If you have back pain or sciatica, NEVER DO THIS exercise!
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Between 75-85% of Americans will experience substantial back-pain at some point (ref. American Chiropractic Association)… so there’s a good chance that you need to read this!
?We have 3 problems to address here:
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#1. Tons of people have back pain.
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#2. Often, that back pain is caused by?lack of core strength
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#3. One of the most popular core exercises is?actually making the pain worse!!
?I’ll go ahead and jump right to the important part… If you do the exercise “Russian Twists” for a core workout, you will probably want to stop!
?If you’re unfamiliar with that exercise, it looks like this:
Chest and knees high, rotating the trunk side-to-side, usually holding a weight at chest level.
?What’s so bad about it?
?There are two parts of this exercise that are… well… sub-optimal.
?The first issue is the?compressive force that is placed on the disks of the back?(the padded part between the vertebrae). If you have lower back pain or sciatica, this is of great importance to you!
?The more compression, (generally) the worse the pain gets!
?However, for those of you that lift heavy on a regular basis without much issue, this may not be a huge factor… but the next one is!
?Issue #2 is the torque placed on the spine.?The twisting motion while under stress is a great way to find yourself at the chiropractor!?This motion drastically increases the chance that something in the back will become misaligned!
?So, what should we do instead of Russian Twists?
?You’ll have to be on the lookout for my next article!
?Have a Wonderful Day!
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-Caleb