Have you ever felt your erectors (low back muscles) active in squatting or deadlifting or feel like you have a big stiffness in your low back?
This is likely because of not using the muscles that are responsible for breathing and stabilization. This can result in tightness and excessive arching which activates the muscles in the low back.
Proper respiration via the diaphragms (yes….there are multiple) is required to activate the abdominal wall and create stabilization. Without it we often get poor position of ribcage and pelvis resulting in extending the back too much and activating the larger erector muscles to stabilize the spine.
First, relaxation is key to get this right. The best way to do this is to round the low back and breathe from this position. An example of this is shown below, which is known as low kneeling breathing.
Low Kneeling Breathing
Instructions:
Position yourself on all fours with forearms and knees touching the ground, and foot pointed away from the body. Crawl your elbows and knees towards each until your elbows land between your knees. Breathe in through the nose 4 seconds, and exhale 8 seconds out through the mouth, trying to expand 360 degrees into your pockets on the front side and into the lower back. Once you feel like you have exhaled fully, try to force more air out and take an even bigger breathe in. Breathe in this position for 60 seconds and check the low back stiffness afterwards to see if it has reduced.
This is a perfect way to settle down the low back before training, during training or after training if you’re feeling a lot of stiffness!
Note:
This position maybe effective for a large majority, but if you feel more discomfort in this position make sure to reach out at [email protected] or on Instagram @thequaddoc.
Dr. Amr Metwali, DC, MS, CSCS
