No more lower back pain

[jobo]

I would say, well certainly for my type of back pain, if you're not completely warmed up and are not careful enough on the coming down second part of an outward crescent kicks circle, it can definitely hurt your back. In my old TKD class we used crescent kicks basically as warm up exercises and would do 20 each leg pretty much without stopping in between. I would often end up sorta pulling on my hip as I cam back down and in turn, my lower back.

As an aside, because of the way we would throw everything into TKD crescent kicks, I am finding it very difficult to adjust to the Longfist 'touch the foot with both hands' style of crescent kick, and also the inward crescent kick style where it sorta hooking kicks inward and comes back to a semi sidekick chamber position (foot almost resting on knee).

that's intresting, but if you look a human physiology, you will find that the movement you describe shouldn't involve the lower back at all, the back becomes involved if other muscles notably your glutes and hamstrings are not firing correctly and your using them as a default. Unless what your describing is pain in the top part of you hip flexors'. In which case the problem is weakness, tightness in the hip flexors, but that's associated with weak glutes as well

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

if you're not completely warmed up and are not careful enough on the coming down second part of an outward crescent kicks circle, it can definitely hurt your back.

I always use my "3 miles running" as my warm up. After that, I'll do my static stretching first such as:

1. Do one leg forward and one leg backward floor split.
2. Do both legs sideway floor split.
3. Lay down on the ground. Repeat 1 leg outside crescent kick and 1 leg inside crescent kick.

Both 1 and 2 will help my leg stretching to the maximum. 3 can help me to prepare for the stand up inside/outside crescent kick.

Before I do my

- Inside crescent kick.
- Outside crescent kick.
- Swing leg straight up over the head and touch the hand above the head.

This is why I think the order is important. You have to follow the steps to prevent any body injury. I'll never do any inside/outside crescent kicks without doing others first.

 

[KabutoKouji]

that's intresting, but if you look a human physiology, you will find that the movement you describe shouldn't involve the lower back at all, the back becomes involved if other muscles notably your glutes and hamstrings are not firing correctly and your using them as a default. Unless what your describing is pain in the top part of you hip flexors'. In which case the problem is weakness, tightness in the hip flexors, but that's associated with weak glutes as well

yeah it doesn't make much sense, but I had a dodgy hip from childhood so mine are weird. It's the same kinda weakness/stress I'd feel if I do 'leg raise' situps as I bring the leg back down - having said that, most of these things don't seem to happen to the same extent, if at all since I started TaiJiJuan and Qigong.

 

[KabutoKouji]

I always use my "3 miles running" as my warm up. After that, I'll do my static stretching first such as:

1. Do one leg forward and one leg backward floor split.
2. Do both legs sideway floor split.
3. Lay down on the ground. Repeat 1 leg outside crescent kick and 1 leg inside crescent kick.

Both 1 and 2 will help my leg stretching to the maximum. 3 can help me to prepare for the stand up inside/outside crescent kick.

Before I do my

- Inside crescent kick.
- Outside crescent kick.
- Swing leg straight up over the head and touch the hand above the head.

This is why I think the order is important. You have to follow the steps to prevent any body injury. I'll never do any inside/outside crescent kicks without doing others first.

great sequence - yeah 3 miles running should definitely help

 

[jobo]

yeah it doesn't make much sense, but I had a dodgy hip from childhood so mine are weird. It's the same kinda weakness/stress I'd feel if I do 'leg raise' situps as I bring the leg back down - having said that, most of these things don't seem to happen to the same extent, if at all since I started TaiJiJuan and Qigong.

that does sound like mine and does sound like a hip flexor glute imbalance.

doing sit ups is contrary to most peoples understanding mostly a hip flexor exercise and and not an abs one. And leg raises are all hip flexor
the flexor's and the glutes work as opposing' muscles and strengh in one and weakness in the other causes twisting of the pelvis and pain

I got considerable benefit from glute bridges, you may wish to see if they assist you. They stretch the flexors strenghen the glutes and pull your pelvis back in line

 

[KabutoKouji]

yeah situps in general always feel strain on the hips to me - what are glute bridges?

 

[jobo]

yeah situps in general always feel strain on the hips to me - what are glute bridges?

lie with you back on the floor, arch you body upwards so your groin gets nearer the ceiling, with only your shoulders and feet on the floor. Hold for a while.
its one of only a few exercises. That recruit all the glute muscle and that releases tension on the hip flexor

once you have the hang of that, do it one legged, whilst pulling the other knee towards your chin. That activates the glute whilst stretching the hip flexor

 

[KabutoKouji]

cool I shall give that a go - do you do it for a minute or so?

 

[jobo]

cool I shall give that a go - do you do it for a minute or so?

depends on your ability, treat it like a plank, if 30 second is what you can do, do that, if more then do that.

you see people doing them with a loaded weight bar across their groin to make it more difficult, I've given that a miss so far

 

[KabutoKouji]

i do 2 minutes plank - though it does wreck me - i might do that after it - cool thanks

I try to do plank for as long as I can because situps wreck my back so I don't really get to do any exercises specifically for my stomach

 

[jobo]

i do 2 minutes plank - though it does wreck me - i might do that after it - cool thanks

I try to do plank for as long as I can because situps wreck my back so I don't really get to do any exercises specifically for my stomach

as discussed, sit ups work your hip flexors more than your abs. The abs don't do much any way, hold you straight and keep you organs from hanging out, that why they are such a pig to target. They should get adequate work from everything else you do, unless you are trying to build a big six pack

 

[KabutoKouji]

yeah no I have no dreams of a six pack, this 40 year old just doesnt want to have to constantly hold my stomach in in public hahah - I'm doing a lot of pressups and TaiJiJuan and Longfist once a week each and we have pretty intense skipping and pressups circuit warm ups etc., so I'd say eventually it will drop off a bit more (the stomach) .