So what’s the deal with all of this pulling your navel to your spine and hollowing out your low belly? I know you thought it was so you look FLEXy in the mirror, but that’s actually not it..even though it’s a nice bonus. It’s really about supporting and stabilizing your lumbar spine (low back) while you move.
Low backs are a huge trouble spot for a lot of people injury wise because the anatomical structure that connects your upper body to your lower body is basically just a stack of alternating bones and discs, think caprese salad.
Okay so there’s a little more going on like some ligaments, processes, and then whoa what is my spinal chord doing right behind that slippery piece of mozzarella!! Imagine you tried to take a bite out of one side of that stack of caprese…that’s right those mozzarellas would slide right out. That’s exactly what happens (okay not EXACTLY) when you bend your body quickly in a direction without first turning on your stabilizers and lifting up and out of your vertebral joints. The jelly filled center of your vertebral disk presses against the fibrous exterior and creates a “bulging disk.” This can even lead to a disk herniation where even more of the disk slides out and can possibly compresses some of the nerves behind it. Ouchh. Most people won’t develop such serious problems, but learning to stabilize and lengthen through your lumbar spine can do A LOT to prevent less serious muscular injuries that can also lay you on the floor (in not a good way).
What if you already have a back injury? Try to keep moving, but in a pain free zone. Your vertebral disks are a cushy consistency because they have to work like shock absorbers while you are pounding that pavement. If you have an injury and stop moving from a particular vertebral segment the disks surrounding those vertebrae get dry and brittle. This can make you even more likely to get a new injury. If you think you’re not moving from part of your spine, just try a roll down while really thinking about one bone sliding down towards the floor at a time. That’s right all that rolling down and up in the beginning and end of class is not really to make you look like an Orc from LOTR being born from the earth.
What to do in class when that low back starts letting you know what’s up:
In Supine Abs (laying with back on floor or on the carriage): Try closing the space between the floor and your low back (Pilates talk imprint your spine) but keep your tailbone heavy on the floor/ carriage. This will release your spinal extensors and allow the flat surface behind you to stabilize your own personal stack of caprese (lumbar spine) against the contraction of your abs.
In FlexBarre Chair: You know it my FlexBarre babes. Your facing the barre trying to keep your hips as low as your knees and if you can think over the burn in your thighs, sometimes theres a little extra tension in your low back. First try LEGNTHENING, not just your front body really picture putting space into the center of your torso. When you’re trying to lengthen anything BREATHING is your best friend. Be sure your bottom rib isn’t popping out to the front either.
In Planks: It’s the holy grail of EVERYTHING keep that belly squeezing in!! Letting your low back dip down toward the floor is not a safe or supported position, just don’t let it happen.
Standing on one leg with the other leg reaching back: We do this in tons of different ways in all three of our workouts and same basics apply. Double check your navel is pulling up and back to your spine. Then try to keep your low back still, even and try making the range of motion in your back leg a little smaller. Sometimes bigger is not always better. Once that low back is solid you can make your movements bigger, just don’t let that low back change shape.
Still can’t figure it out? Ask that FLEXy instructor…we’re here to help! xoxo – Chrysetta
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