Well, it's not like I had chronic back pain all the time. I'm not one of those guys. Still, every once in a while, my lower back would get stiff. Over time, I noticed that when my shoes would start to wear my shoes out on the outside more than the inside. George Jowett provided another piece in one of his books: if the calf muscles aren't evenly developed, a person will walk unevenly on their feet. The last piece of the puzzle came in this issue of Men's Health: The muscles on the sides of the thigh create stability for the whole leg while walking. Otherwise, the back absorbs the shock. So, I was getting on and off problems because my legs were weak and underdeveloped.
That didn't hurt my feelings much. I thought my legs were to skinny for a long time so this was another perfectly good reason to focus some attention on them. What has really kicked things into overdrive in terms of results were the leg isometrics I learned In Isometric Power Revolution (IPR). These leg exercises really produced some results fast. Several of my work pants are getting tight in the thigh area!
Another exercise that I learned which I started doing diligently was a lunge that I learned from George Jowett's book "Molding Mighty Legs". From ass to ankle, this one hits it all. Find it at www.sandowplus.co.uk. Plus, I've thrown in liberal amounts of other lunging exercises as well as Hindu squats.
So far, the overall results have been very fulfilling. I'm not wearing my work boot's soles off to one side anymore (movement of the foot in which the arches point inward is known anatomically as inversion). This is a major thing since once they wear like that, they're uncomfortable and replacing my work boots is pricey. Like I said earlier, I'm adding size to my legs. That is nice. Most of all, getting rid of whatever back pain that I had is the big payoff. There is nothing that will make me feel old like back pain. I understand why it is such a drag. When your back isn't right, you're not right. I'm not going to suggest that all back pain is caused by weak legs but if you have some problems with your back and you seem to wear the soles of your shoes off to the outside, think about getting more serious about conditioning your legs.
There is another way that strengthening your legs will help with back pain. Have you ever heard that you should be lifting with your legs rather than your back? Well, if your legs are weak, then guess what you're going to try to use to lift instead? YOUR BACK. Think of regular leg training as preventative maintenance as well. The regular squatting and lunging will get you into the habit of keeping your back straight and lifting with your legs.
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