Posts Tagged ‘back pain’

Roll Up

Posted on: July 27th, 2011
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This exercise is a classic Pilates exercise. The focus is on using the core muscles to slowly articulate the vertebrae. The back should look round like the letter C throughout the entire exercise. The more you tuck the tailbone under and draw in the lower abs, the more work you will get out of the exercise.

Start sitting up tall on a mat. Feel the crown of the head reach up toward the ceiling and the spine lengthen. Take an exhale as you tuck the tailbone under and slowly roll your back down to the mat one vertebrae at a time. If you are properly rounding your back, the lower back will be the first thing to touch the mat. Inhale as you lay the head and shoulders all the way back, arms to the ceiling, keeping the abdominals engaged. As you exhale, drop the chin toward your chest, draw the abdominals in, and slowly roll back up to a seated position, one vertebrae at a time. (Remember to maintain that “C” curl on the way up.) The legs should stay down, firmly pressing into the mat. It should look smooth and precise. Try not to jerk your body forward in order to make it back up. If it does, you either have weak abs or tight hip-flexors. In that case, you could try the same exercise with bent knees and see if it makes it a little easier.

knee injury prevention exercises    acl injury prevention exercises

Scoop and Curl

Posted on: July 7th, 2011
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This is another Pilates exercise, although it’s a greatly modified version. For those of you that can master this one, we’ll reward you with the full version in the future (it will take months of practice to build the strength needed for the full variation). This is not an easy exercise to execute properly. It’s easy to use jerky movements to force your way to the top, however it’s extremely difficult to do with the fluidity, control and precision needed to build the core muscles.

Start sitting up with the knees bent hip-distance apart. Reach the left leg forward so the thighs and knees are about parallel. Sit up tall, feeling the spine lengthen and the shoulders drop down away from the ears. As you exhale, curl the tailbone underneath you and slowly round the back down onto the mat one vertebrae at a time. From the side your lower back should look like the letter C. If the back was properly rounded, your lower back will be the first thing to touch the mat on the way down. Keep your abdominals engaged as you lay the head and shoulders all the way back, taking a full inhale. As you exhale, re-curl the spine back into the letter C and try to slowly, one vertebrae at a time peel your back off the mat (no jerking or using momentum!). Try to keep the shoulders relaxed away from the ears and the abdominal muscles hallowed out. It should take a minimum of five seconds to roll either up or down. The slower you go, the more muscle you will use. See if you can complete 8 reps on each side without losing good form.

    

Pro tip: A common problem with abdominal work is that we often focus too much on making the stomach feel “hard,” rather than “scooped out.” If you don’t want bulging, protruding abdominal muscles, make sure not to let the stomach balloon out while you’re working.

Thorassic Extension

Posted on: May 25th, 2011
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Now that we have properly stretched, strengthened and aligned the shoulders, we’re ready to go for the gusto…thorassic extension! This is one of the best exercises because it extends the area precisely where we like to slump over. (Think of it as the anti-hunch-back exercise.)

Lay on your stomach with the foam roller out in front of you. Line it up so that your arms are straight and the  forearms are resting on the roller just under the elbow. Begin by pulling the shoulders down the back. It should feel like you’re keeping your arms straight, but pulling the arm bones closer into the shoulders. Press the pubic bone into the mat to feel the lower back lengthen- it will protect your back from injury. Inhale to start extending from the crown of the head until you feel your chest lift off of the mat. Remember: it’s an extension, not an arch! Concentrate on feeling longer, rather than arching your back to gain height. Gently pull the ribs into the body to prevent the back from arching. The pelvis and legs should stay firmly pressed into the mat. As you exhale, keep the ribs pulled into the spine as you slowly return back to the start position. You shouldn’t feel this exercise in your lower back. If you do, try not to come up as high and pull the ribs in even deeper toward the spine. This should help to eliminate the probable arch in the back that is causing pain. You should feel it in the mid-back area below your shoulder blades and behind your ribs.

 

Plank Twists

Posted on: April 28th, 2011
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This exercise will be the last in this month’s core series. (Next month we move onto injury prevention and rehab exercises for the shoulders.) All core exercises help prevent back and trunk injuries.This one is great for building overall core strength- it hits the front, back and sides of the core. Holding a plank is tough as it is, add a twist and you’ve got yourself a pretty kick ass exercise.

Plank Twist Postion 1    Plank Twist Postion 1

Start in a plank position. Squeeze the glutes and pull the lower abs in to tuck the tailbone toward the heels and create a neutral pelvis. Make sure the shoulders are pulled down away from the ears and your back muscles are engaged. Take an exhale and try to pull one knee to your opposite elbow. Inhale to take the leg back, alternating side to side. See if you can do 20 maintaining a neutral pelvis.

**Hint: This is a great exercise to throw in before or after a run. It will help stabilize the pelvis and engage the abs to protect your back from injury or strain.

Half Roll Back

Posted on: April 20th, 2011
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This looks like a pretty simple exercise, but is surprisingly hard to execute properly. It works the transverse- better known as the low abs, the obliques, and the pelvic floor, all of which are crucial to a healthy back. (As an esthetic aside- it also targets that hard to tone lower abdominal area!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start in a seated position with the knees bent, legs hip-distance apart. Sit up as tall as you can and take and inhale. As you exhale, round your lower back so it looks like the letter C and roll your spine half way back. Stay there and hold it for and inhale, trying to pull the abdominal wall even closer the spine. As you exhale use the lower abdominals to maintain the C curl as you come back up. Complete 15 repetitions with good form.

The most common mistake is to push the head forward like a turtle as you roll down, or to lift the shoulders toward the ears. See if you can keep your head over your shoulders rather than pushing it forward over the chest. Remember to keep the shoulders relaxed down away from your ears. No turtle necks!