Back pain, more specifically, low back pain is a hot, hot topic. A ton of folks suffer from back pain (I say a ton because it varies on what you read). The consensus is however, that low back pain is a serious issue for most Americans; from intermittent, to once or twice, acute or chronic. It's more likely that you will experience back pain at some point in your life, than not. But why? What are the causes of low back pain and why is the pain so frustrating and debilitating?
Nowhere else in your body do you have a higher potential for pain receptors or pain-like reception. Like elsewhere in the body, you can increase the potential for pain (via sensitive nerve endings). But unlike elsewhere in the body, the low back is virtually set-up to spur large amounts of painful nerve endings. Again, why?
Think about it anatomically. There are a lot of important things innervated from the low back: digestion being a huge activity, reproductive organs and the lower body are just a few (large) areas fed by these nerves housed in the lower spinal column. The potential to increase sensitivity is a built-in protective mechanism to insure the safety and longevity of these nerve roots and their peripheral off-shoots.
Okay, but what causes low back pain? Low back pain triggers appear to be contradictory: static posture, twisting, bending, sitting, standing, pushing, pulling...What's the common thread? Well, here, all triggers are physiological, linking low back pain with movement or lack thereof. Studies confirm, however, that the top determinants of low back pain are (drum roll please)............job dissatisfaction and smoking. These are two seemingly unassociated factors of low back pain, neither of which appear to be physically derived.
BUT-If you recall, pain is individual. How you perceive pain is an event completely different than how someone else experiences the same, or similar, pain. Notice I underline IS AN EVENT. It was once thought that there was a pain center, relatively confined, in a specific location in the brain. More recently, we've learned that pain has memory linked to it, including emotion, smell, vision, etc.. Anything you experience during a painful event can and probably is stored for future prediction, so you can anticipate and plan how to prevent that same pain. (Again, this being another in-born protective mechanism).
So do all smokers have low back pain? Absolutely not. Are you thinking, "I thought I liked my job...?" Remember, pain is individual. I can't repeat myself enough. How you perceive pain, when your low back pain "flares up," the intensity of the pain, is circumstantial, based on how you are feeling. Sound new-agey? And you're turned off? If newer, better information sounds hippy to you, keep livin with that low back pain, keep doing what you have been. Stay in a job (or house) you despise, keep throwing your money at your next nicotine hit instead of becoming a millionaire, keep going to massage and electro-stim treatments that are temporary at best, and keep that low back pain.
I understand there are true physical triggers of low back pain. You dug ten fence post holes and you haven't seen manual labor since high school. That's going to cause some inflammation, and probably not just in your low back. BUT-The duration and intensity of that pain is relatively dependant on your mental status.
I had a client that was in a car accident when he was around 20 years old. He saw me when he was a little over 30, and still had a "bad back from the car accident." Really??? Your body is so incompetent at healing that it's still damaged after a decade plus? I hardly think so. We're incredibly more resilient and fascinating than that.
Let's look at some other possible contributing factors: like his gut (well over 40 inches), his eating habits (actual quote: "but my doctor said not to quit the Big Mac's cold-turkey"), his work schedule (an over-night tech at a hospital), his marriage (a deployable military spouse), a brand-new, first baby. We have a heck of a lot more current lifestyle factors contributing to low back pain, both physical and emotional, than a car accident 10+ years ago. Perhaps there are some physical factors out of alignment, but if that is your focus, you'll never get over your back pain.
If you want to know more about pain, neurology, training and the back, check out these resources:
Explain Pain by Butler
Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance by McGill
The Brain That Changes Itself by Doidge
Supertraining by Siff
A basic joint mobility warm-up: A heel-to-jaw warm-up to identify your weak links. The purpose of joint mobility is to prepare your joints and enhance your proprioceptive map just prior to loading your body (and joints). The focus is on making space in every joint to create strength & mobility without threat. Very clear cues allow you to focus on the specific target to uncover & correct movement pattern deficiencies that may be causing pain & strength plateaus.
