149 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise of the intervertebral discs thereby leading to low back pain (McGill, 2006). In fact, researchers now believe it may be more effective and safer to train the torso isometrically (Boyle, 2019). In other words, although the spine allows for movement in all three planes (i.e., frontal, sagittal, transverse), the muscles attaching to the spine primarily serve as anti-flexors, anti-extensors and anti-rotators. Table 7.1 provides some sample exercises for training the torso. As depicted in the table, the torso is divided into three parts: midline abdominals, oblique abdominals and low back. It is important to train each part of the torso weekly in order to prevent muscle imbalances. One helpful strategy would be to incorporate torso training at the end of each strength training session and alternate between midline abdominals, oblique abdominals and low back exercises. For example, individuals participating in a 3-day per week strength training program could perform planks on Monday, side planks on Wednesday and back hypers on Friday. Table 7.1. Sample Exercises for Midline Abdominals, Oblique Abdominals and Low Back Midline Abdominals Sample Exercises Oblique Abdominals Sample Exercises Plank Isometric Sit-Up Vertical Knee Raise Side Plank Single-Arm Suitcase Hold Pallof Press Low Back Sample Exercises Back Hypers Reverse Hypers Superman Exercises and Stretches for Low Back Pain Prior approaches to low back pain recovery included avoiding or limiting the amount of physical activity to be performed. However, current recommendations argue against remaining sedentary and instead advocate for as much low-intensity exercise as can be tolerated (Peterson & Rittenhouse, 2019). Performing low-intensity exercise (e.g., walking, swimming) while dealing
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