Abdominal exercises after having damaged my back...

[Dark Prowler]

Hey guys,

I suffer from bad acid reflux (which I take meds for), and about 6 months ago, I f**ked up my lower back doing deadlifts. As a result, my abdomen has become very slack over the years, and has now gotten to the point whereby it almost looks as if I have a large beer-belly when I relax! So what I'm asking is, are there any exercises I can do to really tighten up my abdominals while not putting my back at any risk, and without drastically worsening my acid reflux?

DP.

[jdmalm123]

Originally Posted by Dark Prowler

Hey guys,

I suffer from bad acid reflux (which I take meds for), and about 6 months ago, I f**ked up my lower back doing deadlifts. As a result, my abdomen has become very slack over the years, and has now gotten to the point whereby it almost looks as if I have a large beer-belly when I relax! So what I'm asking is, are there any exercises I can do to really tighten up my abdominals while not putting my back at any risk, and without drastically worsening my acid reflux?

DP.

I had spine surgery and lost a lot of core strength. I'd start with static holds. planks, side bridge, lying bridge. Add in some hip adduction (squeeze a basketball between knees) and hip abduction (open knees against resistance tubing). You can also do pelvic tilts on your back and head/shoulder raises on your stomach. For all these moves, whenever possible, keep your glutes tight. Try vacuum holds in bed before you sleep. The goal for all of these at first is to feel a deep contraction and slowly add time to your holds or reps.

[Dark Prowler]

Originally Posted by jdmalm123

I had spine surgery and lost a lot of core strength. I'd start with static holds. planks, side bridge, lying bridge. Add in some hip adduction (squeeze a basketball between knees) and hip abduction (open knees against resistance tubing). You can also do pelvic tilts on your back and head/shoulder raises on your stomach. For all these moves, whenever possible, keep your glutes tight. Try vacuum holds in bed before you sleep. The goal for all of these at first is to feel a deep contraction and slowly add time to your holds or reps.

Jdmalm123 - Many thanks for your reply.

Any suggestions as far as reps / sets for the aforementioned exercises?

DP.