Lower back exercises for out of the saddle road climbing

Hey all,

In doing some long out of the saddle climbing, say 40 mins up 2000'
over 5 miles, lower back fatigue is my limiting factor. It's not pain
per se, but straight on fatigue, which then goes to the point of pain
of course. My aerobics and legs are getting shortchanged by my back.

Sure sitting helps alleviate the fatigue, but in climbing the steeper,
longer, steadier hills I'm doing lately, I have to stand for long
stretches at a time, well over 30 mins many times.

What specific exercises are good to improve lower back muscle stamina?

I do lower weight/higher rep gym training as it is. But only one
machine that works my lower back. The typical "lower back extension"
machine. It involves sitting with a push bar resting against the rear
of the shoulders, with rotation backwards at the waist. I work up to
210 pounds, 3 x 20 reps, with extension from 90 at the waist to lying
flat. Stretching before of course. But apparently this is not enough
lower back work.

Not specifically a racing Q, but I think this group is the best of the
..bikes for it.

Thanks, Doug

On 10/10/03 2:16 PM, in article ,
"Doug" wrote:

Hey all,

In doing some long out of the saddle climbing, say 40 mins up 2000'
over 5 miles, lower back fatigue is my limiting factor. It's not pain
per se, but straight on fatigue, which then goes to the point of pain
of course. My aerobics and legs are getting shortchanged by my back.

Sure sitting helps alleviate the fatigue, but in climbing the steeper,
longer, steadier hills I'm doing lately, I have to stand for long
stretches at a time, well over 30 mins many times.

What specific exercises are good to improve lower back muscle stamina?

I do lower weight/higher rep gym training as it is. But only one
machine that works my lower back. The typical "lower back extension"
machine. It involves sitting with a push bar resting against the rear
of the shoulders, with rotation backwards at the waist. I work up to
210 pounds, 3 x 20 reps, with extension from 90 at the waist to lying
flat. Stretching before of course. But apparently this is not enough
lower back work.

Not specifically a racing Q, but I think this group is the best of the
.bikes for it.

Thanks, Doug


BEER DRINKIN!!!!!!

I like straight-legged dead lifts, and regular back extensions.


"Doug" wrote in message
...
Hey all,

In doing some long out of the saddle climbing, say 40 mins up 2000'
over 5 miles, lower back fatigue is my limiting factor. It's not pain
per se, but straight on fatigue, which then goes to the point of pain
of course. My aerobics and legs are getting shortchanged by my back.

Sure sitting helps alleviate the fatigue, but in climbing the steeper,
longer, steadier hills I'm doing lately, I have to stand for long
stretches at a time, well over 30 mins many times.

What specific exercises are good to improve lower back muscle stamina?

I do lower weight/higher rep gym training as it is. But only one
machine that works my lower back. The typical "lower back extension"
machine. It involves sitting with a push bar resting against the rear
of the shoulders, with rotation backwards at the waist. I work up to
210 pounds, 3 x 20 reps, with extension from 90 at the waist to lying
flat. Stretching before of course. But apparently this is not enough
lower back work.

Not specifically a racing Q, but I think this group is the best of the
.bikes for it.

Thanks, Doug

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:16:51 GMT, Doug
wrote:

What specific exercises are good
to improve lower back muscle stamina?
snip
But only one
machine that works my lower back.
The typical "lower back extension"
machine.

There are many exercizes that work the lower back -- you shouldn't
limit yourself to some machine. Deadlifts, squats and stiff-legged
deadlifts are some -- on the latter keep your knees very slightly
bent.

Plus various forms of back extensions, such as on a bench, crouched
over a swiss ball, etc.

JT
*******************************************
NB: reply-to address is munged

Visit http://www.jt10000.com
*******************************************

You don't even need equipment. A combination of back flexibility and strength,
both of which are important, can be achieved using a variety of basic
yoga poses. Upward dog, cobra, locust, wheel, and bridge are a few. Also you
probably want to toss in a few twists.

Dan

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:16:51 GMT, Doug
wrote:


What specific exercises are good
to improve lower back muscle stamina?

snip

But only one
machine that works my lower back.
The typical "lower back extension"
machine.


There are many exercizes that work the lower back -- you shouldn't
limit yourself to some machine. Deadlifts, squats and stiff-legged
deadlifts are some -- on the latter keep your knees very slightly
bent.

Plus various forms of back extensions, such as on a bench, crouched
over a swiss ball, etc.

