JUNE 2012 THE RIDER /15 Fitness for Riders: Building a Stronger Back


deal of load on the area. Things like a heavy mouthed horse, pulling horse, runaway, or just the need to maintain posture over a fence, or stay planted on your seat bones put forward pressure on your back, which pulls on the lower back.


Many riders suffer from


back strains. Due to the rela- tively sedentary modern lifestyle (cars, desks, entertainment), most people under-train their back, and back and shoulder problems, postural issues and even injury (unscheduled dis- mounts) are often a result. Many riders commonly think that riding will tone them up. On one hand, it is true that everything you do for an active lifestyle instead of a passive one, helps you stay fitter.


However, since riding is one of those activities that involves highly repetitive motions in a short range of motion for the joints involved, riding on its own does not usual- ly provide adequate strengthen- ing opportunity to keep your joints (hips and back especially) supple. Rather than strengthen- ing, repeated small motions can act on your spine like bending a credit card back and forth until it breaks.


Also, sudden movements such as spooks or necessary motions around a jump course can place very high demand on your back in a very short space of time. If you do not have the strength to absorb the excessive demand, you are at risk for injury in your back.


Finally, riders over 40 have a natural progression toward loss of muscle mass and tightening up of ligament fibre through loss of moisture. These factors mag- nify the above risks.


You have several major muscle groups in your back which have an important role to play in helping you main- tain good posture in the saddle. Think of good posture as ergonomics applied to riding. Good posture you can maintain, helps you move more cor- rectly and avoid injury and excessive strain.


You want to train your entire back, but espe- cially the lower back. In fact, if you have not already been regularly training your back, you need to start with an emphasis on lower back. Many riders experience strain in the lower back because it is absorbing a lot of the horse’s motion when it shouldn’t be. Another contributing factor is that even when riding correctly (seated, or in two-point), your lower back is a base building block under your shoulders. It anchors your upper back. The muscles in your lower back are a key contributor to the chain of strength that keeps your shoul- ders from collapsing forward. When you have a weak lower back, riding can place a great


So, whatever you do, you’ll benefit from strengthening the lower back area. If you don’t, you will head toward strain injury (most commonly injuries to disks in your spine), and be at greater risk of acute injury in a sudden incident situation. I like to use fitness balls for lower back work because the ball forces you to engage your other core muscles and simulta- neously work on your balance. If you do not have a ball handy, you can adapt the exercises to the floor, a hay bale or footstool, or even a friend’s back (they can curl up on the floor under you). This month’s exercise is a back extension, with a couple of vari- ations. You can do back exten- sions virtually every day, and if you have not been training your lower back, it is probably better to start with a few every day, than to try and do extensive training only a couple times a week.


Gradual and regular train- ing is your best bet for building significant core strength, while reducing your risk of strain. I suggest doing anywhere between 5-50 repetitions about 5 days a week, depending on your current strength level. Start out with 5- 10, and add increments of 5 rep- etitions to your workout as you start to feel the number you are doing is getting easy to do. You can build endurance by doing multiple sets with fewer reps (ie: 10 x 4 with a rest between, if you cannot do 40 at once). You want to push yourself to a feel- ing of burning in the low back muscles, but never pain, and especially not pain in your spine. If you have disk injuries or con- ditions, consult a physiotherapist or your doctor before doing back work.


scious stabilizing in your sides and hips, which is similar to your conditions riding.


books and on the Internet which show highly elevated back extensions, and may even call them hyperextensions. Lifting your back too high into a hyper extension is incorrect because it places far too much pressure on the disks in your lower back.


spine from also curving. It is best to do back extensions with wiggle or twist slowly so that you can control the movement very precisely. If the ball is rolling under you, it is an indi- cation that you are not using your back correctly- you are probably trans- ferring force to your legs. Part of the goal of the exercise is to be able to isolate back movement, without also recruiting hips.


Keeping


your hips very square and stable


will require a lot of subcon-


SIDE VIEW: If you drew a line from your shoulders to your heels, there should be a 45 degree angle to the floor. If you can’t lift yourself that high yet, doing mini’s will gradually build up your strength.


All back extensions and variations are excellent exercis- es for training symmetry. How- ever, if you have a tendency to be stronger on one side than you are on the other, you may unconsciously tend to do the exercises crooked. This is one reason why getting straightness on the basic back extension is so important before you try variations. I also suggest ini- tially working with a partner or a mirror so that you have immediate feedback if you are crooked. Back extensions can re-inforce crookedness if you do them crooked.


