Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises

Performing lumbar stabilisation exercises on a regular basis is a very good idea to not only prevent injuries from occurring but to also help you show better improvement in the rest of the movements you perform. Since these muscles are going to be worked in almost everything you do, having them fully functional and strong is very beneficial.

Below are some lumbar stabilisation exercises that you can include in your program.

The first movement is simply keeping your spine in a neutral position and then contracting the abdominal muscles and holding for a period of twenty to thirty seconds. Do this in a variety of different positions so that you are effectively able to recruit these muscles at any point in time.

The next lumbar stabilisation exercise is to lie with your back flat against the floor, knees bent and feet comfortably placed on the ground. Then, keeping your stomach fully contracted so that the small of your back does not lift upwards at any point, slowly lift one foot at a time off the floor a few inches, hold and then place it back down. When you are able to comfortable do this with both feet, work on doing it so that both legs are raised off the floor (knees still bent) and now you are moving on leg down towards the floor and then back up while the other stays elevated.

Third, perform a modified sit-up movement so that you are only sitting up a very small distance. The whole point of this is to really focus on contracting the lower abdominals and not using any type of momentum to help lift your body off the ground. After you rise up, hold for a second and then lower.

Finally, the last movement to perform is one that will not only increase the core muscle strength but also work on the deltoid muscles. To perform it, bend at the waist with the knees slightly bend. Then, keeping your back as straight as possible, lift one arm straight out so it is in front of you in a straight line. After it's about parallel with the floor, lower again and then switch arms. To advance this, simply hold onto light weights (starting at the 2.5 pound weight and working upwards).

So be sure to try a few of these movements next time you are doing a core work. They are a great way to end a full body workout and are muscles that many people often leave out.