- Use your hands to support the weight of your head. As you can see from the diagram, you
don’t need to lift very far.
- Do not use your arms to lift – this will stop you from targeting your abdominal
muscles. Do not tense your neck (supporting your head will help).
- When you lift, focus your eyes on the ceiling – this will help to keep your neck
(and back) as straight as possible. You should try to avoid bringing your head towards
your chest – this will round your neck and upper back too much (it will also
encourage you to lift using your arms).
- As you lift, keep your lower abdominals tensed (up and in), and breathe out slowly.
Exhale, until you come to the end of your breath – this will help you to keep the
tension in your abdominal muscles in a safe and reliable manner.
Note: Some people hold the tension by not breathing – this is very bad
for you.
Return
- As you lower your torso, breathe in slowly (keeping your abdominals tensed). Again,
support the weight of your head using your hands. Do not tense your neck.
- Do not use your arms to lower yourself down, and try to avoid bringing your head towards
your chest. You should aim to finish inhaling just as you return to the starting position.
Additional Advice
To start with you should:
- Limit the number of repetitions (perhaps to as little as five or ten).
- Perform the exercise every other day.
When you feel comfortable with this exercise, you should begin to strengthen your back
(using the Reverse Leg Raise).
Note: Both muscle groups (abdominal and back) play an important role in stabilising
the spine. However, these groups oppose each other - one sits in front of the spine, and
the other behind it. You therefore need to balance your strength by doing both exercises
(otherwise, you may experience problems).
If you’ve had back pain for a reasonable length of time (whether the pain is
intermittent, or constant) you will probably have weak, and tight, abdominal muscles. You
therefore need to decompress your spine before you attempt to strengthen your back
– and you need to build up your strength and stamina gradually (as with any other
exercise).
If you feel that you’ve strained your muscles (at any stage) you should stop. This
probably means that your lower spine is too stiff, and your muscles are too tight.
Continue to use the backrack until you feel ready to try this exercise again.
