Best Exercises For Lower Back Pain

A series of exercise routines you can do to help reduce any lower back pain (occasionally referred to as low back pain), including tension, stiffness and soreness.

These exercises from physiotherapist and BackCare expert Nick Sinfield help to stretch, strengthen and mobilise the lower back.

You are advised to seek medical advice before starting theseback pain exercises, and to stop immediately if you feel any pain.

Bottom to heels stretch

Stretches and mobilises the spine

Start position: Kneel on all fours, with your knees under hips and hands under shoulders. Don't over-arch your lower back. Keep your neck long, your shoulders back and don't lock your elbows.

Action: Slowly take your bottom backwards, maintaining the natural curve in the spine. Hold the stretch for one deep breath and return to the starting position.

Repeat eight to 10 times.

Tips:

• Avoid sitting back on your heels if you have a knee problem.
• Ensure correct positioning with the help of a mirror.
• Only stretch as far as feels comfortable.

Knee rolls

Stretches and mobilises the spine

Start position: Lie on your back. Place a small flat cushion or book under your head. Keep your knees bent and together. Keep your upper body relaxed and your chin gently tucked in.

Action: Roll your knees to one side, followed by your pelvis, keeping both shoulders on the floor. Hold the stretch for one deep breath and return to the starting position

Repeat eight to 10 times, alternating sides.

Tips:

• Only move as far as feels comfortable.
• Place a pillow between your knees for comfort.

Back extensions

Stretches and mobilises the spine backwards

Start position: Lie on your stomach, and prop yourself on your elbows, lengthening your spine. Keep your shoulders back and neck long.

Action: Keeping your neck long, arch your back up by pushing down on your hands. You should feel a gentle stretch in the stomach muscles as you arch backwards. Breathe and hold for five to 10 seconds. Return to the starting position.

Repeat eight to 10 times.

Tips: 

• Don't bend your neck backwards.
• Keep your hips grounded. 

Deep abdominal strengthening

Strengthens the deep supporting muscles around the spine

Start position: Lie on your back. Place a small, flat cushion or book under your head. Bend your knees and keep your feet straight and hip-width apart. Keep your upper body relaxed and your chin gently tucked in.

Action: As you breathe out, draw up the muscles of your pelvis and lower abdominals, as though you were doing up an imaginary zip along your stomach. Hold this gentle contraction while breathing from your abdomen for five to 10 breaths and relax.

Repeat five times.

Tips:

• This is a slow, gentle tightening of the lower abdominal region. Don't pull these muscles in using more than 25% of your maximum strength.
• Make sure you don't tense up through the neck, shoulders or legs.

Pelvic tilts

Stretches and strengthens the lower back

Start position: Lie on your back. Place a small, flat cushion or book under your head. Bend your knees and keep your feet straight and hip-width apart. Keep your upper body relaxed and your chin gently tucked in.

Action: Gently flatten your low back into the floor and contract your stomach muscles. Now tilt your pelvis towards your heels until you feel a gentle arch in your lower back, feeling your back muscles contracting and return to the starting position. 

Repeat 10 to 15 times, tilting your pelvis back and forth in a slow rocking motion.

Tips:

• Keep your deep abdominals working throughout.
• Don't press down through the neck, shoulders or feet.

ModificationPlace one hand on your stomach and the other under your lower back to feel the correct muscles working.

Read More

5 Ways To Cure Muscle Soreness

The worst part about training, is probably being so sore that you have to aim just to plop down on the toilet the next day. There’s no way around feeling a little soreness. That’s just something that comes hand in hand with exercise. It doesn’t have to keep you on the sidelines though. Use these 5 effective ways to get rid of muscle soreness. You’ll be feeling fresh again before you know it.

1 – Foam Rolling

A foam roller is a relatively stiff cylinder shaped object that allows you to basically give yourself a massage.

Fascia is a connective tissue that interconnects basically your whole body. It runs in between your muscles, so when it’s loose your muscles will also be more loose and easier to stretch. You can foam roll to warm-up and recover after your workout.

2 – Increase Protein

If you are just starting a new workout plan, or you just did a killer workout that you’re not used to, make sure to eat more protein right after. If you’re a vegetarian, or meat isn’t available soon after, then a protein supplement is probably a good idea.

