Whether you are a veteran fitness enthusiast or just starting to work out, most commercial gyms are temporarily closing their doors today due to the new coronavirus. Although you may not be able to go to a commercial gym for exercise for a long time, you can still find great ways to stay healthy and in shape even if you are trapped at home, such as creating a small home gym. Fortunately, there are many great pieces of home fitness equipment that can help you succeed in achieving your fitness goals, and the incline sit up bench is one of the outstanding representatives. It has been proved to be one of the most effective equipment to shape your body, and adding it to your home gym will definitely bring you amazing exercise results.
Having attractive six-pack abs is what everyone dreams of, and I believe you are no exception. You only need to use a sit-up bench to effectively perform abdominal exercise. However, there are many people who get lower back pain after using it. This is one of the most worrying things for many people when using the abdominal bench for exercise, because lower back pain will not only make them feel uncomfortable, but also greatly reduce the exercise results. If you are one of them, please read on. In the following article, I will explain to you in detail why your lower back hurts after using an abdominal bench and how to use it correctly to avoid lower back pain, hoping to help you.
What is an abdominal bench?
The sit up machine (also called abdominal bench) is an exercise bench, which is mainly designed for users to effectively and comfortably exercise abdominal muscles and promote correct sit-up posture. By using this bench, you can shape your abdominal muscles more effectively and safely than simply exercising on the floor. It is ergonomically designed, with thick foam cushion, foam covering handle and backrest. What's more, because it has the function of inclining or declining, you can fix it or adjust it to different degrees of inclination according to your desired comfort level for more effective abdominal exercise. When you seek any weight change during sit-ups, the abdominal bench will be an important supplement to any exercise routine.
Why does your lower back hurt after using an abdominal bench?
The goal of the abdominal bench is to increase the load on your core when performing sit-ups. Unfortunately, if users don't know the correct technique when using it for sit-ups, or if they don’t have the core strength to perform this exercise correctly, then there is a high probability of lower back hurt after using the abdominal bench. When using the sit-up bench for sit-ups, the capacity of the core to sit the body up is even less than when on the floor so the only way of sitting up is to strongly activate the hip flexors to assist in pulling the upper body up to a full hip flexion position. If the person undertaking this activity has very strong core muscles, they might be able to maintain a neutral pelvis during this activity and will therefore be training their hip flexors isotonically and core isometrically (a good outcome). But if the user leans backwards when doing sit-ups with abdominal bench----this is a clear indication that their abdominal musculature is doing almost none of the work and their hip flexors (attached to the lumbar spine) are pulling the upper body to a full sit-ups position at the detriment of the hip flexor attachments on the lumbar spine and lumbar verterbral joints. This will cause them lower back hurt after using the abdominal bench.
How to use an abdominal bench correctly to avoid lower back pain?
The abdominal bench is a classic piece of fitness equipment to train your abs, but it only works if you use it correctly. If you use it the right way, it is going to be your best friend to strengthen your entire core, help you get six-pack abs and prevent you from getting injured or having lower back pain. To use the abdominal bench correctly to avoid lower back pain, please follow the guidelines below.
1. Start with a warm-up
Before doing any kind of exercise, please remember to take a few minutes to warm-up, and it is no exception before using the abdominal bench for exercise. Studies have shown that warming up before exercise can increase blood circulation and flexibility of muscles. This can not only help you reduce the risk of injury during exercise, but also help you prepare mentally for the following exercise.
2. Setting the angle of your bench
After the warm-up training, it is time to set the angle of your abdominal bench according to your comfort level. Steeper the angle, more difficult it would be for you to exercise. Therefore, if you are a beginner, please make sure to set the angle of your abdominal bench to 45 degrees for more comfortable and safe exercise.
3. Sitting on a bench
After you set the angle of your abdominal bench, you can sit on your abdominal bench with your feet between the rollers and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Slowly lie back and hold your head with your hands behind it.
4. Lifting the upper body
If your main goal is to exercise abdominal muscles, it is important to keep your back as straight as possible. After you lie on your incline sit up bench, take a deep breath and hold your breath. Then begin to exhale slowly while lifting your upper body and contracting your core. Lift your upper body until your elbows can touch your knees. Remember to hold this position for a few seconds instead of lying down immediately.
5. Lower your body slowly
After you lift your upper body and touch your elbows to your knees and hold this position for a few seconds, now you can slowly lower your body to the starting position. Remember that it is important to breathe in during this process. In addition, if you want to exercise your abdominal muscles better, you can repeat the action of lifting your upper body and slowly lowering your body on your abdominal bench. If you are just starting to do it, it is a good way to exercise your abdominal muscles and core by doing 2 groups with 10 times each.
So now you must know why your lower back hurts after using a sit-up bench. A big part of the reason is that you are not using it in the right position. As long as you do it correctly, you will never feel pain in your lower back or neck.
