Margaux Alvarez’s Post

Transcript

If you've been dealing with some back pain, maybe even some sciatica pain, today's video is me going over some exercises you can do to hopefully release a little bit of pain and get a little bit better range of motion in. Let's get started. We're going to be using a matte to perform some of the exercises. We're going to come down to the ground. We are going to start off with our back on the ground. We're never feet about hip width, distance apart. We are going to be doing glute bridges with a 10 second hold. So as I lift my hips and squeeze my **** getting my hips as high as I can, and then we're gonna hold here for 10 seconds. So you could use your watch, you could use your phone. Hold for 10 seconds. Once you come back down your release and you're gonna perform this for 10 sets. So the focus here is you constantly squeezing your glutes and your and your hamstrings as you sit in this top of the glute bridge position. So 10 second hold, then we'll come back down. You're going to repeat this again 10 total times. After those 10 repetitions, you're then going to tuck your like lower back. Think of like rounding your lower back. You're not tucking your pelvis in. You're going to grab your knees and you're slowly going to pull this. Buy into your torso. Now I will say if you have extreme sciatic pain and lots of pitching in your glute or middle of your **** or back, this may not be the best exercise for you. I'm just showcasing some exercises that have helped me. So I'm going to slowly grab my knees and pull into a tuck that I'm slowly going to drop my heels to the floor. But as I do this, I want to make sure I keep my lower abs engaged and I'm still pressing my lower back into the floor versus dropping and having some sort of space where I can slide my hand. Underneath. So I want to think of talking that pelvis under slightly engaging the ABS. I'm gonna pull in, drop my heels, but keep that lower back press into the floor. This is something I've incorporated into my routine for a while now. So when I do these, I'm slowly kind of bullied a little tuck, creating some flexion around in that lower back. Again, if you have a lot of pain in your hip or glute or in that kind of sciatic nerve position, this may not be the best for you. Find what works, something that you can maintain and do so again, 10 repetitions here. Then after that, we're going to come into a dead bug. Palms are going to face each other, thumbs facing back, feet and about a 90�� angle. Opposite arm, opposite leg extends, so left leg drops out, right arm drops out. Notice that I don't completely to the floor. I'm still keep my lower abs engaged pressing that lower back into the ground. So I'll extend, then I'll come back to the starting position and then I'll alternate you also, if this is too much in your neck, you can relax your neck down, but again, you still won't engage in the lower abs pressing that lower back into the floor. So I personally do 10 on each side, so a total of 20. If you're new, I recommend starting off with 10 total, so five and five on each side. But this is going to allow you to focus on the lower abs. Again, find what works best for you. This is part of the series of what I've been doing into my routine. So again, if you have some sciatic issues, if you have some back issues, they use some exercises that can help. And the reason I share this is because my sciatic issues that I've been dealing with have been slowly getting better. Slow like hard or cold molasses, but it's getting better. So again, total of 20 or 10. Next exercise is more of a nerve floss. So I'm going to keep my opposite leg in this triangle position. My left leg, I'm going to come up, bring my hands interlock to the base of the leg. I'm going to start with that leg bent about a neutral position with my ankle or my foot to my calf. Then I'm going to extend that leg up, keeping this position as much as I can straight. Now I have I relatively good hamstring flexibility, so I can get my ankle on top of my hip joint here. But if you cannot, you can always drop the leg like so. But the focus is to hold some part of your thigh as you perform this. So relax and then extend nice and controlled. You're going to perform 10 repetitions of this nerve floss or leg extension. On your one side you can't interlock your fingers like I have them here like I said, you can go to the side if you wanna grab the knee, but you shouldn't be anything where like you're having like death grab and pull up. Now I will say everyone's a little different the. Sciatic issue I've been having on my right side, if I actually brought my leg a little closer in and extended the leg, it actually felt better, which is off or weird or different because it wouldn't seem like that because it actually puts you in a position where that nerve might be pulled or just as suddenly. So again, 10 reps on one side, then we'll switch. So just to give you guys an example, this is my right side I've been dealing with. I haven't done my exercise the past couple