Gravity Fx Fitness

Craig’s not quite the six million dollar man but he does have some added hardware from two lumbar disc fusions.  More than two years ago he had back surgery to remove not one lumbar disc, but two!

In the two years prior to his surgery, Craig hadn’t done much in the way of exercise because of the back pain.  So when he decided to come in and train it had been at least four years since he had done any sweating.

Because of his past injuries he was eager to try and regain basic muscular function but also had some fears of reinjuring himself, which is understandable.  I was confident we could help him but wanted to take things slow, building a good foundation.

After this kind of surgery it is important to work on core stability to help support his spine.  This would be vital for everyone but especially for someone as tall as Craig.  Most of my clients have to look up at me but I have to look up at him.  Meaning, he has a long torso and more need for spine stability than the average person.

Initially, we split his workouts between the studio and the warm water pool, which is heated to 94 degrees.  The warm water helps loosen up stiff muscles and joints that haven’t seen much movement in a long time.  The water also provides some stability to the joints, taking away the full weight of your body.

There were a few exercises in the studio that he felt some pressure in his back, so we avoided those positions or modified them.  Through use of the vibration platform and doing bodyweight squats on the TRX suspension trainer, Craig was able to greatly increase his range of motion in both his hips and knees.

This is especially important for those with past low back injuries.  If the hips aren’t flexible than you will try to make up for that loss with increased lumbar movement, which isn’t good.

With a back fusion like that, you lose the ability of those joints to move, so his other joints would have to provide more movement, causing them to likely wear out faster.

Obviously, that isn’t a good situation.  Craig has a very busy work schedule and has struggled to make it in for his workouts sometimes, which might have slowed down his progress those first couple of months, but he was determined to stick with it and has seen the benefits.

Exercise is crucial to releasing stress in a healthy manner, instead of relying solely on food, drink or smoking, as so many tend to do.  He has surpassed his expectations of what he could accomplish exercise-wise, but he still has room for improvement.

Being able to do simple things like mowing the grass, using the snow blower and such are no longer an issue.  I showed two exercises in the video; the sled, which he does very well with and enjoys and the ropes, which he really doesn’t care for but does it anyway.

Both of these exercises make you work hard and get your heart rate up, which means they’re good for you.  We didn’t have him do the sled pushing until recently and it might have been too dificult when he first started out.

Craig is proof that a progressive exercise program can provide benefits if you have the discipline, desire and patience to do the work.

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….that is the question.  Are spinal flexion movements like crunches and situps damaging to the spine, or nothing to worry about?

If you’re familiar with top spine researcher Dr. Stuart McGill, you should know that his research shows that repeated flexion, such as doing 15 minutes of crunch and situp variations, can be damaging to the discs.

I attended one of his seminars on core stability a while back at Palmer Chiropractic College.  Having read some of his articles, I was fairly familiar with his concepts for core training.

Recently, I listened to a podcast with Dr. McGill and he stated his belief that we have a limited number of forward flexion (bending) cycles in each one of us and that doing lots of these type of ab exercises just wastes that number.

He thinks that those who have tempted fate in this manner, may have genetics that allow them to get away with it, up to a point.  He advocates “bracing” the abs isometrically to support the spine and strengthen the abdominal wall……

a wall with different layers of muscles running in different directions, kind of like plywood, where the different layers are stronger together than any of them on their own.

Plank exercises are the starting point for these different “bracing” strategies of core stability.  These can be done in the front and side positions, and bridges can address the glute and back muscles.

McGill recently has done studies with competitive strongmen, like the ones you see on ESPN, lifting massive amounts of weight.

This confirmed the role of the quadratus lumborum as an important spine stabilizer.  These muscles run from the bottom of your ribcage to the pelvis and also attach to the spine.

When you carry a heavy suitcase in one hand, it places a lot of demand on this muscle to keep your back straight – or when you carry a heavy suitcase in both hands, these muscles are working hard to support your spine.

So training your abs and low back to stay tight when lifting heavy objects is one of the benefits to this method of training.  Improved posture is another.

If you are someone who has had disc problems or sciatica, then situps and crunches are the last thing you want to do, as this puts unnecessary stress on your back.

One of the few exceptions to doing flexion might be those with too much curve in their low back.  A few sets of reverse crunches might help keep everything in a more neutral position.

After basic stability is gained, I like to use sandbag exercises and suspension training for increased intensity to your midsection – teaching your upper and lower body to work with your “core” for increased coordination – the way it works in real life situations.

Get Moving!

Brian Morgan

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Do runners need to do any core training?  Will it make you a more efficient runner?  Most definitely.

This topic of training for the core has gotten a lot of publicity in recent years, with good reason.  Proper stability in this area is necessary for preventing low back pain as well as increasing performance.

Everyone seems to have a different definition of the core and how to train it, but it is much more than your abs and just doing plenty of crunches and situps.  It also includes your low back and the muscles of hips.

One key area that runners need to focus on is your glutes!  These muscles stabilize your hips which obviously will add to your running efficiency.  If your hip joint is not stable your body won’t properly absorb shock or generate adequate muscle force.

I was at a seminar a few years back and a physical therapist was reporting about an injured triathlete who came to see him.  During the evaluation he asked the man “where is your (butt)?”  Apparently, he had no glute development and that was part of the problem.

By spending a lot of time training his glutes the man greatly increased his age group ranking while spending less time running and such.  If you want to reduce the risk of IT band injuries and other lower leg issues, you need some focus on stability.

Single leg bridges are a simple way to train your glutes.  Keep your knee bent about 90 degrees and push through your heel.  Pause at the top for a second or two and slowly lower.  Make sure you move through your hip, the low back is just “along for the ride,” holding still.

Single leg exercises like step ups and multi-direction lunges are excellent.  Start with your own bodyweight and then add dumbbells or sandbags for extra resistance.  Lunges and squats with sandbags are a great way to train your abs and low back, also.

Most crunches and sit-up variations will have minimal positive impact and could increase your risk for back pain.  Bridges and planks in different positions will provide more stability.  For more resistance, push/pull exercises with resistance bands will challenge your core, as will sandbag exercises.

Get moving!

Brian

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