JT
*******************************************
NB: reply-to address is munged

Visit http://www.jt10000.com
*******************************************

Doug wrote:
Hey all,

In doing some long out of the saddle climbing, say 40 mins up 2000'
over 5 miles, lower back fatigue is my limiting factor. It's not pain
per se, but straight on fatigue, which then goes to the point of pain
of course. My aerobics and legs are getting shortchanged by my back.

Sure sitting helps alleviate the fatigue, but in climbing the steeper,
longer, steadier hills I'm doing lately, I have to stand for long
stretches at a time, well over 30 mins many times.

What specific exercises are good to improve lower back muscle stamina?

I do lower weight/higher rep gym training as it is. But only one
machine that works my lower back. The typical "lower back extension"
machine. It involves sitting with a push bar resting against the rear
of the shoulders, with rotation backwards at the waist. I work up to
210 pounds, 3 x 20 reps, with extension from 90 at the waist to lying
flat. Stretching before of course. But apparently this is not enough
lower back work.

Not specifically a racing Q, but I think this group is the best of the
.bikes for it.

Thanks, Doug

When I lifted, dead lifting seemed to make my back cramp earlier on
long climbs.
I read about that time that the better approach was abdominal
exercises--that weak abs put additional stress on back, which takes
plenty of stress anyway. I emphasized ab exercises, and it seemed to help.
Just my 2 cents.

Steve

Eric Wohlberg is famous for doing insane amounts of abdominal work --
hundreds of sit-up a day. It allows him to support his rather
extreme position.

Dan

Steven Bornfeld wrote:
When I lifted, dead lifting seemed to make my back cramp earlier on
long climbs.
I read about that time that the better approach was abdominal
exercises--that weak abs put additional stress on back, which takes
plenty of stress anyway. I emphasized ab exercises, and it seemed to help.
Just my 2 cents.

Steve

From: Steven Bornfeld

When I lifted, dead lifting seemed to make my back cramp earlier on
long climbs.
I read about that time that the better approach was abdominal
exercises--that weak abs put additional stress on back, which takes
plenty of stress anyway. I emphasized ab exercises, and it seemed to help.
Just my 2 cents.

Steve

A lot of times what seems to be a weakness in the lower back is actually an
abdominal weakness. I ended up with a massive muscle imbalance in this area. I
loved to deadlift, bent row, seated row, and do "good mornings" . I didn't do
anywhere near as much ab work and had touble with back pain, until I shifted
the emphasis to abs. On a road bike, getting rid of ANY potgut you have is key
to sparing your back. If you've got fifteen pounds of blubber hanging over the
top tube your back, shoulders, and arms are getting killed. Struggling with the
lower back also stresses the hip flexors making your pedaling tight which
increases the fatigue factor also.
Lose the gut, if you have one, and work the abs hard.
Bill C

Doug wrote:
I do lower weight/higher rep gym training as it is. But only one
machine that works my lower back. The typical "lower back extension"
machine. It involves sitting with a push bar resting against the rear
of the shoulders, with rotation backwards at the waist. I work up to
210 pounds, 3 x 20 reps, with extension from 90 at the waist to lying
flat. Stretching before of course. But apparently this is not enough
lower back work.

Same problem, same solution here. However, your abs might be weak. I'm
not quite up on the biomechanics, but I'm told (as a certified exercise
instructor (easy to get, not as rigorous as a personal trainer)) that
you should avoid muscle imbalances. So strengthen your abs. (If situps
or crunches don't feel hard to do, you're not doing them right.)

I believe my thorough strength work for my core muscles has helped
decrease my lower back fatigue. I haven't done enough long riding
lately to be sure though.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

everyone who said to strengthen your abs is dead on... you should try to have a
total 6 pack... do crunches and all that for sure... once you have built a
reasonable amount of ab strength then it is time to hit the AB WHEEL!.. not the
sissy ones with spring assist, just an axle and a wheel... this will kick your
ass because it requires strength AND flexibility... it will take a few weeks to
work up any respectable number of reps in each set, so dont start out doing
more than you can do or going out further than you should (you will know when
you have gone out too far!)...the ab wheel makes you use your abs and low back
equally to support your torso while you roll out- great for cycling... it also
works your pecs and the 3rd head of your triceps in a unique way that is
especially beneficial for supporting your body on the bike...

cyclists are athletes like any other- core body strength is just as important
for us as any other competitive athlete... so work hard to strengthen your
"core"- all the muscles that attatch in any way to your pelvis... this will be
the key to good form despite fatigue and providing a stable platform through
which to transmit force to your pedals...