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guide to low back pain

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guide to low back pain

A Comprehensive Guide To Low Back Pain: Everything You Need To Know

Overview

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints that drive regular people and athletes to hospitals and private clinics.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), around 80% of all people experience low back pain for at least one time in their lives. By far, people between the ages of 30–50 are the most susceptible age group.

Unfortunately, the lower portion of the back has complex anatomy, with various structures, which eventually makes the diagnosis quite difficult.

In medicine, doctors define acute back pain as a sensation of discomfort that lasts between a few days to less than 3 months. Exceed this time frame, and we’ll be dealing with chronic back pain.

In this article, we will cover the causes, diagnosis, and treatment options of low back pain. We will also discuss the impact of strength training on this condition.

The causes of low back pain

Lumbar strain

This is an umbrella term that describes an injury to one of the following structures:

  • Tendons
  • Ligaments
  • Muscles 

When the pressure applied to these structures exceeds normal values, microscopic tears occur. These will send signals to the brain, producing a sensation of pain.

According to the latest guidelines, experts don’t recommend staying in bed for a prolonged period of time.

Lumbar radiculopathy

Commonly known as sciatica, lumbar radiculopathy takes place when the disks become weak, which forces the soft portions to herniate.

Patients with lumbar radiculopathy get triaged to opt for medical or surgical treatment (e.g., minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery). 

Arthritis

Arthritis describes an active inflammation of the joints (e.g., elbows, wrists, knees). When this condition affects the lower back, we refer to it as spondyloarthropathy.

With time, the vertebrae might fuse together, leading to severe restriction in the range of motion and continuous pain.

The symptoms of low back pain

While most of you are familiar with the classic symptoms that accompany back pain (e.g., stiffness, immobility), this section will focus on the potentially dangerous symptoms that require specialized care as soon as possible.

Fever

When your fever starts simultaneously with back pain, it may be an indication of a spinal infection (e.g., osteomyelitis) that’s eroding the bony structures.

Eventually, this causes osteolysis (i.e., the breakdown of bone). In left untreated, you could develop a more severe condition known as sepsis (i.e., the spread of the infection in the bloodstream).

If you experience high-grade fever with back pain, make sure to contact your primary care physician.

Numbness and weakness

Numbness and weakness of the lower limbs with back pain indicate direct damage to the nerves, which is a surgical emergency that requires immediate attention!

Loss of sphincter control 

The loss of sphincter control manifesting as urinary or bowel incontinence may reveal serious nerve damage to the nerves that usually control the muscles around your sphincters.

Fortunately, receiving the proper medical/surgical care in time should alleviate these symptoms. However, patients may need physical therapy in some cases.

Diagnosis of low back pain

The diagnosis of low back pain is straightforward. However, identifying the etiology of the pain is somewhat tricky.

To make the diagnosis, the physician will take into account the information gathered from:

  • The history of the patient 
  • The findings of the physical examination
  • The test results (e.g., blood tests, imaging tests)

Based on this data, the origin of the pain will be determined along with the underlying medical condition that’s triggering it.

The treatment of low back pain

Depending on the origin of the pain, there are two major ways to address this condition:

Medical treatment

This involves the prescription of pharmacological drugs, such as acetaminophen and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

In some cases, the physician will opt for more potent drugs, including corticosteroids, narcotic painkillers, and muscle relaxants. 

Surgical treatment

For the most part, doctors prefer to avoid surgery since it can lead to serious complications. However, surgical therapy might be the only option for a group of patients.

Here are the common procedures performed to fix low back pain:

  • A discectomy 
  • A foraminotomy
  • Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) 
  • A nucleoplasty 
  • Radiofrequency lesioning 
  • Spinal fusion 
  • A spinal laminectomy

Practice mindfulness 

Practicing mindfulness (e.g., yoga, meditation) increases the release of endorphins.

These chemicals have potent analgesic (i.e., pain-relieving) properties on the central nervous system, which reduces pain, stress, and anxiety.

Exercise

As we mentioned above, current guidelines advise against complete immobility after injuring your back. 

You see, moving around helps your body heal faster, especially when targeting the right muscle groups.

