DISCLAIMER: Do not use this routine if…
- You just injured your back and you know there is some severe tissue damage eg. you’re squatting and you fail and get crushed by the bar
- You know you have a spondylolisthesis or other extension injury (if you don’t know what this is, you probably don’t have it)
Doing so will make you worse!
But, if you’re one of the guys who simply wakes up stiff in the morning, or if you hurt your back tying your shoes or bending over doing something light like brushing your teeth or just moving the ‘wrong’ way, this will be PERFECT FOR YOU.
Here are the exercises to do, in the proper order:
- McKenzie Pressups – 10 reps
- Hip extensions – 8 reps x 5 sec hold
- Birddog (aka Horse stance horizontal) - 4 reps x 10 sec hold
- Side bridges – 5 reps x 10 sec hold on each side
Might sound easy, but there are key details that you must know and do to make the exercises effective, for those, watch the video (and take notes or follow along as you’re watching):
Make sure you do everything right, like the breathing during the McKenzie’s, the glute squeeze and heel drive during the hip extensions, and the proper alignment during the Birddog and Side Bridges…
These details are as important as making sure you keep your hands up when boxing…
So if you have an incident where you throw your back out, do this right away and then another 2 times the same day…
Or if you have LBP now, do it 2-3 times a day.
Either way, leave a comment below with your results:
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Leave A Reply (41 comments So Far)
brandon
Hey, I got really bad muscles spasms in my lower back and neck just wondering if this well heal my backpain. I think it’s from slouching. I remember looking in the mirror and forcing myself to stand up straight and around 2 or 3 days of that my muscle went into very tight spasms. I have had xray and MRI done on my spine and doctors looked at it said everything is normal, so will this work for me, I didn’t get in a car accident or fall of of something all I did was slouch and try to force myself to stand up straight and my muscle in my back went into spasms. It been like this for 4 years and something months
thank you
prettyboy
Haven’t tried the lower back routine yet, but thanks for the tips. You got anything for the knee’s?
Dan
Great find on this one…. going to give this a go and let you know how it works for me….. Been having back spasms for years…. Thanks
Marios
Hi Eric. Thanks for the routine.
I am right now in the Power Phase of your Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning Program and while I was doing the box jumps and felt a little pinch in my lower back. I continued and finished the workout, with no pain. A couple hours after the workout I was doing some chores around the house and I felt the pinch again when I bent my waist to reach for something. This was to my left side. The pain subsised a couple of days later, but I would like to ask whether your routine would help in this case. Thanks
Eric Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 8:29 am
YES – definitely give it a shot – it should help!
Marios Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Thanks for the reply Eric. Will do
Meg Griffin
Me again but oh my word i just tried your video and it’s amazing! I feel so much better thanks a bunch!
Rena
Thanky Thanky for all this good infromtiaon!
Josemm
Hey Eric thanks for this man I actually have this problem I get injured every time i try to reach and twist at the same time just like when you tried to reach something in your car same thing this will help me alot.
Also I Need Your Help I hope you could answer this and im sure a lot of guys need to know too!!!!
WHAT DO WE DO AFTER WE GOT AND INJURY?
I got an injury training I got caught in a triangle choke I was on my knees and he was standing so he jumped to my shoulders and then he drag me to the mat so all that movement with his weight fucked up my shoulder it has been 4 weeks and still hurts and i didnt know what to do so i used ice etc and i found some stuff over the internet but is not enough
I guess the muscle that got the injury is the supraspinatus but im not sure that`s why im asking you? lol
SO WHATS THE BEST THING TO DO AFTER THAT? WHEN AND HOW LONG SHOULD WE USE ICE,
WHEN DO WE START A REHABILITATION PROGRAM FOR THE MUSCLE ? ETC
WICH KIND OF EXCERCISES DO YOU RECOMEND FOR SHOULDER INJURIES? I HEARD THAT SHOULDERS ARE COMPLICATED BECAUSE THERE ARE LOTS OF MUSCLES INVOLVED
NOW I KNOW WHAT NOT TO DO for all of you guys you should first ask an specialist i tried to stretch the muscle and rotate shoulder etc etc and it just got worst since i didnt know what to do now an injury that would heal in few days now it has been there 4 weeks!!! that`s not cool
I hope you have some time to respond Eric.
Cheers and thanks.
Alex
Bump.
I too have lumber spondylolisthesis and would like to know your thoughts on managing it.
cheers!
