“My low back hurts…How do I strengthen it?”
But what if strengthening it isn’t really the issue?
What if working it more won’t fix your problem and may actually make it WORSE!?
Low back aches and pains are one of the most common issues out there. About 80% of the population will at some time or another complain that their low back is “bugging” them.
I mean who hasn’t gotten low back soreness from sitting too long? Or we’ve known someone who’s “thrown their back out” picking up something as freaking light as a pencil. Heck, it’s may have even happened to us!
So what do we often do when this happens?
We go “rest up” on the couch or sit and don’t workout. We avoid moves we think may have caused it.
But rest and avoidance don’t really solve the problem.
Because we then go back to repeating the same poor movement patterns and compensations that caused it in the first place.
So maybe in an attempt to prevent yourself from getting injured again you think, “I’ll add in more moves to strengthen my low back.”
I mean it got injured cause it was weak, right?
WRONG!
Yes, sometimes weakness does lead to injury.
But guess what!?!
It may not be low back weakness that is the issue…
Actually working your low back more may only PERPETUATE the pain!
Often with low back injuries, we are ticking time bombs.
We spend way too much time seated with our hips in flexion hunched over a computer, driving in a car, watching TV…
This hip tightness and constant flexion can make our glutes, and even abs, under active and cause our low back to want to work during exercises and movements when other muscles should actually be doing the work.
It leads to compensations, imbalances and overuse injuries.
It causes our low back to become OVERWORKED!
Which is why simply working your low back more, thinking it is weak, isn’t the answer.
Too often when we get injured, we only focus on the point of pain. When the actual problem causing the imbalances and compensations that lead to our pain, aren’t exactly where we hurt.
That’s why you may want to give your low back a break and start addressing these other issues:
- Hip Flexor Tightness
- Glute Activation
- Core Strength
- Imbalances
If you can get your glutes and abs working as they should, they will help prevent your low back from becoming overworked. They will PROTECT YOUR LOW BACK.
But often to get your glutes and abs working correctly, you also need to address hip flexor tightness and any imbalances you have between, not only your right and left sides, but even between different muscle groups.
Ever feel one side more than the other during exercises?
Or maybe you only feel your hamstrings or low back during glute bridges?
Or maybe you only ever feel your quads (the fronts of your legs) during leg exercises and never your butt?
These are all imbalances that need to be corrected! And often we ignore these things when we workout and continue to push through because these things seem like they have nothing to do with our low back pain.
I know I know…It’s not where it hurts.
BUT THEY ARE THE REAL PROBLEM!
And they all relate back to getting the RIGHT MUSCLES working. AKA your abs and glutes!
Using isolation exercises that require little to no resistance for higher repetitions, you can activate your abs and glutes and improve your hip mobility to prevent further low back aches and pains.
The key is to use these moves to rebuild that mind-body connection and get the right muscles working BEFORE you do other compound moves.
That way when you run and lift, your abs and glutes will work as they should!
If you’re ready to stop suffering from low back aches and pains and wasting time overworking your low back, it’s time to start my 28-Day Booty Burner Challenge.
These quick workouts will help unlock your hips, correct imbalances and get your abs and glutes working correctly!
Join my 28-Day Booty Burner Challenge to activate those glutes —> https://goo.gl/FWYnzd
I’d like to sign up for the exercises for the glutes for my IT band injury and hamstring.
Hi Lynne! So sorry I missed this! Excited to help you out. If you need anything let me know! – Cori
I have tight piriformis muscles and have been told I need to sort this and start activating my glutes. I also have very weak lower back muscles. I assume sorting this will sort my lower back pain but I am unsure where to start!
Hi Natalie. It sounds like glute medius work should be your focus as well as ab work. The tweaks I give to glute activation moves in this article – https://redefiningstrength.com/dont-ignore-this-nasty-little-sucker-the-tfl-or-tensor-fasciae-latae/ – will be key for you as you need to avoid your piriformis taking over during the lateral raise exercises. Hope you’re doing physio too!
Hi Cori!
I’ve been in constant pain since June and I’m convinced the issue comes from my hips even if my doctor refuses to. I tired of just having pills thrown at me to diminish the pain and not address the problem. Is there any exercises that can be done to “test” to see what the actual issue is? I’ve been through acupuncture, physio, and massage therapy to try to relive this with no luck so far.
Thanks, Joey
Hi Joey. Email me some more info so I can understand what assessments may help better – [email protected].
This is great! I am wondering if I should continue using the same weights in single leg variation moves (ie step-ups) … help
Use weights that challenge you but allow you to engage the right muscles 🙂
I’ve had 4 lower back sergerys and two spinelcord sergerys and also have deteriating discs so I’m scared to do anything snd I’m constantly in pain and never sleep is this something I should try ?
Hi Sheralyn. Have you gone to physio? This isn’t necessarily what I’d start you with.
Can you elaborate on this statement,
“This hip tightness and constant flexion can make our glutes, and even abs, under active and cause our low back to want to work during exercises and movements when other muscles should actually be doing the work”
Are you saying the combination of hip tightness and stretching of the hip flexors and cause improper activation of muscles other than the glutes?
By trader and I have been working on glute amnesia for some time. However most recently as I’ve reduced my activity level, the result of quarantine burned out. My hip flexors have become more tense harder to stretch and sometimes crampy. However what I do stretch them I don’t feel the stretch.
When we have our hips constantly flexed, our hip flexors can become overactive while our glutes, the opposing muscle group, can become underactive. Often our abs also become weak as we then begin to overuse the muscles of our lower back. So you need that 3 part prehab process of foam rolling and stretching overactive and tight muscles while activating underactive ones.