At NRG we thoroughly believe that a stronger lower back is a healthy lower back. The stronger the musculature, tighter the fascia, sturdier the connective tissue are, the stronger the spine will be! By being strong in our whole spinal system, it will help protect us from going into a weak position which is ultimately what can cause our injury in the first place. If you want to read our views on building a stronger lower back, then please read this linked article!

https://www.nrgsportstherapy.com/blog/2018/10/22/increasing-lower-back-strength-to-alleviate-pain

But this article is all about 4 great movements to prevent lower back issues! Today we are going to go through what movements can not only prevent lower back issues, but also build strength in other areas - particularly the posterior chain! As previously mentioned many times in articles, the posterior chain is every muscle in the back of the body. From the Achilles tendon all the way to the back of the head, this is the posterior chain. The stronger the chain is, the less chance of injury, if part of the chain is weak, then it will break!

Romanian Deadlift (RDL):

Similar yet extremely different to a normal deadlift. The whole purpose of the RDL is that it focuses more on the hamstrings as oppose to the normal deadlift which includes more of a press from the legs. The difference in stance is that it usually a narrower stance than a normal deadlift. By having the legs closer together, it puts the hamstrings in their longest linear position, where they are strongest! By bending the knees only slightly when preparing to lift, this helps reduce stress on the sciatic nerve. If you are legs are gun barrel straight, then the risk of irritating the sciatic nerve is high and as far as I am aware, nobody wants that!

So when you RDL, remember:

Stance closer together than usual
Knees slightly bent throughout movement
Hands slightly wider than the knees
Keep shoulders braced, core tight and squeeze the bum at the top
Push your bum backwards as far as possible, feel the hamstrings stretch!
Don’t touch the floor! This helps remove the irritant of initial pulling from the floor and increases the time your muscles are under tension
Increase speed of the movement, power up to the top!

We have attached a video below to help guide you if you need a visual stimulus too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAKFRNtxLY

Reverse Lunge:

Not only is this movement awesome for strengthening the lower back, it is also great at increasing the strength of your glutes and hamstrings, as well as coordination. What is important about the reverse lunge is the balance element. When you step backwards, you need to stay braced through your core (aka midline). If you are not braced, then the chance of you not only losing balance but also moving poorly is high. If you move poorly, then the chance of you tweaking your back is higher.

Start in a standing position (either just body weight or with weights)
Stand back with one leg onto the toes of the back leg, keep the heel up
Hold the position for a second before dropping the knee down to the floor
From here drive up with the chest and midline braced back to a standing position
When you drive up, with the front leg make sure the knee is over the toes
If the toes drop inside the foot, or outside the foot, that is when the movement is effected! If the movement is effected then the chance of you twisting your spine into a poor position is higher and therefore your chance of getting injured.

Once again, here is a video link to the movement if you need help getting to grips with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwGPWeMGAYA

GHD Hip Extension:

Ideally you would need a GHD to complete this movement, if you don’t have this, you can do it off a box, with a partner holding your legs. What is great about this movement, is that it is a body weight way of training the lower back. With good control of spinal mechanics, it is a great method of strengthening the whole spine, not just lower back. With different ways of manipulating the exercise, it is a perfect movement for anyone!

With your feet under the foot hooks and waist right to the edge of the pad
Drop your chest down so you are at a right angle to the GHD
Squeeze your bum and bring the body up so you are parallel to the floor
Hold your bum squeeze but also tighten your abs too
By squeezing front and back, it helps maintain a good spine shape and protect the structures of the lower back
Remember not to over extend as high as possible, this will only cause more issues for your lower back!

Please see attached video to help understand the movement further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X075Hrl5lE

GHD Sit Up:

Now this an exercise for more established athletes and trainers. What this requires is huge strength of the anterior chain (quads, hips, abdomen) alongside reasonable lower back extension! So if you don’t feel strong enough or extension hurts, then this probably isn’t for you. This movement is important as it actually allows the abs to extend and hip flexors to stretch through the movement, unlike other abdominal movements! Other ab movements - like crunches - don’t allow any extension and keep the body in a restricted position!

Start with your feet in the GHD foot plates, but this time sat up on the pad!
Make sure the legs are straight, spine straight
From here drop down to 180 degrees or parallel from the floor
Squeeze the quads and bring yourself up
If that is too easy drop down lower, extend the spine slightly are try to touch the floor with your arms overhead
At the bottom, big squeeze of the quads and drive yourself back up to the sitting position!

Here is a video to help give you a greater understanding of the movement!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pbZ8mX2D1U

That concludes our article on 4 Great Movements to Prevent Lower Back Pain! We hope you enjoyed it. If you do suffer from lower back pain, or need help with these movements, then it is important to book in with a sports therapist, a personal trainer or a local sports injury clinic for help. Do your research, make sure you know the exact technique and position for each movement. We would not recommend novices trying these movements without appropriate advice!

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