Basic exercises to prevent back spasms

Basic, traditional, back-spasm-preventing and back-strengthening exercises

include the following (make sure you warm up by walking, jogging, or cycling
easily for 10 minutes or so before you begin the drills):

(1) Knee Raises (for lower back flexibility). Lie on your back with your legs
extended, and then bring your left knee toward your chest and grasp it. Pull the
left knee as close to your chest as pain permits, and hold for about 10 to 15
seconds, letting your hamstrings, bum, and lower back muscles 'unkink'. Then,
return to the starting position and perform the same sequence with your right leg.
Return to the starting position to complete one rep; complete 10 reps overall.

(2) Back Rounders (for lower back flexibility). Lie on your back with your legs
extended and your arms at your sides. Draw both of your knees toward your
chest. Then, grasp your knees underneath your thighs and raise your head from
the floor. In a relaxed and smooth manner, bring your head and knees as close
together as pain and flexibility permit, and hold this position for five to 10
seconds. Return to the starting position, relax, and repeat for a total of 10 times.

(3) The Pelvic Press (for strengthening the low back). To carry out this
exercise, simply lie on your back with your arms at your sides - or with your
hands behind your head. Then, tighten the muscles of the stomach and buttocks,
pressing the small of your back to the floor. Hold the small of your back on the
floor for about 12 seconds, return to the starting position, and relax for a few
seconds. Perform this cycle 12 times, rest for a moment, and then follow up with
12 more 'presses'.

(4) The Double-Knee Lift (for better coordination and flexibility, as well as
improved core strength). Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of
your feet on the ground. Then, tighten your stomach muscles and bring your
knees slowly and smoothly toward your chest. Next, extend your legs into a
straightened position while keeping your heels several inches off the floor. Hold
this position for three to five seconds (or for as long as pain permits). Return to
the starting position by bringing your knees back toward your chest and then
lowering your feet to the floor, and relax for a few seconds. Perform two sets of
eight reps of this exercise, stopping the exertion if any pain arises.

(5) Opposite Arm and Leg Lifts (for strength and flexibility). Lie face down
on the floor with your legs straight and your arms fully extended, so that they are
lying on the floor on either side of your head. Then, raise your right arm and left
leg as high off the floor as possible, and hold the position for about 12 seconds.
Lower your right arm and left leg back to the floor and relax for a few seconds.
Then, raise your left arm and right leg as high off the floor as you can, holding for
12 seconds. Complete one rep by relaxing for a few seconds, and carry out a total
of two sets of 10 reps, with a short break between sets.
(6) Lower back Extensions (to enhance lower back strength). Lie on your
stomach, with your arms by your sides and your hands extended toward your
feet, with palms touching the floor. Contract the muscles at the back of your neck,
so that you are gazing forward and upward. That's the basic position! A rep is
simply a contraction of your lower back muscles, lifting your torso off the ground,
followed by a slow easing of your trunk back to the floor. Complete two sets of 12
reps, with a short intervening break.

(7) Hip Circles and Twists (two movements to improve core strength during
actions involving rotation of the spine). With your hands on your hips and your
feet spread apart somewhat wider than your shoulders, make circles with your
hips in a clockwise direction for 12 repetitions. Repeat the circles in a counter-
clockwise direction for 12 reps. Then, extend (straighten) your arms so that they
are extending straight out on either side of your body (they should be parallel
with the floor), and twist your torso and hips to the left, shifting your weight onto
your left foot. Then twist your torso to the right while shifting your weight to the
right foot. Complete 12 reps on each side, making sure that movement is
produced by your core muscles, not by violent thrusts from your shoulders and
arms.

(8) Warrior at the Wall (for lower back strength and flexibility, as well as bum
strength). Stand tall but relaxed with your feet at hip width; your arms should be
hanging at your sides, with palms turned toward your legs. Look straight ahead,
facing a blank wall which is about three feet away. As you exhale, bend forward
from your hips and extend your arms forward until your fingertips are touching
the wall. Adjust yourself so that your legs are perpendicular to the floor and your
arms and upper body are absolutely parallel with the ground. As you inhale, raise
your left leg backward and up until it is parallel with the ground. Hold your left
leg up for about eight breaths, and then repeat with the opposite leg. Repeat
several times with each leg.

