Coach Presents: Three Exercises to Immediately Improve Your Back
We all have it at certain times during the day. Whether that’s at work, on our commute, or at home after a long day in the office, we all experience back pain. Back pain is so common it is one of the leading causes of time away from work. However, there a couple of very simple things we can do right now to help with our pain and hopefully start to curb any future pain.
Exercise your core!
Your core muscles are your lower back, abdominal muscles and muscles that run up your side. These muscles need to be strong to help support your back and will help to take pressure off your back at your desk.
However. Many of us, our core muscles are not used often enough during our day. These muscles need to be toned through specific exercises. These exercises are simple and can be performed at your desk or in your office while you’re taking a break.
- Plank Pose-You can do this anywhere! Place your hands or forearms on your desk or floor, and extend your legs behind you on your toes. Contract your ab muscles in toward your stomach, and hold this position for as long as you can. Try to work up to one minute or even a two minute hold.
- Seated Leg Pull-Ups-Slide your rear end to the front edge of your desk chair and lean back about a 45 degree angle. With your gripping the side of your chair, next to your thighs, draw both legs up with your knees bent, toward your stomach. Continue to extend your legs out at a 45-degree angle without letting them touch the floor. This will be one repetition. Try to pause for a second and then lift them back in. This is a good exercise for about 20 total repetitions.
- Chair Bicycle-If you were to climb down on the floor and start to do crunches in the cubicle, you might get some strange looks from your coworkers. Even if you weren’t getting strange looks, it might be more difficult in heeled shoes or a skirt. Instead, let’s try to do them in our chair. Move your rear end to the very edge of your desk chair. Pull your stomach and belly in and as always sit with good posture. For added difficulty put your hands behind your head with your elbows out. Lift your right leg up and rotate to try to touch your opposite elbows to your knee. Continue this on each side for 10-20 reps. You’ll find you will get tired quickly.
If you’re experiencing back pain, try these few simple exercises to start to gain some relief. Overtime, you’ll strengthen, the exercises will become easier and your pain may start to subside.
~Sean Hogan has coached hockey at the international and collegiate levels for over ten years. He has spoken at numerous events about culture building, goal setting and healthy lifestyles. He holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Recreation and Sports Science with an emphasis on Coaching Education from OHIO University.