of days. I was traveling, but again, I like to start in this position. I'll slowly extend. The first one is a little slow for me, so it's kind of hitting that. And a range of motion, right start to feel it in the hip or glute. So again, once they get a couple reps reps in, I then can move a little bit quicker if I want. Notice if you're going hard that to see on that side, But my left hand kind of releases and I come into my inner thigh a little bit versus death gripping and holding on. And I will say this right here is day and night different from what I started when I was doing it. I had to actually drop my leg and maybe get to like here. And it was excruciatingly uncomfortable. Now I can get to the forum here and then I can extend the leg. And get that ankle on top of my hip joint. Now I do still feel a little bit of pinching. In my, I say mid glute piriformis, kind of middle of **** area, but it is way better. Again, 10 reps there. Then we're going to bring that ankle on the opposite side into this Figure 4 stretch. A couple different options here. You can either stay here for 30 seconds or you can lift that leg, grab your ankle and calf, hold here for 30 seconds. Interlock the hands of the base, the hamstring, or the most intense is the interlock your hands at the base of that right knee if your left leg is up. So if I'm here, I want to try to relax. And completely have my back, my pelvis on the ground. Clearly I'm tight and have not stretched as much as I should have the past couple of days. So this feels kind of tight. So I might just release it here, but I want to focus on keeping my pelvis, my **** my back, my shoulder blades all in contact with this matte here. Again, I might just kind of relax a little bit here. I want to focus on pushing that knee out as I pull this leg into my body. 32nd hold here, then we'll switch. We'll go to the opposite side. Now if you are really, really tight or you're having a lot of static issues, I would recommend. Staying here, if you want to stay here and you feel good here and lifting your leg is not doable, stay here and justice slowly kind of push that fire away. I personally notice if I get closer to my hip joint and I push my hip joint away, try to create some space in that hip that actually alleviates it and feels a little better. Again, everyone is different. This is my experience and hopefully this will help you. So in this position again, I'll hold here for 30 seconds. When I started doing it, I had to have my knee up here and I could barely lift my leg. I am now in the position where I can kind of push that thing out. I grab my ankle and thigh here or ankle and calf. I can even now if I go slow, I interlock my hands at the base of the thigh and I try to hold this position. You'll notice that my right knee is a lot closer to my body than my left knee when I do this and recently we'll see if I can do it today. I can interlock my hands at the base of the knee. Now, about a month ago, six weeks ago, this was impossible. There was no way I was going to be able to do this. I could barely get to hear. So if you are dealing with any sciatic issues. I know it's frustrating as F and I know that it is difficult, but if you can have the patience and be diligent with your exercises, it will pay off. Again, 30 seconds here. I'm looking for when I do this is trying to keep my shoulders, my pelvis all in contact with the ground versus being up. Ideally, this will allow us to get a deeper stretch in that hip and glute. So again, 30 seconds. These are just part of my exercises. If you guys are interested in a Part 2 or another series of some of these sciatic issues or exercises, let me know. That is one round. If you can do up to two to three rounds, that'd be great. If only you have time for one round, do one round of everything. If you can do a second round, they'll be a great. A third round would kind of be extra credit. I typically do an average of two. I will sometimes get a third round in there if I have extra time. But again, these are just some exercise you can start off with. So just to recap, right, that first one was that glute bridge with that 10 second hold, right? The next one was essentially a tuck, leg tuck, I call it right that. Leg tuck position. Then after that we went into the nerve floss. Ohh, sorry the the derb dead bugs went to the dead bugs extension opposite arm, opposite leg. Then we went into that nerve floss on both sides and then we went into that Figure 4. So again, one round to start off with. If you have more experience, 2 rounds, if you have more time, 3 rounds. If this was helpful and beneficial and hopefully you found some relief. If you perform these or did them into your routine, please share with others leave a comment below. You guys want to see a Part 2 to this? Again, all these exercises have been helpful for me. It's been progress. It's slow and steady, but I promise you if you are consistent and diligent with your routine exercises, you will have some success and hopefully decrease in pain. Thanks for tuning in.