Eric
@ Rommel
Awesome to hear man – glad I could be of service. It is like a miracle, eh? :)
If you know of anyone else who has back pain probs, direct them to this article!
Rommel
Hey Eric,
Ive had a persistent lower back issue which tweaks on average once-2wice a year for the past 20 years. My latest episode happened New Year’s. It was basically from the result of a hard sneeze, which had me frozen in pain for a great 5 minutes. To make a long story short, I was in a slow moving state for a good 2.5 weeks. I just saw your video tonight, and performed the exercises you demonstrated. All I want to say is thank you very much!!! I actually feel like going for a run right now due to the no pain feeling in my lower back!
Thank you!
Rommel
Also, I plan to use these exercises to help with prevention, as well as incorporate it in my Muay Thai teaching and fighter coaching
Chris
I’ve had the “tweak” that you describe, on and off, for years. You hit it on the head: “Brushing your teeth wrong.” Yeah, it’s that stupid. Anyway, the most recent was driving home from Thanksgiving yesterday, got out of the car “wrong.” Kaboom.
Just ran through the routine for the first time, and I already feel a lot of relief. Going to run some errands, and then do it again. I have high hopes.
My other top-secret technique is to put a pair of tennis balls in a sock, and tie a knot in the sock just above them. Then I lay on the sock, with one ball (har har har, I said “balls”) on either side of my spine. My girlfriend laughs as I scoot around on the floor this way, but it’s the best deep tissue massage ever.
Thanks man!
ruddy
Hi eric
je t ai regarde un video comment! je suis bien fier de toi
thank you !
jorge gutierrez
SORRY I COUDNT SEE THE DAMAGE CONTROL FOR LBP VIDEO
MY SCREEN JUST DEEMS
jorge gutierrez
HI ERIC, I CANT’T SEE THE DAMAGE CONTROL FOR LBP VIDEO MY SCREEN JUST DEEMS COULD YOU UPLOAD THI VIDEO IN YOU TUBE.
TKS
Bob
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! AND THANK YOU AGAIN! I’ve used this exercise on a few occasions but thankfully haven’t needed it as of late. I was recently lifting to start training for an mma smoker fight on an already sore, from work, back. as I lifted the bar off the rack to squat if felt like I could barely stand. I ended up barely being able to walk with no training or lifting for the past two weeks and today I am starting to do some simple drills at my house to make sure theres no pain. Before I did that I performed this routine and the slight discomfort that was there completely went away. Thanks for the routine Eric!
Eric Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
THIS IS WHAT I LOVE TO HEAR!!
Thanks for the feedback Bob… Hopefully you’ve inspired people to actually DO this routine when their back goes out…
The key is in the details – watch and follow along with the video to make sure you’re doing everything in proper technique, and you’ll get instant decrease in discomfort if not 100% relief.
PEACE
Eric
Josh
Hey, I have had lower back pain on and off for about a year now and most recently pulled it really bad. My body actually went wonky; I thought it was due to muscle spasm. Anyway I went doctors and they told me to rest, take anti flamentry tablets and get an X-Ray. I did this and a couple of weeks later the pain was gone. Then I did a couple of light tecnique sessions and the pain is still there slightly. The X-ray showed a slight curve in my spine but that must of been there sinse I was born and don’t explain my muscle pain. I just had an MRI scan and have to wait another week before I get results. Do you think I should keep waiting, all whilst I’m getting weaker and weaker from nearly a month of no training or should I use this routine and see how I go?
Cheers.
Eric Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Hey Josh,
Really sorry about the late reply… Didn’t mean to not reply to this, because it’s an important message.
Anyway – how is everything going now, and do you have any questions?
Eric
Josh Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Hi, yeah since that post I recovered from my injury but now have it on the other side of my back. I frequently have back pain on and off and I don’t know why? I am an actual qualified fitness Instructer so I know I’m doing all exercises right. I think its caused more by MMA training etc. more so then weights. Anyway, I’m going to a physio next week so hopefully that should help.
Thanks.
Dan
Hi Eric,
I’m really interested in checking out this routine but am having trouble. I’m using firefox with adobe flash installed but when I click on the video the screen slightly dims but the video won’t play. Would you consider uploading this video to youtube?
Thanks,
Dan
Eric Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
OH man, sorry Dan.
I will upload this to YouTube, good idea!
