How to Get Rocking Abs Without Hurting Your Back

If you're anything like me there has come a time during your workout when you've thought to yourself, "I really hope I’m doing this right…” No one wants to end up in a GymFails video...

In the 10-plus years I've spent around gyms and athletes, the most cringeworthy exercises I've seen have revolved around core and ab exercise. Okay, I know what you're thinking right now, "Dude, it's an ab workout. How hard can crunches and planks be?" Or maybe you've talked to Mr. Flex-In-The-Mirror guy at the gym and he showed you an ab shred that works for him.

If you're anywhere in the ballpark of what I just described, you need to hear what I'm about to say!

So, what's the real issue behind the struggle?

In most cases there are two foundational causes that result in poor core exercises:

• There is not enough strength yet to properly execute the chosen exercise,

OR

• The exercise has been poorly chosen for the muscle group.

Let's look at problem number one: lack of strength. 

A lot of core exercises that people do are in fact really good exercises! The issue comes when there isn't yet a sufficient level of strength to properly support correct form. Take leg lifts for example: I've watched countless times as people lie on their back, drop their legs down towards the floor, and swing them back up. Without fail, instead of their abdominal muscles controlling the drop and recoil, their legs come crashing towards the floor and their lower back arches enough to make McD's jealous in order to help brace their legs against the force of gravity. *Face palm*

So why is this happening and how can we fix it? 

The arch in our back often comes from overactive hip flexor muscles (overactive and tighter than a guitar string in most people) coming in to compensate for weak abdominal muscles. These hip flexors are called your psoas and they attach at your lumbar spine in your low back. When they strain to compensate there is no choice but to pull your low back into hyperflexion creating that cringe-worthy arch. This not only prohibits the abdominal work that's intended but also generates low back pain and potential disc herniations!

A better way to approach this exercise is to regress a few steps back in order to start building abdominal strength through exercises like dead bugs or heel marches, as well as slowing movements down to allow focus on proper mechanics and muscular recruitment. As a general rule, if you can't do the exercise slowly, you can't do the exercise. Speed hides dysfunction.

We’ll be addressing problem number 2: poorly chosen exercises, later this week to see why most people have chosen the wrong exercise in the first place. Keep an eye out to see how your routine stacks up against one of the most common misunderstandings in ab workouts.

In the mean time I would love to hear about the worst ab exercise you’ve ever seen. Shoot me an email at generationathlete@gmail.com!