A professional teaches abdominal training without back pain! What is a menu you can do even if you have back pain?

Three abdominal workouts that won’t hurt your back! Introducing a menu you can do even if you have back pain.

Here are some abdominal training exercises that do not cause back pain, as lectured by personal trainer Yasuzan Matsuura. All of them are relatively simple in form and do not require much muscle strength, but they work the abdominal muscles well, so please give them a try.

Abdominal Training without Back Injury (1) “Crunches

Lie on your back and place your feet where your knees are at 90 degrees. The starting position is perfect if you place your hands on your front thighs with elbows pinned out and hips firmly on the floor. Raise your upper body up, keeping your elbows extended and sliding your hands toward your knees. Start by carefully repeating the exercise for 30 seconds, then increase the number of seconds and sets as you get used to it.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

If you set a set number of repetitions, it is easy to do them too quickly, or to disrupt your form at the point where you may or may not be able to accomplish them, which may cause back injury. For this reason, it is recommended to train by separating sets by seconds. The trick is to repeat the movements carefully in a limited amount of time in order to avoid back pain while still working the abdominal muscles.

If you have difficulty, try curl-ups!

If you can’t raise your upper body as high as you can with crunches, we recommend curl-ups, which are performed with a narrower range of motion. In the case of crunches, the shoulder blades are raised 6 to 8 cm, but in the case of curl-ups, the shoulder blades are raised only 2 to 3 cm, so it should be easier to try. Those who do not have abdominal muscle strength, as well as those who have chronic back pain and are worried about hurting themselves, can do these exercises with confidence, so please give them a try.

Abdominal training without back pain (2) “Reverse Crunch

Lie on your back and place your feet where your knees are at 90 degrees. Keep your hands under your hips and start when your lower back is firmly on the floor. Keeping your knees at an angle, pull your knees up to your chest until your hips are firmly off the floor. And when returning, the rule of thumb is not to relax the abdominal muscles until the feet are on the floor. Start by carefully repeating this exercise for 30 seconds, and increase the number of seconds as you become accustomed to it.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

The key is to keep your hands under your hips. This tilts the pelvis backward, so the back is less likely to bow and the abdominal muscles are more likely to be strong. Also, if you exhale as you pull your knees back to your chest, your abdominal muscles will contract even more and you will feel a greater sense of effort.

Abdominal Training without Back Injury (3) “Neat Toe Chest”

While lying on your back, place your elbows just below your shoulders and round your back to stabilize your upper body. Start with both legs together, knees extended and slightly raised off the floor. As you exhale, pull your knees back to your chest. When returning, be aware of the slow movement, and return until the knees are firmly extended, with the image of the legs far apart. Start by carefully repeating this exercise for 30 seconds, and increase the number of seconds as you get used to it.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

The knee chest starts with the upper body up and the hips rounded, so the load on the hips is quite low. Another important point is that by placing your elbows on the floor, it is difficult to become hunched over. This exercise mainly strengthens the lower abdomen, so if you are concerned about your flabby stomach, you should definitely try it!

If you want to increase the flexibility of your back while providing moderate stimulation to your abdominal muscles, try “cat-and-cow!

Cat-and-cow is a yoga pose that combines cat pose and cow pose. It is a familiar warm-up pose in yoga. Cat-and-cow tightens the abdomen, back, and buttocks while relaxing the muscles, making it ideal for those who cannot do abdominal training because of back pain. It is also said to help regulate the autonomic nervous system, so it is recommended for those who suffer from insomnia or headaches.

Get down on all fours with your hands just below your shoulders and knees just below the base of your feet. Exhale slowly and round your back, keeping your eyes on your navel. Next, while inhaling, arch your back with the image of your navel close to the floor. Repeat this action for three sets of ten times and you are done.

Trainer: Mr. Taiyama Matsuura

It is best to imagine that your navel is at its highest when you round your back and at its lowest when you bend over. If you feel insecure about bending over, you can repeat only the cat pose, which is to round your back and then return to the flat position.