Stop stretching your low back

It's Saturday morning.

You're probably on the floor before your session, doing the funky knees-to-chest, twisty side-to-side thing.

Feels great.

Back feels looser for a second.

Then by the time you're warmed up, the tightness creeps right back in.

You could run that loop on repeat forever. I know guys who have. Myself included, lol.

Here's the down low.

Most of the time, that tightness is your body protecting an area that's doing extra work.

When your hips stop sharing the load, your low back picks up the slack on top of its own.

So you can stretch it all you want. Until the hips take their job back, it's got a reason to stay tight.

That's why these two moves come before any stretching. They work at the joint level.

Everyone's rubbing the muscle. Almost nobody asks why that muscle keeps reacting to a joint that stopped moving.

A lying step over with a foam roller under your hip.

And a kettlebell arm bar, rolling your leg across while the bell stays pressed up.

Both drills are in this video. 2 sets of 8 per side, before you train.

These two moves are money.

Do both sides. Most people I work with need the right side more, so start there.

Get this done and that floor routine gets a heck of a lot shorter.

Hope you're moving well and brewing better. ☕

Gabe

PS. Stuck doing the same old boring rehab drills and not making progress? Book a call with me here.

PPS. Don't be Squidward.