Does Your Back Hurt During Your Ab Workout Routine?
September 3rd, 2010 | by admin |Earlier back pain was attributed to weakness of the deep abdominal muscles, however this theory doesn’t hold true today. Transversus abdominis was supposed to hold the spine together and thus prevent back pain. The muscle would get tensed few seconds before you raise your arm to support the spine. However the muscle didn’t fire instantly in some and this lead to back pain during their ab workout routine.
The basic concept behind this theory was that people suffer from back pain when their spine doesn’t have enough support. So to strengthen the deep abdominal muscles, people would suck in their belly buttons or push their back into the floor. But the question was that do these exercises really help in strengthening the muscles? Apparently no if we go by some of the latest research work. Including these tricks in the ab workout routine actually made the back pain worse.
According to fitness experts this theory is not true in all cases. It might hold true for few people who are suffering from back pain but definitely not for everyone. Back pain cannot be associated with weak muscles in otherwise healthy people.
People try to work only on their abs so that they can strengthen their spine by strengthening the core, however this is a misconception. The core doesn’t consist of only the abs. It is constituted by all the muscles that encircle the spine and hold it firmly. So in order to make the spine stronger, one needs to workout on all the muscles.
Exercises like side plank (raise the upper body while lying on the sides) or bird dog (raise legs and arms alternatively) is good for strengthening all the core muscles. Sit-ups for abdominals are not recommended by fitness experts; the reason is that they put pressure on the disks. A perfect crunch would be the one in which you are lying down with your one knee bent and one hand underneath your lower back. Also never hollow out your stomach while doing the exercise, also do not push your back against the floor. The three exercises given above can help you in making your spine stronger and thus prevent back pain.
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