Getting the extra protein may help your body recover faster. A study done on marines showed that protein immediately after intense training reduced muscle soreness the next day.

Then again, they are marines so I don’t think they really feel soreness in the first place. I guess we’ll just have to trust that it works.

3 – NSAID’s & Pain Relievers

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin. They can help reduce some of the swelling in joints and muscles that cause some of the discomfort.

Be cautious if you choose to take one of these over the counter pills, especially acetaminophen (Tylenol). Long term acetaminophen use can cause liver damage.

Don’t use any of them for more than a couple days at a time. It can hinder your body’s ability to repair your muscles.

It’s probably better to keep these as a last resort. Although, they are pretty effective.

4 – Ice Bath

Most colleges use this technique to help athletes recover after practices and games. The cold temperature reduces the swelling in muscles and joints.

It’s as easy as filling a bathtub or trashcan with water and a bunch of ice. You’re going to have to suck it up in the beginning because it’s not very comfortable at first. Eventually your body will get used to it though.

This technique is probably the most effective way to get rid of soreness and joint pain. You’ll feel brand new after 12-15 minutes of enduring the arctic water temperature.

For those of you being babies about this, bags of ice work just as good. All you have to do is fill some plastic bags with ice and wrap them around the problem areas for about 20 minutes.

Make sure there is a thin towel in between the bag of ice and your skin. That will prevent your skin from getting burned.

5 – Do More Exercise

This might have you shaking your head, but try it before counting it out. If your legs are sore, go for a light jog or do some bodyweight lunges.

This will get blood circulating through the sore muscles with nutrients that help it recover faster. The recovery exercises should be low intensity.

Read More

Why Weightlifting Shoes Are Important and How To Choose The Best Ones

You don’t have to be a competitor to take weightlifting serious. It’s hands down, one of the most effective ways to build strength, power, and lean muscle throughout your entire body. To lift weights you really don’t need much. All you need is yourself, maybe a lifting belt, and a good pair of lifting shoes. I’m writing this article to tell you why weightlifting shoes are important and how to choose the best ones. Don’t take them for granted. Shoes alone can add an additional 30 pounds on any of your power lifts.

Why Can’t I Just Wear My Regular Sneaks?

Tennis shoes, or running shoes are built to be nice and comfy. They’re meant to absorb your bodyweight when you run, and support your feet when you’re making lateral movements.

That softness in the sneakers is what will really kill your lifting technique and efficiency. It’s like trying to lift really heavy weight with your feet on a pillow…..there’s just not enough stability.

When you’re lifting heavy, the goal is to create as much force as possible by transferring it from your feet directly into the floor. If your feet are on squishy surface that’s meant to absorb force, you’re gonna lose a bunch of power, and you’ll be unstable.

Ankle Flexibility

Most people don’t have an impressive range of motion in their ankles. It’s just how life goes. We walk around all day, and your ankles only have to produce force in a very limited range of motion.

On top of that, ankles usually aren’t at the top of the priority list when it comes to stretching and mobility exercises. Most of us just work with the flexibility that just comes naturally to us.

In most olympic lifts, we’re required to plantar flex (toe pointed down) explosively, and then squat down real low which requires a ton of dorsiflexion (toe pointed up). If you don’t have a ton of range of motion in your ankles, that’s where the shoes may come in handy.

How Do I Know Which One To Get?

Weightlifting shoes are characterized by a completely solid sole that is slightly raised in the heal. It’s completely solid so that when you push off of the floor, none of the force is lost, and your feet are completely secure.

Most powerlifters use shoes that give them slightly over an inch in the heel. Any shoe with 1 and a quarter inches is pretty standard. You can get higher or lower heels depending upon your leg length.

The platform allows you to sit deeper into a squat while keeping your back and neck straight. Having a raised heel means that you don’t need as much flexibility in your ankle to sit your hips way back. It also promotes driving through your heels on the squat which forces your glutes to do the bulk of the work. And that’s exactly what you want.

Converse Craze

A lot of people also use Converse Chuck Taylor shoes to lift. It’s a completely flat sole which simulates going barefoot.

