According to the British Medical Journal, most people suffer from lower back pain at some point, and while many people recover, between 10 and 25 percent of people with low back pain have long periods where they’re unable to work. Treatments for back pain include painkillers, physiotherapy, osteopathy or even surgery. But, according to top personal trainer Greg Brookes (http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com/) many people can alleviate their pain through practising five simple exercises.

1. Stretch your Hip Flexors
Your Hip Flexors are a group of muscles responsible for raising your knees to your chest. They are a very active and easily get involved in movements that they are not primary designed to do. The Hip Flexors over activation and lack of stretching often results in a shortening of the muscles. As the muscles shorten they start to pull on the Lumbar Spine and ultimately create a more Lordotic curve in lower back. This posture is easily recognized with the buttocks pushed out at the back and belly protruding out at the front.
Solution: Stretch the Hip Flexors by taking a deep lunge position, rotating your pelvic bone towards your chest and bracing your abs.

2. Lengthen your Hamstrings
Following lengthy periods of sitting with bent knees the Hamstrings shorten. Shortened hamstrings attach to the bottom of your pelvis and prevent correct rotation of the pelvis during forward bending. An inability to rotate at the pelvis results in a compensation in the lower back and ultimately lower back problems.
Solution: Stretch the Hamstrings by sitting with your lower back against a wall and straightening your legs. Keep the chest up and proud.

3. Improve Thoracic Spine Mobility
The Thoracic Spine is situated from the base of the neck to the mid back and is anatomically designed for movement. The Lumbar Spine with its larger vertebrae is designed for stability and lack of movement. Most people due to repetitive seating positions have “locked up” Thoracic Spines resulting in limited movement. The Lumbar spine is then forced to produce movement that it is not anatomically designed to perform and hence lower back issues.
Solution: Mobilise the Thoracic Spine by sitting tall on a backless chair and holding a stick across the shoulders. Brace the abs to lock the lower back and rotate slowly alternating sides.

4. Strengthen the Inner Core
The Inner Core is designed to work as a compression chamber to support the Lower Spine. The Pelvic Floor and Diaphragm are on top and bottom, the Transverse Abdominis goes around the sides and the Multifidus is at the back. An inability, through excess sitting, to activate the inner core leaves the Lumber Spine “Naked” during movement.
Solution: Strengthen the Inner Core by lying face down with the head on the hands. Breathe in deeply and push the belly into the floor, then breathe out deeply and pull the belly off the floor.

5. Use Correct Abdominal Training
The world’s obsession with flat stomachs and 6-pack Abs has resulted in a whole multitude of abdominal exercises. Unfortunately the majority of these exercises go against the true function of the Core muscles and only exacerbate existing problems. The Cores primary role is to provide stabilisation and a strong platform for other muscles to function from. Sit ups and crunches work in the total opposite direction of the Cores true function and only increase excess flexion in the Lumbar Spine. These exercises in turn increase the hunched over desk seated position and further stimulate and shorten the over active Hip Flexors.
Solution: Work on Core Stability by holding a rigid Press Up position while slowly raising one arm and taping the opposite shoulder. The less conditioned can omit the shoulder taps.

You can see videos of all the exercises required to create a strong core to prevent lower back issues by following Greg’s “Core Conditioning Course” here: http://gbptmembers.com/store/products/33

For further information please contact: Suzanne@stunningpr.com, 07957 371840

Are you doing the exercises that are right for you or are you feeding an existing injury or imbalance in your body? Chances are that unless you’ve had a full functional movement assessment, you may be doing more harm than good at the gym. Greg Brookes, a personal trainer and teacher of over 15 years, believes that only by having a full Functional Movement Assessment can you know your strengths and weaknesses .

He says, “There is a simple rule when it comes to correct movement patterns – get it right then add resistance to lock it in. By performing thousands of reps with a muscle imbalance you are locking in a faulty movement pattern. This will take on average 13 times the amount of reps to undo.”

Greg’s movement assessment runs the client through 7 movement screens and 3 clearance tests. Following on from the assessment he then knows all their strengths and weaknesses, and so knows which areas need attention and which areas are clear for further exercise. For example, lets say that your Squat Pattern or Lunge Pattern are faulty then these exercises would be avoided until mobility and stability modifications have been made elsewhere in order to correct these patterns. Single sided exercises with a kettlebell or dumbell will greatly help to level out muscle imbalances but you need to know which movements need more work. Greg believes the body is designed to move in a number of primitive patterns. So we squat when we are sitting and standing, lunge when we are walking and running, bend when we are lifting, twist when we turn to look at something, push and pull as we use our arms. Now. Lets imagine you go to the gym and start to squat and press a barbell over head. What happens to the weaker side and movement pattern? It doesn’t get used as much.  You compensate. So you may press the weight overhead with only 35% of your left and 65% of your right. Over time this will get worse and worse and usually without you knowing it.

Remember adding weight to a dysfunctional body will only “lock in” faulty movement patterns and make them worse. The result is always injury and a compromise that means uneconomical training. Get it right and burn more fat and grow more muscle, it’s as simple as that.

For a complimentary fully functional movement assessment with Greg Brookes, please contact: Suzanne@stunningpr.com, 07957 371840