Sup guys I thought this would be a good place to post this question. I injured my lower back before from back squats and never took the advice of pushing ones stomach out to stabilize the low back cause I though it was crazy.
Anyways I tried it (without a belt) and lo and behold it keeps my chest up and allows me to keep the arch in my low back. So now I’m thinking of buying a belt for this reason.
Any specific ab work to get better at this?
Do 6 sets of ab work 2-3 times a week
Crunches weighted situps ab wheel roll outs and of course planks and weighted planks hanging leg raises ive found it best to super set 2 ab workouts in one day for example planks with weighted situps etc any combination works just remember to start slow or you will be sore as fudge. Also belt reccomendation bestbelts.net they hand make them and custome size and color them for you id reccomend the 10 mm single prong athlete belt. Remember dont use the belt as a crutch personally i only use it in the 85-100 percent max range. Good luck and get that back better.
I believe alot of novice trainers could get hurt easier wearing a belt since they do not know how to use it. They put it on and think it creates back support. It doesnt do nothing if you dont know how to use it . Taking a big breath of air and pushing your stomach out creates intra abdominal pressure which helps to stabilize the load and the spine. Im not saying your a novice i just wanted to post that so if any newbies read it they understand.
sounds like a lot of it will help,
depending on how strong your abs are, will depend on what you do, start basic and build up,
after you settle in and get some endurance, then work on pushing the resistance
and don’t forget the obliques
yes, standing ab work on a high pully with a triceps rope or whatever. Wear your belt a tad loose and push your gut int the belt then pull down using your abs.
Front squat holds with as much weight as you can handle. Hold for time with your abs pushed into the belt etc.
Planks /side planks etc.
Thanks, also any belts you guys recommend? Ive order from elitefts before so I was wondering if I should go with them.
Just about any unilateral work upper or lower body. I’m especially fond of 1 leg rdls for fixing up my back or hips when they get niggly feeling.
I don’t only focus on pushing my belly out, I focus on pushing my entire midsection out against the belt or just out if working sans belt.
A fun little trick I learned from Louie Simmons The Book of Methods is doing situps while squeezing a foam roller or something like that with your thighs really hard. It helps traction your back.
And just about any ab work that focuses on stability. Here’s an article that goes into that. Anti-Ab Training
To add to that article, there’s some ab stuff I like that helps that’s a bit more specific to PL:
-front squat holds with ‘crazy weight’ like plates hanging from bands and chains hanging off the bar not touching the ground than taking a few steps in each direction for time
-one arm deadlifts either from the side (suitcase) or in front. I haven’t tried these yet but I’m eager to. My understanding is that they require stabilization in every way from the midsection.
-any kind of squat with crazy weight while keeping good form and staying tight all over
-and one arm carries
As far as which belt, I only feel comfortable commenting on the Inzer lever belt. I love mine and it’s holding up great. If I had one complaint its that it can slide up my back at times. I’m not sure if other belts are any better/worse about that.
[quote]jkondash89 wrote:
Do 6 sets of ab work 2-3 times a week
Crunches weighted situps ab wheel roll outs and of course planks and weighted planks hanging leg raises ive found it best to super set 2 ab workouts in one day for example planks with weighted situps etc any combination works just remember to start slow or you will be sore as fudge. Also belt reccomendation bestbelts.net they hand make them and custome size and color them for you id reccomend the 10 mm single prong athlete belt. Remember dont use the belt as a crutch personally i only use it in the 85-100 percent max range. Good luck and get that back better.
I believe alot of novice trainers could get hurt easier wearing a belt since they do not know how to use it. They put it on and think it creates back support. It doesnt do nothing if you dont know how to use it . Taking a big breath of air and pushing your stomach out creates intra abdominal pressure which helps to stabilize the load and the spine. Im not saying your a novice i just wanted to post that so if any newbies read it they understand.[/quote]
Just saw this today, thanks!
@Fletch Thanks for the article and unilateral leg training and ab training tips. My hips are also tight and when deadlifting notice that my dominate leg ham and glute activates more easily than my non dominant side.
[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
Thanks, also any belts you guys recommend? Ive order from elitefts before so I was wondering if I should go with them.[/quote]
I have another vote for the Inzer. I have a 10mm single prong. Love the look of the elitefts leather though and have seriously considered their new thinner (6.5mm) belt. For me, the thick belt is just too much.
As far as ab exercises, I do two exercises 3 sets each, 3 times a week.
I will rotate: Weighted planks and side planks, Weighted decline situps, Ab wheel rollouts, Hanging leg raises, side bends, and standing cable or band crunches.
Also change your reps schemes up so that you get a mix of endurance and pure strength. If I ignore one the other always suffers to my detriment.
[quote]bpick86 wrote:
[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
Thanks, also any belts you guys recommend? Ive order from elitefts before so I was wondering if I should go with them.[/quote]
I have another vote for the Inzer. I have a 10mm single prong. Love the look of the elitefts leather though and have seriously considered their new thinner (6.5mm) belt. For me, the thick belt is just too much.
As far as ab exercises, I do two exercises 3 sets each, 3 times a week.
I will rotate: Weighted planks and side planks, Weighted decline situps, Ab wheel rollouts, Hanging leg raises, side bends, and standing cable or band crunches.
Also change your reps schemes up so that you get a mix of endurance and pure strength. If I ignore one the other always suffers to my detriment. [/quote]
Thanks man, is the thick belt a problem due to deadlifts and such?
