Save Your Low Back Workout

Jessica Bento, Physical Therapist

You have probably heard it, the statistic that 80% of Americans are suffer low back pain at some point in their life. Sadly, I was a statistic very early in life. Having herniated several low back discs during my competitive athletic days, I know the incredible frustration and pain of having that bad low back. 

Of course, in some ways it was a blessing because it was partly what made me want to become a physical therapist, to help others that were going to be in the high percentage that saw their lives so greatly compromised by pain and discomfort. 

It is also why I am often disappointed with what I see in the fitness industry. I know, that is harsh, but I’m being honest. Trust me, I love to train hard, push myself, and I have my goals that having nothing to do with my low back. However, as health care continues to change, I think more and more people are going to be seeing out fitness as a means not to just lose those stubborn 15 pounds, but improve their health and quality of life. 

That means fitness professionals are going to have a growing responsibility to understand the challenges their clients face and not try to be mavericks in performing exercises just because they are novel, but because they are the best ones to help their clients, feel, move, and perform better. 

You may hear my serious tone because pain flat out sucks! There is nothing fun about it, it changes so many things about your quality of life that it is hard to explain to someone unless they have been through it. I think when someone comes to you with pain or chronic discomfort you have a duty to first do no harm and if you don’t know what to do, to refer them out. 

Of course though, we also want to use DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training as a platform to really help educate yourself on how to actually help those that are seeking solutions to their problems. After all, Josh and I have had so much not just academic, but personal experience with these issues, we want you to be able to help others. 

When I was in physical therapy school one of our “go to” researchers was Dr. Stuart McGill. you probably could imagine how happy I was to see that his work had influenced Josh so much and his effort to employ his ideas in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training. For good reason, Dr. McGill isn’t an expert because we say so, but rather because he has done some of the most and extensive research on the spine. 

That is why you could imagine I was very intrigued when I got Dr. McGill’s latest edition of “Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation”. Probably not the most exciting reading for many out there, but you can imagine my interest in delving in! 

What excited me most was how I saw DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training in so much of the book. Not literally, but concepts and movements were so similar it was crazy! One in particular stood out to me. 

Having worked in hospitals and clinics, I have worked with people in some very bad shape. My reference point of where to start people who have challenges of pain and dysfunction is very different than many in fitness.

For example, I recently saw a picture of someone doing a great Turkish Get-up. The caption read something like, “the Turkish Get-up is a great way to teach people how to get off the ground.” Actually, the Turkish Get-up only has very small segments that can be related to how to get off the ground effectively. 

Getting up and down from the ground can be a great challenge for someone with chronic issues with their low back. Watching Josh after his first week of surgery was rough. Life changes greatly when  you can do some of the most fundamental things like get up and down from the ground. 

When I came across this series from Dr. McGill though I was inspired with a great DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training series that could help people regain this ability. 

We could break this series down into a strength training circuit that could do some serious wonders for people. Now, of course whenever you are dealing with someone with an injury you want to communicate with their health care professional. You also have to know their limitations. However, if you follow these steps, take time for watching for quality of movement, I am confident you can really do some amazing things. If you can’t see how DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training is reflected in the picture above, check out this video and see how you can really impact someone’s life!

Don’t miss the chance to dramatically impact your and your clients’ fitness with our DVRT Educational programs HERE! Our NEW Online DVRT certification is 25% off with coupon code “love25” for a VERY limited time!