These shoes have an extremely hard sole, but they’re not completely solid. They’re perfect for deadlifts, because you really don’t need to sit back too far on that lift.

If you have pretty flexible ankles, and haven’t had any previous injuries, you might want to try out this route and see how you like it.

You can always add a slight lift to your heels in these shoes by adding small 2.5 or 5 pound plates under your heels. They’re also $100 cheaper than a lot of official weightlifting shoes. So if you’re ballin’ on a budget, this is the way to go.

If you’re looking to reach your potential, make sure you have a pair of lifting shoes that’s right for you. It might make the difference for a new PR (personal record)!!!

Read More

How Much Food Should You Eat Right Before A Workout?

Pre-workout nutrition has a significant effect on how you’ll perform. So how much food should you eat right before a workout? There’s a lot of conflicting opinion on the topic, so I recommend you “shop around” to hear multiple opinions. Then you can get a feel for how your body responds to pre-workout meals, because not everybody is the same when it comes to this. But Let me tell you the jist of a couple opinions, and then tell you what works for me.

Stomach Cramps Anyone?

It only makes sense that if you eat a ton too close to a workout, your stomach will let you know about it.

While your stomach is trying to digest and it’s getting shaken up, it can cause some serious cramps, bloating, and nausea. So make sure if you need to eat, you leave plenty of digestion time. 2 hours should be plenty of time.

Burn Fat While Fasting

If you workout while in a fasting state, your body will burn more fat.

This is because when your body is low on glycogen, it moves to the second best source of energy…..FAT!!! So if you want to burn body fat, it’s not a bad idea to go for a run in the morning while you have been fasting all night.

The only problem with working out in a fasting state is that some people (including me) can get dizzy and lethargic during an intense workout without something in their stomach.

Small Snack Is Key

If you’re like me and you need a little something to give you some energy, you have to know your body and how resilient your stomach is.

The safest way to go is by eating a really small snack about an hour before your workout. A piece of fruit, like a banana, would be a perfect option.

Get a feel for how your body responds to pre-workout meals so you can decide whether you’re able to fast, or if you need a small snack.

Read More

Make Your Cardio Interesting With Battle Ropes

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about doing cardio? Probably running, and how much it sucks when you’re out of shape. No matter what you do, there’s no way around being out of breath. But being out of breath and bored at the same time is really brutal. Don’t limit yourself when you’re doing cardio. There’s so much more than just running down the street. I wrote this article to share with you how to make your cardio interesting with battle ropes.

What Is A Battle Rope?

Typically a battle rope refers to a thick rope (2 inches in diameter or more) that’s usually around 40 or 50 feet long.

I’ve also seen long chains and even old fire hoses used instead of ropes. Buying them online or at a sporting goods store can get pretty expensive so it might not be a bad idea to look into a hardware store or fire department for those other options.

To use a battle rope it has to be attached or wrapped around a stable fixture like a tree, sign, light post, etc. Two ends of the rope are held in each hand. But make sure the lengths of rope are both even.

How Long Do You Workout For?

A rope workout doesn’t need to be long. Think of it as running sprints for your arms. A lot of times they are used in tabatas. An example would be working as hard as you can for 30 seconds, then resting 3 seconds. You can do that for 10-20 minutes.

This type of training builds both anaerobic and aerobic conditioning. It also builds strength in a lot of sport specific movement patterns.

The Standard Wave

The most common exercise done with the battle ropes is a wave created by moving your arms up and down in an alternating pattern directly in front of you. Move them as rapidly as you can in the biggest range of motion possible. The ropes will create what looks like an ocean wave.

During most of these exercises, including this one, you need to be in a quarter squat position with a wide base. That allows you to generate more power even when you’re tired.

Double Wave

This exercise is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that you’ll keep your hands together on this one. The ropes should be side by side following the same wave pattern.

Lateral Twists

Hold both ropes together right in front of your belly button. Then twist your torso rapidly from side to side. You’ll feel it in your abs.

Big Arm Circles

You can do arm circles a few different ways. First of all you have to make sure you workout in a clockwise and counterclockwise motion.

You can keep your arms together and make one big circle, or you can keep your hands separate and move the ropes in an alternating patters….almost like a double-dutch jump rope.