For instance, the abdominal muscles significantly reduce the pressure applied to your back. Therefore, you should prioritize exercising these to reduce the frequency of low back injuries.

Get better sleep

Healthy sleep improves hormonal balance, restores your energy, and relieves pain. Sleeping sufficient hours will also promote the tissue-repair biochemical cascades, which helps you get back on your feet quickly.

The prevention of low back pain

Here are some practical tips to prevent low back injuries:

Warming up

As you already know, warming up is the most important step in every exercise session. You can start by doing some low-impact exercises, such as jogging, cycling, or simply walking.

This will allow the synovial fluid to move around your joints, especially those under high tension (e.g., hips, knees, elbow).

In the latest guidelines of sports injuries, researchers recommended to follow these movements to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injures:

  • Forward running (1-2 laps)
  • Forward run with zig-zag (1-2 laps)
  • One leg jump over a line
  • Jumps in place

Cooling down

The cooling down phase is as important as warming up.

Your primary goal is to gradually decrease your cardiac output and heart rate, which allows your muscles to recover.

According to guidelines, the optimal cool-down routine consists of 5–10 minutes of light jogging, walking, or knee-to-chest pose.

Interestingly, cooling down properly reduces the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Listen to your body

Telling the difference between good and bad pain is a crucial skill that you need to learn.

Some of you might be thinking: “what’s a good pain?”

A good sensation of pain is the discomfort you feel during exercise; it is a sign that your muscles are undergoing so much pressure, which is exactly what you want to feel when working out.

Conversely, sudden pain that’s sharp and intense is a warning sign that something is not working right.

How does strength training improve low back pain?

Most people think that immobilizing their spine after feeling pain is the best approach to heal. However, researchers believe that stretching and exercising after a physical injury to your back might accelerate your recovery.

This is not to say that you should push yourself in the gym when you suddenly feel pain in your lower back. On the contrary, if you experience any unusual feeling of pain in the gym (regardless of its location), you should stop what you’re doing to avoid exacerbating the situation.

Strength training exercise for back pain

To reduce your risk of injury

For most of the week, people often engage in a sedentary lifestyle, which makes them susceptible to numerous diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and musculoskeletal injuries (e.g., knee pain, low-back pain).

While incorporating strength training in your weekly routine might help you break out of this vicious cycle, training too hard puts your back at risk for injury.

Therefore, when you target your back, it will become more resilient to intense workouts, which reduces the risk of injury.

To improve posture

Exercising your back can help you get rid of bad posture by correcting the “hunched form” you get after sitting for long hours on your desk.

By strengthening your back muscles, you’ll be able to maintain the alignment of your spine, which improves your overall posture.

To temper down lower back pain

Back exercises combined with a good stretching routine can significantly reduce your back pain. This is due to the strengthening of the muscle fibers and the higher threshold of tension your back can handle.

Top 5 back workouts with dumbbells 

Back exercise for strength

This exercise focuses on building the strength of the back muscles, which means it’s based on loading with progressively heavier loads.

Here’s an example:

Pullup powered dumbbell

As you do your regular pull-up exercise, try to add some weight by attaching a dumbbell to your lower body, using a leash, or just locking it with both of your feet.

The extra weight will make the pullup much more challenging, which puts extra stress on your back muscles, and eventually, builds strength.

Each time you get too comfortable with the current weight, try to increase the load.

Back exercise for power

The two most important elements to increase power are speed and explosivity that you can get from various exercises.

Here’s an example:

Dumbbell dead row

  • As the dumbbells sit on the floor, place yourself in a position similar to the deadlift. 
  • Lift the dumbbells off the floor, using the strength of your legs.
  • Once the dumbbells are above your back with the elbows extended, lower the dumbbells back to the floor and repeat.

The best thing about this exercise is that it doesn’t have any momentum to count on, which creates explosivity by using your arms and legs to lift the dumbbells from the floor.

To make this exercise more efficient, try to increase the weight as much as you can handle.

Back exercise for metabolic effect

The focus of metabolic exercises is to create the burning sensation that comes with repeated movements of the dumbbell.

While the bent-over dumbbell row might seem like a good option in this situation, it places too much strain on the lower back, which is why we opted for another variation.

