Back pain got you scared of lifting heavy again?

                   

People today are growing more and more conscious about their bodies and they are opting to go to the gym and doing regular exercises. However, if you do not know how to lift weights and exercise properly, it might be useless for you to go to the gym. It should be noted that of weights are not lifted properly, they could cause sprains and other serious injuries. It is, therefore, vital that you know how to lift weights properly as is discussed below.

As is the case with most exercise routines, the first thing that you need to do is to warm up. This s one part of the workout that should not be taken for granted. Under all circumstances, a full body stretch is extremely important.

After your warm up, you should then go ahead to observe slow repetitions. It is often advisable that you do not rush the lift. You should slowly repeat the whole process of lifting a certain weight, taking pauses between each lift. For example, if you are doing a bicep curl, the pause should come each time your arm is curled. Once the weights have been placed down, you should also make another pause. If this is not observed, too much strain will be put on your joints and the workout will not be as effective as is required.

Like all exercises, you need to drink a lot of water while lifting weights. This is because; your body will be losing a lot of water as you're sweating and this water needs to be replaced.

It is very important for you to remember to breathe. Whenever you are pulling or pushing weights, you should not forget to breathe, since your body needs a lot of oxygen in the process. As you lift the weight, you should make sure that you exhale and as you put it down, you should inhale. It should be noted that exhaling relaxes muscles and the heart, thus, enabling you to have control as you lift the weights.

You should remember not to over do it or not to over lift the weights. It is vital that your body is not over worked; since your muscles need to be given time to recuperate. It is advisable that you lift weights for only about one and a half hours, three times a week.

It is very important for you to remember to use weights that are right. In other words, you should only deal with weights that you are capable of handling. You should not force yourself to lift weights that you are not capable of lifting, since this might cause some injuries. You should stick to weights that you can lift up to ten times. However, if you feel the weight is too light, you should slowly add some more.

It is often advisable that one body part is focused on each day for proper results and reducing the risk of injury.

You can read more about lifting weights properly [http://www.tipsonyourhealth.com] on my blog.

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The quick fix technique for CrossFit athletic back pain

                   

'THE CORE' is probably the most overused term in health and exercise therapies. Flick your television on to any shopping channel and someone will be selling a new piece of kit that will improve it. I too thought I knew what Core Control was all about, until about seven years ago when someone finally tested me properly. I mean I was pretty strong, I could do countless sit ups and leg raises, I'd not long finished playing squash competitively and still enjoyed a high club level so I was fit too. How did I not know how to control my core?

The fitness industry shows signs that it is catching up on core control, having spent the last couple of decades fixated on abdominal crunches. Unfortunately, as with many modern issues, the subtlety needed to do the Core justice often gets overlooked. A classic example is what I call the Pilates Posture, where the person does too much 'Core' work in a flexed lumbar spine position, which results in a flat back posture and a pair of glutes that hang off them like a pair of wet pajamas.

The Pilates example is one where the client presents extremely strong in core control but is dysfunctional none-the-less. However, clients present more commonly with a total lack of control. So how do we assess core control in the world of Functional Exercise?

Obviously the signs and symptoms that present are a big clue and these can be very wide-ranging. Poor core control presents as Low Back Pain, SIJ dysfunction, bladder weakness, over pronation of the foot, medial rotation of the femur leading to knee problems, shoulder injury, forward head carriage leading to TMJ issues and headaches, poor ability to recuperate post exercise, and the list goes on; sciatica, lumbar disc herniation, gait instability, movement instability in sports, recreation and activities of daily living, need I continue?

These days Abdominal Distension is a common presenting sign of core problems. However in these cases I usually look deeply into nutritional issues. Nine times out of ten this distension starts with irritation within the digestive system or a large amount of visceral fat expanding the abdominal cavity so exercise is a secondary issue to diet.

With signs and symptoms so wide spread it is clear that core control is often present in a wide variety of musculoskeletal pain. So here are a couple of simple assessments that can tell you at what degree the control is limited.

