This is what cured my lower back issues.
First, a few quick stats on me:
- 160lbs and do about 80% of my riding on my 14m Rebel
- I live in Tampa where the wind can be "feast or famine" which means when I ride, I'm out there for long periods
- For 11 years, I've used oversized harnesses that were intentionally loose. Yes, they rode up but I got used to it.
The issue (i think)
Due to riding overpowered so much the harness would ride up causing an overuse of lumbar muscles. In the last few my age (47) is starting to do it's thing and it's gotten worse.
The cure
I drank the hardshell cool-aid and overnight switched from an oversized, super soft harness to a small hardshell harness. The next day I rode about 5 hours and had zero back pain. Not only that, but it's been gone ever since - which is crazy because it got so bad that I thought it was chronic. Turns out, it was just too much riding with a loose harness. Yes, I tried a variety of seats and even posted a review on here of different hybrids but they simply didn't work for me.
Now, I get it. We're all coded differently and what worked for me may not work for you. However, beyond this, here are a few other things I've done that have kept me in the game and feeling great.
1) Cold therapy - It's not too comfortable and people think I am crazy, but there's something miraculous about sitting in a tub of 40 degree water for a few minutes everyday. It's fantastic for post workout / kiting soreness and has significantly reduced my asthma and allergies. For more information, check out
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/ (no affiliation, just someone who has benefited). Warning - cold therapy should be approached carefully and you should progressively build (start with cold showers and go from there). I started with showers but Tampa water is too warm so I converted a chest freezer into a cold plunge (google chest freezer cold plunge and get the e-book if you are interested).
2) DAILY Yoga routine - We are what we do on a daily basis. A DAILY yoga routine will change your life. It doesn't have to be intensive and in fact, my daily routine is only about 10 minutes. Then, about 2 times per week I will do a more intensive 1 hour session. The daily routine varies based on what I'm feeling but it typically consists of few sun sals, horse stance, some hip stretching (pigeon), seated forward folds, plow, IT band stretches, and some some core work (supermans, plank variations, and leg raises). Important - "how" we stretch is everything and all too often I see people rushing through poses. In Yoga teachers training, this is what I learned and it works great - when stretching go about 3/4 to the tension point, stop and take 5 breaths, and breath deep into the tension focusing on relaxing. Then, as your muscles relax, allow yourself to go a little further. Each stretching pose should be NO LESS than 5 breaths.
3) Targeted lower back exercises - So, I happened upon this video and it was the jackpot for me. I will typically do these exercises a few times per week but definitely after every kiting session and the next day too. See this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWmGArQBtFI&t=356s and go to 3:45 -
this exercise really works !!)
4) Diet - Yes I said it...sorry gang but diet matters - ALOT. Check out the diets of Laird Hamilton and Kelly Slater. If we're talking about health and longevity, eating a bunch of pro-inflammatory foods will diminish your health and make pre-existing genetic conditions worse. Google "Rhonda Patrick epigenetics". She is making ground-breaking research on how our diet can positively (or negatively) influence our genes (basically showing how certain genes are switched off or turned on).
Diet is something I struggle with and sugar is my tobacco. So, during the day I only eat paleo (eggs in the morning and for lunch an avocado, sweet potato, and a green smoothie I make...nothing more). This made me more productive at work and I feel better. For dinner it's game on - Pizza, pasta, bread, and such but I'll also try and eat relatively clean stuff as well - grass fed ethically sourced beef, wild caught salmon, and other low mercury fish. Two to three times per year I'll do a cleanse where I will only drink smoothies for a 3 day period (it'll clean you out lol). All things in moderation, even moderation.
I think that about covers it. Apologies for the long post but everything here has had a profound impact on my life and I wanted to share. Be well everyone.
Lm