Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Floor Angel warms up lower back for core routine
When most people think of core training, the first thing that comes to mind is the abdominal region. But the core includes other areas of the body that should be addressed with the same vigor as the abdominals.
This week, I’ll discuss the value of these other parts, and I will introduce an exercise that challenges a couple of them directly.
While the abdominal region is an extremely important target for core training, it’s not the whole core. The lower back and the hips are often ignored within training programs, simply because they don’t necessarily accumulate body fat in the same fashion as the abdominal area.
Training the abdominals without addressing the hips or lower back can result in the development of muscular imbalances that include tight, weak hamstrings and poor gluteal extensor strength. No matter how strong the abdominals become, poor hamstring flexibility combined with inefficient gluteal strength is a recipe for chronic lower back pain.
Part of the reason many exercisers fail to include lower back and hip training is simple lack of knowledge. Training the abdominals is second nature to many, but working on the lower back and/or hips requires a little deeper knowledge of exercise techniques and how to apply them.
The key to training these two areas is to keep the resistance levels very light. Body weight alone is enough resistance to keep both of these areas in tip-top shape, even when you train them just a few days per week. Back extensions, squats and lunges are just a few of the many choices one has with regard to lower back and hip training.
This week’s exercise is a fantastic movement that not only challenges the lower back, but also helps shoulder flexibility. The Floor Angel is a great way to warm up before exercise and to ensure the lower back is never ignored again.
1. Lie on your stomach on an exercise mat. Your arms and legs should be together, with arms extended overhead. Place your palms on the floor.
2. Slightly lift the chest off the floor to engage the lower back muscles.
3. Keeping the arms straight, slowly move the palms away from one another.
4. Continue moving the arms as though drawing “angel wings” until you get about halfway to your waist.
5. At this point, you want to rotate your palms to the sky and continue moving to complete the wings.
6. As your palms reach one another by your lower back, fold the elbows to allow your forearms to overlap.
7. Now simply reverse the entire movement, returning hands and arms to the starting position.
8. Do two sets of 10 repetitions.
This movement is appropriate for people of all fitness levels, and can benefit almost anyone. It’s a lower intensity exercise that requires concentration as opposed to pure effort, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it.
A few weeks after you add this into your regular routine, your lower back will be on its way to developing significantly more strength and endurance. Enjoy!