Cat/Cow is another good one that's helps me. I am a huge fan of Bird Dogs. Also, for manly men who blanche at the thought of "yoga" Diamond Dallas Page has an amazing program called DDP Yoga which really helped me. I was doing that and rucking, along with watching what I ate and lost 50 pounds.
There are few better ways to loosen up your back pre-workout than by doing a few reps of cat-cow. I learned this from a fantastic PT after a low back injury and have sworn by it ever since.
Great article, thank you! Can’t wait to try these Big 3 exercises… it’s so hard to know what preventative exercises to focus on. It’s gardening season and that always causes me back pain. One thing I have noticed for me is tight hamstrings = low back pain. Stretching them often helps immediately.
The good Dr. Kelly Starrett's supple leopard Couch Stretch saved my life ... good bye lower back pain. I can't go a day without it and it's black magic ways. Love that it's a standard in the 2% warmup. How awesome is that the cure for back pain ... is to get off your ass and exercise.
Couch stretch is a game changer! I remember when I could barely do it. Took a few months but I've developed a solid routine and I have great range of motion. Bonus points for keeping your glute on the stretched leg active the entire time to get some real hip extension ;)
When my wife and I started having kids, I was always bent over changing diapers or doing something that caused me to bend. I was also sitting in a chair at work and the combo gave me some lower back pain I'd never felt in my life. A coworker recommended sitting on a stability ball so I tried it and I will say that within a couple of weeks, all of the lower back pain was gone. That was 13 years ago and I will never choose a chair if I have to sit at a desk again.
PS...I tried a standing desk but that presented other issues, so the stability gave me the benefit of an engaged core without the wear on the knees
Why don't YOU start off with the TRUTH? NO ONE know why 80% of the population has back pain. People haves been pedaling exercises and body work and pills etc for 50 years. If any program worked, then n o one would have this pain. McGill charges a fortune for diagnosis but the Three exercises are simple. So why isn't everyone pain free? I don't have pain and yet I don't do what is supposed to keep one pain free. Maybe because 65% of the population is OBESE this issue is not fixable until Ozempic is int eh writer supply.
Lots of facts here fore sure. I talk to people all the time who say " I just need to loose weight" but they have already developed the back issues. So yea I agree with you, its likely way more a weight and inactivity issue in many cases. But I also talk to super fit people who have back issues. in my opinion its the people who move just enough, and not too much that are the safest lol. There's a sweet spot.
Check out the work of Peter O'Sullivan his recent research is changing a lot of narratives around back pain and how it should be treated. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/12/698
Doctors used to tell me come back in 6 weeks and we’ll see how it’s going. They should have said there’s nothing they would do in 6 weeks. Short of a tumour or a fracture doctors can rarely do anything about back pain and they aren’t good at explaining that. This started at 20 and sometimes I saw a doctor sometimes I didn’t bother.
I used to use ice and heat to numb the pain and then I could move more. I found it was better to keep moving than the recommended rest doctors had suggested. With age it got more frequent.
What worked? Planks and yoga! I’ve only had one flare up in 8 years caused by lifting heavy beams to resuport my house and I was able to resolve it in a day not weeks. It only took 20 years to figure it out. There are so many better resources like this article that could have helped me now.
To keep me moving I discovered that brisk walking didn’t cause pain while regular walking was painful and challenging. Then I could do some of the stretches I found through yoga and I was ready to help my neighbour carry a treadmill up the stairs of his house.
I’ve been meaning to add in some bird dogs, now I must.
Hi Michael, I’m a new subscriber and excited about your content. I’m surprised I can’t find a link to the Frontiers study the post is based around. Is there a spot I’m missing to find your source materials? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these exercises. I've been rucking more and more and have also found that's helped my lower back pain through increased core stability.
One thing the piece didn't address but I think is crucial, especially in lifting DBs and KBs, is form. The piece mentions fatigue but those are the moments when form can be really compromised and you're overusing muscles the exercise didn't intend to get those last reps in or to use a higher weight. It's hard to know when you hit that fatigue moment, so I try to hold myself to the rule of "if I can't hold my form, I shouldn't do the rep."
Cat/Cow is another good one that's helps me. I am a huge fan of Bird Dogs. Also, for manly men who blanche at the thought of "yoga" Diamond Dallas Page has an amazing program called DDP Yoga which really helped me. I was doing that and rucking, along with watching what I ate and lost 50 pounds.
I've heard of DDP Yoga. So cool. Weight loss can also be huge for back pain. Thanks for sharing!
