Lower Back Strengthening & Mobility

WHAT TO DO:

-- This CAN be done flat-footed, if your hamstrings are especially tight and you have trouble folding past half way with your toes lifted on the slant board.

-- Stand on a block / box / stool, whatever brings your feet high enough off the floor that you can fold with your arms hanging down.

-- Use LIGHT WEIGHT. You can fold without holding any extra weight.

-- Remember that this exercise is about strengthening the muscles that round your spine up and down. Your hamstrings and the backs of your legs will stretch, but focus on CONTROLLING the fold rather than just deepening the stretch.

-- When you add weight, be sure you can still control the movement. Increase weight gradually, as you progress.

-- If you're straining your back and having trouble lifting the weight, DROP THE WEIGHT and bend your knees before you lift back up.

-- 10 slow, CAREFUL reps. 2x per week.

WHAT TO DO:

-- Sit at a height that allows your legs to slope down toward the knees, 3-6 inches below your hips. If your hips are particularly tight, sit higher in relation to the knees.

-- Knees wide, ankles slightly forward of your knees.

-- Stay at the edge of your seat, brace your midsection and hold an arch in your low back. NO ROUNDING your low back as your fold. If you can maintain the arch in your spine, you can perform the exercise with the knees higher, level with the hips.

-- Hinge forward at the hips, bringing your torso toward parallel with the floor, WITHOUT rounding your spine, and then hinge back upright.

-- Set a timer for 5 minutes. Hold the lowest amount of weight that brings you into the stretch when you fold forward. Do 40 repetitions within that 5 minutes. YOU CAN TAKE LITTLE BREAKS AND SET THE WEIGHTS DOWN and you’ll probably need to. Include any breaks within the 5 minutes you have to complete the repetitions. 2x per week.