Back Pain

In the many years of personal training that I have done I have seen some pretty horrific back problems. Most of these problems were cause more from poor movement than actually having a “Bad Back” as I hear all the time. Our low backs are incredibly strong and very very capable of taking good care of us and being pain free for a lifetime if treated properly and our movement patterns are good. Having 3 daughters I am blessed with watching them grow and especially as young toddlers they squat butt to the floor easily and freely there is no grown when they engage to rise back up to their feet they just stand up. One of the fun parts for me being a troubleshooter by nature is watching at what point they start to squat poorly. I can tell you for my oldest it was after starting kindergarten. All of the sudden she spent 3 hours plus per day sitting in a chair bent over a table drawing. At home I got her to squat on the chair and that gave her back her flexibility and strength. Now it is off to first grade when she will not be allowed to squat on her chair and I have a strong feeling that this could be the end of her great squatting ability. So this is where it starts but what can you do.

First of all I find almost all of my new clients need more low back strength, forget this core BS. Core talk was brought about to sell more memberships to clubs not for your benefit. Your low back engages well only when your Butt works well…summarized yes your butt is not just for sitting on anymore. Why would the biggest muscle in your body want to be sat on instead of used. If your attitude is I would rather sit than use my muscles properly than my tip is enjoy the pain and move on. You do not have a pain killer deficiency! You have a figure out how you are moving wrong and fix it deficiency. I understand that these thing are not easily solved but with a proper amount of corrective exercise, the sky is truly no limit. Start with some simple moves like sitting down and standing up in the mirror. If your knees turn in or out then correct it. See Your Knee as a Hinge Post, keep your weight in your heels don’t be afraid to stick your butt backwards, you should be almost touching the back of your chair with your butt as you go to seated.