Protecting Your Low Back When Backbending

Protecting Your Low Back When Backbending

Does your low back always feel sore after backbending? Do you struggle to hold bendy balances like scorpion forearmstands? You may not be giving your back the support it needs to be strong while being bendy.

It's extremely common for people to "dump" a lot of the bend from a backbend into their low back. Your spine has a natural curve here in your lumbar spine, so this is typically where your back “wants” to bend first! But without proper core engagement you may be relying on your bones and joints in your spine to hold the bend instead of your muscles - ouch.

Let’s take a look at what this looks like in an aerialist (thank you @aerialwithanja for sharing these pictures!):

Anastasia is a talented aerialist who also teaches at Dragons Lair Performing Arts (check out their online fitness classes on Thursdays!). They have been working more on proper backbending technique and contortion-style bends during the quarantine, and have seen a huge improvement in comfort and a reduction in soreness by focusing more on the supporting muscles. Anastasia shared these two photos to help show visually what a difference a supported vs. unsupported backbend make!

Floppy Backbend :(

This photo is an old photo. While clearly very bendy, we can see that they’re flopping into the backbend, crunching the lumbar spine, and not using the rest of the core to moderate the pose.

This type of backbend leads to a very sore back (and potentially injuries over time).

Strong Backbend :)

This is a more recent photo from Anastasia’s backbending practice where they are intentionally engaging their abs, and focusing on front-lengthening instead of back-crunching.

This type of backbend is strong, sustainable, and leads to a happy back!

So how do you protect your low back when backbending? For a happy back, there are things you should be doing before you stretch, while you stretch, and after your stretching session to help recruit the core muscles you need to protect your low back.

Before You Stretch

This is an easy one: warm up!

You should do at least 5-10 minutes of some sort of aerobic activity that gets your heart beating faster and blood pumping before you do any serious stretching.

Next it’s time for back-specific conditioning exercises to help build strong support muscles. Strength and stretching go hand-in-hand, and only focusing on the stretching component isn’t a sustainable practice. Common conditioning exercises include things like back extensions, leg lifts, and supermans/swimmers for your low back. For shoulders and upper back, things like hitchhikers (or other variations of arm lifts), scapular pushups, and active puppy press help work on your active shoulder flexibility.

I also like to include 3-5 min of ab work before I start getting really bendy to wake up my core and help build the mind-muscle connection to know how to engage my abdominals. A strong core = safer backbends!

Once you are thoroughly warmed up, you’re ready to do all the crazy bendy things!

While You Stretch

There are three things you can do when you’re working on backbends, whether on the floor or up in the air, to ensure you’re protecting your low back:

• Engage your core (“Suck your belly button into your spine”). Backbending is never totally passive/relaxed, you should always be engaging your abdominals/core to help moderate and control the bend. My favorite exercise to help work on this feeling is to practice in low and high cobra. Start in your low cobra, belly fully on the floor, rib cage lifting, and suck your belly button into your spine to engage your abs. While continuing to keep that belly button pulling in, push hands into the floor to press up to high cobra. From here, you can even relax your abs and take a moment to notice how different your back feels with a “floppy” core - it’s probably going to feel more crunchy in your low back. Not ideal. Then re-engage your core, sucking that belly button in, and feel that low back tension go. Tada!

• Recruit your hips (“Squeeze your glutes”). "Back bending" is really "front lengthening" and it involves the WHOLE back-body chain, from hamstrings to glutes to your back to your shoulders and neck. Squeezing your glutes (typically) helps encourage your hip flexors to open and join the bend to take some of the pressure out of your low back.

• FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BREATHE (“Are you breathing?”). If you cannot breathe in a pose, you are pushing yourself too hard. This is common in contortion training because students may be bendy enough to technically get into a pose, but if they can't breathe that's a good sign the body isn't strong enough to safely support that pose. If you’re having trouble breathing in a pose, lessen the pose. Then progressively work on deepening it slowly, or take a break.

After You Stretch

End your practice with abs!

Santé Fortunato (of Cirque du Soleil fame!) swears by doing pilates-style ab exercises after her backbending training “until I can feel my core take over from my back.” Catie Brier, another “big name” in the contortion world, also strongly supports post-bending abs (side note - if you’re looking for a quick post-backbending conditioning routine, check out some of Catie’s Contortion Strong programs, they’re great!).

I used to only do ab work as part of my warm up, but since I’ve started doing more planks and ab exercises at the end of my practice I notice I’m significantly less sore the next day.

Cool down.

And at the very end of practice it’s nice to wrap up with a cool down to “reset” your body and undo some of that tension from all the backbending. Do any kind of forward folds that make you feel good, like a standing forward fold with bent knees and your chest resting on your thighs, plow pose, or happy baby.

Then follow that up with some gentle spinal twists, either a seated twist, or lying on your back letting your knees fall to one side.

Both of these are going to help decompress your spine - plus they feel great!

Enjoy Your New Happy (Strong) Back!

Incorporating these tips into your stretching practice will absolutely help you build a stronger and more flexible back over time. If you have any questions, comment below, or feel free to reach out to me via Instagram (@dani.winks).