This article is going to give you insight on how to do core abdominal exercises for beginners without hurting your lower back . If you are new to abdominal and core circuit training workouts, we have to go through a couple of biomechanical things first to understand how you can injure the lower back while doing various movements.

You are in spinal flexion when you do a sit-up . If you are on your stomach and you are arching your back, you are in spinal extension. Spinal flexion can become a problem for the lower back because we spend a lot of time in a seated position – in the car, at your desk, on the couch when you watch tv, etc…

Over time, the lumbar vertebrae begin to push on the disks in between them and push the disks backward . Over time, there is a wedging force on your intervertebral disks that can lead to herniated or slipped disks or various impingement-type issues. That is something we want to avoid. If you have lower back pain and doctors tell you to do sit-ups, all you will do is further the problem. What we need to do is develop strength and stability through static exercises and I am going to take you through three of them right now.
The first exercise we’re going to look at doing is called the Bird Dog . On a floor mat, get down on your hands and knees with your hands right underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. What you want to do here is find your neutral spine. Find a position where you can relax your spine and it feels relaxed. Draw your abdominal muscles in toward your spine. Pretend like you are putting on a tight pair of trousers. That is where you want to start. When you tighten your core like that it is called an abdominal brace .

From this position, you are going to take your right arm and lift it up to the side in a right angle so that your fist points forward and your forearm is parallel and in line with your body. Keep the arm strong and activate the lateral muscles in your back. Raise your left leg at the same time, straight back. Stabilize and hold. Do not twist or turn. Stay nice and controlled. After a few seconds, bring your arm and leg back to the starting position and then raise your opposite arm and leg. This will stabilize the core which is everything from the shoulder to the top of the knee .

This is a fundamental exercise for a beginner or someone that suffers from back pain . Remember to keep the abdominals nice and tight and go for 12 repetitions on each side. You can do 2-3 sets. It is a very basic exercise but it is very demanding if you do it properly.

The second exercise is the Side Bridge . If you are a total beginner or have low back pain I suggest that you start from your knees.

Lie on your side and place your forearm on the floor, elbow directly under your shoulder, hand facing away from you in front. Raise your hips toward the sky and bend your knees . You are working on the side that is nearest to the floor, and there is a bit of shoulder stability needed as well.

Deep abdominal muscles are being trained with this movement . One of them is called quadratus lumborum. It is a spinal stabilizer that works to stabilize your spine during lateral movements. Any time you are bending from side to side, that is the muscle that’s working. Here we want to focus on stability .

Go from the feet rather than from the knees if you find it to be too easy . Legs straight, shoulders back. The core is tucked in and strong. Hold that for as long as you can whether it is 30 seconds or 45 seconds or more. The goal is to attain balance between your sides. If one side can go for a minute and the other for only 30 seconds, there is obviously an imbalance that we need to correct.

The next exercise is a basic plank . It’s basic, but a lot of people get it wrong and I am going to tell you why. Place your forearms and your feet on the floor. Do not let your lower back arch. Your pelvis should be moderately tipped forward so that you are tucking your tailbone underneath. You will have a slight rounding of the back, but nothing excessive.

The back is nearly flat but your pelvis is tucked under which engages your glutes and engages your core that much more. It keeps your spine much, much happier. Hold that position for as long as you can. If you feel pain in your back, tuck your pelvis under more. That will elongate the spine and take the pressure and strain off of your lower back .

These are three fundamental exercises that anybody should start with, whether you are an absolute beginner, a 70-year-old person who has never worked out or whoever you are. If you have low back pain and even if you don’t have low back pain, if you want to do a great abdominal workout that doesn’t stress your spine, these three exercises will do that.

You will find that you will be getting more toned and increased strength through your mid section by following these exercises  . Remember, these exercises will make you stronger, but they will not make it easier to see your abs. That will come with full body circuit training workouts, interval training, a proper diet, and lots of work. It doesn’t happen over night