The Low Back Project - Day 10

ROS Sit Up Progression

Today’s movement piece is a little different from everything so far and different from what you probably think is. For this movement, you will be on your knees facing the wall. You can place padding under your knees if you want. Place your hips against the wall, if you are unable to do so, you can place yoga blocks or a pillow between your hips and the wall.

Now, you will flex/activate your glutes for the duration of this exercise. Next you will tilt your head back and slowly arch your back one segment at a time - starting in the neck and working your way down into the upper back then midback. You will hold for the second or two then slowly come back up, again moving one segment at a time. The movement is similar to the Jefferson curl as it is slow and controlled moving one spinal segment at a time. You are looking to improve your neck, upper back and midback extension.

If this causes any pain, stop!

I like to get my arms behind me as it helps me focus on my upper back extension.

Do this for 3 sets of 5 reps.

Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 9

The Standing Straddle Pike

Todays piece is great for flexibility in multiple areas. The straddle aspect will help adductor flexibility on top of your posterior chain flexibility that you get with the pike. For this stretch, you will get into the straddle position by spreading your legs to the side. You should get into a position where you feel a slight stretch in your inner thighs but be strong enough in the position that you don’t need assistance. Next, you will flex your quads/thighs and fold forward at the hips reaching down to the ground. You want your hips stacked over your ankles, don’t let your hips drift back. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds for 3-5 sets. Breathe and continue to contract your quads the whole time.

5 sets x 30 seconds

3 sets x 60 seconds

Let me know how it goes!

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 8

Cross Legged Side Bend

In the video, I show this exercise with weight. If you don’t have a weight, don’t worry about it. Do the exercise without weight - just move slow and controlled.

If you have a weight, hold it in one hand. Cross the opposite leg behind the back of you. Try to keep your back leg straight. You can bend the front knee if you want as it will help with balance. Slowly let the weight pull you down to the side as far as you can. You can feel this stretch in multiple areas - you want to feel this in the QL, a muscle that is on the outside of the low back. Once you reach the end point, hold the stretch for a second or two, then slowly come back up as far as you can to the opposite side. That is one rep.

If you do not have a weight, do this without and go through the full range in a slow and controlled manner. You will still feel this stretch.

Do this for 3 sets of 5-10 reps per side.

Let me know what you think.

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 7

The Standing Hip Flexor Activation

This exercise is a strength piece for the hip flexors. The hip flexors are weak or inhibited very frequently. When you sit a lot, the hip flexors will tend to turn off or become weak. When this happens, they limit a lot of range of motion. This activation exercise will help to improve their strength allowing for a greater range of motion and a more stable trunk. These muscles are so important because they cross so many joints, yet they are rarely taken care of.

For the standing hip flexor activation, you can raise your front leg up to start from if you want or you can start from the ground - depending on your strength and flexibility. You will only want to move the front leg, keeping your knee straight by firing your quads or thigh muscle. You will then raise your front leg in a controlled manner (without swinging your leg or arching your back). You essentially only want to move your front leg. Raise your leg as high as you can and hold it for a count of 3-5 seconds and repeat 5 times per leg. You will do 3-5 sets per side.

If you get a cramp in your quad, that is a sign of psoas or hip flexor weakness or inhibition. As you work on this, that will stop as your hip flexors will improve.

Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 6

The Jefferson Curl

This is a great piece if you have tight hips. The compensations that occur with tight anterior hips is a lumbar extension fault. The Jefferson curl will help you improve your lumbar flexion and is great to pair with hip extension flexibility like the past 3 days.

You can perform this on flat ground or if you have more flexibility, you can raise yourself up on a platform. You will want to keep your legs as straight as possible and try to segment the spine as you move through forward flexion. This means you will curl forward every spinal segment one at a time starting with the neck and working your way down all the way to the lumbar spine. You will bend forward as far as you can keeping your chin tucked. I like to hold for a second at the bottom to feel a stretch all the way through the back my legs and up my entire spine. As you come back up, you want to reverse the movement so your lumbar spine moves first, then the thoracic, then the cervical spine. Move slow and controlled, no need to rush this movement.

While this can be done with weight, I dont recommend it unless you have perfectfedthe movement without added weight. Most people are deconditioned or untrained in this movement. That is one reason why people have injured their lower back bending over to tie their shoe or pick up something that weighs very little.

Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.

The Low Back Project - Day 5

The Longe Lunge

You are continuing to work on hip extension with the long lunge. You have a couple of options with this one. You can do this supported or unsupported. You can do this as a static hold or as pulses. This is used as both a stretch and strength piece.

For this, you will get into a front split position. Place one leg forward and one leg back. The front knee will stay behind the ankle. You want to slide your feet away from each other sliding deeper and deeper. You can keep the front knee bent if you want. Keep your back foot pointed forward, it will want to cheat or compensate and start to turn out. When you get to your deepest position, you will lift your toes and put your weight on your front heel. Try to keep your hips square and low back more neutral (try to really limit lumbar extension or low back arching). I want you to focus on hip extension during this.

Option 1 - supported - you can use props such as stools or broom sticks to use for balance.

Option 2 - unsupported - you can use your own balance with no support and hold this position.

Option A - hold - get into the long lunge position and just hold the position for 3 sets of 60 seconds per leg.

Option B - pulse - the pulse is straightening and bending the back knee - 5 sets of 5 reps - for each rep you will hold the knee in the straightened position for 5 seconds.

Pick a numbered option and a lettered option and go for it!

Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions.

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 4

Day 4 may look similar to yesterday, however, there is a difference in what you are focusing on. Couch stretch position 2 will emphasis more of the upper quad and hip flexors. In this position, you are looking to get your leg more into extension.

The setup is similar, you want to get into knee flexion but your knee will be placed 6-12 inches away from the wall/couch/chair etc. You will then bring the other leg up into the lunge position with your hip and knee at 90 degrees. Next, bring your body up keeping your chest tall and your rib cage down over your pelvis (slightly bracing your abdominals). Activate/fire/sqeeze your glute. For this stretch, you will move your hips forward in front of your knee and will feel the stretch in the upper quad and front of your hip. You want to keep your lower back from arching - this will take away from what you are trying to accomplish - its a compensation for lack of anterior hip flexibility.

You can use props like yoga blocks to help you get up into position.

3-5 sets at 30 seconds per side.

The Low Back Project - Day 3

Couch Stretch - Position 1

Couch stretch position 1 has more emphasis on the quad and knee. The effects of this stretch are going to come from trying to get as tall as we can. The more upright you can get (without extending the lower back), the more you can demonstrate your flexibility in the anterior chain - knee, hip and quad.

To get into this stretch, you want to get into knee flexion and place one shin up against the wall (or couch). You will then bring the other leg up into that lunge position with your hip and knee at 90/90 degrees. Next, you will bring your body up, keeping your rib cage down over your pelvis (think slightly bracing the abdominals). Activate, fire or squeeze your glute. To increase this stretch, you will continue to bring your butt back towards your foot. You don’t want to get into hip extension as much as you can with position 1.

If you are really tight and this is too much for you, you can bring your knee away from the wall (see the second video) - you can play with how far off the wall you need to come. You still want to stay tall and control the rib cage, keeping it over the pelvis and not extending at the low back.

3-5 sets at 30 seconds per side

The Low Back Project - Day 2

Day 2 is the 3-step horse stance. It is a strength specific exercise for the side splits. It will help to build strength and flexibility in the hips.

With the 3-step horse stance, you will start with your feet together. Start by rotating your heels out, then your toes, then your heels (that’s 3 steps) then slightly turn your feet out, toes facing forward. Next you keep your chest tall and rotate your hips anteriorly.. You will then sit down into this and want to get to the point where your thighs are parallel with the ground or your hips are level with your knees.

There are 2 options with this one. First you can just hold the bottom position with a goal of 30-60 seconds. The second option is to do 3-5 sets of 5 reps with a 10 second hold in the bottom position during the 5th rep.

The Low Back Project - Day 1

Day 1 consists of 2 dynamic warm ups that you can use throughout. The Pike to Squat and the Elephant walk will help to warm up the hips.

Pike to Squat - for this you can use something to elevate your hands if you cannot reach the ground. You want tofold forward at the hips and get into a position where there is a slight stretch in the hamstrings. From that position, you will keep you hands in place and squat down as far as you can. The standard would be getting your butt to your heels, but don’t worry about forcing yourself into that position if you cannot get there. Next, you will straighten your legs, bringing your hips to the top, keeping your hands planted, feeling the stretch in your hamstrings, lower back and calves. You will flow back and forth into the pike position and the squat position for 60 seconds.

Elephant Walk - you want to get into a similar start position as the Pike to Squat. You will fold forward at the hips, keeping the legs straight and placing your hands on the ground or on an elevated surface like a yoga block. You will want to feel a slight stretch in the hamstrings or back of the legs. Next, you are going to bend one knee while keeping the other straight. You will then flow back and forth, bending one knee while straightening the other, for 60 seconds.

Cycle through both of these two to three times today. These will serve as a great warm up throughout The Low Back Project.

Tag @jamisonfamilychiropractic and @thelowbackproject on Instagram.

Let me know if you have any questions!