Here’s an example:

Chest supported touch rows

  • Place yourself on the incline bench (protects the lower back).
  • Put two dumbbells on the floor and grab another two in your hands (4 dumbbells in total).
  • As you do the dumbbell row, your goal is to touch the ones you placed on the floor to target the lats.
  • Once you’re nearing failure, ditch the dumbbells in your hands and grab the ones on the floor to keep the metabolic effect going.

Back exercise for a total-body workout

Obviously, to do a total-body workout, you need to involve the majority of muscle groups. Consequently, the exercises in this category are complex and include several movements.

Here’s an example:

The Manmaker

This exercise can be divided into three major categories:

The pushup phase

  • Place yourself in a pushup position while grabbing the dumbbells.
  • Perform one pushup and move on to the next phase.

The renegade row phase

  • While keeping your back straight, do a renegade row for both sides of your body.

The jumping phase

  • Once you finish the renegade row, bring your feet forward and switch to a standing position.
  • Lift the dumbbells above your head, then go back to the pushup position.

Back exercise for hypertrophy

As the name implies, this exercise focuses on increasing muscle volume, which is best performed by targeting specific regions of the back to reduce the interference of other muscle groups.

Here’s an example:

Dumbbell pullover

The dumbbell pullover is one of the best exercises that strengthens your lower back muscles and your lats.

Check out this blog post for a comprehensive guide on the dumbbell pullover.

Other back exercises

Kettlebell swings

Not only will this exercise help you build a strong core, but it will also strengthen your back muscles. 

Make sure to perform the swings with your feet slightly widened, knees bent, and kettlebell held with two hands between your feet. 

Once you’re in position, lean forward without compromising spinal alignment.

Swing the kettlebell backward until it’s just behind your feet, then swing it again until it reaches the shoulders’ level.

Wide-grip pull-ups

This exercise is a variety of regular pull-ups. 

Instead of placing your hands at the shoulders’ level, you should widen your grip. 

It is crucial to do this exercise in the right form, as it can lead to muscle strain.

Dumbbell single-arm row

This one is a classic. 

It involves working both sides of your back and strengthening the weaker spots. It is important to keep your shoulder in the right position.

Doing this exercise frequently produces excellent results in people who suffer from lower back pain.

Farmers’ walk

Farmers’ walk is a simple exercise that conceals numerous benefits. This exercise strengthens the muscles of your back, shoulder, and forearms. 

To perform the farmers’ walk, you need to hold one dumbbell with each hand as you walk for short distances.

Takeaway message

Low back pain is one of the most common injuries in the field of fitness and people with a sedentary lifestyle.

We hope that this article managed to simplify this complex topic into understandable bits. We also hope that you are now more aware of the role of strength training in treating and preventing low back injuries.

If you have any questions, concerns, or just something that you want to add, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Learn more about strength training exercises by clicking on this link.

front squats vs. back squats

Front Squats vs. Back Squats: Which Exercise Is Best For You?

Overview

Before we go into the differences between front squats vs. back squats, let’s define the squat.

The squat is a dynamic resistance training exercise that engages several muscles from the upper and lower body in a harmonious fashion.

Training these muscles by doing squats can help you become more efficient as an athlete and decrease your risk of injury.

In this article, we will discuss the general benefits of squatting, as well as the difference between the back and front squat.

The benefits of squatting

Improves core strength

Improving your core’s strength can help you in the daily movements, such as standing, bending, walking, and turning.

Squatting will also enhance your balance and coordination, as well as relieve painful sensations in your lower back.

In a 2018 study, researchers found that back squats are especially beneficial for back muscles compared to other exercises (e.g., planks).

Reduces the risk of injury

By targeting the muscles of your lower and upper body, squatting helps you execute full-body exercises in the correct form while maintaining balance and spinal alignment.

Additionally, regular practice of squats will strengthen your tendons and ligaments, which reduces the risk of injury.

Burns calories

Compound movements (e.g., squatting) are excellent exercises to shed a few pounds as they recruit a large number of muscles, which eventually leads to more energy expenditure and calories burnt.

According to Harvard Medical School, you can expect to burn up to 223 calories in 30 minutes of strenuous training like squatting.