More advanced exercises for the low back and core

Once you have completed the basic routine above a couple of times per week for a
few weeks (or once you can breeze through the above exertions with no
problems), you are ready to move on to more challenging drills for your back and
core muscles. The following exercises will have a pronounced impact on your
strength, stability, and coordination:

(1) The Bridges of Kenya (for achieving stunning core strength). Lie face down
on the ground or floor and stretch out in a prone position. Then, lift up your body
so that you are balanced only on your forearms and toes. Your elbows are on the
ground and should be directly below your shoulders. Your forearms and hands
are pointed straight ahead, resting on the ground. Your toes (and feet) are about
shoulder-width apart, and your toes are the only part of your lower body which
are touching the ground. Your whole body is supported only by your forearms
and toes.
A. Now, a key, key point: 'tuck' your pelvis. This basically means rotating your
pelvic girdle by pushing the lower part of your pelvic area toward the ground
while the upper part of the pelvis rotates away from the ground. Your hip area
doesn't actually come any closer to the ground (your whole body should be in a
fairly straight line from your toes up to your shoulders). When you 'tuck', you are
just rotating your pelvis, not moving it up or down. If you were standing, you
would be directing the lower part of your pelvis forward and pulling the top part
of your pelvic girdle backward. It's important to complete this exercise as
directed, because it is crucial for improving what I call your core strength - the
strength of the muscles surrounding the pelvic girdle, which promote powerful,
economical, injury-free sporting activity.

B. Hold this basic position (body supported only on forearms and toes, pelvis
tucked) for 15 seconds, and then lift your right arm off the ground, straighten it,
and point it straight ahead, holding it in the air for 10 seconds (at this point, your
body is supported only by your left forearm and the toes of your two feet). After
10 seconds, return to the starting position.

C. Then, lift your left arm off the ground and point it straight ahead, holding it in
the air for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position.

D. Now lift your right leg up in the air and hold it there for 10 seconds (your body
will now be supported by your two forearms and the toes on your left foot).
Return to the starting position.

E. Lift your left leg in the air for 10 seconds, and then return to the starting
position.

F. Here's a move you'll always remember: from the starting position, lift your
right arm and left leg in the air SIMULTANEOUSLY. Hold them up for 10
seconds, and then return to the starting position.

G. Then, lift your left arm and right leg SIMULTANEOUSLY, and hold them in
the air for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position.

Take a one to two-minute break, and then repeat steps A-G once more.

H. Once you've completed the second set, stay in the basic position for one
additional minute. Please remember to keep your pelvis tucked and your body in
a straight line.

I. Now, flip over on your back and lift yourself up so that your body is supported
only by your forearms and your HEELS! Again, your body should be linear, your
pelvis should be tucked, and your elbows should be approximately below your
shoulders. Stay in this basic position, and then lift your right leg off the ground
for 10 seconds.
J. Return your right heel to the ground, and lift your left leg in the air for 10
seconds (you are balanced only on your forearms and right heel). Then, return it
to the ground and hold the basic position for 30 seconds.

K. Flip over on your right side and support your whole body with only your right
forearm and the OUTSIDE OF YOUR RIGHT FOOT. Your body should be a
straight line, inclined upward from the foot to the shoulder - and off the ground
(don't let your leg touch the ground). Your left foot should simply be lying on the
right foot. Then, lift your left leg straight up (abducting the hip) for 10 seconds,
before returning to this basic position.

L. Flip over to your left side, and repeat step K, but with your body weight
supported by your left forearm and the outside of your left foot (you will raise
your right leg in the air). Hold your right leg in the air for 10 seconds, and you're
done with the core routine!

