Lower Back Exercises: Prone Push Ups

Video Transcript

"Prone push up works with flexing the low back and giving a stretch into the chest as well as facilitating the thoracic muscles in the mid-back. So a way to find out your active range of motion and what limitation you're going to work within, we're going to come down in a prone position, of course, on our belly, with our elbows right underneath our shoulders. Practice first by keeping your head in line with your spine so you have nice, neutral cervical posture. Slowly begin to lift with your heart and you'll feel your glutes and your low back kick in. Try to relax your feet and slowly come up, and again, the movement comes as a result of lifting up through the chest and not arching in the back. You want to pull your abs in so you could just drive a truck right through there. You don't want to let that go because that's what's supporting your whole body as you hold and breathe, and release. Again, you want to think about lifting all the energy through the top of your head because you don't want to bring your head back, but leave it soft and neutral. Inhale and exhale and lift. Keep the elbows nice and soft and reach up, out and over, and release. You might also hear that called "swan" or "cobra" in either yoga or pilates, but basically it's a prone push up and you're supporting yourself with your core, flexing and extending. "