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But, generally speaking, clients suffering from lower back pain usually are very inflexible and have never or rarely practiced any kind of flexibility training on their own. Tight calves, hamstrings, piriformis and glute medius (basically the hips) muscles often contribute to back pain and/or aggravate existing back injuries, which may be the case with you. Flexibility issues should be at the top of your list to address.

Once those have been addressed, you want to avoid the trap of over-doing your abdominal work, both with your technique and your volume. First, you can not and should not do ab work on consecutive days. Abdominal muscles need time to rest and recover like every other. With regard to form, you should not be lifting your entire torso off the surface you're lying on to contract the abdominals.

You must first be able to master control of the transverse abdominus, which is the wall of muscle you'll never see because it lies underneath the rectus abdominus, aka, the "six pack". The transverse abdominus is the part of the abdominal structure that will help alleviate and prevent back pain. Traditional crunches, however, target the rectus abdominus, and are not forced to stabilize the transverse. Even worse, when done without proper transverse activation, the body will often recruit the lower back to "pull" the torso up, amplifying or creating lower back pain.

All that being said, learn how to activate the transverse by lying flat on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. put your hands on your belly button. Now, exhale and focus on pulling your belly button down towards your spine and through the floor. As you do this, your lower back should flatten out on the floor. Hold for 5-10 seconds, and release. Do this for 12-15 reps if it is pain-free for the back. This "draw-in" technique, as it's called, should be the basis for ALL exercises you do, be it upper, lower, or just incorporated into your every-day posture. You can advance the technique by performing "planks". Begin by lying face down and then lift yourself up and position yourself on your toes and forearms. Keep the belly button drawn in and the glutes squeezed tightly for support. Be careful not to let the hips sag down to the floor, as that will increase the load on the back and the subsequent risk of injury. You can practice the same technique in a quadruped stance, with the hands and knees on the floor and alternating between relaxing the abdomen and then drawing in and holding for 5-10 seconds for 12-15 reps.

Once you can master these exercises and have been addressing your flexibility on a daily basis, you will be ready to move on to more traditional crunches, with emphasis still being placed on the "draw-in" technique.

But remember: "Safety first!" If something hurts, don't do it!!

Jeremy McCurdy, NASM-CPT
Director of Training, Hampstead Health & Fitness
direct. 978.382.0032
voicemail. 603.382.9291
http://www.hampsteadhealth.com

The above information is for educational purposes only and is, in no way, intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. You should always consult a medical professional before beginning any exercise program. Consult a professional for detailed instruction on exercise technique.

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