Most of the important movements for any exercise program will revolve around using the back muscles and a lot of them cause individuals back pain; whether it’s lower or upper. A lot of it comes from improper form as well as from weakness in the back. I have your back so I will teach you how to protect it.
First, let’s look into what makes up your back and how it works. The back is the posterior aspect of the trunk, inferior to the neck and superior to the glutes. The back consists of:
Skin
Subcutaneous tissue
Deep fascia
Muscles and ligaments
Vertebral column
Ribs
Spinal cord, meninges and various nerves/vessels
The vertebral column, or spine, is the biggest feature of your back. It is the glue that holds it all together. The vertebral column is broken into five regions consisting of 33 vertebrae; the five regions are the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal. The vertebral bodies that make up the spine give strength to the column and support body weight. There are injuries that occur in the spinal column if you aren’t protecting yourself:
Fractures of Vertebrae
Caused by sudden forceful flexion or accidents
Spina Bifida
The laminae of L5 or S1 fail to develop or normally fuse
Occurs in 24% of the people
Dislocation of cervical vertebrae
The neck vertebrae are very small and can be dislocated more easily compared to others.
Accidents, severe hyperextension of neck and falls
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Narrow vertebral foramen in one or more lumbar vertebrae may cause compression of the spinal nerve root occupying the canal.
Hereditary
This was a simple brief overview of the skeletal make up of the back and some issues that can occur within. As a professional it is very important to know what is holding us together.
There are two major muscle groups for the back; the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles. The extrinsic muscles include superficial and intermediate muscles that produce and control limb and respiratory movements. The intrinsic back muscles specifically act on the vertebral column, producing its movements and maintaining posture. These muscles act together in many ways to help create movement.
Superficial extrinsic back muscles
Trapezius, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae and rhomboids
Connect the upper limbs to the trunk
Intermediate extrinsic back muscles
Serratus posterior superior and inferior
Thin muscles designated superficial to respiratory muscles
Intrinsic back muscles
Deep back muscles that are innervated by the posterior rami of the spinal nerves and act to maintain posture and control movements.
If your back hurts during exercise, you are not alone. According to consumer reports, about 80 percent of the population experiences back pain. Most of the injuries are caused by overuse or improper form during exercise, while others can be related to accidents or falls. The types of injuries you can have are:
Muscle strain
Back muscles become strained during a movement because we overestimate your strength and perform an exercise with improper form. Most occur during a twist or bend type of movement pattern.
Disc Injuries
One or more disc in your spinal column may bulge, tear or slip out of place causing nerve compression and severe pain. This can happen in contact sports, exercise and some cases falls.
Sciatica
This is pain caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that originates in the lower back and continues down both legs. This occurs often in runners.
Spondylolisthesis
One of the vertebrae slips behind or in front of the one below.
If you show signs or symptoms of any of the issues listed above seek professional help immediately. If you are treated early you can heal quickly. Most issues occur from improper form or technique, so if you want to learn how perform exercises properly, seek professional help before you start. As a professional, I see many common exercises being performed incorrectly that lead to back pain for many. The following are four that should be practiced before going into more advanced variations.
Let's go over some fundamental back exercises you must include.
Dumbbell Row
The common error I see is people tend to rock or just do partial reps. Make sure you obtain full extension and flexion. People tend to worry about pulling their elbows back and not so much about retracting the shoulders together.
Gorilla Row
The common error I see is people tend to rock or just do partial reps. Make sure you obtain full extension and flexion. Also remember to keep one bell on the floor the entire time.
Along with building a strong back you have to make sure your shoulders are healthy. The best exercises for shoulder health will lead to efficiency in the next two movements. The next two movements I want to address are the deadlift and squat. These are the powerhouse exercises everyone should be doing, however the issue is people do them incorrectly, or are worried too much about lifting heavy and sacrifice form. This is where I tell many to leave their ego at the door and focus on themselves. I get it we all want to lift heavy, but is the cost of your body really worth it? Professionals spend weeks with corrective exercise pattern movements and training habits to get one to be ready to do these advanced movements; take time to learn before you start to do them.
Squat
Proper mechanics are a must. If you can’t perform it properly seek help.
Now that you have the foundation of a squat down let's discuss what to do with the barbell.
Corrective movement to get you ready for the squat. Often, individuals neglect the foundational work and just right to the barbell. Take a moment and activate the muscles that are important.
Goblet squat
The next power movement is Deadlift. Deadlifts are going to help build a resilient back and protect it from injury and help with growth.
Deadlift - Proper mechanics for this exercise are a must and will be the most important thing you learn.
Corrective movements that will get you ready for a deadlift. Just like with the squat take some time and focus on some foundational movements.
Dowel/pipe hinge
These two movements are probably two of the best exercises that one can perform, however if done incorrectly the injury rate becomes very high. The lower back is typically the region that is injured most when people perform these two exercises incorrectly, and it can be detrimental to your health and progress. One big thing to look at to protect your lower back is how strong and developed your inner core is.
First, let’s start off with the inner-core musculature, which plays an important role in stabilizing the torso during movement. I always tell my clients that the inner core is the deep internal foundation, and without the proper activation of the inner core, our limbs would have poor support for movement. Weakness in this area can lead to pain and injuries not only in the core area, but the shoulder, knee, hips, etc.[1] Inner core strengthening exercises should be a part of every exercise program, because it is the base of our bodies. Here are a few exercises one can incorporate in their program to help strengthen their inner core:
Diaphragmatic breathing
This exercise will help with developing a proper breathing pattern and strengthen that transverse core layer. Performing the exercise is simple: Lie on your back on a flat surface, with your knees bent and head supported. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below the rib cage, which allows you to feel your diaphragm move. Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible. Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale, pressing our lower back towards the ground. For your first time keep it simple: do 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
Dead Bug Exercise
This is another great exercise to help work that inner core, as well as work on some hand-eye coordination. To perform this exercise, lie flat on your back with your hands extended above you toward the ceiling; bring your feet, knees, and hips up to 90 degrees. Exhale hard to bring your ribcage down and flatten your back onto the floor, rotating your pelvis up and squeezing your glutes; try to hold this position throughout the movement. Initiate the exercise by extending one leg, straightening the knee and hip to bring the leg just above the ground, while the opposite hand is dropped behind the head right above the ground, keeping the elbow fully extended. Make sure you maintain proper lumbar and pelvis position, as your back is going to want to arch. Stay tight and return the working leg and arm to starting position. For your first time aim to do 3 sets of 12 repetitions total.
Along with looking into exercises and corrective movements to help protect your back, also remember the importance of keeping your hips and back as loose as possible, try some spine health movements prior to any activity. Most of the time some back pain occurs because while performing movements where your legs are so tight that the back starts to become the muscle compensated for it. You can’t workout on tight muscles and just expect things to be okay. Always do a proper warm up and do some dynamic movement patterns before starting a hard workout with these primary exercises. If you ever second-guess yourself while doing any type of exercise seek professional help. This is why professionals are there to help you.
The back is a very complicated region of your body and there is a lot more to it then what I have written about. The most important thing to remember is knowledge is power so take time to learn about the exercises and the anatomy of your back. Don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional it will only benefit you. Take the initial steps to learn and then excel in the gym to obtain those goals.
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