Dig up the Butterbean video that shows him with DDP. Quite a video. It may have even gotten a bit dusty when I watched it.
There are few better ways to loosen up your back pre-workout than by doing a few reps of cat-cow. I learned this from a fantastic PT after a low back injury and have sworn by it ever since.
I haven’t tried DDP, but Man Flow Yoga with Dean Pohlman is really good too!
I love cat/cow as well. I have found that daily morning yoga helps keep my lower back pain away.
Great article, thank you! Can’t wait to try these Big 3 exercises… it’s so hard to know what preventative exercises to focus on. It’s gardening season and that always causes me back pain. One thing I have noticed for me is tight hamstrings = low back pain. Stretching them often helps immediately.
Great! Enjoy the gardening!
These exercises might give you a solid foundation so your hamstrings don't cause you an issue.
The good Dr. Kelly Starrett's supple leopard Couch Stretch saved my life ... good bye lower back pain. I can't go a day without it and it's black magic ways. Love that it's a standard in the 2% warmup. How awesome is that the cure for back pain ... is to get off your ass and exercise.
Couch stretch is a game changer! I remember when I could barely do it. Took a few months but I've developed a solid routine and I have great range of motion. Bonus points for keeping your glute on the stretched leg active the entire time to get some real hip extension ;)
When my wife and I started having kids, I was always bent over changing diapers or doing something that caused me to bend. I was also sitting in a chair at work and the combo gave me some lower back pain I'd never felt in my life. A coworker recommended sitting on a stability ball so I tried it and I will say that within a couple of weeks, all of the lower back pain was gone. That was 13 years ago and I will never choose a chair if I have to sit at a desk again.
PS...I tried a standing desk but that presented other issues, so the stability gave me the benefit of an engaged core without the wear on the knees
Why don't YOU start off with the TRUTH? NO ONE know why 80% of the population has back pain. People haves been pedaling exercises and body work and pills etc for 50 years. If any program worked, then n o one would have this pain. McGill charges a fortune for diagnosis but the Three exercises are simple. So why isn't everyone pain free? I don't have pain and yet I don't do what is supposed to keep one pain free. Maybe because 65% of the population is OBESE this issue is not fixable until Ozempic is int eh writer supply.
🤡
Yeah, Joan is a bit acerbic. But ofttimes, she isn't wrong.
Lots of facts here fore sure. I talk to people all the time who say " I just need to loose weight" but they have already developed the back issues. So yea I agree with you, its likely way more a weight and inactivity issue in many cases. But I also talk to super fit people who have back issues. in my opinion its the people who move just enough, and not too much that are the safest lol. There's a sweet spot.
Check out the work of Peter O'Sullivan his recent research is changing a lot of narratives around back pain and how it should be treated. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/12/698
Doctors used to tell me come back in 6 weeks and we’ll see how it’s going. They should have said there’s nothing they would do in 6 weeks. Short of a tumour or a fracture doctors can rarely do anything about back pain and they aren’t good at explaining that. This started at 20 and sometimes I saw a doctor sometimes I didn’t bother.
I used to use ice and heat to numb the pain and then I could move more. I found it was better to keep moving than the recommended rest doctors had suggested. With age it got more frequent.
What worked? Planks and yoga! I’ve only had one flare up in 8 years caused by lifting heavy beams to resuport my house and I was able to resolve it in a day not weeks. It only took 20 years to figure it out. There are so many better resources like this article that could have helped me now.
To keep me moving I discovered that brisk walking didn’t cause pain while regular walking was painful and challenging. Then I could do some of the stretches I found through yoga and I was ready to help my neighbour carry a treadmill up the stairs of his house.
I’ve been meaning to add in some bird dogs, now I must.
Hi Michael, I’m a new subscriber and excited about your content. I’m surprised I can’t find a link to the Frontiers study the post is based around. Is there a spot I’m missing to find your source materials? Thanks!
I found this helpful and have been doing the exercises daily. I would love to see an article about neck pain!
Stewart was interviewed on Peter Attia’s channel a few months ago too. Good stuff.
Thanks for sharing these exercises. I've been rucking more and more and have also found that's helped my lower back pain through increased core stability.
One thing the piece didn't address but I think is crucial, especially in lifting DBs and KBs, is form. The piece mentions fatigue but those are the moments when form can be really compromised and you're overusing muscles the exercise didn't intend to get those last reps in or to use a higher weight. It's hard to know when you hit that fatigue moment, so I try to hold myself to the rule of "if I can't hold my form, I shouldn't do the rep."
It would be useful to know why and how these exercises are effective. None are really loaded. So, pushing small muscles?