Before I begin, let me remind you that I am not an MD or Physical Therapist. I am a Corrective Exercise Specialist – meaning two things: if you have a movement-compensation, I can fix that or when a patient is released from PT, they can come to me to continue their exercises and gain overall body strength to prevent injury. Please listen to your doctor & implement exercise per your doctor. If you are cleared from your doctor or physical therapist for exercise, then you may take my advice!
One of the obstacles that I am always battling with new clients is Low Back Pain (LBP). Most people who come to me with LBP don’t think they can move because their body hurts. In some cases, your back pain may be from a lot of driving, sitting at a computer, sitting doing school work, etc.
As a human, I can tell you that I don’t have the best posture while I’m driving, especially when I’m on a road trip. I also struggle to keep good posture when I am at my computer – I am good for the first hour or so, but anything longer, forget it! But if I don’t get up and move my body, the stiffness continues and pain can occur. This is an endless cycle, which you may be living in right now! If any of these examples sound like you, you may just need to implement a few movements into your day to help!
Unless there is an orthopedic issue, most LBP can be minimized through exercise. This is because most LBP is a result of a lack of core strength. This does not mean that you need to go get a 6 pack of abs (even though maybe you do have some weight to lose, that will help). But you will need to implement some exercises to increase your core strength! Remember, your core isn’t just your “6-pack” (rectus abdominis); you have internal core stabilizers, a pelvic floor, and deep spinal muscles that all play a part!
Here are the 5 beginner exercises that I recommend for any new client coming to me with some back pain/tightness.
I recommend 2 sets of 10-15 each to get you started.
- Bridges
Bridge
- Birddog
- Superman (alternating – right arm with left leg, vice versa)
- Plank Holds (start with 10-15 seconds and work your way up)
- Plank to Downward Dog
Along with these 5 exercises, I recommend getting a foam roller. I live by the foam roller – self-myofascial release is important for muscle recovery and injury prevention! Foam roll your quads, IT bands, hamstrings, 
and calves. The first time you try it, you may curse me out (just ask some of my clients!), but once you implement rolling into your routine, you’ll thank me!
I hope these tricks will bring you some relief! I hope that you dedicate some time (these things won’t minimize the issue with one run through). And I hope you reach out if you have questions or want more information!
Be Blessed Always, Coach Cate
