18 votes
Accepted

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

I am a programmer myself and often spend about 10-13 hours a day in a chair and had similar problems. My solution - a full body 20 minute workout everyday, with emphasis on more 'active' physical ...
11 votes
Accepted

Why do I have to work my lower back?

The muscles of the lower back play a critical role in posture, weightlifting (the specific sport), and lifting weights (generally). They keep your torso erect, making them helpful during just about ...
9 votes

Should seated leg press be avoided?

No, it should not be avoided. Like any machine, it's a tool, and it has a purpose. The article seems to refer to the fact that during a seated leg press, the weight presses down on your feet, and ...
  • 17.8k
7 votes
Accepted

Are sit-ups actually harmful?

As a preface, although your concerns about the validity of the field of chiropractic are entirely warranted, it appears that Dr. Stuart M. McGill is indeed qualified. He was a former professor at the ...
  • 6,126
7 votes

Why do I have to work my lower back?

Side note for those experiencing back pain. Your spine is held upright by both the rectus abdominis (abdominals) and the erector spinae (lower back). They act in opposition, much like guy wires hold ...
7 votes
Accepted

Lower back pain when performing lying leg raise

If you feel sharp pain in the lower back, then you need to adjust the exercise. The reason why lying leg raises are often painful, is that the lower back gets pinched and compressed as the weight of ...
  • 1,957
6 votes

How to avoid back pain when you are older?

It is smart to look at fitness when you are young with an eye on preventing problems as you age. Back pain can have multiple causes. Some of the causes stem from degenerative changes of the joints,...
6 votes

Preparing for moving to new house

With only one week before the move, you don't have enough time to develop significantly more strength. Instead, focus on these tips for safely moving things: Before lifting an object, take a big ...
6 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

First you need to realise that sitting all the time is not just bad for your back, but also bad for your learning. Break the learning into chunks of about 20min. Use the breaks for exercise. This ...
5 votes
Accepted

How to avoid overworking lower back?

To build on Eric's comment; the best advice is to follow a workout program that is tried and true. If you're trying to make your own program, and you find yourself having to ask this question, you ...
  • 17.8k
5 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

Yoga's cat pose is perfect for this. 2 minutes of it before going to sleep. And then 2 minutes of extended cat's pose with stretching opposing arm and leg. Another exercise is pull-ups (or just hang ...
5 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

I'm a web developer, and I have to work for more than 10 hours a day. So in my opinion the best thing to do for any desk job or long periods of studying is taking small breaks, like 5 minutes every 1 ...
  • 151
5 votes

What kind of anaerobic exercises should one avoid during lower back pain?

Firstly, imaging, such as x-rays and MRIs, to determine the cause of lower back pain is problematic because asymptomatic people tend to have all kinds of spinal degenerations which don't actually ...
5 votes
Accepted

How does back extension work?

The erector spinae muscles (iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis) extend the back. In the back extension exercise they work isometrically to maintain an extended back against gravity that tries to ...
  • 3,540
4 votes

Can weighted pull-up and dips lead to lower back problems?

Short answer Don't worry about it. Longer answer Weight belts are NOT going to give you any problems unless you pack on an obscene amount of weights. And this is a catch-22 anyway, because the ...
  • 17.8k
4 votes

Workout buddy deadlifts 1200?

A 1200 pound deadlift would be a world record in any category (raw/equipped etc), so yeah he's lying. There doesn't seem to be a world record in standing military press, but the highest numbers I'm ...
  • 2,755
4 votes
Accepted

Is it good to roll your lower back with tennis ball?

The reason it's "forbidden" to foam roll your lower back is because you don't have a rib cage there to protect your internal organs. You can, and often should foam roll your lower back, but it should ...
  • 17.8k
4 votes

Unable to keep lower back straight during Romanian Deadlift

Others have mentioned correct breathing but i might also suggest that: 1). The weight is too heavy. If you can't do the movement correctly the first response should be to lower the weight until you ...
3 votes
Accepted

How to tighten core during normal activities?

The best thing you can do, is to forget about trying to consciously tense your abs during daily activities. There is nothing inherently wrong with relaxing the stomach muscles, especially during ...
  • 1,957
3 votes

Should seated leg press be avoided?

Does this mean that no matter what precautions and position we take when using seated leg press one always incurs the risk of low back injuries? No, that's not what the author is trying to say. You ...
  • 1,986
3 votes

Identify the muscle group associated with back rounding and straightening

There's a lot of them. At first blush, you have the erector spinea muscles which you can imagine like a bundle of angel hair pasta running along the sides of your vertebrae. But left alone, there's ...
  • 14.8k
3 votes
Accepted

Can weighted pull-up and dips lead to lower back problems?

Progressive weights and good forms are usually deterrent against injuries. when it comes to weightlifting. The exercise itself will not result in any injury; however, you'll injure yourself if you ...
3 votes
Accepted

Lower back pain Deadlifts

This might get closed as off topic, it's a bit subjective as to whether this is a "go see a doctor" type of response. But as a guy who's been deadlifting for a while, I'd offer up this feedback. This ...
  • 14.8k
3 votes
Accepted

What kind of exercises can I do to strengthen my back?

Only A Few Recommended BodyWeight Exercises Pullup and Chinup: Seriously, this should be an exercise in everyone's arsenal. These exercises guaranteed to build your upper body, make you stronger, ...
3 votes
Accepted

Lower back rounding

In general, muscles should take more load than connective tissues. Even big strong ligaments and tendons (like the Achilles) do not have the absorption and range of the calf muscle they're connected ...
  • 14.8k
3 votes
Accepted

What are the best butt workouts men?

It depends on the kind of butt you want. Bret Contreras, aka "The Glute Guy" is well known as the world's glute training expert (he literally wrote his PhD thesis on glute exercise ...
3 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

This article from Business Insider talks about a study that concluded that 52 minutes of work followed by a 17 minute break was the work cadence that the participants' best employees used. You can ...
  • 131
3 votes

Exercises for an overweight person to decrease weight who is also suffering from back ache due to long sitting hours

First things first (and I cannot stress this enough) is you need to get your back pain evaluated - there can be many different causes for it and if there is an underlying medical issue you risk ...
3 votes
Accepted

Understanding the circuit workout style for strength development in THENX program

As a general rule, the answer to the question "Why is this fitness influencer doing this exercise or workout in this unusual way?" is either one or both of two common explanations: They ...
2 votes
Accepted

Cat -Cow Stretch

This exercise is commonly utilized in yoga practice. Your body alignment, breathing, and head movement are all important. Make sure to begin with your shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, and ...
  • 214

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible