A poor tone in your core muscles can greatly affect your lower back health and general well-being. Without a stable core supporting your back, lifting and other athletic movements can easily lead an uncontrolled wobble and joint trauma in the spine. Similarly, standing for prolonged periods with an un-activated core can lead to a “Sway-back” posture and repetitive overburdening of the facet joints in the lumbar spine and Lumbar-Sacral junction. The core muscles are supposed to create a stabilizing intraabdominal pressure that support the spine from the front and prevent excessive arching in the lower back.
The “All-4 Superman” exercise is a great way to learn how to maintain a stable/braced spinal posture at the same time as moving your arms and legs.
Position yourself on your hands and knees then activate your core by flattening your lower back and tucking your tail bone under (like a cowering dog). Then simultaneously reach out with one arm and the contralateral leg.
Aim to keep your torso stable like a stiff plank without any torsion or side tilt.
Be careful to maintain the locked in spinal posture described above, so don’t lift the arm and leg so high that you can whilst holding this spinal position.
Continuously alternate your right and left side with a smooth, controlled movement.
Start with 6 reps per side and gradually build up to 12, 18, 24 and so on.