How to Strengthen Your Back Through Your Core
It’s a pain shared by 7.5% of the global population (approx. 577 million).
Lower back pain (LBP).
There are a lot of factors that play into an increasing amount of people suffering from LBP such as an aging population, lifestyle changes with each decade, different workplace environments, and increasing BMIs.
But one LBP preventative that has stood the test of time is core strengthening.
How the core affects the lower back
Your core is made up of a large group of muscles that include your abs, obliques (the side of your torso), the muscles that run between your spine, your pelvic floor, hip flexors, and glutes. The core covers a lot more muscles than most people are aware of.
All these muscle groups wrap around your abdomen and help support your entire body, so if they’re weak, your body relies more heavily on other ligaments and joints to stay supported. This imbalance can usually be linked to LBP and other muscle pains in general.
Exercises to strengthen your core and lower back
Planks & side planks
If you’ve ever taken part in personal training or group training before, planks are usually a staple part of a circuit workout.
By supporting your body horizontally from your elbows and toes whilst tucking your pelvis in, your front core muscles (and hip stability during a side plank) activate and strengthen to support your back.
Abdominal crunches
When people think of ab exercises, they typically think of crunches – and for good reason. Abdominal crunches engage your front abdomen and actively work to strengthen those muscles responsible for a stable core so your body isn’t relying too heavily on other areas that could cause lower back pain.
Passive core strengthening
You don’t have to be dressed in your workout best to improve your core strength. There are plenty of daily opportunities outside of exercise regimes to practice good core strengthening such as focusing on the way you bend, lift, and sit during the day.
Office work - If your job is desk-bound, set a timer to take regular breaks where you can walk, move, and stretch to avoid muscle atrophy.
Posture - Be mindful of your posture when you’re standing, sitting, and moving. Engage your core muscles wherever you can to take some of the load off your back, hips, and legs.
Lifting – Always remember to lift at the knees instead of the waist where you can and take a few seconds to adjust your posture, engage your core, and plan out your movement so you get the best out of your body without causing back pain.
