Chances are, as you’re reading this, you’re hunched over your phone or slouched at your desk. And it hurts. You’re in desperate need of some exercises for low back pain.
Your lower back is one of the most important parts of your body’s kinetic chain. “It’s where everything in the body connects,” says Jeff Brannigan, program director at Stretch*d, which offers in-studio and online classes. When this area of the body becomes tight, injured, or weak, it can wreak havoc in every other area of the body.
The vertebrae in your lower back—a.k.a. the lumbar spine—are the largest and bear the most weight, which means there are many possible ways to wind up with lower back pain. Simply sitting for long periods of time is one of the biggest culprits. “Most often, back pain results with no known cause,” says Jordan Seda, DPT, OCS, a certified strength and conditioning specialist at Stroma. “For example, imagine sitting at a desk and feeling a spasm in your back an hour into your workday. Prolonged periods of inactivity do not treat the body well.”
Of course, there are plenty of ways to wind up with a lower back injury that don’t involve sitting. “Lower back pain or weakness can stem from a multitude of reasons depending on your field of work,” says Miguel Aguilar, founder of Self Made Training. “Working a hard-labor job consisting of picking up or pulling heavy objects, crouching and bending over, or repeating the same movement repeatedly can cause lower back pain.”
Caring for your lumbar spine and finding lower back pain relief is all about having the right balance of exercise and stretching. “Each segment of your body needs to have a certain amount of flexibility and a certain amount of stability,” says Jenna Crivelli, DPT, a physical therapist at Stroma.
It needs to be able to support you as you bend over to pickup your toddler and keep you steady when you have to stand for an hour when you can’t find a seat on the train. “Health is about balance, and so the spine is also about balance,” Crivelli says. Figuring out how to relieve lower back pain, therefore, requires a mix of movement, stretching, and strength training.
First, you want to stay mobile. “Our bodies were made to move,” says Seda. “Movement allows for circulation of fluids that keep our tissues healthy and prepared for having to perform more strenuous physical tasks.” When we sit at a desk all day without taking walk breaks, it’s “terrible” for the body, adds Brannigan.
This is why regular lower back stretches are so important. “Active, movement-based stretching helps promote circulation and reduces the stiffness that builds over time when you stay in one position for too long,” Brannigan says. “When static for too long, muscles become tight and contracted; gentle, movement-based stretches will help loosen these muscles up and relieve tension.”
Finally, it’s important to make sure you’re also doing strength-building exercises one to two times a week to keep your back muscles strong, says Aguilar. “Surrounding our spines are core muscles that keep our spine stable,” he says. “It’s important to balance stretching with strength-building exercises to help lengthen muscle tissues and increase flexibility to be able to perform muscle-building exercises pain-free, and with greater range of motion to make the exercise more effective.” Free workout apps and YouTube workouts are a great place to start.
The most important thing you can do to fix lower back pain is to have a consistent routine filled with the best back exercises. (Some good workout songs won’t hurt either.) Here are 17 lower back exercises designed to keep you flexible, strong, and pain-free.
The Pelvic Clock
“I love this exercise, as it can be used as a way to warm up to other exercises,” says Mody of this move to help strengthen the lower back. “It is subtle but effective at awakening your abdominals and improving stability of the lumbo-pelvic junction.”
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. Imagine that there is a clock face resting on your abdomen with a marble in the center of the clock.
- Slowly draw in your stomach muscles toward your spine and tilt your pelvis back, flattening your back onto the mat. Imagine the marble rolling toward 12 o’clock.
- Next, tilt your pelvis forward, rolling onto your tailbone. Imagine the marble rolling toward 6 o’clock. The stomach muscles will relax and your back should arch off the mat slightly.
- Next, drop your left hip bone down toward the mat. Your right hip bone will lift toward the ceiling as you imagine the marble rolling toward 3 o’clock.
- Finally, drop your right hip bone down toward the mat as you imagine the marble rolling toward 9 o’clock.
- Repeat five times clockwise and five times counterclockwise.
Bird Dog
“This is one of the most researched low back exercises, as it works on the stabilization of the low back (lumbar multifidi) while keeping the abdominals (transversus abdominis) contracted,” says Mody. The key: making sure your abdominals stay engaged and activated throughout the movement.
