Good Ab Exercises For People With Back Injuries

Whether you're a serious exerciser or not, training your abdominals makes you stronger, improves your posture and reduces your chances of injury. However, it becomes even more important if you already have suffered back injuries. The main role of your abdominals is to stabilize and prevent excessive movement -- if your core muscles are weak and you have a bad back, your back will end up straining to maintain your posture, which can make the injury worse. However, doing hundreds of situps and crunches can be ineffective and detrimental -- you need to focus on stabilization exercises that reduce the strain on your back.

Stability Ball Rollout

Kneel on the floor and place your elbows on a stability ball in front of you. Brace your abs, as if someone was about to punch you in the stomach, then slowly roll the ball out by shifting your weight forward and lowering your torso. Go as far as you can, then brace your abs even harder to bring yourself back up. Corrective exercise specialist Mike Robertson advises that if you feel your lower back arching at any point on the way out, you shouldn't go any farther. Do three sets of 15 repetitions, and gradually work on progressing the exercise by increasing your range of movement.

Curl Up

Traditional situps and crunches can strengthen your abs, but they also put a lot of stress on your hip flexors and lower back. According to Dr. Stuart McGill, author of "Low Back Disorders," the curl up is a better option. Lie on your back with one leg out straight and the other bent. Place your hands under your lower back to make sure that you don't excessively arch your back and then raise your head and shoulders off the floor as far as you can, while keeping your back flat. Do eight reps and then change your leg positions and repeat three times.

Pallof Press

The Pallof press is a rarely seen, but it's a very effective ab exercise. In his article "Everything Pallof Press," strength coach Tony Gentilcore writes that the exercises trains all the main functions of your core muscles -- resisting trunk extension, posterior pelvic tilt, and rotation. Attach a resistance band to a sturdy upright, and stand with your left or right shoulder facing it. Hold the band in both hands and side-step out until there is tension. Push your hands straight out in front and hold them there for three seconds while squeezing your abs, then bring your hands back in. Your forward and back presses are working against resistance to the side. Do four sets of 10 each side. If you have access to a gym, you can also do this on a cable machine.

Considerations

Train your abs twice per week, either after weight training or cardiovascular exercise, or in their own session. If you feel any discomfort in your back, cease the exercise immediately. If the pain continues, consult a doctor. Provided you are free of pain, however, it is important to progress these exercises so that your strength continues to improve -- do more reps and sets, or try rollouts with an ab wheel instead of a ball, and Pallof presses with a tougher resistance band.