Today's training tip comes from Stuart McGill:
Not a Good Morning
Full spine bending first thing in the morning is a great way to damage your back. You're taller when you wake up in the morning than when you go to bed at night. This is because the discs suck up water while you sleep. After rising, just walking around and using the muscles during the day compress your spine and the fluid is squeezed out, decreasing the anular tensions in the disc. So, when you wake up the extra height in the discs are analogous to a water balloon ready to burst. If you bend, you build up much higher stresses in the disc. In fact, the stresses are three times higher than when you perform the same bend two or three hours later. So, heavy bending exercises, good mornings or sit-ups for example, performed first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
Not a Good Morning
Full spine bending first thing in the morning is a great way to damage your back. You're taller when you wake up in the morning than when you go to bed at night. This is because the discs suck up water while you sleep. After rising, just walking around and using the muscles during the day compress your spine and the fluid is squeezed out, decreasing the anular tensions in the disc. So, when you wake up the extra height in the discs are analogous to a water balloon ready to burst. If you bend, you build up much higher stresses in the disc. In fact, the stresses are three times higher than when you perform the same bend two or three hours later. So, heavy bending exercises, good mornings or sit-ups for example, performed first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