Although the Bridges of Kenya is an extremely effective exercise, note that it - like
the exertions in the basic back-spasm-prevention programme outlined above - is
not as functional as one might hope. That is, 'Bridges' does not utilise a standing
posture, which is the body position used in most sports, and it does not call for
strength and coordination during active movement, which is what is required
during most sporting activities. The following exercises, with their emphasis on
movement and coordination, are considerably more functional:

(2) Picking up Litter (for coordination and lower back strength). As you jog
along easily, suddenly stop on your left foot (with your left foot out ahead of your
body), perform a squatting motion with your left leg (ie, flex the left leg at the
knee), and simultaneously swing your right hand downward, scooping up an
imaginary piece of litter from the ground. Straighten your left leg so that you once
again achieve an erect posture, and then three steps (right, left, right), stopping
on the third - right - step and repeating the overall motion (flex right leg at knee,
scoop up 'litter' with left hand). Continue in this manner for one minute, rest for
15 seconds, and repeat. This exercise is great for improving balance and agility, as
well as lower back flexibility and coordination.

(3) Half Standing Forward Bends (for greater lower back strength and
coordination). Stand tall but relaxed with your feet at hip width; your arms
should be hanging at your sides, with palms turned toward your legs. Look
straight ahead. As you exhale, step forward about 36 to 42 inches (about the
length of your leg) with your right foot. Then, place your hands on the tops of
your hips and make sure the front of your pelvis is 'squared'. Release your hands
and let your arms hang. As you inhale, raise your arms forward and then straight
overhead. As you exhale again, bend forward from the hips, 'soften up' your right
knee, and let your head and arms hang down. Your head should be directly above
(but a little to the left of) your right foot, and your arms should pass alongside
your ears, with your hands attempting to make contact with the ground just a
little in front of your toes. If your head is not very close to your right knee, flex
your right knee a little more. As you inhale, 'roll' up slowly, 'stacking' the bones of
your spine on each other, and then raise your arms overhead, reaching for an
imaginary object well above you. Step back with your right foot to the beginning
position, while letting your arms move back to your sides. Rest for a moment, and
then repeat four more times, before completing five forward bends with your left
leg forward.

(4) Cross-body Leg Swings (for greater lower back mobility). Leaning slightly
forward with your hands on a wall and your weight on your left leg, swing your
right leg to the left in front of your body, pointing your toes upward as your foot
reaches its farthest point of motion. Then swing the right leg back to the right as
far as comfortably possible, again pointing your toes up as your foot reaches it
final point of movement. Repeat this overall motion 10 times before performing
10 reps with your left leg. Rest for a few seconds, and then repeat.

(5) If you are a golfer, tennis player, baseball/cricket athlete, or squash

/handball/racquetball competitor, your sport involves considerable twisting
motions which can damage lower back muscles and induce spasms. To
strengthen your lower back during tortuous twists, utilise devices like
the 'NRG Ball' (think of a medicine ball on a stick) or a 'Bodyblade' (a
flexible rod) to provide resistance as you carry out the normal
swinging motions associated with your sport (Fitter International
Inc., mentioned above, carries both products). As a cheap alternative, you
may also hold a free weight or medicine ball in front of you, and alternatively
twist from side to side in movements mimicking those of your sport, using your
abdominal and lower back muscles to produce motion, rather than freely
swinging your shoulders and arms back and forth.

(6) The Rotational Hamstring Stretch (for improving flexibility in the lower
back, bum, and hamstring areas):
(A) Stand on your right foot with your left leg elevated to nearly hip height in
front of you, with your left heel resting on top of a bench or table. Your right foot
should be turned outward approximately 45 degrees from straight ahead. Then,
lean forward slightly to induce stretching on the left hamstring. At this point,
rotate your left foot, ankle, knee, and hip inward and outward 15 times to each
side.

(B) Repeat the above action with your support (right) foot rotated inward
approximately 10 degrees.

(C) Finally, repeat both of the above actions with the opposite leg.

If you carry out this advanced routine two to three times a week for several
weeks, you will notice a remarkable improvement in your lower back and core
strength, coordination, and sport-specific flexibility, and you should be at lower
risk of back spasms. Best of all, your upgraded strength and control should help
you perform at a higher level in your chosen sport.