Why do I feel lower back pain when I do sit-ups? – GOOD SHAPE

(Jonathan Borba/Pexels)

Feeling post-workout pain is normal. This is because exercises (mainly strength ones) cause micro-fissures in our muscles, which triggers an inflammatory process in these tissues. As our body recovers, pain is relieved, fibers recover and hypertrophy happens!

However, in some situations, you shouldn’t feel pain. This is the case with lower back discomfort during sit-ups — if you suffer from them, something is wrong.

“Either the execution is wrong, or the training is too intense for you, or there is some muscle imbalance. Another ‘enemy’ that contributes to back pain during abdominal exercises is distraction, so it’s also important to pay attention to the correct movement of the exercises”, explains personal trainer Ricardo Lapa (@lapateam), creator of the Foguete online gym.

Therefore, if sit-ups are real torture for your lower back, it is recommended to stop doing them immediately and ask for help from a qualified professional. Also, it’s worth keeping an eye on how you’re doing the exercises:

When lying on your back, rest your back against the mattressleave your legs flexed and support your feet on the floor;
Exhale as you lift your shoulders off the floor and inhale as you come down.; Remember of contract the abdomen all the time; No forcing the neck forward: the head must follow the torso; pay attention on the movement.