Take a look at the exercise above. What do you see? I’ll make it easy…what you are seeing is a soon-to-be low back injury.
It looks like a fit guy doing what is classically called a ‘Superman’. Well, we all know the man of steel is invincible. But, we are not. In fact, our kryptonite is the low back injury that is going to occur when we extend the spine like this. In fact, studies show that this exercise can create about 6000 Newtons of energy into our low back.
Superman will not break…we will. Just so you now, 1 Newton equals about .225 pounds of force. So, if we multiple 6000 x .225, we get 1350 pounds of pressure in the low back. Do you think your facet joints, ligaments, and discs are made to take this type of pressure? Well, this is NOT what you want to do. I’ve heard far too many people over the years saying they love the ‘burn’ in their low back that they feel when performing this exercise. Well, guess what? That burn is severely damaging your back. Don’t Be a Meathead!
There is NO reason to do the Superman exercise…ever! There are many more effective ways to work on stabilization of the core and we certainly do not want to be over stressing structures. Stuart McGill, PhD is one of the top research spine specialists in the world. He has books for the layperson and healthcare provider that cover large amounts of information about spinal biomechanics. He has been published probably about 200 times in peer-reviewed journals. The information above about the Newton force to the spine is research he performed. Just for quick reference, in his book titled ‘Low Back Disorders’, second edition, this information can be found on page 91. Read the whole book though…it’s awesome!
For a quick response to the ‘what now, then’ question, look at this study by Dr. McGill. Knowledge of the ‘Big 3’ can help you a lot!
The key to proper training is addressing the structures/tissues we wish to train without creating abnormally high forces that can injure us. Hence, goodbye Superman.
If you want to work on the ‘low back’, you should first locate a Functional Movement Screen certified trainer and get assessed. Random exercises in a gym should never be performed as a lot of what you do can hurt you. In other words, workouts should not be based on what you think you need…they should be based on what you actually need. Just as you go to a doctor and get tests to try to figure out what needs to be done, a proper movement screen will identify issues with mobility and stability. This is a great starting place for any and everyone.
Once the screen is done, your trainer can identify what particular stretches/motor control exercises need to be performed to help you optimize your health and provide better performance in your sport. Even if you only want to workout for fun, it’s important to exercise properly.
We’ll probably cover some videos with the Superman topic in mind, so stay tuned!
Okay, Thor, go to it!
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