Superman's (Lower Back Exercise) Hurts My Lower Back

[Keilani Gutierrez]

What does it mean when I do this exercise and my calves cramp

that you're using everything.

[Craig Mallett]

What does it mean when I do this exercise and my calves cramp

It means you've got a rockin' toe point.  keep it up.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

The KEY cue in the arch is to press the legs away from the body. If you self cue "lift the legs" AND your hip flexors are tight, then you will lift the leg using erector spinae, for sure (it is the pattern in your body, brought about by the tight HF). That is how the girl is doing it, too.

 

And, worse, tight HF mean that in the very ROM you want to use the glutes in, in this exercise (extension) they will be being switched off by the reciprocal inhibition reflex.

 

So: press the legs away from you (in the plane of the floor), then squeeze the glutes, and only then try to pull the legs a tiny amount away from the floor. You may need to just practise the first two cues for a while before trying any lifting at all.

 

 

I was a bit pressed for time this morning, so was brief. The self-cue of pressing the legs away from the body (in the plane of the floor) does activate the glutes. You can enhance the effects if you hollow first (as odd as that sounds); hollow so you are resting on the front of the shoulders and the front of the legs. Then press the legs away, and then squeeze the glutes harder—then you are set. With this activation and alignment, when you do try to lift the legs a little from the floor, there will be no adverse/excessive activation of the lower back (erector spinae). 

 

What most people do not realise is that when challenged with a new movement requirement, your body will always fall back on its established patterns, regardless of what you might want! This fact is a good reason to do all new movements with a relatively low intensity, if you can, and feel/check/make sure that you are using the muscles that should be used.

 

This is also the reason behind the OP's lower back pain. The lower back is engaging trying to help you—but it cramps/spasms instead, because it is doing work in the contracted range of its range of movement, Recall the last time you did a max. foot point: the arch or the calf muscle cramped. No big deal—all muscles will do this, if asked to contract in the contracted end range of movement. In the foot, no problem, but if in the lower back, you will regard it as a problem (and it will leave a lingering pain, too).

 

 

I've been doing this for the past 2 weeks with good result:

1- My form has improved; my legs are now very straight, and my knees together for the first time since I started.

2- I had to go back from sx48s to 5x 30s, but I count this as progress.

 

[Kit Laughlin]

Gold is what we do; more closely describing Reality is the objective!

[James Sagar]

These extra cues and focus points are extremely effective.   Any extra cues for the other exercises would be immensely appreciated (especially planch leans).  Thanks for your insight.

[James Sagar]

Well played Sir... :-)

[Biren Patel]

Just a reminder, this isn't the F1 forum...

[Connor Davies]

Just a reminder, this isn't the F1 forum...

[Aris Tsangarides]

Whenever I used to do exercises that involved hyperextension of the back, my "Lower/side" back would cramp up. The thing is though,  my erector spinae wasn't what was cramping. The way I figured it out was doing Iliopsoas stretches directly after, which soothed the low back pain but not the deep dull side pain, which remained for days on end.  Did a bit of research and figured that it had to be my Quadratus Lumborum, a muscle for which I haven't yet found a stretch that could be performed without a partner and that actually targets this muscle. Even foam rolling or using a tennis ball fails at successfully reaching this region.

 

As a way to deal with this issue, I try to always perform exercises with a "stacked" spine or at the bare minimum to be mindful of my coccyx being "tucked", which reduces pulling tension on my Iliopsoas and to some degree on my QL.

1)Are there holds/exercises where the back shouldn't be tucked? 
(in martial arts, tennis, swimming, and many other sports they teach you that being stacked is how you control your body as one single unit)

2)Is the QL involved in hyperextending the back? or in anterior pelvic tilt?

3)Are there any good solo QL stretching exercises out there?

4) Say you have tight hip flexors, hamstrings or any muscle you want. It's tight and you can also feel a pain that resulted from this tightness. Do you recommend stretching?(I assume yes) 
BUT do you recommend strengthening:
-after the pain has gone away?
-while there's pain, but to train the muscle within the confines of what one would consider tolerable pain/not debilitating pain?
-what if you haven't been strengthening the muscle, but kept stretching it correctly for a number of months and there is an increased range of motion and flexibility but still some residual pain. Could this be because of a lack of training this muscle? 
Should you start strengthening it? 

I would really appreciate Kitlaughlin's input on this