Forget crunches — my physical therapist gave me this exercise to work my abs without aggravating my lower back pain
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Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness Managing Editor, which means she looks after everything fitness-related — from running gear and fitness trackers to yoga mats and sports bras. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so she knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone, running gels, and house keys. Jane has run six marathons — the London Marathon five times, and the Berlin Marathon once -and is still on a quest to tick off all of the marathon majors. Her marathon PR is 3:30, which she ran in the New Balance Supercomp Elite V5's, but she also spends a lot of time talking about her ‘joy plan’, where she runs for happiness, not for PR’s. Previous to Tom’s Guide, Jane worked for Runner’s World, where she co-hosted the Runner’s World podcast. She also presents on a YouTube channel called the Run Testers, alongside other running-mad journalists, where they review the latest shoes, kit, and tech. Her work has also appeared in Coach, Get Sweat Go, and Women’s Health. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her spaniel, Toby.
I suffer from sciatica, so I have to be mindful when it comes to ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups, which typically put a lot of stress on the lower back. In the run-up to my last marathon, I asked my physical therapist for an ab exercise that would build core strength and stability without stressing my back — read on to find out what he said next.
As a reminder, what works for me might not work for you or your body. If you’re a complete beginner, pregnant or postpartum, or recovering from an injury or surgery, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.
When it comes to a spine-safe way to work your core, the main exercise my therapist recommended is the bird-dog. Read on to find out how to do a bird dog with perfect form, its benefits, plus two other back-friendly exercises to add to your routine.
Unlike crunches, which force your back to bend as you lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat, bird dog teaches your abdominal muscles to hold your spine in place while your limbs move. This helps build the functional fitness you need for everyday life, as well as during sports like running.
As you perform the bird dog, you’ll be working the deep stabilizer muscles that run along the spine and glutes, rather than the outer six-pack muscles. The deep core works as the body’s corset and helps protect your spine from injury.
Here’s how to do the bird dog exercise with good form:
Another safe exercise to try if you suffer from lower back pain is the dead bug. Again, unlike a crunch or a plank, this exercise targets those all-important deep abdominal muscles while keeping your lower back supported.
A huge benefit of the dead bug is that it’s performed lying flat on your back, meaning there is no compressive load on your spinal discs, as you’re not having to fight gravity to hold the pose. This allows you to build core strength and train yourself to maintain a neutral spine without triggering any pain in your lower back.
Here’s how to do a dead bug :
If this is too much for you, start with bent-knee taps. Instead of straightening your leg, keep your knee bent and tap one heel down to the floor, then bring it back to your starting position and repeat on the other side.
For the final move in this spine-safe series, the glute bridge is a great exercise for strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back stabilizers without putting pressure on your spine.
The core isn’t just the muscles that sit on the front of your body — it also includes the erector spinae (the muscles running along your spine) and the multifidus (the deep stabilizing muscles in the lower back). This exercise works these muscles, as well as waking up sleepy glutes. If your glutes don’t fire properly, your lower back muscles can overcompensate, leading to tight back muscles.
Here’s how to do it:
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