The Blog

When I was a teenager, I injured my lower back.

Not in the gym. Not lifting something heavy. But playing skittles - a game, here in the UK, that’s similar to ten pin bowling.

My job was to reset the pins at the end of the alley - a repetitive task that involved bending down, again and again.

The ...

There’s a long held myth that our levels of low back pain are directly attributable to western culture and sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. Suggesting manual workers, farmers for example, are better off. Even medics, tend to assume that staying active in this way – bending, lifting, carrying...

Have you been told you should be doing strengthening exercises for your weak lower back?

Before you do, read on to find out why strengthening lower back muscles in the traditional way should be avoided, and why there’s a better way when it comes to choosing exercises for low back strength.

Often w...

Do you worry that your lower back is in pain simply because you're getting older? While this is partly true because more time has passed, there will still be specific reasons causing the discomfort.

We’ve talked, previously, about sciatica, disk bulging and herniation and various other conditions o...

The McGill Big 3 are a set of exercises I talk about a lot. But they are often misunderstood. Sometimes what I see people using them for is a little different to what I believe they should be used for.

 Let me explain...

What are the McGill Big 3?

I run through these with a demo in the video abo...

If you, like many of my clients, suffer from low back pain, but still want to be able to develop core strength, stability and endurance, then Bird Dog could be an important addition to your routine. In the tutorial above I talk about why it’s so important as well as some of the ways I see people get...

Opinions differ when it comes to the subject of whether back extensions are a good exercise for strengthening the lower back. In fact, I don’t often prescribe the back extension as I feel there are usually other exercises that can get you a better result.

But I’m aware there are people who don’t ag...

Are you looking for a package or product that’s going to fix your lower back pain? A specific exercise perhaps? A few rules to follow? A magic wand to wave?

There are plenty of people around who will try to give you the answer. “Do this stretch,” they’ll say. “Try that technique.” And while these m...

This might not necessarily be something you think is important. But it is. It’s something that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. That’s why in this tutorial I wanted to go back to basics and  show you why, if you are struggling with lower back pain, you should be rethinking everything you do. ...

When I speak to people struggling with lower back pain, they often ask the same questions: should I continue to exercise? What exercises should I do? And how do I make sure I don’t make it worse? 

In this tutorial I want to set out the journey you’ll go on and what you should be doing. As well as h...

In this tutorial we’ll look at what is a butt wink or what is a hip wink then we'll look at why it's a problem. Finally we’ll cover four ways we can prevent it happening if you’re struggling with lower back pain.

What is a butt wink or hip wink?

A hip or butt wink is when the pelvis tucks undernea...

What is core endurance?

Core endurance is the ability to maintain a position or perform multiple repetitions. It’s when we’re lacking this core endurance element, that we can find lower back pain creeping in if we’re performing exercises repeatedly or over a period of time.

Are you struggling with...