Glute + Core #4Warmup with these exercises:

Standing with a chair in from of you, reach back with your right leg, reaching through your heel, and forward with your right arm (hold the chair for balance).  Drive your right knee forward as you drive your left elbow back (simulating a running motion).  As you are driving your right knee forward, squeeze your left glutes (buttocks).  Hold at the end position for 5 seconds. Alternate Legs and DO 3 SETS of 15 Reps

STANDING BACK EXTENSION

Standing with your hands on your low back, you are going to bend backwards.  Bend until you feel a good stretch and hold for a few seconds. Do this for 3-5 GOOD STRETCHES.  STOP IF YOU FEEL PAIN

CAT-COW

Come to a hands and knees position, knees underneath your hips and the crease of your wrists directly underneath your shoulders.  Engage your core and abdominal muscles. Keep your spine in a neutral position.  Pull the shoulder blades down and back.  Cat Position- Using the abdominal and low back muscles, tip your tail toward the ceiling, increasing the arch in your mid and low back. Take a deep breath in. Pull your shoulder blades down your back. Hold this position until you can’t breathe in anymore then move to cat position .Cow Position-Tuck your tail under and use your abdominal muscles to push your spine upwards towards the ceiling.  SLOWLY exhale throughout the movement. Lengthen your neck and allow your head to reach toward your chest, maintaining alignment with the spine. Return to camel as you breathe in again.

Do 3 sets of 15 reps

JUMP RIGHT INTO IT!!

PLYO-JUMPS

With a sturdy elevated platform, make sure it cannot move, in front of you (Coffee table), sit your hips back and down while bringing your hands down to your side.  Swinging your arms forwards, explode through, and jump up onto the platform.  Walk to the end of the platform and jump off.  When doing so make sure you land with your hips back and your knees above your ankles and absorb the impact with the glutes and hamstring.  Knees should not come forward

Do 3 sets of 5 reps/jumps

STANDING GLUTE 

Standing on a platform (Chair or coffee table), have one leg off of the platform.  Contract the glutes and bring free leg out to the side while maintaining a level pelvis

DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS

45 Degree Lunges

As in the picture, you will lunge backward

45 degrees and return to starting position before

lunging sideways.  Switch legs

DO 3 sets of 10 reps each leg REST only 30 seconds between sets!

PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS WEEK, YOU SHOULD ALSO BE 

DOING DAILY BRACING

PROPER LIFTING TECHNIQUE

Stand tall with core activated, feet hips distance apart.  Keeping your chest up, shoot your hips back then bend at your knees as you approach the object you are picking up. Keep the object close to you.  Remember to keep a neutral back and bend at the hips. **Be sure knee bend occurs after you shoot your bottom back as far as possible.  Pick up the object, keeping it close to you and then squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward as you stand

Glute Program #3

Glute + Core Program #3

This is a more advanced program and should be done once you have done and progressed through programs 1-3 AND are comfortable with ABDOMINAL BRACING which needs to be maintained throughout the exercises

Start with Hip Flexor, 2 sets of 10

This is the posterior Lunge with Twist;

Perform with each leg at least 2 sets of 5 on each leg

After the Dynamic Mobility Warmup

Start with the WORKOUT!!!!!

Single Leg Squats

Without putting too much weight on the elevated foot sit back, not down, and then come back up squeezing your glute through at the top

Single Leg Bridge

Cross Over Lunge

Wall Squat with Box
on one foot; Perform the exercise

with or without the block.  Notice that the Knees NEVER

GOES IN FRONT OF THE TOES!!!

Do Each Exercise for 2 sets for each leg, 15 - 20 reps with only 30 seconds of rest between sets and between exercises!!

Finish the Day with the PIRIFORMIS STRETCH

Lying on your back, right knee bent.  You are

above the right knee.  You will pull

going to cross your left leg so you make a figure four.  

The outside of the left ankle should be just

glute.  If you don’t feel a good stretch

right leg up with your hands by grabbing the back of the right thigh. 

 You will feel the stretch in the left

after pulling up, you can push the left knee away from you.

  Switch legs after each set

CORE STABILIZATION FOR BACK PAIN PREVENTION: THE PLANK

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SPECIAL REPORT --- THE CORE

The "CORE" involves NOT ONLY YOUR ABS, but the small muscles under everyone's sides OR LOVE HANDLES known as the OBLIQUES and the small back muscles of the spine called the PARASPINAL muscles, as well as your PELVIC FLOOR muscles (the muscles involved in holding your urine when you have the urge to go to the bathroom) and the DIAPHRAGM, which allow you to breathe out

The exercises work the CORE.  The trick on DOUBLING THE EFFECTIVENESS of any CORE EXERCISE is to MAINTAIN YOUR ABDOMINAL BRACE when doing the exercises....ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!!!!!

In ADDITION TO BRACING,  the "'PLANK" is a very important exercise to do year-round if not weekly

Try to maintain or HOLD THE PLANK POSITION for 30 SECONDS!!

Repeat for a total of 3 sets of 30 second holds!

