Albert K. Park

This was an email exchange from my friend. It was about his lower back and I thought hey there are tons of us suffering from lower back pain, this may help you too. Enjoy this is the actual words and exchange between us. (some names have been changed throughtout the email, you all understand)

Friend: "What kind of good core stabalizing exercises do you got pimpin, I need to get my back right."

My email:
"What's up buddy!

Hey sorry I had to dip out early form dinner on your b-day, lame I know bu I had to work late. Pre sale set up. Trust me I know. THank your dad again for me for dinner, great restaurant by the way.

Anwyays about your lower back. Your right on track with knowing that strengthening your core is going to be essential in being pain free, but really be careful in how you go about it and really listen to your body.

Starting off with a core strengthening program with back pain you realy have to avoid flexion and extension. So bending over motions and bending back motions. I'm sure your thinking how the heck am I going to be able to strengthen my core without those motions, don't worry! It's more than possible and should be extra progressive with you.

First thing you will want to do is flexibility focused. Mainly try to stretch the hips to increase hip mobility. A lot of lower back pain is increased due to a lack of mobility in this area and tends to make the hamstrings even tighter. When you can't retract your hips to pick things up, you bend over, not good for your back.


The stretch: go down onto one knee. Now take the knee that's up and move the foot a little more forward so it is a little uncomfortable. (It will feel like it's stretching already) then reach with the hand on the same side of the knee that's down and reach over your head towards the side the knee is up. You will feel it in the downed knee hip flexor.

This will help a lot, trust me!

You can also sit in a chair and pull one leg up onto the other. So the ankle of one knee is over the knee of the other. like how old men sit in a chair not how girls sit.
Now pull up on that knee that's horizontal towards your opposite shoulder. Also press down on the knee towards the floor.

So both these stretches daily and thoroughly. 2 to 3 times each. Hold each stretch for 40 to 50 seconds.

Now core strengthening:

So for you, really start with plank holds. You know the drill. Forearms on the ground hips straight for about 30 to 45 seconds. Here is the key, when you get your forearms down, make sure your upper back isn't rounded. Sag inbetween your shoulder blades. This will focus your core to work harder instead of your shoulders. 3 sets of 30 second holds should be good.

Do planks for your side too. When the front plank get's easy. Lift one foot up in the air to increase difficulty. Don't increase time yet.

Exercise 2:
Ab roll outs. So I don't know if you have access to a ab wheel or a barbell but these will also help you keep a neutral spine and work your core without flexion or extension.

Start on your knees then roll straight out, keep your abs braced tight and then roll up. Go 4 sets of 6 to start off.

Exercise 3:
Med ball circuits. So standing perpendicular to a wall, throw a medicine ball against the wall without turning your torso. For track and field we would twist our upper body in order to develop explosiveness in our hips but avoid this. Use your arms to throw and brace your upper body so it doesn't turn. Keep the abs tight, and use your core to prevent your body from turning to much. You can't toss it too soft or else your core won't work. So pick an 8 to 10 pound med ball and give a good toss.

Do both left and right sides.

Exercise 4:
This one is a regular pushup. But you are going to be doin it with only one foot on the ground. This doesn't mean the other foot gets to cross over the other one but means its up in the air and balanced. This will help keep your core tight and work it hard. Do 3 to four sets of 10 pushups to start with for each leg on the ground.

Exercise 5:

If you make it to and gym do exercises in a split leg stance. A good one is the standing the cable press. (Chest press from standing) do this in a split leg stance, it will help both increase hip mobility and core strength.

Friend, I hope these exercises will help. Once your core get's stronger and back feels better you can slowly start adding more challenging core work. But with lower back pain, a progressive program is vital!

Dude if you have any open time and we can coordinate our schedules, I know your busy with tons of things, I would love to show you these things at the private training facility down here in renton so that you can do them properly whenever you train your core.
Let me know if you need any more advice, want to check out some reading material on lower back pain, or just need another opinion on it.

Unfortunatley I know how bad it can hurt, especially when you get nerves pinched, remember my back from senior of high school and driving home laying down. Damn you Mr. Smith. So I hope this stuff will help in your back battle. Good luck bud.


-albert

In order to help and become more interactive with you all, there is a new facebook fan page for you to join. Albert park's complete performance and fitness experience on facebook. Just use the link on this page to lead you there.

