A healthy and strong lower back is the cornerstone to being able to live a fit and healthy life. Whether that be picking up your children or simply feeling confident enough to lift things up off the floor.
Very rarely does, not moving or exercising, help a back issue repair itself.
Lower Back FAQ’s
What Is The Cause Of Lower Back Pain?
A large amount of lower back pain (of course not all) is caused by a lack of flexibility in important muscles along with muscle weakness.
What Causes These Muscles To Be Tight Or Weak?
If everyday life follows the same pattern for you as it does for a large majority of people. It means sitting down at a desk or in a car for most of the day. This puts your body into a position that causes your hip flexors and muscles that run down the front of your thighs (quadriceps) to become tight.
This tightness does not happen over night but is caused by years and years of repetitively doing the same thing every day.
Often what then happens is that the muscles on the opposing side of your body react to the tightness on the front side of your body by becoming inhibited (E.g. Not working) and/or becoming weak. In the case of your back these muscles would be the glutes.
In other words your glutes (bum) will now, not be functioning correctly. The glutes are extremely important in the amount of support they give your hips and in the amount of strain they take away from your lower back.
Without the support of your glutes in every day life your lower back has to take over the work that your glutes would optimally take. This can result In lower back pain and injury.
How Do I Strengthen The Correct Muscles To Protect My Back?
You need to combine lengthening the correct muscles (in this case often the hip flexors) whilst doing exercises that will first activate your glutes and then strengthen them.
These exercises are actually very simple and at The DVCC we combine them in our normal daily programing but also in our Bulletproof Back System™. This system is one we have developed with the help of physios and Olympic rehabilitation specialists.
The flexibility work focuses on stretching muscles on the front of the hip such as the hip flexors and quadriceps.
The strengthening and activation exercises focus on the glutes (including a muscle called glute medius which is important in stabilizing the hips)
Should I Actually Exercise If I Have Back Issues
A large number of people are put off exercising and trying to achieve their physical and health goals (be they losing weight or gaining muscle tone) by their “bad back”.
Very rarely will a lack of exercise and movement help a back issue repair itself. Exercise is one of, if not the most, effective treatments for back issues. By focusing on the correct form of flexibility and strengthening work your back will become much stronger and immune to the debilitating muscle spasms that people with back issues often experience.
Of course it is very important that you are doing the right exercises to correct these imbalances and doing them in a way that is safe and at the correct intensity for your current situation.
The DVCC Transformation Experts receive 200 hours of ongoing training every year in the correct rehabilitation/strengthening methods to allow you to have the confidence that your back is being made stronger in a safe and progressive manner.
Can I Still Lose Weight With My Bad Back?
Besides improving the dysfunctions causing your lower back issues another important strategy to improve the health of your back is to lose weight. The Real You Transformation Process™ uses exercises that will achieve both of these things and is implemented by highly trained Transformation Experts.
