Kettlebells for Hip Flexor Stretches and Low back Pain

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Demetri

Tight Hip Flexors and Low Back Pain

If you are suffering from Low Back Pain, or pain in the Hip Flexors(Tight Hip Flexors) in general, this post and these videos will help you with loosening them up. Lower back muscle imbalances caused by sitting, typing and looking at your monitor too much can set you up for chronic problems throughout the body, but are a major concern in the lower back area.

old-russian-kettlebell

Old Russian Kettlebell

While sitting, the hip flexors remain shortened and hyperactive, and over a period of time, this becomes a chronic condition. In the meantime, the muscles in the buttocks (the gluteus maximus, gluteus medias and gluteus minimus, also referred to as the glutes), remain stretched and inactive, eventually causing them to become weak and non-responsive.

Tight hip flexors draw the pelvis forward, and weak glutes are unable to counteract that forward pull, causing the low back to arch into a swayback position. This arching of the low back can cause low back pain, and sciatica.

These two conditions can lead to such low back pain that it has driven many people to pain medication and eventual addiction. We want to avoid that, so we are going to stretch those hip flexors, and tighten those glutes.

Three Simple Tests

  1. Tight hips and flexors – These are the muscles and tendons in the front of your hips. This simple test will tell you if you have tight hip flexors. Lie on your back and pull one knee to your chest while keeping the other leg extended and flat against the floor. If that extended leg comes up off the floor as your bent knee approaches your chest, you have tight hip flexors. Do this for both sides.
  2. Tight hip rotators – Hip rotators are found deep within the hip. These are very important muscles for health and performance. Sit in a chair with your back straight, cross your right leg over your left knee, placing the outside of your right foot on your left knee/thigh. If your right knee sticks up in the air and doesn’t sit parallel with the floor, or close to parallel, then you probably have tight hip rotators. Do this for both sides.
  3. Glutes or Buttocks(the gluteus maximus, medias and minimus) – If you have weak or inactive glutes, this means your hamstrings are doing all of the work. Most people who have desk/sitting jobs or sit for the majority of the day will have this problem. This leads to tight and strained hamstrings, hip pain, low back pain, and a whole lot of other problems, including minimal strength levels for training. One way to tell if you have weak or inactive glutes is to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, use your heels to elevate your hips. Do this motion for about 20 straight repetitions. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more so than in your glutes (buttocks), then your glutes are not working as they should.

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Kettlebell Training for Women, Sculpting The Body You Deserve

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Demetri

Kettlebell Training will help you to burn fat, build lean muscle and give you the perfectly toned female figure. If you’ve tried other workout programs, some of the diets and still haven’t gotten the results you are looking for, then Kettlebell Training is the edge that you have been looking. Kettlebell Training for women will get you into the best phsycial shape of your life. Here is some information to help you to determine if Kettlebell Training is right for you.

No need to go to the Gym

You want to get into shape but who has the time to go to the gym every day? Instead of filling up an entire room of your house with exercise equipment just get a kettlebell. Filling a room with exercise equipment is either way too expensive or inconvenient. The great thing about kettlebell training is that the equipment is affordable and fit’s into a corner of your room when you are not using it.

Kettlebell Goddess Workout DVD

Burning Fat with Kettlebells

Is it easy too burn fat with a lot of extra cardio exercise? Sometimes, but when that doesn’t do the trick, people resort to starving yourself during the time when you are not on the eliptical or the treadmill. So how can Kettlebell Training speed up that process?

Kettlebells incorporates building muscle tone along with aerobic cardiovascular conditioning and exercise. Most people don’t realize that strength training is actually one of the most effective kinds of weight loss training there is.

Muscle mass is the active tissue which determines metabolic rate and energy level. Adequate amounts of lean muscle mass in the body is the perfect thing for building a body that burns fat easily.

One woman who tried several other kinds of weight training and dieting, turned to Kettlebell Training and lost 135 pounds in a few short years.

Kettlebells For the Female Figure

Women who’ve used Kettlebell Training claim that it creates a woman’s physique and figure in a way that conventional weight training can’t. Because Kettlebell Training allows for a flexibility and range of motion, this is the critical part that is not possible with conventional weight training.

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Reduce Lower Back Pain and Get a Stronger Back and Core with Kettlebells

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Demetri

If you’ve ever suffered from really bad lower back pain, then you know how it can be debilitating, and mind altering, and not in a good way. Even the simplest of daily tasks such as walking or standing up from a chair can be a challenge. Many times, lower back pain and injuries are caused by a variety of factors, but many of the major culprits are muscle weaknesses and muscle imbalances.

lower-back-injuries

Low back pain and injuries are caused by musculoskeletal imbalances

Kettlebells exercises and routines can help fix those imbalances and weaknesses and help to eliminate back pain. Before we look at how kettlebells can help, lets look at some of the common weaknesses and imbalances.

1. Weak Abdominals. When your abs are working properly, they help keep your pelvis from moving too much or into the wrong positions when moving, whether it’s regular moving or exercising.

2. Tight Hip Flexors. The hip flexors allow you to walk, run, climb, stand, sit, lunge, twist, and turn. When these muscles tighten up, they pull the pelvis out of its natural alignment. If your abs are weak, it can become a major problem, especially if the hip fexors are tight. Tight hip flexors prevent the abdominals from working correctly, and therefore start to cause even more problems.

3. Weak Butt. The Buttocks are designed to help you move forward and provide a counterbalance when bending. When this muscle group is weak in combination with the others, it can be a real pain in the butt, as  well as trouble for the lower back.

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Posted in All Articles, Back Pain, Basic Kettlebell Exercises, Kettlebell Basics, Kettlebell Benefits, Proper Kettlebell Form, Proper Kettlebell Technique, Reducing Back Pain | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment