3 Tips to Keep Your Back Flat During Abs Exercises

Did you know that training the core to keep the lower back in a neutral position is vital to lower back strength? When we prepare our breath to aid in movement at the level of the hips, we are training the body to move more efficiently and safely. Starting with baseline movements helps us understand the importance of core stability in all daily activities.

These are the 3 exercises I recommend practicing to keep the lower back on the mat during ab exercises to gain strength and stability.

BREATHWORK (aka 360-breathing)

Often overlooked, but a genuine mind-body connection happens with the breath. This exercise helps you practice combating ‘anterior pelvic tilt.’

How to do it:

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your hands on your belly. As you inhale into your belly, think about expanding it 360-degrees – inhaling up, down, and to both sides. As you breathe, keep your lower back pressed into the mat.
3. For the exhale, blow the air out of your mouth like blowing out your birthday candles. Simultaneously, think about wrapping the ribs around the diaphragm.
4. During the exhale, pretend there is a marshmallow underneath your lower back and push the marshmallow as hard as you can into the mat.
5. Repeat.

Do this daily for 10 breaths.

KNEE LIFT

Combining the breathwork you just learned and a single-limb movement that encourages posterior tilt, this exercise helps to stabilize the core and lower back.

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. With hands-on the belly, lift one foot a few inches off the floor. Then, take a deep breath in with your 360-breathing (see breathwork).
3. Use the entire breath to pull the elevated knee towards your chest and replace the foot on the ground as you exhale.
4. During the exhale, make sure your lower back stays pressed into the mat the entire time.
   Inhale and repeat the movement on the exhale.

Do this 8-10 times per leg for 3 rounds total.

HEEL SLIDES

After mastering breathwork and knee lifts, we can move into heel slides. Heel slides move the legs in two directions, training core strength and hip stability.

1. Start on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. With hands-on the stomach, lift one foot a few inches off the floor, toe pulling towards the shin. Take a deep breath in with your 360-breathing (see breathwork).
3. During the exhale, reach the heel as far away from the pelvis as possible while keeping the heel close to the ground.
4. Once the leg is fully extended, bring the foot back to the starting position and repeat.
   The exhale should last the entire duration of the heel slide, from start to finish.

Recommended: 8-10x per leg, 3 rounds total.

Practice these 3 exercises daily for the best results and notice how much strength you have in your lower back and core! When our core is strong, our daily activities get easier, becoming more powerful in our workouts.