The best laid plans of mice and men…. Currently that Robert Burn’s quote defines my fitness life. I will be taking a long vacation in May–almost the entire month–and I really wanted to be finished with Heather Robertson‘s 12 week program plus Caroline Girvan‘s EPIC Endgame (since I am doing them both at the same time) before my vacation started. I have been creating my rotation as they post the workouts and it was looking very possible. Then my back went out and those plans went down the toilet. The past two days I could not even bend over. Using the bathroom was a serious challenge! But this morning there is improvement so I did Sara Beth‘s 30 Minute Yoga for Back Pain. Very, very nice and gentle yoga workout. She takes time getting into each position/pose and trust me–I needed that because I am not moving fast! I was able to do all of the poses without pain though there was sometimes some discomfort getting into position but once in position I was fine. The only pose I could not do properly was the bridge pose at the end, and that was more a range of motion issue. It was uncomfortable and I could not get my hips up all the way. My low back simply would not allow it without threatening to spasm.
All of this to say, Sara Beth’s 30 Minute Yoga for Low Back Pain is an excellent yoga practice to use when your back is hurting. I would not attempt it when the pain is acute, but once you start getting some relief, you need to do something and this is perfect. At the end of this practice, Sara shares that she has a whole playlist of gentle yoga with some specific routines for back pain. She links to it underneath the video. I immediately checked it out. I will be doing two more of her practices tomorrow morning. I sure hope I can start working out normally again soon. Naomi Joy has been posting rebounder workouts that I am dying to do, plus I want to get back on track with my Heather/Caroline rotation! Back pain sucks!
For 30 Minute Yoga for Low Back Pain, the only equipment you need is a fitness mat.
- Child’s pose
- Cat/cow
- Downward facing dog, pedal feet
- Rag doll forward fold (hands hold opposite elbows, knees are bent)
- Low cobra
- Child’s pose with knees wide
- Down dog
- Runners lunge w/ back knee up or on mat (Sara starts with hers raised then lowers it to the mat)
- Down dog
- Repeat #8 on other side of body
- Down dog
- Low cobra
- Child’s pose
- Repeat #11-13 two more times, holding each pose for a few breaths
- With legs wide, flow between wide leg forward fold and yogi squat
- Hold yogi squat
- Hold forward fold
- Lay on back and raise hips into bridge
- Reclining butterfly
- Reclining figure 4 stretch
- Lay on back and pull knees into chest
- Happy baby pose
- Reclining spinal twist
- Lay on back and pull knees into chest
- Corpse pose for 2 minutes
- Sit cross-leg with hands in prayer
For more info on SaraBethYoga and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
I’m so sorry to hear about your back. I hurt mine in early December (it was on the step portion of Cathe’s x77 … I went down to do a burpee and stayed down). I couldn’t work out for a a few weeks. It got better each day but it really affected me mentally. When I could, I walked and listened to music and really zoned in on my eating. When we are used to being active and the suddenly we are stopped in our tracks, it’s so hard for us. I hope your downtime is minimal and you’re back to normal sooner than later.
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Marcie … you hit it on the head. When you get hurt it affects you mentally. I find it harder to stay positive and motivated. I was having problems with my right elbow that really limited upper body strength stuff for me. I found some work-arounds but not being able to do my regular routine was a downer.
FYI, I tripped on the step when I was doing fitsplit shred cardio (I think that’s the blue one?). I fell and hurt my hip. It was always a mental thing with me after that because I was afraid of tripping again. 🤨
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That has happened to me before Marcie–I did a burpee during a Patrick Goudeau workout where you put your hands on the floor and jump your feet back onto the step–and like you, I did not stand up for a while! It is no fun. I don’t know what I did to mess up my back this time. I just leaned over and it seized. I’ve been out of commission ever since. I have felt like a slug all weekend. I am doing better today though so fingers crossed it is better soon.
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Omg! I was wondering if something had happened because you weren’t posting … I’m so sorry to hear about your back! 😢😢😢 I feel your pain and hope that it gets better quickly. Aleve muscle and back is a lifesaver for me anytime I hurt. Please get better quickly!!!
Today I did that Michelle Breihler rebounding workout that you did late last week. Holy crap, I was sucking wind during that first cardio portion … I had to take a personal break after each song. The girl in the blue on the left made me feel a little better because She was modifying as I had to do for some portions. I liked the glute and abs sections too. The whole thing was a lot of fun even if it kicked my butt. Question for you … this is only the 3rd or 4th rebounding workout I’ve done. Just so I can put it in context, how tough was this one for you relative to what you’ve done before, maybe on a scale of 1 to 10? Knowing helps me to space out my routines appropriately. Thanks!
SPEEDY RECOVERY!!! ❤️🩹
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Ugh. It is so frustrating. Not only did it screw up my rotation but my 3 day weekend, too! But I’m not going to injure myself worse so I am taking it easy until it feels better. For the next few days I plan to do some Jessica Smith and some more Sara Beth.
On a scale of 1-10? For Michelle’s workouts this is probably a 5/6. Most of her workouts are more intense than this. She has some that are 9/10 but most of her workouts tend to hover in the 7/8 area. Let me clarify–cardio-wise, this is a 5/6. As far as lower body this is her typical level, same with core. Her core work is almost always tough and she loves to include core work in everything.
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I feel your pain! I tweaked my back a few years ago during deadlifts, trying to lift too heavy, and it was miserable! I bought a TENS unit on Amazon and while it’s not as good as the ones the PT uses, it’s helps tremendously, I use it on my knees as well. I’ve been doing Heather and Carolyn’s new programs too, they will always be there when you get back to it.
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Thanks–my back goes out periodically so unfortunately I am used to it. It is making me return to some Jessica Smith workouts. Turns out she has some on YouTube especially for people with back pain.
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