Promotes muscle hypertrophy of the lower body

The lower body has the largest muscles of the entire musculoskeletal system (e.g., quadriceps), which burn a lot of calories and need intense strength training to grow larger.

Fortunately, squats strengthen these muscles and promote hypertrophy, improving your athleticism and allowing you to perform daily activities with ease.

How to squat

Here’s a simple guideline on how to perform the back and front squat:

Back squat

The back squat adds resistance to the entire body by lifting a barbell on your shoulders. This exercise is the gold standard in the athletic field, as it accelerates the recovery from injuries and boosts fitness abilities.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Put a barbell in the squat rack.
  2. Place your shoulders underneath the barbell and grab it with both hands (your neck should be in front of the barbell).
  3. Spread your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and step back to clear the rack.
  4. Descend to a squatting position until your hips are on the same levels as your knees.
  5. Stay in that position for a while, then lift your body back to the initial position.

Front squat

The front squat focuses more on the quadriceps, as the weight gets placed on the front of your body.

Note that you will probably need a lighter barbell for this exercise.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Place the barbell on your shoulders and grab each end with one hand (your neck should be behind the barbell).
  2. Spread your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Lower your body until your hips are on the same levels as your knees.
  4. Use your feet to get back to the initial position.

A quick comparison between the back and front squats

The table below will compare both squats, where the green symbol indicates the superiority of one exercise over the other.

Two symbols in the same row indicate a tie.

Function Back squat Front squat
Hip extension
Jumping power
Overall strength
Shoulder health
Knee health

Takeaway message

Squatting exercises are the best way to improve or restore your athletic abilities in a simple movement that doesn’t require a lot of knowledge about strength training.

Magnesium Oil

Magnesium Oil: Definition, Benefits, and Deficiency

Overview

Magnesium (Mg) oil results from mixing Mg chloride flakes and water to produce an oily liquid.

Technically speaking, magnesium oil is not a real oil, but it has the texture and feel of one, which explains the widespread nomenclature.

Despite topical application (i.e., skin use) of magnesium chloride, the fast absorption of this liquid could potentially correct deficiencies.

Here are some of the functions that require magnesium:

  • Mediating neuromuscular action (i.e., muscle contraction)
  • Promoting healthy pregnancy and lactation
  • Regulating blood sugar levels
  • Synthesizing DNA, bones, and protein

In this article, we will briefly discuss the benefits of applying magnesium oil topically, as well as the common signs and symptoms of Mg deficiency.

The benefits of magnesium oil

As mentioned above, magnesium oil corrects nutritional deficiencies, which prevents the following medical conditions:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Chronic blood hypertension
  • Myocardial infarction (i.e., heart attack)
  • Strokes
  • Osteoporosis (i.e., fragile bones)
  • Eclampsia and pre-eclampsia
  • Asthma

For decades, researchers analyzed the effects of magnesium supplementation on these ailments and found significant improvement in patients.

According to one study published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine, the local application of magnesium oil on the arms and legs in patients with fibromyalgia significantly improved their clinical presentation (e.g., reduced pain).

Aside from correcting deficiencies, magnesium supplementation offers the following benefits:

Boosts physical performance 

Magnesium plays a major role in muscular contraction and physical performance. In fact, whenever you’re exercising, you will need 10-20% more magnesium compared to being at rest.

This mineral also optimizes the process of moving glucose into the cells and disposing of lactate, which reduces feelings of fatigue and energizes your muscular system.

According to several studies, taking magnesium supplements boosts exercise performance in athletes, elderly adults, and people with chronic illnesses.

Optimizes energy production

Perhaps the most important role of magnesium is the mediation of most biochemical reactions to ensure the proper function of the cells.

By being a cofactor in more than 600 enzymatic reactions, magnesium interferes with the energy-producing process, which is a crucial property for athletes.

Researchers found that magnesium assists the cells to synthesize new protein molecules from amino acids to mediate muscle hypertrophy after microscopic tears of the fibers.

Reduces risk of injury

Studies found that low magnesium intake is closely related to chronic inflammation, which is the cornerstone of multiple pathological conditions, including premature aging, obesity, chronic disease, and susceptibility to musculoskeletal injuries.

Reports state that individuals with low magnesium concentrations have abnormally high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP).