Jumping Jacks

Do a standard jumping jack while holding onto each end of the rope it will provide a little bit of resistance making it slightly more difficult.

Side Slams

This is a really explosive movement so you’re not gonna stay in the quarter squat the whole time. To start off hold both sides of the rope to one side of your body.

Jump up and rip the rope up and over your head. Then slam the rope as hard as you can to the other side of your body. This one will get you tired real quick.

Read More

5 Ways to Eliminate Back Fat

Back bulge around the bra area or a pesky muffin top aren't fun to deal with. But you can feel more confident in your own skin with just a little extra effort. Sure, targeting specific body parts to burn fat doesn't work, but these healthy tips can help you get the results you want faster!

Turn Up Your Cardio
If you're serious about getting rid of fat, you've got to start getting serious about cardio. According to the USDA, you should perform 60-minute sessions five times a week.

For even more intense cardio, opt for interval training that alternates between periods of pushing your body and recovery, since it offers an "afterburn effect." This means that after exercising, your body can burn more calories—an extra 200 calories throughout the day even at rest or sleep—than you would after completing a steady-paced workout.

Focus on Toning
Add moves that sculpt your back, shoulders, and obliques to reveal the strong muscles that lie beneath. Posture-improving exercises can also do wonders! This five-minute back workout and these body-balancing back exercises are great ones to try!

Practice Yoga
Quality strength training and cardio are key, but yoga can help you take off back fat, too. This heart-pumping yoga routine is just what you need!

Eat Smarter
Choosing healthier foods and cooking up cleaner recipes are essential in your battle against back bulge. Check out the best fat-burning recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks that can support your goals.

Shop Your Shape
Okay, this won't really get rid of fat, but it'll certainly help you feel more comfortable in your skin. If you're concerned about the bulge around your bra or a muffin top, it simply might be time to go up a size in your bra or jeans. Flattering clothes will help you feel more confident so that you feel less stressed while dressing. Instead of getting caught up in the size you're wearing, always focus on how you feel in the clothes you're in.

Read More

4 habits that mess up your metabolism

Like it hot! Eating chili pepper sauce and other spicy foods can fill you up faster, meaning you eat less.

Your metabolism isn't just controlled by what you eat and how often you exercise. Everyday habits —even those seemingly unrelated to your weight— can cause it to sputter. And when you burn fewer calories throughout the day because your fat-torching furnace isn't hot enough, you're at risk for gaining flab.

Avoid these mistakes and you can keep your metabolism humming along.

Your foods aren't fiery enough

When in doubt, sprinkle on hot sauce: a new study in the journal Appetite found that when people added red chili pepper to dinner, they reported feeling fuller and ate as much as 30 percent less compared to a control condition with a mild meal. Peppers pack capsaicin, which may speed metabolism by controlling the release of appetite-regulating hormones as well as increasing levels of stress hormones that decrease desire to eat.

You sit a lot

It's no surprise that lounging on your duff in front of the computer at work or TV at night can pack on the pounds. But even in active men who met exercise guidelines, sitting for three hours or more per day was associated with a 74 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome—a cluster of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease that includes obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol—compared to guys who sat for less than two hours daily. The reason for the metabolic disruption? Muscles don't have to work so hard—burning less fat—and prolonged sitting may also lead to poor insulin sensitivity.

You don't wash produce

Before you bite into that apple, think: did you give it a thorough wash first? A 2012 study in Environmental Health Perspectives connected environmental pollutants, like pesticides commonly used on fruits and vegetables, to obesity and metabolic syndrome. The researchers found that, in lab cells, the pollutants were stored in fat tissue where they cause inflammation and affect pathways that regulate metabolism. Buy organic when you can—and follow the FDA's guidelines for cleaning: cut away any damaged or bruised areas first, then wash thoroughly under running water only. (Skip the soap or produce washes.)

You skip washing your hands sometimes

Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University discovered a link between a common respiratory virus called adenovirus-36 and obesity, as the virus appears to turn stem cells into fat cells. To cut your risk of viral infections, do what your mother always told you to do and wash your hands—something other research indicates only 5 percent of us do right, anyway.

Read More