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If you've got a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease or you're recovering from a microdiscectomy, this session explains why the answer is a firm yes.
This came from a real exchange in the Back In Shape Program: a member doing brilliantly on her squats and hip hinges was asked by another practitioner, "but where are your core exercises?" That question is worth unpacking, because so many of us have a placeholder belief that "core exercises" means floor-based moves like the dead bug or the McGill Big 3 — and that belief is holding a lot of people back.
🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com
We define what the core actually is — the region between your lower ribcage and your pelvis, not your abs or your six-pack — and use the sack-of-potatoes analogy to explain why it needs to be strengthened all the way through, including the spine running down the middle. That's exactly what most floor-based "core" exercises miss: without a progressive, load-bearing element, you can be excellent at your dead bugs and still fold the moment real life asks more of you than the exercise ever did. We explain why the squat and hip hinge train the whole core at once, including the disc itself, why nerve irritation and nerve compression are two very different things, why "feeling better" isn't the same as your spine actually being stronger, and why swimming is a genuinely good relief practice but not rehab. Along the way: the tape test, the butt wink, and the common gym mistake of lifting heavier on chest day than on your own back workout.
🔑 Key Topics Covered
🥔 What your core actually is (the sack of potatoes): the core is the whole region between your ribcage and pelvis, including the spine running through the middle — not just your abs. Think of it as a sack holding a stack of potatoes: loosen the sack and they shear on each other; tighten it and they move as one column.
🧱 Why floor exercises alone miss the point: the dead bug and the McGill Big 3 are safe ways to learn control, but without a progressive, load-bearing element they never actually strengthen the spine itself. You can be great at your floor exercises and still fold the first time real life asks for more.
🏋️ Why the squat and hip hinge ARE core exercises: to squat without folding forward, you have to create real trunk stiffness — which is exactly what core strengthening means. They train the muscles and the spine together, and let you add load progressively in a way floor exercises can't.
🩹 Nerve irritation vs nerve compression: banging your funny bone is genuine compression. Most sciatica is repeated irritation of a nerve root near an injured segment, not ongoing compression — an important distinction, because it's the segment you need to stop re-aggravating, not the nerve itself.
Chapters
00:00 Is a squat a core exercise?
01:00 The question that started this: "where are your core exercises?"
06:03 Why waiting six weeks to start makes no sense
09:03 What the core actually is (the sack of potatoes)
11:39 Why most core programmes miss the "core of the core"
13:36 Feeling better isn't the same as your spine getting stronger
15:03 Nerve irritation vs nerve compression
18:39 The builders and the sledgehammer: why aggravation stalls healing
21:36 Does swimming help with sciatica?
25:03 The butt wink, and why it matters more than it feels
28:39 Why the squat trains your whole core
33:36 What if I have muscle ache, not sciatica?
40:03 Why SIJ is rarely the real problem
44:39 The blind spot: heavier on chest day than back day
48:39 If you keep butt winking, should you stop squatting?
54:03 The best way to actually fix your sciatica
#HerniatedDisc #CoreStrength #BackInShape #Sciatica #SlippedDisc #DegenerativeDiscDisease #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab
