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Forget massage guns: this exercise and 2 minutes are enough to start relieving back pain.

Pabio December 4, 2024

Back pain can hamper your training efforts and your ability to exercise properly, so why not introduce the gut smash into your mobility routine? Sure, it doesn’t exactly sound inviting, but this simple exercise, performed with a ball, can help relieve lower back pain and reduce tension in the psoas (hip flexor muscles) and lower back. back.

Demonstrated by Scott James Bailey, mobility and functional training running coach twistthis move “really corrects lower back stiffness.” Despite the shocking name, gut smashing involves lying face down (belly down) on a firm ball (think soccermedications or optional basketballs) and allow the ball to massage the abdominal muscles and hip flexors. Done safely, the effects can be game-changing.

Below, we reveal the technique in full, along with the benefits of bowel smashing and tips for keeping your body safe if you choose to try it – it’s not for everyone.

How to “break the guts”

A sentence I never thought I’d write: here’s how to dump the smash with the proper form:

Place a firm ball on the ground in front of you
Lie on your stomach on the ball so that the ball rests against your hips and lower abs.
Support your weight with your hands on the ground
Slowly massage the ball into the muscles, rolling it over your lower stomach and hips with control.

“Make no mistake, I totally agree that not all back pain is created equal,” adds Bailey. However, in our daily lives, many of us are victims of effects of prolonged sitting. Additionally, if you enjoy sports and weightlifting, your hip flexors can become tight over time.

“The psoas is a huge hip flexor muscle that runs from our lumbar spine up to our femurs and essentially controls how we lift our legs up and down… as well as stabilizing our lower body. And that contributes greatly to back pain,” says Bailey. “And as we sit all day, this muscle can become extremely tight and weak simply from not getting any action or even the slightest movement.”

Although movement is medicine, exercising regularly compound exercises as squats And deadlifts can tighten your hip flexor muscles over time if you neglect mobility and stretching routines. If you tend to get stiff or lift a lot of heavy weights, your hip flexors may need a little attention.

“Over time, slowly but surely, it creates a huge muscle imbalance,” says Bailey. “And with that perfect storm, one sneeze or sudden quick movement and… poof!” The back is refined! » Spend at least two minutes squeezing the rolling ball into your abdomen and hips to help relieve tension.

“In the end, although I agree, it’s a little too good to be true, this exercise works! »

As a trainer myself, I have put aside static stretching and massage guns over the last week and I’ve started adding the bowel crash to my routine to relieve tension. Luckily I don’t suffer from chronic or acute pain, but it’s a great relief from muscle tension and helps open my hips while massaging the muscles in the front of my body. I continue with this for a few minutes each morning within the foreseeable time frame.

It’s also a great way to indirectly target the lower back without foam rolling or drilling the head of a firm massage gun into the area. The best coaches will tell you never to do it foam roller or a gun directly to the lower back or spine, but for many people this could seem as if it makes sense to directly apply stimulation to the affected area. This way you can avoid the lower back while reducing tension in the areas most likely to cause pain.

However, regardless of the type of exercise that claims to cure or prevent, it is essential to remember that pain is an incredibly unique and personal experience. Although bowel smashing can relieve lower back pain, beginners should use a softer ball and progress slowly.

Even a slightly deflated ball helps, using your inhale and exhale to push into the ball then relax. If you are pre- or postnatal, laboring with an injury, or new to exercise, clear any corrective movements with your doctor first and stop if you experience sharp or prolonged pain. For some, this might be completely out of the question.