Lying Side Back Arch

 Lying Side Back Arch

Most of the traditional/conventional back exercises don’t work the lower back muscles (posterior chain) in their position of strength and integrity — but rather produce contractile forces while in their most vulnerable positions, resulting in greater back pain rather than relief from it. The clearest example of this would be the deadlift — usually touted as a cure-all for this problem, when the vertebrae is stretched while the muscles are contracting. The safe way to contract these muscles maximally, would be to begin in a compressed position, and contract further — with minimal movement, or isometrically. The simplest way this can be done is to lie on one’s side, and contract the head and feet rearward — while placing one’s upper hand on the spinal erectors or gluteus maximus to verify that this most powerful contraction of the posterior chain muscles are in fact activated and engaged — with an intensity that cannot be achieved in any other manner.

The primary function of the muscles of the glute and lower back is not to provide movement but to provide this stability and anchorage for the movements taking place at the extremities — at the head, hands and feet. The action of the muscles is that the contraction moves from the insertion (distal) towards the origin (proximal) of that muscle — which in turn, triggers the underlying supporting muscle to contract from its insertion towards its origin and finally getting back to the anchorage at the core of the body — which are the largest muscles of the body for good reason.

Thus the logical action of those muscles, would be to contract even more from a beginning position of strength — as happens with only slight movement of the head and feet in a rearward movement. While it may not seem like much, one will note that very powerful effect and contraction taking place — because it just has to. Most other movements and exercises are not so direct at producing such an instant and immediate effect — and should be the exercise done by everyone just to get up and out of bed each morning — especially with back/hip pain. As such, it would also be the exercise one would do if bedridden to regain their strength and functioning — from a weakened or debilitated state.

During sleep or long periods in bed, the many muscles attached to the vertebrae may fall out of alignment during the complete relaxation of the muscles — and some will activate and be engaged a lot better than others, while a few will remain less responsive — and as a result, the whole body will not be as coordinated as it can be initially. However, the lying side back arch requires the activation and engagement of the entire posterior chain — without firing them individually and out of proportion to the others, and one can gauge that with the hand placed on the spinal erectors or gluteus to confirm that response and effect.

So it is a movement that works on many respects — as the must do exercise, each and every day, before one even gets out of bed — or whenever one experiences debilitating back pain. In this position, it is also possible to “crack” one’s own back — or relieve the uneven pressure one feels in the spine that is experienced as back pain — for which people often go to a chiropractor, massage therapist, or acupuncturist to do for them. This is one way to do it for oneself — by oneself, in the many instances that one doesn’t have a team of health care professionals at the ready. The backwards arch while lying on one’s side produces this equal pressure on all the vertebrae — that puts them into their proper alignment.

Once the bones are in the proper place and alignment, then the muscles can contract maximally — with minimal risk of pain and injury, and in fact is curative for those with back (joint) pain and aches. The version for the anterior chain of muscles would be the lying press down (dip) with toe retraction to contract all those muscles with one movement (position) that can be performed dynamically or isometrically for a count of 50 — and repeated for another round as desired or required. All this can be done before getting out of bed — or as a means to get out of bed — and then beneficially, as needed any time one needs a reset or reorientation to proper muscular functioning.

Some things just work.