When you start to do the variations, have a partner give you feedback about the position of your shoulders and elbows so that you work both sides symmetrically. You may unknowingly tend not to raise one elbow as high as the other, or to have a little twist happen- ing in one direction, that you don’t want and which doesn’t happen in the other. All such asymmetry will give you important clues as to what some of your challenges are in


the saddle.


We typically think we’re straight, even when the coach is saying you are crooked. So go slow at first, and use the exer- cise to retrain your brain’s idea of straight, while creating more balance and strength in your back.


Sign up for free fitness tips newsletter or download the Complete Core Workout for Riders at www.equifitt.com .


About Heather Sansom and Equifitt


Heather Sansom, Equifitt owner, is an elite personal trainer, equestrian fitness and conditioning specialist and cer- tified Centered Riding® Instructor. Speaker, author and lifelong rider, she focuses on rider biomechanics and training that optimizes the physical conditions which enhance a rider’s ability for proper function and peak per- formance in the saddle. From dedicated amateurs to elite ath- letes, she helps riders reach their goals and even uses online coaching tools to make person- alized training accessible to rid- ers around the world.


Sixth Annual Al Humphrey Memorial Ride SUNDAY, August 5, 2012


Pledges raised by this year’s ride will benefit:


BACK EXTENSION 1: Use the edge of the wall and floor, or prop your feet under a couch so that your seat is the highest point on the ball and you are able to lower your head and chest nicely in front of the ball. The value of the exercise comes in using your back muscles to lift the weight of your head and chest. If you do not start low enough, you will not get enough range of motion in the exercise.


BACK EXTENSION 2: Lift your back to about 45 degrees to the floor, and no further. Do not over extend your back. You will see many pictures out there in


BACK EXTENSION WITH WIGGLE: Once you have the basic tech- nique and can maintain your balance on the ball, you can start to do varia- tions to work your back differently. To ‘wiggle’ your spine, lift into the back extension, and then curve your spine in one direction. To complete the movement, straighten out, and lower yourself down to the start position. Do the other side separately. What makes the exercise challenging is keeping your back and elbows on the same plane (level) as you curve your spine. You do not want to also twist at the same time.


BACK EXTENSION WITH TWIST: As you raise your torso, turn your shoulders to be perpendicular to your hips (one elbow straight will point up toward the ceiling, and one toward the floor). Since the motion here is a twist, you will need a lot of control in your torso and back to prevent your


MARKHAM-STOUFFVILLE HOSPITAL- Palliative Care Unit MAKE A WISH CANADA - Toronto & Central Ontario


*25 kilometre marked course through the scenic winding trails of York Regional Forest * *Top Ten Pledge Earner Awards, Individual, Team & Volunteer **Set your own pace **Radio Checkpoints * * Horse Holders * Wake-up Coffee ** Lunch Stop * Spot Prizes *Overnight camping available** Saturday night campfire * Individual, Team & Sponsor Entries** After Ride Entertainment & Bar-B-Que *


Starting at Al’s Tack Shop Check-in from 7:30 am Start times from 8:00 am 2012 Rider Registration Fees:


Prior to June 23 $30.00 • June 24 to July 29 $50.00 • July 30 to August 4 $70.00 Rider and Volunteer Registration NOW OPEN


PLEASE REGISTER EARLY, LIMIT OF 300 HORSES & RIDERS Please Note: Registrations will not be taken the day of the Ride


Registration Forms and Information available at www.alhumphreymemorialride.com OR


Al’s Tack Shop,4812 Vandorf Sideroad, Stouffville, Ont L4A 7X5. 905-640-2011, noral@netrover.com


The Al Humphrey Memorial Ride, in honor of Allan Stewart Humphrey (October 10, 1932 – February 2, 2006,) or as he was known to most “Al” of Al’s Tack Shop, provides an opportunity for the horse community at large to make a positive contribution to the lives of others by raising funds for deserving non-profit organizations. During his life- time Al gave selflessly in support of many deserving organizations and charities. It is in this spirit that the Al Humphrey Memorial Ride has been established. Recipient chari- ties and/or organizations are named on an annual basis.


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