Defeat the back mas with a swiss ball

Overcome back pain with a Swiss ball

The observation

Many beginners or experienced athletes mostly exercise the abs while neglecting the lumbar region. To overstrain the abs while forgetting to stimulate the lower back squares will cause an imbalance in the pelvis. The abdominals and the lumbar squares are inserted at the pelvis, one in front and the other behind. It is easy to understand that, if we strengthen those in front more than those in the back, this will bring the pelvis to the retroversion position and pull on the lumbar, thus creating an imbalance. Hence the importance of using both the abdominal muscles and the lower back squares for a good balance in the pelvis. In addition to building muscle in this area, it is very important to stretch the muscles. People tend to forget that muscles work both ways: contraction and relaxation. If we only work on muscle strengthening without stretching, over the years the muscle will lose its amplitude, tense and cause pain related to muscle tension. And vice versa: if on the contrary we only do stretching work without muscle strengthening, the muscles will lack tone. Toned muscles will limit injuries related to poor postures and absorb shock from the impacts caused by certain activities such as running. tense up and cause pain related to muscle tension. And vice versa: if on the contrary we only do stretching work without muscle strengthening, the muscles will lack tone. Toned muscles will limit injuries related to poor postures and absorb shock from the impacts caused by certain activities such as running. tense up and cause pain related to muscle tension. And vice versa: if on the contrary we only do stretching work without muscle strengthening, the muscles will lack tone. Toned muscles will limit injuries related to poor postures and absorb shock from the impacts caused by certain activities such as running.

Unfortunately, many athletes neglect back work and will pay for it one day. Some sports are more exposed to these risks than others, for example running, where there are many impacts on the joints but also on the back. Few amateur runners do back strengthening work with specific exercises. Some even think that running will automatically strengthen the back. This may be true for a sedentary person, who has never run, and who will form the tone of the first session his body a minimum with a muscular awakening, but this will have its limits. Nothing beats muscular work with specific exercises.

The solution

There are different exercises for the lumbar region: with a barbell, additional weights or dumbbells; on a Roman chair; with the pulley, etc… My favorite exercise, concerning a work of fitness and not of hypertrophy as could do it a bodybuilder with a heavy load, is the work on ball swiss ball. Several reasons for this: first of all, it is a very specific exercise. The fact of working on the ball will require a work of balance, consequently, the muscles will work in-depth on a work of proprioception. Then, the advantage of the swiss ball is that it is much easier to transport than a weight machine than bars, weights or dumbbells … And that it is quite possible to take it everywhere, even on vacation.

Exercises to strengthen the lumbar squares

instructions:

• 1 to 3 sessions per week. It is possible to do these exercises at the end of your back session if you are doing bodybuilding. It is a good idea to do the lumbar extension after each abs session to be sure not to create an imbalance. take one or two days of recovery between sessions and do not work on two consecutive days.
• Do 3 to 5 sets per exercise. Repetitions until failure. Failure here means feeling: the movement must remain fluid with a very beautiful posture while keeping good non-jerky breathing. Stop when muscle pain starts to set in.
• Recovery time between sets: 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• The speed of execution should be slow and controlled, always keeping good posture.
• Breathe slowly and deeply while coordinating the movement to make a slow movement.

1) Relaxation

Marry the shape of the balloon by placing the chest at the edge of the balloon so as to make a large-amplitude movement. Check your feet to be stable during exercise. Do not lock the knees by slightly bending the legs, to preserve the knee joint, and place the hands on opposite shoulders. Roll the head slightly so as to keep a good curvature in the cervical region.

2) Contraction

Raise the bust in alignment with the thighs while fixing the pelvis in a neutral position, keep the legs slightly bent without bending them further during the movement, maintain a beautiful curvature at the level of the cervical muscles. Breathing is reversed. For most bodybuilding exercises, inspiration comes in the relaxation and exhalation in the effort of contraction. In this exercise, breathing should be reversed for the sake of well-being, as it is a rib cage opening exercise. The inspiration will, therefore, be during the ascent (contraction) and the expiration during the descent (relaxation).

3) Contraction: difficulty option 2

Same starting instructions as in the previous exercise, but this time placing your hands at the forehead so that your arms are far away and therefore putting extra load. It is possible to place the hands behind the head, but my choice is to place them in front of the forehead because, with the fatigue of the exercise, we can tend to pull on the head and create tension on the cervical.

4) Contraction: difficulty option 3

Same starting instructions as the previous options but, this time, reaching out and keeping your hands as far apart as possible to put more load on the lumbar region.

Exercises to stretch the lumbar squares

1) Relaxation

Place the pelvis in the center of the ball, release any muscle tension in the legs, move forward while relaxing the legs and stop when the toes are slightly lifted off the ground so that the weight of the legs pulls on the lower back. Rest your forehead on your fists to be completely relaxed, breathe slowly and deeply.

2) Contraction

In position on the knees, place your hands on the center of the ball, stretch your arms, look at the ground for a good posture at the cervical level and push the buttocks back while resting on the heels. Breathe slowly and deeply.