Suffering from back problems in graduate school motivated me to write this post. Otherwise, mind you, I am no expert on how to exercise – I am just sharing something that helped me feel stronger in my core.

In fact, I swear I have a six-pack ab, and I am exaggerating a little here but I really do feel strong. My abs are not entirely visible due to a layer of insulation (fat) on top, but they are there. Funny as that might sound, it’s true and I am going to tell you how I got a stronger core without going to the gym.

See, my point is not to look a certain way or to lose weight. The exercise I talk about here will most certainly not help you lose weight.

What this exercise could help you with is to get a stronger core. Now, why did I suddenly start writing about getting a stronger core in a How to PhD blog? It’s relevant, I promise.

You see, once upon a time, during graduate school, I woke up and bent over my sink to brush my teeth. When I finished brushing my teeth, I couldn’t stand back up, upright. I was stuck and in pain.

My back hurt like hell.

For a few days, my back had been hurting, and feeling like the lower part of my back was dissociating from the upper part. But today, it was worse, and I couldn’t do anything. I got myself to my bed with difficulty and lay down awkwardly, convinced that something horrible had happened.

I couldn’t sit without pain, I couldn’t walk without pain. I thought I had a slipped disc or something. It was awful. Eventually, I managed to get to urgent care and they determined that it wasn’t the worse thing in the world. Some muscle thing.

The pain continued, though, and eventually, I took myself to get physical therapy at the student health center. There, at physical therapy, I learned the most important lesson.

A stronger core helps to support your back better and reduce back problems.

A stronger core isn’t just for appearances. It’s not just models and actors that need a stronger core. We all do. Graduate students, especially, need a strong core because they spend so long doing work at their desks and on computers, they subject their backs to all sorts of shenanigans. Inevitably, your back is going to give up one day, and it is going to hurt like hell, and you won’t be able to move. So, before it gets THERE, consider working on your core.

I learned an exercise routine from the physical therapist and it proved to be the most helpful exercise anyone has ever taught me. It helped me make my core stronger within just a few days of doing it.

Such is life for a hapless graduate student with back problems – my workout routine came from a physical therapist rather than a gym instructor.

So, here is the exercise. It’s basically a variation of doing crunches, but there are a few important details to follow:

• Lie down on the floor on your back. I usually just lie down on a carpeted floor.

• Fold your legs so your knees are off the ground.

• Try to touch the ground with your belly button. I know, I know, you are on your back. But even still, try to do it. The point is to flex your abdominal muscles while you are still laying down. This will make your back lie more flat against the ground. There should be no arch or gap between your back and the ground, just your back against the ground. This works your abs.

• Slowly raise your upper body so you can touch your knees with your fingers while flexing your ab muscles to touch the ground. This works your abs in two ways at the same time. It’s important to do the lifting of the upper body WHILE still flexing to touch the ground with your belly button.

• Repeat a few times. It doesn’t matter how many you do, just do a few or several regularly, and notice the difference!

The whole point of doing this exercise is to make your core stronger which will greatly help with supporting your back better and reduce back problems. Strong core muscles can hold your frame up better and help with posture as well.

I usually do this routine whenever I get a chance. I don’t even change into specific workout clothes or anything. It’s a simple exercise and I keep it easy to do.

The great thing is my back problems went away after starting to do this exercise. My core feels stronger and I can feel muscles below my belly. They are there and they are stronger and harder than ever before.

I believe this is the exercise that mainly helps me with my back problems. I do this exercise, I do some leg lifts, a couple of yoga poses, and stretching exercises, usually also at the same time. I never do sit-ups, those are bad for your back.

Let me know any questions or comments below! I’d love to hear if this exercise helps you or not.

Please be careful and take this post with a grain of salt as it comes from a non-expert in health!!!! Again, only wanted to share something that helped ME with my back problems in graduate school. Consult with your doctor if you have further questions on what is best for YOUR core.

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