Transverse Abdominis Isolation.

Transverse Abdominis (TVA) is one of the major players in core control and probably the easiest to assess. When it works correctly it encourages activation from both the Pelvic Floor and Multifidus muscles. These three sets of muscles are the primary stabilisers known as the Inner Unit. Capping the Inner Unit off (literally) is the Diaphragm but this only gets involved fully when lifting heavy weights and usually needs to be assessed separately. The TVA test is pretty simple: Lay face down on your tummy on a matted floor and slide a Sphygmomanometer (old fashioned blood pressure cuff with a gauge or BP as I'll refer to it), under their abdomen so the middle of the BP is at their navel level. Pump the BP up to 20 mmHg while the client relaxes. Now lift your tummy button off the BP by hollowing your abdomen thus dropping the pressure on the gauge. You failed the test if you either can't move the gauge or can but do so by pushing your shoulders and knees into the ground to lift your body up. Either way this is evidence that you don't know how to use your TVA so exercises to address this should be used.

Pelvic Control.

This is the area that goes so horribly wrong in Pilates resulting in the flat back. However, when a lack of control is evident then shear forces in the spine can cause all manner of problems. Control is key to allowing a neutral pelvis tilt to remain stabilised with only enough muscular input being used to counteract the forces generated by movement. Here's how it works:

Lay on your back with the legs out straight and the BP under your lower back so the middle of the pillow is at navel level. Pump the BP up to 40 mmHg then tilt your pelvis backwards until the gauge reads 60 mmHg. Now hold this pressure evenly while you raise and lower one leg at a time. If the gauge drops by more than 10 mmHg the test is a positive. In Pilates where there is no feedback gauge used the person pins their back against the floor through abdominal contraction. If the gauge was present and you read it, it would shoot up to 90 - 120 mmHg as they used their legs. This is the over recruitment that leads to a flat back posture. Getting these people to ease off is a hard pattern to break but education and practice usually suffice. For those that drop in pressure, well the future is bright. Learning this control is quick and easy because the nervous system learns so quickly and is usually crying out for some interesting stimulus. We just start them on a basic exercise program and build them up from there.

Conclusion.

With a couple of simple assessments we can quickly see where core control is failing and a course of core strengthening can be the answer to reducing the recurrence of injury. These simple tests give you the tools to understand how subtle the core really is. If you can't pass the tests then maybe it's time to get working on it. This is so often the answer to some simple injuries that cost you a fortune at the Chiropractor's office.

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Bulletproof Your Back With McGill's Big 3

                      

This week I have been emailed by a high level Athlete with Lower Back pain who is having difficulty returning to her full training.

Lots of Rehabilitation will talk about activation of Transverse Abdominis.

However, this athlete is an Ex- Dancer who already knows how to perform pre-activation of the TVA.

The question relates to the fact that this strategy is not helping her.

All we need is “stiffness” in the abdominal wall rather than “sucking in.”

For athletic populations I am a big fan of Dr Stuart McGill’s work.

McGill’s Big 3 Exercises are an excellent way to start your back rehabilitation or perform injury prevention.

The Big 3 consist of:

1.     Controlled ¼ curl up with one knee flexed (hold at the top)

2.     Side Plank (10 seconds with maximum stiffness)

3.     Bird Dog (Quadruped)

The Controlled Curl-Up:

This exercise trains the abdominals without moving your lumbar (lower) spine or cervical (upper) spine.

• Lie down on your back with your legs out straight. Bend your right leg and plant that foot on the floor next to your left knee.

• Put your hands under your lower back. They will prop your lower back up, which allows you to keep a natural curve in your spine.

·        Curl your head, neck, and shoulders off of the ground. Try to keep your neck as still as possible while you lift your head up. Don't tuck your chin or let your head fall back.

·        Try to hold yourself up at the top for 5 to 10 seconds.

