Standing Lower Back Stretch | Simple, powerful, and effective: Do this now!
Channel: Kit Laughlin
Date: 2012-12-04

For more in-depth guides please visit https://stretchtherapy.net/

Today's exercise is the perfect complement to the Floor upper & middle back stretch I loaded yesterday:

https://youtu.be/WzzkrQmLEjk

Together, these two exercises provide simple ways of stretching and mobilising the entire posterior chain, from heels to back of neck. The emphasis can be changed by manipulating two sets of forces: how much you pull your shoulders to your thighs, and how much you straighten your legs.

Because of the proportion of the body's muscles involved, the emphasis is on the posterior superficial fascial layer—you may feel the main effects anywhere from the neck, middle back, lower back, hamstrings and even calves. The secret power of this movement is to use the quadriceps to bring on the stretch—this activates the agonist-antagonist reflex, so the net effect is that the body is stretching itself. This is the fastest way to remap what the brain believes is the maximum desirable length of all the tissues involved.

In execution, the stretch is simplicity itself, though it is best to make sure that you are not holding your breath while working (when the head is below the heart, necessitated by the standing position, there is always a chance of feeling a bit faint when you stand back up).

And please note the suggestions re. alternately straightening, then bending, each leg in turn; if done briefly, this provides a strong, yet brief, hamstring stretch on the straightening leg; this is tolerated well (because it is brief and novel).

Because the feet are in full contact with the floor, we find that the brain remapping that this technique is optimised for lasts and translates (for example) into a better paschimottananasa (if you are a yogi) or a better pike position (if you are a gymnast or calisthenics practitioner).

We feel that these effects are achieved by resetting the length--tension relationship of the hamstrings; this is mediated by the somatosensory cortex and is a function of what the brain believes is appropriate for these muscles AND your past patterns of use. Change these, and your hamstrings will change.

There is much more to this; a fuller explanation can be found in the book Overcome neck & back pain, 4th edition. Please see stretchtherapy.net for details.

Check out the Stretch Therapy Forums (http://www.kitlaughlin.com/forums). You only need a real email address to join and post your questions.

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Timestamps
00:00 - Context
00:20 - Instructions
00:44 - adding small rotation to target one side of lower back, then the other
01:00 - strongest version

#lowerback #stretch #stretchtherapy