Core control, strength and endurance need to be trained differently.

Just throwing any abdominal or back exercise at the mid-section is not a fix-all for core issues, especially in the presence in lower back pain.

The most effective exercises take into consideration the control, positioning, sets, reps and tempo based on someone’s needs, aka deficiencies, or goals. Structural restrictions, such as arthritis, and/or current pain sensitive tissues also need to be factored in.

Before attempting to build strength or endurance based off someone’s goals (what they want to accomplish in everyday life or sport) it is imperative to build a good sense of awareness for positioning of the joints where spine meets the pelvis below and the rib cage above.

Hours upon weeks, months and years of jamming and compressing the lower spine and hips into one position throughout school, work and commuting create an resounding sense of ‘numbness’ to this area of the body.

An amnesia, or inability to elicit voluntary control of movement where the low back and pelvis meet is one of the most common underlying deficiencies I see in those with core issues or lower back pain. It is also likely why 95% of lumbar disc herniations happen at those two lowest spinal joints where the spine meet the pelvis, L4-5 and L5-S1.

If lower back health is a goal then exercises that build a mind-body awareness and voluntary control of those lumbar-pelvic joints should precede, followed by learning a neutral position and then learning to lock it in through endurance and/or strengthening.