Hi everyone! Recently I have been working on my position, specifically my leg and upper body, so I have been practicing without stirrups. However, when I do so my lower back tenses up really to the point where I can no longer focus on my leg and because of the pain in my back. Does anyone have any suggestions for this issue or any different exercises I could try to strengthen my position?
Back muscles take over in an inappropriate way when either you don’t really know how to control your upper and lower body independently, and/or your whole core, glues, hamstrings are weak (or tight in the case of hammies especially)
All this means is - you need a whole-body focus, both in balance, stability, and evening out asymmetries and imbalances in strength
Pilates is a good start
A strength program that focuses on asymmetrical and balance work is excellent, and what I do on a regular basis.
I’d say that no-stirrup work isn’t in the cards for now because there are too many missing pieces. Standing, and up-up down-down, posting at the walk, are better starting points. From there, 1 stirrup
Lunge lessons, even if just 10 minutes on the lunge, so you can use a grab strap to help stabilize you while you and your well-educated eyes on the ground help with positioning
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What specifically is the issue with your upper body and leg? Swinging legs? Heels creeping up? Pinching at the knees?
I like different posting exercises - up up down, down down up, posting with one stirrup (switching sides). Two point “crunches” bending at your hips down to the mane and back up again. Shoot just holding two point while doing various gait transitions and figures is great.
Making some assumptions here - it sounds like your core may be weak over all (back pain is often related to weak core which would correlate with upper body position flaws). IME this is best/ most efficiently addressed out of the saddle with regular core focused exercise. You may also have a tight back, if it is over compensating for a weak core (I’m guilty of this) so some stretching may be helpful too.
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Just going to throw out there the suggestion that you check with a doctor. Low back pain shouldn’t be so debilitating that you can’t do the work, and if it is, it may be a sign of something worse.
I fractured my back and it led to a herniated disc between L5-S1, which resulted in horrendous pain the likes of which I’d never before and never since experienced. And I’ve broken a lot of things lol. But I couldn’t do no stirrups when I was at my worst, because the pain would make me just about black out or go fetal. No amount of physical therapy or core exercises were going to fix the damage that had been done. I needed surgery—a disc replacement—and now I have zero pain in any activity, including no stirrups.
I probably waited too long to get seen by someone, so that’s why I recommend just checking with a pro and making sure there’s nothing serious going on before looking for other exercises.
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Has someone told you to arch your back? That will make your position stiff and lead to soreness.
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Get your back checked out first. Could be something going on with your discs. I had some inflammation in a couple of my lower back discs and couldn’t sit a trot or do no stirrups without almost crying.
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