A Pain in Your... Back...

Having a strong core/abdominal section isn't necessarily about having a photogenic six-pack! You use your core all day, every day and if its not strong, it can lead to a number of problems, especially a bad back. If you can imagine your lower back (lumbar) basically being like a stack of donuts with jam in between and a spaghetti noodle running down the middle, by itself.. pretty weak. So keeping this portion of your spine supported depends on strong core muscles to hold it steady and help it function. There are a lot of great exercises and movements you can do that work on this area and the good news is, compared to general exercise, specific core stability exercises are more effective in decreasing pain and improving physical function.