Best back exercises explained for enjoying a healthier spine

I don't understand how the baby rolls will help my back. Can you explain please?

The Baby Rolls promote what we call "mature" motion of the spine. A fully developed body is capable of moving in all directions. When you roll from side to side, with the head rolling last, you effectively rotate the entire spine. So Baby Rolls help you to achieve a full rotational range of movement in all the segments of the spine. I do this exercise daily to keep my spine healthy.

What do sacral circles do?

They do several things. They help to stretch all parts of the waist, especially in the back, in the tough tissues between the ribs and the pelvis. These tissues often become unbalanced by one part being too short and the other too long. Sacral Circles are also a great abdominal toner. The abdominals contain several layers of muscles, and Sacral Circles hit them all.

How do the knee pumps build a better back?

Knee Pumps are really an exercise to make the sciatic nerve - the large nerve that runs down the back of the thigh from the pelvis - stretch more easily and if the area around the pelvis is comfortable, that will help the back, too. Nerves stretch at a different rate than the muscles; sometimes leg tightness is really a sciatic nerve tightness and not muscle tightness. Knee Pumps also relieve back tension and "oil" the knee joints so they're happier.

What does ballooning do?

Ballooning is the sneakiest of the torso exercises because it is a wonderful toner for both the abdomen and the diaphragm. The diaphragm divides the torso into two cavities - the thoracic cavity in the rib cage and the abdominal cavity in the abdomen. Ballooning effectively stretches these two areas from the inside out. It is as if you are squeezing one side of a balloon and seeing the other side bulge. Since you use muscles to activate the motion, you also get this wonderful abdominal and diaphragmatic toning effect.

How does the seated "U" help the back?

It works on the back because it makes you lean away from your center of gravity. One aspect of balance and core training is to destabilize your base of support, which here is your hips. As you lean back, your muscles "grab" because the body intuitively knows that it's falling off balance. Then those muscles activate more to bring you back to a balanced position. The back has more muscles than any other part of the body, so getting them all activated and toned presents a challenge. The Seated "U" hits many of these muscles.

The heel taps feel awkward and I find that my legs don't come together at the same time. Can you tell me what that's about?

Lying prone on the stomach is the most unnatural, and so the most awkward, position for people since they usually sit and stand all day. Babies go through a period of lying on their stomachs in order to develop strong enough back muscles to stand, and we are the same. Comprehensive back-strengthening programs must always include prone-lying exercises. The tapping of the heels creates an added challenge because the limbs are moving. Tapping together at the same time forces us to negotiate and smooth out any discrepancies in side-to-side (right-to-left) back and inner-thigh movement.

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