Help for lower back pain

Do you suffer from lower back pain? In that case I have good news for you! The problem is usually rather easily solved by exercising and stretching regularly.  Here I have listed a couple of exercises that are simple to perform in the gym and can potentially help. But first, let me tell you from what typically causes that lower back pain.

We have roughly two problem groups:

1. The inactive office-rat spending most of the day sitting
2. Those who have just started to lift in the gym and got tipped about Arnold's "golden six" exercises from their gym buddy.

In both cases the problem arises from tight hip flexors, stretched hamstrings, tight and inactive glutes and an over activated lower back.

Additionally the second group, the one that just found the gym, usually gets the pain from overstimulating the lower back (usually caused by bad lifting technique). This over stimulation of the back makes it go into a cramp state causing pain and fatigue. This pain normally goes away when technique improves and when the body gets used to the new stimulus. If pain lingers on for months I suggest that you take a proper look at technique and lower the training volume for the lower back area. Examples of exercises that easily hit the lower back when performed wrongly; squats, deadlifts. push presses and bent over rows

Fixing tight hip flexors

By spending the days in a sitting position, hip flexors get shortened and tight. This makes the pelvic tilt forward, inactive glutes causing a tilt and pain in the lower back.

Brisk walking with long strides makes the blood flow to hip flexor area giving them a light stretching. In addition, add dynamic stretches to the hip flexors regularly; two to three times a week. Dynamic means that you stretch the muscle by doing a small back and forth movement which makes the muscle stretch and relax. When stretching the hip flexors it's crucial that the starting position is correct, otherwise the stretch only hits the shallow front thigh muscles, and that's for no help to a tight lower back. 

Put the rubber band directly under the glute and take a big step backwards (lunge position). Turn the hips in under (imagine that you have a tail that you pull between your legs).
Keep the hip in the same position all the time while pressing the hips slightly forward. You should feel the stretch high up in the groin area. Do the stretch for 2 min on both sides.

Fixing inactive glutes

The glutes assignment is to keep the hip in a neutral position. If the hip flexors are dominant and the glutes are inactive the hip is constantly in a forward tilted position, as mentioned earlier.

Foam rollers or trigger balls are perfect for this, it´s like a free massage done all by yourself. It loosens up the fascias and muscle membrane so that muscle can relax and move freely in its socket, activating them more easily.  Afer doing the foam rolling it's a perfect time to do light activating gym exercises for the glutes to make them wake up properly. After exercise it's good to add a stretch so that the glutes won't get locked again.

Sit on the foam roller, put the leg on top of your knee so that you open up the muscle (The same side that you are about to massage) lean slightly forward and find sensitive spots on the side/middle of the glute, and on top of the glute. Pain means that you have found the right spot. Roll forward and backwards until pain decreases.

Put rubber band in the groin. Step the same sides leg forward, put the other knee down (you are in a lunge position). walk the front foot in line with the back legs knee. Let the front leg's knee fall slightly to the side and try to add an inward rotation of the back leg. Make small circles to the hip to make it open up and relax.

Fixing overstretched and inactive hamstrings:

Add regular exercise like walking and gym to increase hamstring activation. The hamstrings tend to become like overused hairbands that have been stretched out for too long, missing their capacity to fully contract and activate if the days are spent in a sitting position. Add exercise that contracts the hamstrings; running with focus on lifting the heel towards the glutes, squats and leg curls. combine this with dynamic stretches to activate the muscles full movement pattern.

This exercise is really aggressive and should not be done more than once a week or perhaps even only biweekly. Put the rubber band under your foot and align the body so that the rubber band pulls the leg in a straight line. Keep the leg straight in all time and bring it up and down in a controlled manner. The rubber band will try to pull you but activate the legs so that you are in control of the movement.

Fixing overactivated lower back

Agin the trigger ball is my all time favourite to get muscles to relax from constant tension. The lower back is a really sensitive area and should never be treated directly spot on. Here you are massaging the sticking points.

Put the ball on the upper part of your glutes, between glutes and lower back. Lie down with bent legs, and activated core to keep the lower back safe. Stay on one side of the spine at the time and start moving the hips slightly from side to side. Repeat the same thing on the other side.

