Hi everyone

I am gald to see that my workouts for the ladies are back up, I don't know what happened there. Anyway I wanted to talk about back problems and back injuries. Back injuries can be cause be a fall, a car accident, or improperly lifting something heavy. Now the good news, you don't have to have a bad back. We can fix it! Back injuries are made worst when you have weak abs. The abs support the back, and also support all of your internal organs, which are heavy. Weak abs make a injuried back worst. So, our first priority is to build up the your strength in your abs. This is not a simple fix as most traditional ab exercises actually hurt the back. Sit ups are a no, no for anyone with a back injury. Leg lifts are off limits until we have built some serious strength.
So, what can we do? I use what I call Denise Austins, which is where you lay flat on your back and lift your legs so that they are now pointed straight up at 90 degrees, now place your hands at your sides and then lift your butt and hips off the floor without swinging your legs or bending you knees. These are hard at first, so keep at it. You only have to lift your butt off the ground a couple of inches to start. Make sure that you don't move your legs toward your face, they should remain pointed straight up at the sky. I want you to do 3 sets of 15-20 reps to start, but if you can't do 15 reps then do 4x10. The next exercise is plankholds. Lay on the floor on your belly with your weight on your elbows, your elbows should be next to your sides with your fists next to you face. Now lift yourself up like in a push ups position but remain on your elbows, not your hands. Your body should be straight and flat and you should be on you toes. Now hold this position for 15-20 sec. or as long as you can up to 20 sec. relax and start a new set when you've had a little rest. Try 3-4 sets of 15-20 sec. As you get stronger you'll be able to go longer. I want you to do these exercises 3-4 days a week. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions.

George