Low Back Project - Thursday, February 18th

Today you are going to open up the hips again. You are working on hip extension which is typically one of the most restricted ranges in the hips. There is a strong correlation between decreased hip extension and low back pain. Loss of hip extension results in the low back compensating by taking loads through hyperextending.

Todays work will consist of….

• Warmup

  • Squat to pike - 10 reps

  • Elephant Walk - 15 reps (per leg)

  • Front Kicks - 10 reps

  • Side Kicks - 10 reps

• Couch Stretch - 3 sets of 30 seconds

• Long Lunge Pulse - 3 sets of 5 with a 5 second hold

Low Back Project - Tuesday, February 16th

Today you will be working on the QL and adductors. The QL is tight in a lot of people and this is a great way to address it. 

• Warm Up

  • Squat to Pike - 10 reps

  • Elephant Walk - 15 reps per leg

  • Front kicks - 10 reps per leg

  • Side Kicks - 10 reps per leg

• Horse Stance - 3x30 seconds

• Side Split - 3x30 seconds

• QL Stretch (2 variations) - 3x30 seconds

Low Back Project - Monday, February 15th

Today you are working on hamstrings and hip flexors. This group is affected by prolonged sitting. The hamstrings become stiff and the hip flexors become weak. You are doing to flexibility and strength today.

• Warm Up

  • Squat to Pike - 10 reps

  • Elephant Walk - 15 reps per leg

  • Front kicks - 10 reps per leg

  • Side Kicks - 10 reps per leg

• Pike Stretch (3 variations) - 3x60 seconds

• Psoas (Hip Flexor) Strength (2 variations) - 3x10 reps per leg

Low Back Project - Friday, February 12th

Todays programming will consist of the mid back or thoracic spine work. This will really open your chest and mid back up and get your out of that computer position. This is a great series for after work, during a work break or whenever you feel tension in the upper back. Pick one of the extension pieces that works best for you -> ROS sit up, cobra pose or sphinx pose. No need to do all 3.

• Warm-up

  • Squat to Pike - 10 reps

  • Elephant walks - 15 reps per leg

  • Front kicks - 10 kicks

  • Side Kicks - 10 kicks

• ROS situp - 3x10/Cobra Pose 3x30 seconds/Sphinx Pose - 3x30 seconds

• Thoracic Rotations 3x10+

Low Back Project - Thursday, February 11th

Today you are going to open up the hips a bit. You are working on hip extension which is typically one of the most restricted ranges in the hips. There is a strong correlation between decreased hip extension and low back pain. Loss of hip extension results in the low back compensating by taking loads through hyperextending.

Todays work will consist of….

• Warmup

  • Squat to pike - 10 reps

  • Elephant Walk - 15 reps (per leg)

  • Front Kicks - 10 reps

  • Side Kicks - 10 reps

• Couch Stretch - 3 sets of 30 seconds

• Long Lunge Pulse - 3 sets of 5 with a 5 second hold

The Low Back Project - Series 2

Welcome to the Low Back Project Series 2.

Over the next 2 weeks, I will send out a series of emails with a flexibility program for you to complete - 8 days of programming in total. There will be videos explaining the how-tos and the sets & reps will be laid out for you. There are a couple of exercises that have multiple options. Do what feels right for you. If you have pain/discomfort/numbess/tingling/etc do not proceed. If you have questions, send me an email (you can reply directly to this email). Overall, these shouldn’t take you more than 15-20 minutes to complete. If you stay consistent with these 8 days of work, you should notice some changes in your flexibility in this short time.

If you know anyone else that would benefit from this, please forward them the emails.

The emails will looks like they are from Low Back Project so they would be easy to find in your inbox. 

First day starts tomorrow!

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 14

Kneeling Hamstring Activation

The kneeling hamstring activation is a great exercise to improve hamstring control. Sitting for hours on end can create hamstring inhibition causing quad dominance and an anterior pelvic tilt. This is a great piece to wake the hamstrings up.

Kneel down on one knee with the other leg up in a 90/90 position. Once there, you will lift your back foot off the ground and bring it as close as you can to your butt. You have two options, you can rep these out or you can hold the position. In the video I show you both options. First, I go through 5 reps, then I do a static hold, holding a yoga block so I have some resistance to pull into.

Do this for 3 sets of 10 or 3 sets of 30 second holds per leg.

Let me know how it goes,

Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 13

Hero Pose (Variations)

For the Hero Pose, you will kneel down with your heels pointing out. You will slowly lower your body back as far as you can comfortably go while feeling a stretch in your quads. You want to keep your hips extended, so fire your glutes thought this stretch. If you need to, you can stack pillows behind you to lay back on (I used a medicine ball at first). Make sure you are not over extended in the low back, if you feel that, you need to come up a little bit. Hold this stretch for 3 sets of 60 seconds or 5 sets of 30 seconds.

In the video, I show 3 different variations. You can also use a stack up pillows to lay back on.

Let me know how it goes,

Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 12

90/90

The 90/90 is a great stretch to improve your hip internal rotation. If you stand or walk with your feet pointing out, this one is for you! For this position, you are going to sit on the ground, bring one leg up so the hip is flexed at 90 degrees and the knee is flexed at 90 degrees. The back hip is neutral with the knee flexed at 90 degrees. Next you will try to sit up as tall as possible, then rotate your upper body toward the back leg. If you struggle with this movement, you may not be able to sit up tall or rotate as much toward the back leg.

Hold this position for 3 sets of 60 seconds per leg or 5 sets of 30 seconds per leg.

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

-Drew

The Low Back Project - Day 11

The Split Squat

The split squat is a movement that can be adapted to your ability. For the split squat, you are going to stand with one foot in front of you and one foot behind you. During the movement, you want to try to keep your chest upright and your back leg as straight as you can….its ok if there is some bend, just don’t let your knee hit the floor. Next your will squat down toward your front foot. The goal here is to get your hamstring to your calf while keeping your back knee off the ground and your chest tall. Now, stand back up.

This movement is great for ankle dorsiflexion (front ankle), hip flexion (front hip) and hip extension (back leg).

As you will see in the video, you can adapt this to your ability. Find a height where you can place your front foot in order to get through the movement. I’ve had clients do this on the steps, yoga blocks and other things. If you feel strong enough, you can even add weight using dumbbells or a barbell.

Do this exercise for 3 sets of 5-10 reps.

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

-Drew