It just never feels comfortable. Takes much longer to break in so it takes forever to feel like it fits, seems to get under my ribs worse.
I don’t deadlift in a belt though so I cant comment there. I dunno how to explain it but the 13 mm feels like overkill while the 10 feels much better. Should also say that the 10mm takes a while to break in as well. If you are used to squatting without a belt and want something more minimal (I have been looking into this myself) I am thinking the EliteFTS 6.5mm belt or the Spud deadlift belt might be worth it.
[quote]bpick86 wrote:
Also change your reps schemes up so that you get a mix of endurance and pure strength. [/quote]
^This.
I think too many people do endless bodyweight situps, trying to push the reps (or time) higher and higher - 25, 50, 100, 200, etc, thinking that more is better and that the abdomen should be trained with high reps. In my opinion, that approach neglects to train the high power output that the abdomen is capable of and it keeps the limit strength of the entire abdominal musculature rather low. I agree that a better way of doing things is to change up rep schemes, but I prefer to incorporate more strength work than endurance work. I figure if I can work up to a set of ten situps with a one-hundred lb dumbbell, then I have a good, strong abdomen that can provide more stability and offer a greater power transfer than a guy that does only high rep bodyweight situps.
Currently, I ramp up in sets of 10 to a top set for as many reps as possible; some weeks that’s 10-15 and some weeks I’ll push the weight and only get 5, then I’ll do a couple more sets with lighter weight. I do direct ab work once a week, and with once-a-week front squats, deads, and weighted chinups on different days, my abs are getting plenty of action.
[quote]elliottcorum wrote:
[quote]bpick86 wrote:
Also change your reps schemes up so that you get a mix of endurance and pure strength. [/quote]
^This.
I think too many people do endless bodyweight situps, trying to push the reps (or time) higher and higher - 25, 50, 100, 200, etc, thinking that more is better and that the abdomen should be trained with high reps. In my opinion, that approach neglects to train the high power output that the abdomen is capable of and it keeps the limit strength of the entire abdominal musculature rather low. I agree that a better way of doing things is to change up rep schemes, but I prefer to incorporate more strength work than endurance work. I figure if I can work up to a set of ten situps with a one-hundred lb dumbbell, then I have a good, strong abdomen that can provide more stability and offer a greater power transfer than a guy that does only high rep bodyweight situps.
Currently, I ramp up in sets of 10 to a top set for as many reps as possible; some weeks that’s 10-15 and some weeks I’ll push the weight and only get 5, then I’ll do a couple more sets with lighter weight. I do direct ab work once a week, and with once-a-week front squats, deads, and weighted chinups on different days, my abs are getting plenty of action.[/quote]
I was actually the opposite of the person you are describing. I would work in sets of at most 10 reps with progressively heavier weights and never do any higher rep/longer duration work. I finally added in some planks and ab wheel rollouts and some other stuff in higher reps and it seemed to help drastically.
Crunches and situps are considered harmful for the lower back. You can check Stuart McGill’s books for more information.
I also have back trouble.Mine are chronic and surgery has been warned against by more than one neurologist and orthopedist as a last resort option.I have been consulting with my physiatrist and some PTs in the same area and have done a lot of exercises to help with my problem and have the most success with Hanging Leg Raises,Standing Cable crunches,Planks,and similar isometric type exercises.I’ve had tremendous pain with situps,but on the other hand have not yet tried crunches with foam roller between thighs.
This last one may have merit if it does indeed provide some sort of traction like effect.In short ,you just have to see what helps you as everyone of us has different anatomy to a degree and different issues as well.Experiment carefully and see what works for you while consulting proffessionals that are reputable and you trust.
Thanks guys, my lower back doesn’t take kindly to situps or crunches. I loved the lower back saver articles Eric Cressy came out with some time ago in which he recommended Stuart McGill’s book although I thought he covered APT related back pain too much lol.
[quote]seekonk wrote:
Crunches and situps are considered harmful for the lower back. You can check Stuart McGill’s books for more information. [/quote]
Crunches I can see but situps are one of the most natural human movements that you can do. We all situp numerous times a day. I think as long as attention is paid to not turning your back into a crescent moon and you maintain a relatively neutral spine then situps are fine. That’s why I like doing them on the decline bench. Go almost to the top but never so far that you let your back start to round. Maintains a certain level of tension and keeps my lower back happy.
situps ???
check out some of the stuff jav throwewrs do on GHR benches …
maybe on a soccer mum they are harmful, but …
[quote]Terry Gibbs wrote:
situps ???[/quote]
Not if you have disc problems, for very good anatomical reasons explained by, e.g., McGill in his books. (In short, they tend to push the gel inside the disc towards and through the weakened/herniated part of the disc, thus worsening the injury.)
I really like Paloff presses for this.
[quote]seekonk wrote:
[quote]Terry Gibbs wrote:
situps ???[/quote]
Not if you have disc problems, for very good anatomical reasons explained by, e.g., McGill in his books. (In short, they tend to push the gel inside the disc towards and through the weakened/herniated part of the disc, thus worsening the injury.)[/quote]
I agree as well as my physiatrist and a few other medical professionals that situps aren’t generally well tolerated by people with disc problems.I’ve used hanging leg raises with a dumbell either between my knees or feet and it seems to help decompress my vulnerable areas and still allow some flexion style movements for abdominal training.Like I said before you should try things that are helpful too you and use some of the articles on here as a resource for innovative ways to strengthen stabilize our lower back and core.(actually both are considered the same by some people)