February 2024 Update

How do I exercise my core if it hurts my low back?
If you’ve ever tried to do a core workout and realized midway through that your back is feeling things it shouldn’t be feeling.  Am I doing it wrong? Is my lower back just too weak? We need the muscles in our core to stabilize our bodies throughout everything we do. Yet for some people, doing basic bodyweight abs exercises can cause lower-back pain or discomfort.  It’s kind of tough to stick with any sort of ab-strengthening regimen if you just end up in pain.

 

To understand why this happens, you first have to remember that the abs and the lower back are both part of our core.

 

Your core is made up of a group of muscles that work together to support and stabilize the trunk of your body. While we often think of our core as our abs, the core wraps around the entire body, and includes muscles like the rectus abdominus (the abs), obliques, and the muscles in your lower back.  Overworking one part of the core and underworking another can cause asymmetry, overcompensation, and muscle strains.

 

Lower-back pain during any core exercise is typically a sign that your core is too weak to do the exercise.

 

If your lower back specifically isn’t strong enough, the core work you’re doing may just be asking too much of it, causing your muscles to strain.  Alternatively, if you have a weakness anywhere else in your core, your lower back may overcompensate in some abs exercises and end up taking on more than it can handle.  When the lower back is overactive during the core exercise, it can cause the back muscles to tense up, which can cause pain and for some people.

 

Pain can also be a sign that your form is off.

 

For many abs exercises, a small misstep in form can ask too much of your lower back. Once you start moving into a position that’s not correct, you’re going to start irritating the spine.

 

The most common form mistake she sees during abs exercises is failure to tuck the tailbone, which results in the back being hyperextended.  If you can nail the tucking of the tailbone, drawing your navel toward your spine, it’s going to really help alleviate low-back pain.  Keep your lower back grounded. The lower back needs to be anchored on the ground for the majority of abs work. When it pops off the floor, you put your back in a vulnerable, hyperextended position.

 

Muscle tightness and fatigue can also lead to poor form and lower-back strain.

 

If your glutes and hips are really tight, chances are, you’ll feel the strain during daily life and not just mid–abs workout. This continuous pulling on the lower back can be very uncomfortable and can lead to chronic lower-back pain. But tightness in your upper back or hip flexors can also limit your range of motion during your workouts and cause strain in your lower back.

 

Fatigue may play a role here, too.  As your muscles tire, they stop functioning properly, and the body will look for nearby muscle groups to compensate. Most of the time, the compensation falls to the lower back and hips.

 

So what can you do? First, stop doing what hurts. Then, avoid movements that cause you pain.

 

Any pain is a sign you should stop what you’re doing and reassess. You want to stay in a pain-free zone no matter what.  If you’re leaving that zone, then you’re doing something that’s causing pain, regardless of whether you have actual lower back issues or not.  Bottom line: If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it.

 

These are the types of core exercises that most commonly cause lower-back pain, and what you can do to modify them:

 

Exercises that cause hyperextension of the spine

Examples: Low leg lifts, leg tosses

 

These exercises are usually ones where you’re lying flat on your back and tasked with moving your legs while keeping your lower back down. Tucking the tailbone and keeping your back flat are crucial here.

 

For some people, basic anatomy makes that tucking position much harder. We all have that little curve of our spine in the lumbar spine [aka the lower back]. Some people have a bigger natural curve than others, making gluing your lower back to the mat incredibly difficult.

 

Exercises that cause hyperflexion of the spine

Example: Sit-ups, hanging leg lifts

 

For some people, the action of bending forward can cause them to use their hip muscles more, and it actually could be causing pressure on the spine as you sit all the way up.

 

Try putting a ball in between your thighs when you do sit-ups or crunches to help relieve your lower back. It forces you to stabilize your pelvis more. When you’re pressing in with your inner thighs, you’re engaging and feeling the lower part of your abdomen, and you’re able to keep the tuck.

 

Exercises that twist the spine

Examples: Bicycle crunches, Russian twists

 

When you twist past the hip, it can cause torsion on the spine and irritation. Twisting, especially when done quickly, can be especially aggravating to those with pre-existing lower-back issues, especially when done with improper form. But being able to rotate your spine is an important for maintaining flexibility and being able to move your body in all of its planes of motion.  Try rotational movements really slowly. Shortening the range of motion and making the movements very small and controlled will help, too.

 

There are some great ways to strengthen your core without straining your lower back.

The number-one thing people should do is make sure have they that base core strength. By performing exercises that target your entire core, you can strengthen everything, including the lower back and the abs. The biggest thing is remembering it’s your core, not just your abs.

 

There are some great ways to strengthen your core without putting unnecessary pressure on your lower back. We suggest: bird dog, dead bug, glute bridges, and planks (as long as you do them properly with your pelvis tucked and core and glutes engaged!).

 

Rotational stability exercises are great, too. These exercises engage the core to fight resistance. They strengthen your body’s ability to resist external forces that can cause injury.  Examples of rotational stability exercises include: forearm plank with alternating leg raises, extended arm plank with alternating arm raises, and a side forearm plank with leg raise.

 

And last but not least, there are so many non-abs-specific exercises, such as adding in balance work to your existing routine, that can give you a “sneaky” core workout—adding them to your routine will help you gain core strength without ever having to do a crunch or twist, so you can work on that base strength while hitting other big muscle groups at the same time. Multitasking is a beautiful thing.

 

Need more help?  Ask the SOSR team to help you get started!