In a 2017 study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that magnesium supplementation increases bone mineral density, which reduces the risk of traumatic fractures and also supports the connective structures (e.g., ligaments, tendons, articular cartilage).

Magnesium deficiency

Magnesium deficiency presents with the following signs and symptoms:

  • Muscle twitches and cramping
  • Mental disorders (e.g., anxiety, lack of emotions)
  • Osteoporosis
  • Generalized fatigue
  • High blood pressure
  • Cardiac arrhythmias (e.g., electrical irregularities of the heart)

Researchers found that most of these symptoms are reversible when patients take magnesium supplementation (e.g., magnesium oil).

dumbbell pullover

The Dumbbell Pullover: Build a Wider Back With This Exercise

Overview

The conventional dumbbell pullover is an upper body exercise that strengthens the muscles of the chest (pectoralis major), wing-shaped muscles in the back (latissimus dorsi), the core (abdomen), and upper arm (triceps) muscles.

Depending on the movement and variation you choose to perform, the stress will get applied to a certain group of muscles, leading to more hypertrophy in that specific area.

Overall, the dumbbell pullover is one of the best resistance workouts that’s adopted by sports physiologists as a postural exercise to fix spinal misalignment and increase the flexibility of the upper body, which is especially beneficial for people with desk jobs.

In this article, we will briefly discuss the importance of targeting your latissimus dorsi muscles (i.e., lats) and how you can use the dumbbell pullover to achieve that.

Why is it important to target your lats?

The latissimus dorsi muscles, or lats, are the large wing-shaped muscles that connect your arms to the vertebral column.

This group of muscles stabilize the spine and provide the shoulder and back with the necessary strength. The lats also assist the movement of the shoulder and arms while maintaining a good posture.

Targeting these muscles will significantly improve upper body strength and allow for a wider range of motion.

Unfortunately, most people neglect their lats, which can lead to dire consequences.

In the case of injury since a simple tear in the lats may cause chronic shoulder and neck pain, and in some cases, tendonitis (i.e., inflammation of the tendons) of the shoulder articulation.

For this reason, you need to ensure that your lats are put under sufficient physiological stress to strengthen the muscle fibers and reduce the risk of traumatic injury.

How does the dumbbell pullover help with this process?

To increase the focus on the lats muscles, you need to do a slight variation of the dumbbell pullover by adjusting your position on the bench.

Instead of lying down in alignment with the bench, you need to place your upper back on the side of the bench while maintaining that position with the help of your lower body.

In other words, the only two parts of your body that will be in contact with the ground are your feet and a small portion of your upper back.

Make sure to create a 90-degree angle between your spine and the long-axis of the bench.

(watch the video below for illustration)

Once you’re in the correct position, here’s what you need to do:

  • Place one dumbbell in each hand then extend your arms over your chest with the palms facing each other.
  • Extend the weights back and over your head while inhaling.
  • Reach full extension in 3–4 seconds, where the dumbbells will be behind your head.
  • As you reach full extension, exhale and return your arms to the initial position.
  • Do this exercise for 10-12 repetitions.
Arnold style bent over row

The Barbell Bent-Over Row: Build Old School Strength and Size

Overview

The barbell bent-over row is a complex exercise that targets an array of muscle groups, including those in your upper and lower body.

This exercise is commonly considered an accessory movement for the deadlift, but it carries a myriad of health benefits that we will discuss shortly.

Due to the tension placed on your lower back, you must learn the right way to perform barbell bent-over row in order to avoid any unnecessary musculoskeletal injuries.

In this article, we will discuss the major benefits and the targeted muscles of this exercise, as well as the step-by-step guide on how to perform it correctly.

the benefits of the  Barbell Bent-Over Row

Similar to the dumbbell pullover exercise, the barbell bent-over rows target the dorsal muscles, and in particular, the lats (e.g., latissimus dorsi) and the rhomboid group (major and minor rhomboids).

As you move the weight closer and away from your waist, you’ll engage the upper and mid-back muscles, which provides you with a full-back workout.

The assisting muscles in this movement include the forearm and shoulder muscles (e.g., biceps, rear deltoids)

Moreover, your legs and core muscles (e.g., abdomen, lower back) will contract to maintain the position of your body and stabilize the spinal alignment.

