Lower back and Core Strengthening

[elmuzzlebreak]

Okay hide I need some back help.

Got out of the army, life happened and working out just wasn't a priority for the past year or so. However I went to only eating on meal a day to keep from getting fat.

So I am trying to get back to the gym and strained my lower back pretty good (having to take meds for it right now). My question is what do you do to strengthen your core and lower back? I'm looking at yoga once I can move again but I want to keep my fitness objective driven which is doing something like mammoth in the near future.

 

[flyer]

Yoga is the best thing I've ever done for my back. It works.

For reference, my core is very strong all by itself, last time I tried I maxed out a precore back machine and barely felt it.

Going from that and seeing positive improvement with reduced back pain made me a believer in yoga.

If you are really serious about general whole body fitness, try to do entire classes. If it's just your back that you are worried about, pick out the positions that work for you and practice those. Just be careful to warm up if you need to use difficult positions.

 

[elmuzzlebreak]

@flyer that is for sure on the list of things to do. Like I said in my first post I haven't seriously worked out in over a year and had only been eating like one meal a day to keep the weight off.

Once I get better I'll be starting with a class and I'll make sure I ease into it. Now I guess I need some lululemon leggings.

 

[Scarface26]

Got a buddy of mine that used Diamond Dallas Paige yoga to rehab. Whatever works is the thing to do. Personally, I've had great success squatting and deadlifting without a belt. If you're really sporty try that on your overhead work. Pause your squats at the bottom for added effect.

God bless America

 

[Skimafia]

I strongly recommend spending some time on t-nation.com. I found a fantastic workout regimen for myself there that focuses on strengthening through core excercises. Check out that page and search for things like 'back rehab' and 'core excercises'

 

[OLD308]

Back Pain Rehabilitation, Injury Prevention & Exercise - BackFitPro

Dr. McGill’s lower back pain exercises, research, products & videos will set you on the correct path for rehabilitation, spine health & pain relief.

www.backfitpro.com

This one will Fix your Core.

Starting Strength

Starting Strength is a strength training system designed to safely and efficiently improve strength, health, and athletic performance using basic barbell exercises.

startingstrength.com

This one will start you on your way back to health.

Biolayne | Evidence-based research, fitness training, and coaching

Committed to providing people with only evidence-based products and services that are both high in quality and affordable for consumers

www.biolayne.com

This one will explain why your 1 meal a day is doing more damage than help.
Hope his helps.

 

[Tunnuh]

Back Pain Rehabilitation, Injury Prevention & Exercise - BackFitPro

Dr. McGill’s lower back pain exercises, research, products & videos will set you on the correct path for rehabilitation, spine health & pain relief.

www.backfitpro.com

This one will Fix your Core.

Starting Strength

Starting Strength is a strength training system designed to safely and efficiently improve strength, health, and athletic performance using basic barbell exercises.

startingstrength.com

This one will start you on your way back to health.

Biolayne | Evidence-based research, fitness training, and coaching

Committed to providing people with only evidence-based products and services that are both high in quality and affordable for consumers

www.biolayne.com

This one will explain why your 1 meal a day is doing more damage than help.
Hope his helps.

Really good advice. I hurt my back so bad running that I couldn't feel my left leg for a day and couldn't walk for 2 days. I kept being told to take it easy eat less but I just got fatter. A different doctor recommended strength training including deadlifting and squats. I'm much slimmer, eat like a growing kid and went from squatting a bar only to 505 in a year and 2 months. Most importantly, my back isn't killing me anymore.

I included a starting strength link.

Starting Strength

The official YouTube channel for Starting Strength and The Aasgaard Company. The Starting Strength YouTube channel is the home of Starting Strength Radio and...

www.youtube.com

 

[Tunnuh]

BTW, you don't have to lift heavy for a benefit.

 

[Jamestyer]

During my military service, the lieutenant advised me to rest my back and lower back. Now, I spend an hour in the recliner, it really helps. Especially if there were problems with the vertebrae. Here good review for recliners https://thebestreclinersreviews.com/

 

[PAYDIRT]

HOT shower FIRST thing in the morning. And yes yoga works wonders on my back. Heres a list of things that I've found that are hard on my back. Lots of time in the recliner, rainy days because I don't work, not showering FIRST thing in the morning, not doing my stretches in the shower, and seat time in the tractor, super soft beds. My chiropractor isn't a quack and he's helped me a bunch.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

For your near-term strain issue, google "McKenzie back exercises." When I had an acute strain that kept me from putting on my own socks, I lucked into a physical therapist who actually had a clue what she was doing. She gave me a copy of Robin McKenzie's "Treat Your Own Back." These exercises cleared up the acute strain within a few days.