Kettlebell Technique, basics & their variations:
2-Hand Swing-Why focus on the deadlift (NOT the squat) can instantly improve your swing
Clean-How knowing where & when to pull & punch through the bell handle can keep the bell from beating & bruising you
Military Press- Using the in-line kneeling lunge & contra-lateral presses to connect the upper & lower body for a stronger, more stable press
Clean Variations- fun with the bottoms-up clean & ball-catch clean
Press Variations- using the clean as a base for bottoms-up pressing & ball-catch pressing
Snatch- Why the clean translates to having a solid snatch
Get-up- Lunge AND Overhead styles for learning the valuable skill of moving from the ground to standing. Plus THE shoulder drill to understand its position for shoulder mobility & stability throughout the get-up & beyond
Front Squat- Why hip & knee bone rhythms are the secret to a smooth, strong front squat
Overhead Squat- How to corkscrew under the bell to improve depth & lower body mobility
Kickstand Lunge- A unique drill for heavy & safe one-leg kettlebell work
Windmill- Practicing a simple progression to better understand windmill mechanics
2-Hands Anyhow- To get more variety from the Windmill & coordinate the body better
Bear Crawl- An unexpected ab drill & how to do it without tipping the kettlebells & falling or hurting your wrists
Renegade Row- A fun & challenging ab drill that you don't have to lie down for!
One-legged Deadlift- Why this drill is better than any other stability drill to enhance proprioception & balance
Putting it all Together: Combining the Windmill & Get-up for the ultimate Kettlebell Warm-up
Workout #1-Linking drills together for a fun workout that you don't have to keep checking the clock to make sure you're getting in enough work!
Workout #2- Using double bell work to combine the Bear Crawl, Renegade Row, & Kickstand Lunge
Abbreviated Joint Mobility Cool-Down: A quick cool-down, including the often neglected but ever important eye mobility, to do after any workout or even throughout the day to re-energize yourself!
What do all these drills mean to you? They are a complete collection of strengthening, mobilizing, and flexibility exercises that will make you more resilient and energized. You can & should do these drills for the rest of your life to avoid age-related injuries & maladies such as arthritis, falls, bone loss, mental sluggishness, and dependency on others. Click on box, choose option, then click BUY NOW
Comprehensive Kettlebell & Pregnancy Guide The first of its kind!!!
This reference guide and workbook is for women who are committed to sustaining optimal health, well-being, strength and stamina during their pregnancy. This program will guide you from the beginning of your pregnancy until your baby arrives.
Progressive workouts lead you through your first and second trimester. Then, as you near the third trimester and finish your pregnancy, the workouts taper down accordingly.
I have trained several clients through and after their first, second, third and even fourth pregnancies. I have also experienced the changes and adaptations for myself.
This 143 page guide is a compilation of 102 workouts I have designed for these women as well as for myself. This means the detailed sessions outlined in this book are tried and safe for you and your baby from conception to delivery!
Because mobility and awareness of mobility changes are so important during pregnancy development, specifically selected joint mobility is preceded, incorporated into, and wraps-up each workout!
You'll also find:
A detailed list of Precautions
Extensive explanation of what to expect and
how to prepare for the changes unique to each trimester
Description of how to use the manual and how the workouts are presented
A Pre-Assessment Guide
Note segments on each page to journal your progress
Over 70 pictures with drill descriptions
And even a suggested reading list to guide you through other areas of your pregnancy
- Sara Cheatham, M.S.
- I am an Army Brat and dedicated Air Force wife. I've found kettlebells to be beneficial for preparing and maintianing deployable troops' needs, and have coached units of every service branch. I've also worked with those that keep the home fires burning...coaching women on the home front who have their hands full. Bells empower them to get & stay in shape right in their own homes. I've used kettlebells since 2004 and pressed the 16kg in my 9th month of pregnancy. After my delivery, Kettlebells got me back to pre-pregnancy shape and strength in less than 5 months. In the Great Falls/Malmstrom area? Contact me at saracheatham@hotmail.com for training.
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