the last few years and if you have seen one of those Windsor pilates commercials you will notice how much they focus on core muscle training where traditional cardio always seems to focus on your arms and legs.

You should do all of these core training workouts as one workout three days a week. The important thing to really remember is that if you have a strong midsection to your body you will have better strength and flexibility throughout your body and this will help you throughout your day.

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Many people looking for core strength neglect lower back exercise while focusing on the abs. This is a huge mistake as the muscles of the back are vital for core strength. If you are undertaking any kind of workout program or even for normal day to day life, the back must be strong to avoid back injuries.

Why You need Lower Back Exercise

The first thing to say when we consider lower back exercise is that especially if you have current back pain or a recent injury or medical condition you should consult with your doctor or physiotherapist before undertaking any exercise program. While gentle stretching and controlled movement is generally good for healing back injuries, intensive exercise is usually better postponed until your pain is gone. Also, there are many causes of back pain and some require more rest than others.

Assuming you are fit and well, there are a number of exercises that can be undertaken to improve your lower back strength. Some of the best of these are includedl ower back exercise in the series of stretches and poses known as yoga.

Yoga as Lower Back Exercise

Many of the forms and postures in yoga training are a perfect lower back exercise for improving the flexibility and strength of the back.

There are many different muscles in the back and if any of them are neglected, as they often are if we do not perform regular stretching exercises in all directions, they become tight. This can lead to distortion of the spine (causing back pain) or injuries when these neglected muscles are suddenly called into action.

If you do not want to join a yoga class, you can perform the same lower back exercise at home. Find a yoga DVD that includes the poses that you need. If you are looking online, searching for the Indian names of the stretches or poses (called asanas in yoga) makes them easy to find.

Look for the following lower back exercise stretches or postures:

• pelvic tilt (not strictly a yoga pose but you will find it on many yoga sites)
• knee to chest (pawanmuktasan)
• supine twist (supta matsyendrasana) or half spinal twist (ardha matsyendrasana)
• cat (marjariasana)
• cobra (bhujangasana)
• downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana)

It is important to do them all because they have different and complementary actions on the spine. In other words, they balance each other out.

Lower Back Exercise – Watch your posture

Move into each position slowly and be sure to follow all of the instructions, noticing especially the correct position of your head. You can hold each position for 2-3 minutes. You will probably find that you can comfortably increase the stretch once or twice while you hold, as your lower back exercise muscles become accustomed to the pose.

Do not expect to be able to do the pose to the full extent demonstrated by the teacher. This is especially true if you are more muscular than the teacher or others in the class. A muscular body will be less flexible. There are also differences between the sexes in how far they can stretch in certain poses. That is natural and nothing to be concerned about.

Yoga is not a competition, it is just about increasing your own flexibility within the range that you have. And in your case it is a great lower back exercise.

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Keep in mind that yoga exercises should never stress the muscles or the spine. Do not try to stretch to your limits. You should be able to breathe freely without constriction at all times during your lower back exercise program.