·        Lower yourself down. Do half of the repetitions with your right leg bent and half with your left leg bent.

The Side Plank

• Lie on your side, with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Curl your feet back so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle. To make this exercise harder, straighten out your legs instead of bending them.

• Lift your hips off of the ground, putting your weight on your elbow and knees.

• Hold that position for as long as you can. Try to maintain a straight line from your head down to your feet. Make sure that your hips are in line with the rest of your body.

• When you can no longer hold that position, drop and switch to the other side, once again holding for as long as you can.

The Bird Dog

·        Get on the floor on your hands and knees in a quadruped position. Make sure that your back is relatively flat.

·        Raise your left arm forwards and at the same time extend your right leg straight back.

·        Raise your arm and leg until they are in line with your torso. To increase activation of your back muscles even more during this exercise, you can clench a fist of the arm you're raising.

·        Lower your arm and leg. Once you complete the desired amount of repetitions on that side, switch to the other side and repeat.

Also try “stirring the Pot” (in a Plank position) on a Swiss ball.

With the back muscles, what is more important is ENDURANCE rather than strength!

(See yesterday’s blog on the Biering Sorenson Extension Test)

Try integrating McGill's Big 3 into your training and Bulletproof your Back.

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What is the Biering Sorensen Extension Test?

                    

Dr. Fin Biering-Sorenson, a Danish spine expert, found that the key to preventing lower back pain is to build up "isomeric endurance".

The ability of the lower back muscles to maintain moderate levels of force ... for prolonged periods... without significant fatigue.

In the British Military, we used this test as an objective marker for non-specific lower back pain. Of all the tests we used, this one was the most effective as a predictor of lower back pain re occurrence. I would like to share this test with you so that your athletes can benefit.

In 1984, following a study by Biering-Sorensen in Denmark, a new test was designed for evaluating the isometric endurance of trunk extensor muscles. This became known as the “Sorensen test” and gained considerable popularity as a tool reported to predict low back pain within the next year in males. The test consists in measuring the amount of time a person can hold the unsupported upper body in a horizontal prone position with the lower body fixed to the examining table:

To build up your client's isomeric endurance and Bulletproof their back:

1.     Lie them face down on a bench and strap their legs or sit on their legs if they are OK with that.

2.     Their legs should be supported by the bench with their upper body extended over the edge.

3.     Keep their upper body parallel to the floor, with their arms folded against their chest, for as long as they can.

Repeat this test regularly until they have built up enough endurance to maintain a horizontal position for 120 seconds or 2 minutes.

Although its discriminative validity, reproducibility, and safety seem good, debate continues to surround its ability to predict low back pain; in addition, the gender-related difference in position-holding time remains unexplained and the influence of body weight unclear. A contribution of the hip extensor muscles to position holding has been established, but its magnitude remains unknown. The influence of personal factors such as motivation complicates the interpretation of the results. Despite these drawbacks, the Sorensen test has become the tool of reference for evaluating muscle performance in patients with low back pain, most notably before and after rehabilitation programs.

The Biering–Sorensen test provides reliable measures of position-holding time and can discriminate between subjects with and without nonspecific low back pain (Latimer et al, 1999). The influence of motivation and effort exerted by the subject are limiting factors in all of the tests reviewed. These psychological factors warrant further research. . On the basis of the literature reviewed, we determined that the Sorensen is probably the most clinically useful of these tests; it is easy to perform, requires no special equipment, and enjoys the most support from the literature. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2001;24:110-22)

References

Latimer et al, (1999) The Reliability and Validity of the Biering–Sorensen Test in Asymptomatic Subjects and Subjects Reporting Current or Previous Nonspecific Low Back Pain. Spine: 15 October 1999 - Volume 24 - Issue 20 - p 2085

Moreau et al (2001) Isometric Back Extension Endurance Tests: A Review of the Literature J Manipulative Physiol Ther; 24:110-22)

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7 Back Strengthening Exercises for CrossFit

                  

A strong back will stop you getting injured. Here are 7 of the best for CrossFit.