Finally, I would like to once again mention the important of correct technique, both in exercises and while stretching. If you are insecure about the techniques in the stretches mentioned above, I highly recommend that you ask help from a professional so that you don't make the problem even worse.

Don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions! 

Have a great day! 

Johanna Öman
Personal trainer
johanna.oman@elixia.fi

Does morning cardio burn more fat?

 Many people seem  to believe that aerobic exercise during a fasted state (many call it "morning cardio") burns more fat than arobic exercise on a non fasted state. Could it be the the hidden secret to fat loss?!

From a scientific point of view it's both true and false. But before reading further I would like to remind you that; there are NO shortcuts or magic do's to fat loss. The work has to be done and the unnecessary calories left uneaten, independent of the time of the day, if you want results.

Fact 1#  Yes, doing low impact aerobic exercise on a fasted state burns more fat than doing the exact same exercise after eating WHILE exercising (<65% Max heart rate). This intensity is for most a brisk walk.

Fact 2#  Exercise in a fasted state increases the risk of a katabolic effect by over 50%, meaning that you end up burning muscles, that's not the road to successful training.

Fact 3# Exercising with a heartrate over 65% of max, during fed state, burns most likely more fat in the long run due to the EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption) also called the "after burn" and the increased energy expenditure that the increased intensity gives. This "increases intensity" over 65% of MaxHf is an intensity that, of course, depends on the persons aerobic level, but for most hobbyist trainers it's everything above brisk walking and super light jogging.

Fact 4# Studies also show that EPOC increases if you eat before a workout. Exercises with a fueled body also gives your body the full potential to recover itself; becoming stronger and better. 

Conclusion:

- It is beneficial for burnng fat if you are doing recovery, low impact workouts under 65% of maxHF. Unless you are in athlete shape this low impact intensity is nothing more than a brisk walk,

- If you feel like doing a proper run, to increase your aerobic level, I would suggest eating something small before or wait with it until later on the day. 

The pros and cons are in the end minimal and as I mentioned before there is no magic rule or quick fix. Just do it, as Nike would have said, or whatever floats your boat.
In the end it's up to you whether you are an early bird or not. And how well your body responds to exercising in a fasted state. However the feeling of burning the cande in both ends should be avoided.

Why not exercise for better performance?
   - The benefits of fat loss is just a small plus on the side.

Lets look at aerobic exercise in the morning from another viewpoint; increased performance. It's good to periodize your day if you are a professional athlete or someone that for some reason exercises A LOT, (two times a day or more). This helps the body to recover as much as possible between the exercises, meaning its beneficial to do one workout in the morning and another one later in the afternoon. Exercising like this usually means that one is easy and the other one hard.

Many athletes actualy eat TWO breakfasts in the morning.  Usually it takes a while for the body to wake up and food perhaps doesn't taste as good early in the morning. Also there is the risk of tasting your breakfats two times if you train directly after eating a big steady breakfast. Preferably athletes tend to eat something light and easily absorbed before a morning workout, like a smoothie, shake or porridge. After the morning workout it's time for a proper breakfast that gives the body fuel for recovery and upcoming tasks during the day.  

Doing vigorous exercises on a fasted state does not give the body energy to perform at best nor energy to recover properly; Meaning that you don't exactly help your body to become better or stronger.

References:

Bennard P. & Doucet E. 2006.  Acute effects of exercise timing and breakfast meal glycemic index on exercise-induced fat oxidation,  Pub Med.

Lemon PW,  Mullin JP. 1980. Effect of initial muscle glycogen levels on protein catabolism during exercise. Pub Med.

Saris WH, Schrauwen P. 2004. Substrate oxidation differences between high- and low-intensity exercise are compensated over 24 hours in obese men 2004, Pub med.

Bahr R, Sejersted OM.  1991. Effect of intensity of exercise on excess postexercise O2 Consumption, Pub Med.

Melanson EL, Sharp TA, et al. 2002. Effect of exercise intensity on 24-h energy expenditure and nutrient oxidation. Pub Med.