Lower back and neck pain can be helped by some basic principles when exercising the abdominals. Isolating the upper and lower abdominals, along with proper head position, can create a stronger core, and quite possibly less back and neck pain. Beginners should work in one or two sets and eight to 12 repetitions. Start out with eight repetitions on each exercise, slowly working up to 12. Not everyone will be able to perform eight repetitions at first. If that is the case, do five to eight repetitions as your starting point. If performing five is too difficult, do as many as you can.
Abdominal Crunch
The abdominal crunch targets the upper rectus abdominis. Lie supine on the floor. Place your feet up on bench or chair and pull your knees back so they are over your belt line. Tuck your chin and gently press your heels down against the bench or chair. Slowly curl the upper torso, bringing your shoulders towards your knees. Keeping your chin tucked--the neck is part of the core so this exercise will help build strength in the cervical area--and the lower back in contact with the floor. Hold and slowly lower until your shoulder blades contact the floor.
The key to this movement is pressing down the heels. This activates the hamstrings and glutes, turning off the hip flexors. Performing the movement will force the abdominal muscles to pull the ribcage to the pelvis--doing them in a slow and controlled manner truly strengthens the upper abdominals. If there is neck pain, support it by placing your fingers behind your head, without adding any pressure.
Reverse Torso Curl
The reverse torso curls will strengthen the lower abdominals and the transvers abdominis while turning off or relaxing the lower back muscles. To perform the reverse torso curl, lie supine on a flat surface or bench. Bring your knees up toward your chest until they are over belt line--this will turn off the hip flexors. Contract your lower abdominals and curl your pelvic area up to approximately 2 inches, keeping the upper back in contact with the surface. Hold, and then return to start position.
Cervical Lateral Flexion
Sit with your shoulders back and down. With your chin slightly tucked, let your head fall to the right without allowing any head rotation. This will stretch out the sternocleidomastoid muscles. These muscles can cause neck tightness and pain. Do not force the movement, just take what your body gives. Return the head to center and repeat on the left side.
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