The Lower Back is a Key to Strength
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The lower back is a key muscle group. The lower back is neglected, yet takes a beating on a routine basis. People slouch and work on computers, which causes them to slouch. This causes the erector spinae to stretch out for prolonged periods of time. Of course, the body adjusts to whatever the user requires of it, so it programs itself to be comfortable in the position.
The truth of the matter is that the lower back is one of the most undertrained areas of most normal people’s lives. A lot of the back pain in people is because people do not train the back specifically. Everyone wants a flat tummy; however, their over-extended back is giving them trouble. Therefore, they try to “firm up” their core by doing abdominal crunches to alleviate the pain. All this does is strengthen the abdominals to cause a bigger pull on the erector spinae, which causes more problems in the long run.
Want to be healthy? Train your erector spinae It is as simple as that, you will find that you will be stronger in other lifts. You will also be healthier because you will experience less pain. Your lower back also helps in squatting movements. That means, if your buddy asks you to move a couch with them, then you are far less likely to pull something out of socket when you attempt to do it. That means that the rest of your weekend will still be fun time, instead of time you spend on a couch with a sore back.
In general, abs look good, but a strong lower back helps you be functional in your everyday life. There are very few functional movements in life that do not involve the erector spinae. Therefore, it is smart to train the back for strength and endurance because a lot of movements depend on a strong lower back. You want to be healthy and to be less likely to random injuries, then you need to train your lower back today.
There are several movements that help the erector spinae gain strength. There are lower back raises, there are hamstring raises, there are dead lifts, and so forth. With all of these movements, a person can find something that works for them and add it into their routine. It is really that simple.
However, that is all naive, because the fact of the matter is that most people will not start training the erector spinae even after reading this article. However, the smart people will start training their lower back and experience gains in strength, endurance, and will become less likely to be injured in the process. Most people only do what is easy or what makes them look good. However, if you want to be smart, strong, and healthy then you need to consider specifically adding exercises to keep a strong erector spinae in addition to the all the cosmetic training you could do.
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About the Author
Scott Buendia is a fitness professional in Beaverton. You can check out one of his sites at http://www.beavertonpersonaltrainer.info. You can also check out his Bizbuilt card at https://www.bizbuilt.com/beavertonpersonaltrainer.
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