Rocci Williams
Hi Eric, just recently I got a low back problem, which occurs when I throw a strike from the right handside the pain is also on my right side, the strange thing is that it doesnt really hurt during wrestling only hitting pads or sparring, I have been following your routine, what are your thoughts on the injury?
much appreciated
Rocci
BrianC
Unfortunately I couldn’t. It wasn’t bad in the morning, but as the day progressed it got worse. The nature of my work so has it that sometimes I’m on the road all day, and there is nowhere to stretch. I wish I did, though. By the time I made it home I had a hard time getting out of the car and walking all twisted. I did the exercises in the evening several times, and ones in the morning. There are a couple of additional exercises I also do that seem to loosen up the lower back muscles a bit and opening the hip, such as single knee raises (laying flat on the back and gently pulling the knee towards the chest) and front bends sitting on the floor (one leg is straight and the other is bent touching the thigh, kind of like a half lotus, and then slowly reaching for the toes of the straight leg).
Do you have anything to loosen up the back once it’s stiff?
Thanks. I really appreciate your comments.
Brian
Eric Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Brian,
Sorry for the late reply – hopefully you check this out – as it’s VERY IMPORTANT…
I’m guessing your back has probably gone out a few times since you posted that message, and I’m guessing you didn’t use the routine as I’ve outlined…
First of all – use the routine!
Second of all – I know exactly what’s going on with your back – if you get this, send me an email.
Eric
BrianC
Thanks guys for the tip on viewing the video (for those who get an ‘error on page’ message). In the ‘Tools’ tab in your Internet Explorer click on ‘Compatibility View Settings’ and add the site. That should work.
Good I got the video working today. Just this morning as I was dropping off my kids at school I bent over to give them a hug and my lower back just ‘went out’. Oh how I hate when that happens.
Eric Reply:
October 15th, 2009 at 10:52 am
OK – so did you use the tips in the video?
This routine is designed for precisely this situation – use it right away after this kinda thing happens!!
Post your results after.
Jeff
Great stuff- I do a lot of these as part of my yoga routine and it has really helped my back. Keep up the good work and thanks again!
-Jeff
Mirko
Hi Eric,
I tried everything to open it, but to no avail. Even the things the guys mentioned here before didn’t work for me!
Greetings
MIRKO
Eric Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Try downloading Mozilla Firefox and use that as your web browser – I’ve never had a problem with it…
http://www.firefox.com
Make sure you install Adobe Flash Player after you install Firefox.
Matt
Hey Eric, I’ve never had any back injuries, so i was wondering if it would still be beneficial for me to use this in my mma training. My back does get stiff in the mornings sometimes, but thats usually from the practices from the previous days. Would it be ok for me to use this routine? or could it be harmful since im kinda trying to fix something that isn’t actually broken
Eric Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Yeah man – it’s a good little preventative routine, again you can do it daily, only takes like 5 minutes…
Matthew
Hey Eric
Really interested in this one, my girlfriend has a herniated disc and suffers from pain quite a bit. We both do kickboxing but she has had to slow down a lot since the injury. Sounded like you said this would be a good exercise for an injury like this, and I just wanted to confirm that. ?
Thanks a lot
Eric Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
YES – definitely good for this… tell her to do it up – daily is best if she’s got a confirmed herniated disc…
Matthew Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Super, thanks a lot!
Really loving the blog and all the info btw!!
Eric Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Hey matthew – got some feedback from using this routine for me?
BrianC
Hi Eric,
I’m unable to view the video you posted about ‘Damage Control’. It is giving me an ‘Error on page’ message. I had this with several of your posted video’s in the past as well. Can these be viewed in a different format?
Thanks,
Brian
imrev Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
BrianC, maybe the problem is in your browser. I have the same problem and error mess… on my desktop(Int.Explorer 8) than I tried to view on my notebook and it was OK(int.explrer 7). Do not know is the problem in settings or browser version.
Regards
hayden Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Try turn on compatibility view, it worked for me
Ryan B
Hey Eric,
So I’m one of the unlucky folks with spondylolisthesis (L4/L5). Dates back to an injury I received due to the stupidity of Dr. David Winter (a long story).
What am I, and others like me, to do in order to strengthen and control the damage in my back? My back is not always in pain – I’m currently in the throws of a bad flair up, but most of the time my back feels weak, but I am able to exercise.
Just curious as I assume that many who practice MMA will suffer from some kind of recurring, yet controllable injury like this.
Cheers!!! Great to see how well you’re doing!