Consequently, you will reap the following benefits:

  • Improved posture and spinal stability
  • Reduced risk of musculoskeletal strains in the lower back region
  • Enhanced flexibility and articular range of motion

In a 2015 study, researchers compared several row exercises, including the barbell bent-over row, and found that the latter provided more muscle activation, which subsequently leads to greater hypertrophy and spinal stability.

how to perform the Barbell Bent-Over Row

As we mentioned above, performing this exercise in the correct form is crucial to prevent injury and reap the most benefits.

Here’s the right way to do it:

  1. Start by gripping the barbell –similar to how you would do a deadlift (or slightly wider).
  2. Once you feel like you have a good grip, lift the bar while bending your upper body forward to establish a strong back and hip hinge.
  3. Initiate the row by pulling the bar toward your chest and focus on engaging the latissimus dorsi to mediate the movement.
  4. Once your arms are in full extension, contract the entirety of your upper body without breaking the hip angle.
  5. Slowly descend the bar to the floor.

monster walk mini-band exercise

Monster Walks: How To Activate Your Glute Medius

Monster Walks

Lateral Monster Walks are important for everyone to implement into their lower body day. This is hands down one of the most effective ways to target the underutilized gluteus medius. There are three muscles that make up the butt; gluteus maximus (glute max), gluteus medius (glute med), and gluteus minimus (glute min). The reason this muscular compound is important is that the entire lower body “powerhouse” muscles tie into them. I’m talking about the quadriceps and the hamstrings.  When performing traditional styles of weight lifting such as squats, the gluteus med is not typically worked. Instead, the muscles worked more is the gluteus maximus.

People who sit for eight-plus hours a day are more likely to have an underactive glute problem due to overactive hip flexors and quadriceps. Tight hip flexors and tight piriformis are both issues you want to avoid at all costs so being able to activate your glute meds is one way to combat this epidemic ( ya, I said it) that is hitting our nation hard.

how to perform Monster Walks

Shown in the video are progressions of the lateral monster walk, starting with the easiest way, the band around the thighs. This is the most beginner form of monster walks due to the band being the most proximal to the glute med. The further the way, the harder the monster walk becomes. It is known that most people have underactive glute meds, which, if left undealt with can cause low back issues, underperforming glutes, and hamstrings, as well as overactive quadriceps while trying to

How To: Build a Stronger Back | SSB Good Morning

SSB Good Morning

SSB Good-morning is a compound movement that targets the entire posterior chain with an emphasis on the mid and lower back. The secondary muscle groups that are involved in this exercise are the glutes and hamstrings.

What makes the safety squat bar different from a regular barbell good morning is the implement itself. The safety squat barbell handles project out in front of the bar.  This allows for a neutral hand position which is especially beneficial for users with upper extremity mobility issues. 

waiter's bow exercise

Beginners Guide: How to Hip Hinge | The Waiter’s Bow

Waiter’s Bow is a great progression when learning the proper way to hip hinge. What makes this exercise different from a regular good morning is the placement of the workload. Typically, the workload for a good morning is on the back of the shoulders. For this exercise, the weight will be held in the front, close to the collarbone/upper chest area. This movement can be favored for a novice lifter for a couple of reasons.

  • The Waiter’s Bow has an easier set up than a typical good morning again, weight placement.
  • If you are new to lifting then putting a barbell on your shoulder blades might be intimidating or even just uncomfortable.

Therefore, making the Waiter’s Bow a better option. Also, just like the banded good morning, this exercise can be used a warm-up/ activation before the main lift or as an accessory movement.

how to perform the Waiter’s Bow

To start the exercise, begin by selecting a dumbbell and holding it by the hexes or the ends of the weight. Arms should be bent and the weight will rest right under your collarbone. Keep your chest pushed out and shoulders pulled back. Allow your knees to be slightly bent and begin to push your hips back into a hinge position. Make sure your knees only bend somewhat or this movement could easily turn into a squat. Maintain a flat back until you reach the perpendicular position. Stand back up to the start and squeeze your glutes. Repeat for desired reps and be conscious of the 3:1:1 ratio.