The relationship between Core Exercises and Back Pain
The relationship between core exercises and back pain:
The relationship between core exercises and back pain is an interesting and important one. Many people relate performing core exercises with back pain, however not many people realise that the lack of strength in your core will also cause you back pain.
Do you get back pain on your day to day life? Sitting in the office, or being on your feet all day? Well, chances are that this is because your core is weak. If the muscles around your spine are weak, the vertebrae and discs aren’t properly supported.
The other side of it, is that lots of people suffer from back pain when performing core exercises. This is often because the exercises are being performed incorrectly, or, again, because your core is too weak. For example, when doing a plank, you should feel the work in your abs. If, at a certain point, you feel that shifting to your back, you should stop, because this means your abs have given out. Rest and do it again, if you are able to.
The secret is to take it nice and slow, and gradually built up core strength. Opt for exercises that engage the core overall, and do not target a specific muscle. Sit ups, for example, target abs mostly, and they are the main culprits for back pain.
If you are short on ideas of other core exercises you can do to build up you core strength, we suggest you watch the video bellow as it has a few ideas:
Core Exercises: Why to do them
As mentioned above, core exercises will help you with your day-to-day back pain. They will also better your posture and protect you against injuries by responding efficiently to stresses. One common wrong reason to do them is to lose belly fat. It is not possible to lose fat in a location only, as your body will burn fat all around itself, not targeting a specific part of it. For this, you need to do plenty of cardio and all-body strength exercises.