We call this exercise "PLANK 3x30"

As you advance, you can perform Plank Protractions (SEE BELOW)

Lie on your stomach propped up on your forearms, with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Slowly move your chest away from the floor and rise into protraction, press out against your upper back.  Keep your low back neutral by tightening your abdominals.  You should feel your spine move up and away from your shoulder blades. Do not shrug your shoulders.  2 sets of 15

Once you master the above, YOU CAN ADVANCE YOUR PLANK with the following exercises:

Begin in a plank position with elbows bent to 90 degrees and shoulders internally rotated as if making an equals sign with arms. Hold plank for 15 seconds and turn to side plank.   Repeat both sides 3 times each.

1 – In a full plank position bring one knee out and up to your waist line.  Alternate knees

2 – In a full plank position lift one leg up and hold for 3 seconds.  Alternate legs.

Try to shoot for 3 sets of 10 - 15 REPS

Glute Program #2: Prevent Back Pain with Core AND Glute Exercises

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Back Pain may be prevented by combining Core and Glute Exercises!!

We spoke on the last blog about MASTERING the ABDOMINAL BRACING

Now to advance the Glute Program Further

Glute Program #2: Key Tip of the day -- Hold the top (or bottom) of the position and Hold it for 5 seconds! simply count in your mind 5 "Mississippis"

The Pelvic Thrust: A ball or Towel can be placed at the 

Feet and as the picture shows, place the arms in front of you

and while the knees are in a bent position, simply raise

your pelvis forward and maintaining a straight
"Bridge" from the knees and shoulders. Hold the

Bridge for 5 seconds 

In this Exercise: you start off with the Bridge position. 

As with the previous exercise, you can have a ball or a roll 

a towel at your feet.  Simply thrust one of your knees forward 

as shown. Hold this position for about 5 seconds and

go to the starting position. NOTE: you can choose to do

one leg at a time or alternate right and left knee

Squatting Parallel without weights:

Simply start at a standing position and with

arms extended in front of you for balance,

Squat down keeping your back straight, 

chest out and your KNEES DO NOT

travel forward!!! Squat down

until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

To make this exercise easier, you can hold on 

to the back of chair as you squat down.

Key Tip: hold the bottom of the squat for 5 seconds 

before squatting upwards!!! This will enhance the burn

As with the previous program...Do 2 sets of each exercise for 15 - 20 reps.  You can progress to 3 sets of 20 - 25 reps!!

Please rest only 30 seconds between each set

AND BETWEEN each EXERCISE!!

Abdominal Bracing may prevent Back PAIN

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Abdominal Bracing may not only treat Back pain but may also prevent it based on recent studies (1)


The key to abdominal bracing is the contract the abdominal muscles, the back muscles and pelvic floor and we spoke about it previously in our sports medicine and physical therapy blog. In fact, we do this all the time instinctively. For instance, imagine lying flat on your back and all of sudden, a heavy object falls from above like a bowling ball that is about to land on your stomach. What are you going to do? Other than move from that spot, you are likely going to INSTINCTIVELY brace your stomach. It is the same instinct to brace when you cough, laugh at a funny joke or when you brace your stomach/abdomen when someone tickles you there or tries to punch you in that area. Everyone has this bracing reflex!!!

 So focus on contracting your abdomen the way you brace your abs instinctively as I have spoken about but IN ADDITION, contract your back muscles AND contracting your pelvic muscles as if you were holding in your urine or fight the urge to go to the bathroom but YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO. Practice this bracing technique while lying down and hold it for 30 seconds or more while taking in short breaths. You can probably hold this abdominal brace for 2 straight minutes before you relax. Take a deep breath in and out....and then repeat the brace for another minute or two. In as little as 5 minutes a day, you can help prevent back pain from recurring. Of course, combine bracing with other core stabilizing exercises and work on your glute muscles to optimize your orthopedic health!!

 Reference:

 1) Hides, J et al. Long-Term Effects of Specific Stabilizing Exercises after First-Episode Low Back Pain. 2001 Spine; Vol 26. No 11. pp E 243-E248

Basic Glute-Buttock Program

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Prevent Back Pain by simply following the suggested programs every week that we post an exercise routine.  

You can even use it as a warm-up before your intense exercise program

This introductory Glute Program as featured in the sports medicine and physical therapy PSSM blog

Before starting this and any exercise program, please check with your physician or qualified health professional.  Warm up first by simply walking comfortably for 5 minutes on a treadmill or around your city block .

Jump right into the hip flexor stretch!

This Step Up exercise starts with one leg on a lower
step and another on a higher step; the LOWER leg (black leg above)
will step up as if you were bringing the knee close to your
chest (knee is about 90 degrees)

Do Each exercise for one set for 15-20 reps.  Progress to 2 sets and rest 30 seconds between each set and exercise EACH LEG!!

For those who have a Tablet like Ipad, you can view the interactive format....JUST TOUCH THE SCREEN AND TURN THE PAGE AS IF IT WAS A BOOK!!!

Introduction of Back Pain Prevention by Joseph Jimenez, MD -- co-founder and co-owner of Performance Spine & Sports Medicine in Lawrenceville, NJ and Performance Spine & Sports Medicine of Newtown, PA