Low Back Pre-hab

About 80% of the population has some degree of low back dysfunction. This includes those who have had surgery to those who have disk problems but have not yet felt any symptoms. Low back pain generally is a symptom of some combination of three problems, 1.) Hip Immobility, 2.) Upper Back Immobility, 3.) Glute amnesia. Each week I will write about and post a video of a different exercise to help you mobilize your hips and upper back and activate your glute muscles. First up is a great and easy hip mobilization exercise; the Split Squat. This is a great exercise to mobilize your hips in the sagital plane.

1. Start with feet about 3 - 4 feet apart
2. Put your hands behind your head. If you have trouble with balance put your hands on your hips.
3. Drop your knee straight down and tap your knee to the floor
4. Push through your front heel and return to starting position
5. Maintain perfect posture throughout the movement. Keep your chest up and eyes looking forward.
   

Perform up to 8 repetitions on each leg. If you are a beginner try performing 4 perfect split squats each leg and progress from there. Try adding this exercise to your warm-up and may experience dramatic improvments in your hip mobility.