We habitually grab a mat get down on our backs and start crunching away with the goal of finally carving out those elusive six pack abs. The abdominals are a pain point for many gym goers. But an ab workout for a bad back with the exclusion of strengthening other supporting muscles could cause an imbalance that just leads to more pain.
Abdominal muscles definitely play an important role in supporting the back. Exercising the abdominal muscles is part but not all of the equation. Unfortunately if you choose the wrong ab exercises not that they are bad at all they are just wrong for your particular condition you could wind up making your lower back pain and hip flexor.
But if you re one of the 80 to 90 percent of americans affected by back pain at some point in their life crushing ab workouts is much more difficult than crushing bud heavies. Because low back pain may be cause by shortened hip flexors and a psoas muscle that is under stress exercises like the single leg bridge and are great for building glute strength and lengthening.
