Broooz said:
"Steve Freides" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Try flexing your abs at the start of the run, just to wake them up. If holding your abs a little
tighter helps with the back pain, consider doing some abdominal work.
Agree more or less with this although it is not the Abs but the muscles behind the Abs (core
muscles). However, flexing the Abs will have the same effect. Also pull in the core muscles
without flexing the Abs when in the drops and try to get a concave back - generally you see
bikers with convex back but that is no good for your back. You can learn to focus on the core
muscles all the time - these muscles are designed to be turned on a lot of the time. Note that if
you try to do it with the Abs too, you will find they get tired quickly as they are designed for
short term loads.
The rectus *ab*dominus, transverse *ab*dominus and other muscles *are* the core muscles. Perhaps I
should have said to flex your stomach. When I say "flex" I do not mean "suck in" I mean as if
bracing for a punch in the belly. It is well documented, e.g., the valsalva maneuver among weight
lifters and martial artists, that pressurizing the abdomen protects the lumbar spine. Giving your
tummy muscles a little squeeze is the easiest way to find out if this is an issue. If you prefer to
flex the transverse and not the rectus admoninus, fine with me.
In endurance exercise, one cannot operate under constant high abdominal pressure but regular
abdominal - core, if you prefer - exercise, along with some practice at pressurizing the midsection
- neither yoga nor pilates would be terrible in this regard - could provide some help by increasing
the residual tension in those muscles and/or facilitating a change in posture.
See my web site for how I work my abdominals, core muscles, and everything else with kettlebells.
-S-
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