Unfortunately, they can't do anything for the age- and damage-related stenosis and arthritis....

 

[kenzup]

I am currently active duty and my degree is in exercise physiology. I also currently have 4 bulging discs in my back due to an accident I was in.

The first thing I will tell you is fight to get an Xray and MRI. You don't know the extent of your injury until those two things are done.

Second, many back injuries are not reversible but there are things we can do to still do all the thing we want to. Core strengthening is key some of the best things to do this are planks and derivatives like stirring the pot. Also, look up self traction exercises. These will teach how to lengthen your spine to help any pressure on a disc and stretch the muscles around the spine.

Third, losing weight will help but 1 meal a day is probably not the best way to go. This can actually decrease your metabolism. I am not a dietitian so I can not prescribe a diet but I can give you a great resources to look up. Zonediet.com is both what my wife and I both use for out diets. It is easy and can be adjust for the most active elite athlete to the the average joe very easily.

Fourth, not knowing what you where doing at the time of the injury and where the pain is it can make it difficult to give other recommendations. Though as we get older mobility is key. If you are having lower back pain the injury may actually be in your glute, hamstring or calf. I will say that stretching and mobility is like any other physical training it needs structure. If you are retired I believe ROMWOD will give you a 6 month free subscription. It is a mobility programming that is structured and works through the whole body. It is essentially yoga for functional fitness. I am 32 and use it and my mobility is better than when I was in my 20's.

Finally, consult a professional. If you have a major injury in your back you need a physical therapist that is going to monitor your training and give you your left to right limits. Doing it on your own a lot of times can lead to worse injuries.

If you have questions on this or what I am going through with my back injury send me a PM. I am happy to help any way possible.

 

[uffduh]

See whether you’ve got a Club Pilates in your AO.

 

[Leftie]

As crazy as it sounds, barre classes are what I've found does wonders for back and core (I used to do Yoga, but needed more movement).

 

[MarinePMI]

Okay hide I need some back help.

Got out of the army, life happened and working out just wasn't a priority for the past year or so. However I went to only eating on meal a day to keep from getting fat.

So I am trying to get back to the gym and strained my lower back pretty good (having to take meds for it right now). My question is what do you do to strengthen your core and lower back? I'm looking at yoga once I can move again but I want to keep my fitness objective driven which is doing something like mammoth in the near future.

Assuming you don't have any permanent damage, learn to squat and deadlift correctly. These two exercises alone will strengthen your "core" (and over loaded, and over used term IMHO) and back. A linear progressive program will alleviate any back or "core" weaknesses. Pilates, yoga and other body weight exercises may help initially, but eventually you'll need to strengthen things beyond the resistance of what your body weight will provide.

There's a reason strength training of the body has involved picking heavy shit up and putting it back down, since the Greek and Roman times. It is boring, it is often a struggle, but it works. No amount of science, new wave philosophy or pharma will replace what sweat, struggle and persistence provides; a strong body and healthy mind.

 

[elmuzzlebreak]

Assuming you don't have any permanent damage, learn to squat and deadlift correctly. These two exercises alone will strengthen your "core" (and over loaded, and over used term IMHO) and back. A linear progressive program will alleviate any back or "core" weaknesses. Pilates, yoga and other body weight exercises may help initially, but eventually you'll need to strengthen things beyond the resistance of what your body weight will provide.

There's a reason strength training of the body has involved picking heavy shit up and putting it back down, since the Greek and Roman times. It is boring, it is often a struggle, but it works. No amount of science, new wave philosophy or pharma will replace what sweat, struggle and persistence provides; a strong body and healthy mind.

Thanks! I'm trying to get back into it slowly. Life happened and working out was not a priority for the last year (only ate a meal a day to keep the weight off). I do have Riptoe's book and some from Dave Tate that have helped refresh on form and the core lifts. Back when I was lifting religiously I was all about squats, dead lift, and overhead pressing. It's the smaller support and accessory muscles with flexibility that are a "kick in the knackers buddy".

 

[elmuzzlebreak]

Also to the guys above who have suggested yoga....good lord it's a great ass kicker!