It is a great opportunity for you to stay updated on new blog posts, all the new things I learn and read, and a chance for you to submit any questions for me to answer. Your questions can be anything training related from fat loss techniques, injury rehab, nutrition, and questions on any training methods your curious about. I will do my best to answer all of your questions and if there are questions I don't know the answer to, I promise I will research them and get back to you.

A lot of new articles to come, since I am reading some great books including "power training" by tony dos remedios and the "the new rules for training for women" by alwyn cosgrove.

-albert

Beads of sweat streaked meandering streams down my face, when my sweet dreams were invaded by “It” the terrorizing clown made popular in the “scary” 1990 motion picture. When they said parental guidance, they weren’t joking.

My best friend Michael was always into Halloween, haunted houses, and freaky movies. (He was also a fan of Goosebumps books and that show “Are you afraid of the Dark” man I hated that dumb show) One night, after some 7 year old negotiations, I finally gave in and agreed to watch “It”. Hey the 7 year old Mike was pretty persuasive. Little did I know, the movie was about a clown haunting kids like us, and “it” would haunt my dreams for years to come.




This Halloween seemed no different then the usual. Little princesses and spider men trick or treated, the weather was frigid and wet, college age and up girls dressed in slutty costumes (I didn’t mind this part), and all my friends used the unofficial holiday as another excuse to party. For me, Halloween 2009 would turn out to be one of the scariest ever!

On my lunch break at my day job, I pulled out my blackberry to check out the latest t-nation.com articles and reread some of my favorites like I usually do. With a belly full of a chicken breast salad and water I read Dan John’s article “4 challenges to Light your fire”. My palms usually get a little moist when I read his articles in anticipation of the grueling workouts he designs. He’s a renown strength coach and religious studies school teacher, probably because you really do need help from God to get through some of his workouts. This guy pulls weighted sleds carrying sand bags through the Utah snow in t shirts. Come on! If that doesn’t get you stoked I don’t know what does.


One of the four challenges really leaped out at me, since I’ve been doing a lot of KettleBell work for the last 6 months, considering my boss and mentor is a Russian Kettlebell Certified crazy European trainer from Slovenia. I mean that in the best possible way. The challenge was called the “THE BIG 55”.

The Big 55 was simple. It utilized two exercises with the Kettlebell (KB). KB swings and goblet squats. It’s name is derived from the rep scheme. 10 KB swings, 10 goblet squats, 9 KB swings, 9 goblet squats, etc….all the way down to one. 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6+……..1 = 55. Get it? Good. The idea is to pick a weight that you can do 10 KB swings and goblet squats with and perform the rep scheme all the way down to 1 without putting the KB down. If this sounds easy, you probably have never done either exercise or don’t know what a Kettlebell is. Don’t judge.


(The swing: Maintaining a straight back, stand on your heels, look straight, and use an explosive hip snap on every rep.
Goblet squat: It is quite similar to a front squat. Hold the KB in front of your with both hands and the KB close to your chest. Squat. This will give you a more comfortable and natural straight-spine position)

So with getting off work late, I lost all motivation in the Halloween festivities and texted back my drunk friends telling them that Count Dracula (my costume this year) wasn’t going to make it out. Instead I decided to walk into the underground gym where I train and train others at, Hocevar Performance (shameless plug I know), to take on Dan John’s Big 55 challenge.

Have you ever been scared? Really terrified. A terror that triggers a chain reaction where you start sweating, your butt cheeks clench because you might sh*t on yourself, and you start breaking out into a repetitive prayer chant. Well, when I walked in to the gym drinking my pre workout concoction my body was blindsided by a new and uncomfortable fear. It was a lethal combination of “Oh this place is haunted, let’s get the f*ck out” scared and a “What was that growling sound” while your out in the woods at night scared. I could hear “The Big 55” laughing like a banshee.

It came and went in a mere 15 minutes but it’s effects were felt long after the last drop of sweat. Each swing told me to give up and each squat laughed at me. But as the last goblet squat was finished the KB smacked the ground as hard as my body. I layed motionless and breathed in breaths of freedom. Oh air, so sweet!

Dan John, you are truly a mad scientist and know how to force the human body to adapt and transform. Mike (Michael as I know him pre 17), tell “It’ that I am probably stronger, bigger, and faster than his psychopathic, middle aged, overweight ass and if he wants me he has to catch me first. If he does find a way to get me, I will be taking a Kettlebell straight to his clown skull.



Doesn't look good for you "CLOWN!"


Happy Halloween!