A few days ago I covered leg training in the Cryptogee Workout series. It occurred to me that I haven't really talked about how you should bend down when squatting, dead lifting, sitting down, or simply picking up something from the floor.
In the past couple of years I've learned a lot about proper back position in various activities. I've learnt mainly from Esther Gokhale and her excellent book, 8 Steps To A Healthy Back, and of course from top fitness youtuber, Jeff Cavaliere from Athlean X.
So without further ado, I want to pass on some of the knowledge I've acquired, and hopefully it will benefit you as much as it has me.
The Biomechanics Of Pain
Many people both young and old, have suffered or are suffering from lower back pain. There are a myriad of reasons for any lower back pain you might be feeling. However a lot of this pain can be resolved by correcting your posture and exercising in the right way.
note: Always check with your doctor before embarking on an exercise program. Especially if you have any sort of chronic or long-term pain.
One of the reasons for lower back pain is having weak glutes and/or weak hamstrings. This is because both sets of muscles in your behind and the backs of your legs, aid you when bending down. Also they take the strain as you are lifting from the a bent position.
You can often fix lower back pain simply by strengthening the glutes (bum muscle) and hamstrings.
However once you have fixed these issues, there is still a chance that you may feel lower back pain and twinges from time to time. If so, then it could be because of your posture.
Stacking The Spine
Do me a favour, as you're reading this (unless you're in a public place!) stand up and then bend down as if you're picking something up from the floor. Stop when your back is roughly at a 90 degree angle.
Chances are (unless you have been schooled in this area), that you simply bent your spine forwards. The way to check is to do it again, and then put two fingers at your waist.
If you can easily put those two fingers there and you feel no 'crease'. Then you are bending down incorrectly.
Stand up again, only this time when you bend down I want you to stick your bottom out as you go. If you have tight hamstrings, you may have to bend your knees a little in order to achieve that 90 degree angle.
Now put your fingers to your waist. You should notice a crease there and the fact it is a bit more difficult to actually touch your waist.
Also notice that when you bent down the first time, your head actually went forwards. When you stick your bum out and bend down, your head more or less goes straight down towards the floor.
Good Sitting
In order to promote good lower back health, you should always bend down in this way. However you should also use this technique to sit down.
Stand up again for me, now this time imagine you have a small tail. As you go to sit down, stick out your bum and imagine lifting your tail so that you don't sit on it.
This is an instant fix for bad seating posture. There are other things you can do to make it even better. However for the purposes of this article, just sitting like this will improve your posture and help eliminate any pain you have been feeling.
I mentioned tight hamstrings above. Like I said, if you needed to bend the knees when you used the correct technique to bend over, then your hams need to be looser.
Tight hamstrings will also play a part in your squatting and deadlifts. If you have tight hams, then you will get the dreaded butt wink. This is a scenario whereby your tailbone, tucks itself under. Rather like a dog putting its tail between its legs.
This puts a concentrated point of strain on your lower back, so is to be avoided. Make sure you keep your hamstrings supple and stretched. The more you exercise, the more you should practice having loose hamstrings.
By doing this you will boost your overall strength and flexibility, and most of all, limit the amount of debilitating lower back pain you get.
Summary
Practice the 'crease' technique constantly, there are many reasons to bend down during the day, make sure you use the correct manner in which to do so.
Do not keep a ramrod straight back and bent knees (as is often portrayed as the right way to lift heavy objects), instead create a crease between your thighs and waist and bend the knees as feels natural.
Most of all, work on your gluteal and your hamstring muscles and in no time at all, you'll notice you feel much healthier in your lower back region.
Till next time, stay safe and stay healthy!
DO YOU HAVE LOWER BACK PROBLEMS? HAVE YOU BEEN TAUGHT THE PROPER WAY TO BEND BEFORE? OR PERHAPS YOU ARE HEARING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME? AS EVER, LET ME KNOW BELOW!
Further Reading:
Title image: Sam Burriss on Unsplash
