Happy March!

Over the last month I've learned something...keeping up with a blog can be very difficult. My goal for this month is a minimum of three posts per week. I can do it!

I will begin the month by continuing my series of low back reconditioning exercises. 80% of the population will suffer from low back pain at some point in their life. This is a pretty good indication that we need to completely change the way we move and the way we exercise. Most low back issues are due to glute inactivity and hip immobility. Due to our culture of sitting all day many people have glute muscles that simply don't do the job they were designed to perform. The Hip Extension is a simple yet very effective exercise to add to your warm-up to help activate those under-performing glute muscles.

1. Begin by lying on your back, bend your knees so your heels are directly under your knees, and lift your toes off the floor.
2. Squeeze your glutes! Pretend you are holding a piece of paper between your butt cheeks...don't let go of the paper!
3. Extend your hips.
   
4. Hold for 8 - 10 seconds for 3 - 5 reps.
5. Your butt should be rock solid and you should not feel much in your hamstrings. If you do feel it in your hamstrings squeeze your butt tighter.

This exercise can be performed daily as part of your warm-up or really at any point during the day.

On a completely different note...anyone know anything about designing web sites?? I'm in need of some guidance in this area.

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.