Have Lower Back Pain and Still Doing Sit-Ups?

Training the core has been in vogue within fitness circles for some time now. However, a magazine article/book, a DVD, or a bootcamp-style class can't sufficiently individualize your program to make it both safe and effective.

I see way too many people with lower back disc issues doing full sit-ups, bending over and doing improper deadlifts, or simply bending over to stretch their hamstrings. These movements create an unhealthy amount of force on your lumbar discs, thus exasperating your injury or making a small problem much bigger.

So how does one still train the "core" and not put themselves in harms way? Three exercises have demonstrated clinical success with individuals with lower back pain. The exercises are:

Curl-ups, Side bridge (plank), and the Birddog.

Please see the attached video for proper technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCbkpjU_sI&list=UU6v-T75bi1q3e1u8YXnS8NA&index=1&feature=plcp