Not surprisingly, people with strong trunk muscles and well conditioned leg and hip muscles are less likely to develop back pain and injuries than people with weak or poorly conditioned muscles. Fortunately, your muscles will become stronger if you follow a regular exercise program that challenges your muscles to do slightly more than usual. If you are not already doing strengthening exercises, start with the exercises described here that you can consider to adopt, which focus on the spinal support muscles of the abdomen and back.

1.        Deadbug

Lie fat on your back, bend your knees, and keep your feet flat on the floor. Find the neutral position by flattening your lower back against the floor, then arching it up toward the ceiling and finding the point halfway between. Place your fingers at your sides on the bony area of your pelvis just below your waist. Now tighten your stomach muscles as if you were about to get punched. Lift one foot a couple of inches off the ground while keeping your stomach tight and keeping your back in the neutral position. Then put your foot down and lift the other foot. Keep your hands on your pelvis to make sure that you are tilting your pelvis as you lift your feet. Alternate the feet for 20 repetitions while keeping your pelvis stable. As this gets easier, you can increase the difficulty by lifting your arms as well as legs off the floor.

2.        Bridging

Lie flat on your back, bend your knees, and keep your feet flat on the floor. Find the neutral position as illustrated above. After which, lift your hips off the ground, maintaining a neutral position in the lower back and keeping the spinal straight and your weight on your upper back. Life your hips up until you begin to find it difficult to maintain the neutral position. Keep your arms at your side, palms down on the floor to provide stability so your hips do not tilt side to side. Lower to the floor and lift up 20 times. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, do alternate arm and leg lifts while bridging. You can eventually add cuff weights to your ankles.

3.        Partial Sit-ups

Lie flat on your back, bend your knees, and keep your feet flat on the floor. Find the neutral position by following the above technique. You can roll up a towel and put it under the small of your back to help you maintain the neutral position. Stretch out your arms and place the palms of your hands on the top of your thighs. Curl up your torso until your fingers touch the top of your knees. Hold this position for a moment, then curl back down. Keep the lower back on the floor the entire time the upper back moves. Now follow the same procedure by stretching both arms straight toward the left knee, then both arms toward the right knee. Repeat 10 times in each direction.

4.        Alternate Arm And Leg Lifts

Lie on your stomach and find the neutral position. You can put a folded towel under your stomach to help maintain your alignment. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift a straight left arm and right leg a few inches off the floor. Make sure that your back does not arch. Raise your arms and legs only as high as you are able to while maintaining the neutral position. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Do 20 repetitions.

5.        Quadruped Arm And Leg Lifts

Get on your hands and knees. Arch your back up toward the ceiling. Let it sag down so that it dips toward the floor, and then come back up halfway. This is your neutral position. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Raise your straight left arm and right leg while maintaining your spine in the neutral position. Hold this position for a moment and then put your arm and leg down. Repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Do 10 to 20 repetitions.

6.        Functional Squats

Stand upright and place your feet shoulder width apart. Find your neutral position and squat down while maintaining it. Your buttocks will move backward, your chest will move forward, and your center of gravity will drop straight down. Your weight should be balanced in the middle of your feet, not on the balls or heels. To avoid knee pain, do not bend your knees more than 90 degrees. Do 10 to 20 repetitions.

7.        Leg Lowering

Lie on your back and bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Use your abdominal muscles to keep your back in the neutral position, and slowly extend one leg at a time. Then slowly lower that led to the floor while keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Keep the other leg bent, and make sure that your back does not arch. Do 10 to 20 repetitions.

Raymond Lee Geok Seng is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is a writer specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He has spent countless of time and efforts conducting research and share his insightful and powerful secrets to benefit men and women all over the world. He is currently the author of the latest edition of "Neck Exercises and Workouts." Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.

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