For the strong haul: Exercises, stretches and tips to save your back - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

For the strong haul: Exercises, stretches and tips to save your back

After 12 miles of being pummeled by more than 70 pounds of equipment, Staff Sgt. Jack Augustin’s back decided to call it quits.

The up-and-down motion of his pack during a long ruck march squished a disc in his spine, sending the Army Guardsman to the operating room and threatening his goal of a military commission.

Augustin’s story has a happy ending — he recovered from his surgeries and eventually resumed ROTC training at Virginia Tech — but back injuries should not be taken lightly. The following tips, techniques and exercises will keep you out of the clinic and feeling good no matter how long or hard the mission.

As with any weight-training activity, it is important to properly increase strength and perfect your technique. The goal should be to build up to heavier loads with practice and training, says Army Col. (Dr.) Francis O’Connor, medical director of the Human Performance Resource Center at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. At the same time, he said, stepping up cardiovascular activity and building core strength will help reduce your risk of injury.

Core strength for back comfort

The core of your body consists of all the stabilizing muscles needed for proper carriage. Strengthening the abdomen, back, shoulder blades, pelvic and gluteal muscles is critical for preventing injury. When doing core exercises, be sure to engage your front, sides, back and shoulders for a more complete and beneficial workout. But strength training alone will not improve your load-bearing ability, O’Connor cautions: The best training for load-bearing is actually marching with a pack.

Dr. Patricia Deuster, scientific director at the HPRC, recommends the exercises below, from the Ranger Athlete Workout and the Building the Soldier Athlete workout manual. Do one exercise per group per workout session and aim for three sessions a week, moving from one exercise to the next while keeping the core tight.

Putting on your pack

The most important rule to putting on your pack safely is not to make abrupt movements.

If possible, have a buddy hold your pack, or put your pack on an elevated platform, before putting your arms through the shoulder straps. Next, hook up the waist belt so it supports the weight of the pack on your hips, and then tighten the shoulder straps to hold the pack against your back. Finally, tighten the load lifter and sternum straps.

If you don’t have a buddy or platform, lift the pack to your thigh while bending, with the thigh parallel to ground. Slide your arm through one shoulder strap and tighten slightly, then slowly swing the pack onto your back and slip your arm into the other side. Tighten as above.

A good stretch

Of course, back injuries don’t happen just when rucking. In the case of military aviators, maintaining a static position for extended periods, followed by dynamic bursts, can lead to strains and pains as well.

As a C-5 pilot in the Air National Guard, Maj. Edward S. Bishop III has a crew duty time of just over 24 hours for an augmented crew.

“It means long hours sitting in an uncomfortable pilot seat, and the twice-daily ‘bag drag’ for loading and unloading gear,” Bishop said. “Healthy habits, such as exercising and stretching, are the best defense I’ve found against strained back muscles.”

Stretching often has helped Augustin get through a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan and all his ROTC training without further back problems.

“I do a regular stretching routine, and make sure to warm up and cool down properly before and after exercising,” he said.

Some suggested exercises

Front core exercises

• Plank: Lie on your stomach. With your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, lift your weight onto your forearms and toes while looking down. Keep your trunk and legs aligned. Begin by holding that position for 30 seconds, and work up to three minutes.

• Supine bicycle: Lie on your back. Bring your knees up to a 90-degree angle. Bring your head up as if performing a crunch and bring one elbow to the opposite knee. Switch legs. Do not arch your lower back. Perform this movement slow and controlled for one minute, or do two sets of 25 repetitions. You may add up to five reps every two weeks, working your way up to 50 bicycles.

• Double crunch: Crunch your abdomen with your legs bent and up in the air. Attempt to touch your elbows to your knees. Then, extend both legs and both arms straight out a few inches off the ground. Do not arch your lower back. Start with 20 crunches, and add five crunches every two weeks up to 50 crunches.

Side core exercises

• Side bridge: Lie on your side and push your body up onto one elbow/forearm. Maintain a straight line from your chin to the foot on the ground. Hold for 20 seconds. Do 20 reps. Add 10 seconds every two weeks until you can hold the position for a minute.

• Side sit-up: Lie on your back with your legs together, knees bent, and turn your hips so one knee is on the ground. Put your hands behind your head in the crunch position. Lift your shoulder blades off the ground, in a crunch motion, until the shoulder blade opposite your knees starts to come off the ground. Start with two sets of 25 repetitions, adding five reps every two weeks for a max of 50 reps.

• Bent leg body twist: Lie on your back and bring knees up to a 90-degree angle. Extend your arms straight out from your shoulders. While keeping your upper back and arms on the ground, slowly rotate your legs to the right as low as you can, then rotate them back to the left. Begin with 10 repetitions, adding five reps every two weeks until you reach 30 reps.

Back core exercises

• Supine bridge: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Bring your buttocks off the ground so there is a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Start by holding this position for 30 seconds, adding 15 seconds weekly, up to three minutes. To increase the difficulty, extend one leg straight and hold for five seconds. Switch legs as many times as needed until time is reached.

• Reverse plank: See plank description above — but perform it with your body face up and your arms extended. Don’t hyperextend your elbow. Begin by holding for 15 seconds, increasing by 15 seconds every two weeks, for up to 75 seconds.

• Prone row: Lie on your stomach. Lift your arms overhead and off the ground a few inches. Keep your feet on the ground. Perform a rowing motion with your arms, keeping your forearms parallel and pinching your shoulder blades together. Start by holding five seconds and add five seconds every two weeks. Once you work up to 15 seconds, do two sets of 10 repetitions, working up to two sets of 15 reps.

Recovery after the ruck

Stretches should be held for 20-30 seconds, O’Connor says. The Building the Soldier Athlete manual suggests the following:

• Prone press-up: Lie on your stomach with your hands forward. Press up by straightening your arms. Leave your hips on the ground. Hold the stretch.

• Mid-back stretch: Sit on your heels on the floor. Bend over to touch your chest to your thighs with your arms over your head, hands flat on the ground. Hold the stretch.

• Mid-back rotation: From the mid-back position described in the mid-back stretch, reach arms to one side while tucking your buttocks toward your feet. Switch to the other side.

• Low back rotation: Lie on your back. Bring your knee to hip level and use your hand to rotate the raised leg toward the floor across your body.

• Low back decompression: (Not pictured) Hang from a pull-up bar, allowing your back and leg muscles to relax.