Ab and Low Back Facts You Need to Know

by Stephen Holt, Stemulite Fitness Pro


This is just a taste of the info you’ll get at CoreTrainingExercises.com – coming soon.

These are vital excerpts from Stuart McGill’s Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation. (Highly recommended reading for fitness professionals.)

  • “Disc herniation appears to be associated with repeated flexion motion with only moderate compressive loading required.”

    Translation: Crunches are tough enough on your spine to cause a herniation or “slipped disc.”

  • “Having strong abdominals does not necessarily provide the prophylactic effect that many hoped for.”

    Translation: Ab exercises won’t necessarily prevent low back pain.

  • “The issue is not which type of sit-up should be recommended. Rather, sit-ups should not be performed at all by most people.”
  • “Many commonly prescribed flexion exercises result in so much spine compression that they will ensure that the personal remains a patient.”

    Translation: If you’re doing ab exercises to help with your low back pain, be careful which exercises you choose.

  • “Evidence suggests that there is no functional distinction between an ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ rectus abdominis [’six-pack muscle’] in most people.”

    Translation: Don’t fall for the upper/lower ab myth. Many exercises supposedly for your lower abs are actually hip flexion exercises and can cause more harm than good.

  • “Surprisingly little evidence exists to support the notion that low back flexibility is important.
    In fact greater spinal mobility has been associated with low back trouble.”
  • “Avoid bending activities first thing in the morning.”
  • “Exercises performed for the health of the low back should emphasize endurance not strength. Therefore, more repetitions of less demanding exercises would be appropriate.”
  • “It may take up to 3 months to realize the benefit of such a back rehabilitation/prevention program.”

    Translation: Don’t beat up your personal trainer or physical therapist if your low back pain isn’t gone in just a couple of sessions.

    • Low Back Disorders

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