038 FROM HOMELESS TO SELF MADE MILLIONAIRE; MIGUEL AGUILAR | Nick Koumalatsos description
038 FROM HOMELESS TO SELF MADE MILLIONAIRE; MIGUEL AGUILAR | Nick Koumalatsos description
When I first disrupted the industry it was something positive that brought value to personal trainers to truly create the careers they dreamed of. It can also be a negative when disrupting the industry as it’s very easy to falsify the success of entrepreneurs through “get quick rich” schemes.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Miguel Aguilar.
As a kid, Miguel grew up quickly after being abandoned by his parents at the young age of sixteen. From sleeping in his car, to briefly getting caught up in drugs, his childhood shaped him, teaching him to have perseverance, grit, thick skin, emotional intelligence, and the ability to be the best at everything he put his mind to. This ultimately led to his success story…
Miguel decided to pursue his passion for health & fitness and started training clients out of his garage after a rough patch in his real estate career. Within 12 months he outgrew the garage space and was on the search for a place to train his clients. He quickly realized the devalued craft of personal training, understanding there was no way to develop a career working for a corporate gym since they take most of your earnings.
Experiencing the problem with corporate gyms and the personal training industry firsthand, he decided to create the solution and disrupt the industry dramatically. Miguel focused on bringing back the value of personal training and helping independent contractor personal trainers create a real career where they keep most of their earnings. With the SMTF business model, trainers pay a flat monthly fee ranging anywhere from $800-$1950 depending on location, and have access to the whole facility to use with their clients, similar to a hairstylist renting a chair in a salon.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I,Miguel Aguilar, am the President and CEO of Self Made Training Facility. My journey to this position of leadership has been marked by a transformation from homelessness and bankruptcy, to the establishment and expansion of a globally recognized private training facility franchise. The company, which was founded in a humble three-car garage, has since grown to encompass over 21 locations, with plans in motion for further growth nationwide.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
The prioritization of personal training as a valuable commodity has been reestablished at Self Made Training Facility, as opposed to material possessions that were previously prioritized by big box gyms in the industry. The conventional perception that value lies in the physical establishment and equipment has been disrupted, as we place emphasis on the personal trainers themselves, who through their expertise in health and fitness, facilitate transformative experiences in the lives of our clients.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake I made when I was first starting out was running out of money. I under budgeted the project not knowing how or what truly went into building a commercial gym. I had the option to either give up and possibly file bankruptcy again, or make sacrifices to bring my vision to life. I sold my most prized possession at the time, my 2014 road king & 1972 suburban to finish funding the buildout of our very first Self Made location.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
Some of my mentors along the way have been Andy Frisella — The founder of 1st Phorm. His work ethic, core values, and discipline is something that I admired. He had always been straightforward and left no gray area when it comes to what it takes as a business owner.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
When I first disrupted the industry it was something positive that brought value to personal trainers to truly create the careers they dreamed of. It can also be a negative when disrupting the industry as it’s very easy to falsify the success of entrepreneurs through “get quick rich” schemes.
Can you share five of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
Consistency: Staying true to our brand’s vision through the ups and downs.
Application: Constantly applying more value to our company
Grit: Remaining determined to sustain effort and achieve long-term goals, despite difficulties or setbacks.
Steadfast: Being 100% committed no matter what setbacks come our way
Thick Skin: Being able to endure criticism, rejection or insult without being affected or discouraged
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
We are always trying to push the envelope when it comes to private personal training in the health and fitness space. Our next goal is to be in every state in the U.S as well as go international. In addition, we want to create new systems to help fitness entrepreneurs truly thrive in their space.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
The books Think and Grow Rich, and Rich Dad Poor Dad have impacted my life dramatically. They have helped me change the way I think and truly believe in myself as well as be able to manifest the life I live now. It also helped me to understand the true difference between a liability and asset and how to approach things in a different light.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Procrastination is Death” If you procrastinate on your thoughts and ideas you are basically digging your own grave.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
It would be exactly what I’m doing now. If you think about it, the movement I’ve created through Self Made Training Facility is to propel personal trainers financially, spiritually, emotionally, and physically and that trickles down to their consumers, the family of the consumers, etc..
How can our readers follow you online?
You can find more about my story through my Instagram or Youtube .
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Self Made ’59 Impala – SEMA 2019 Spotlight #MTSEMA19
Every year, the PPG booth features some of the industry’s top builds and this year’s SEMA convention was no different. One of the crowd favorites was this 1959 Impala convertible owned by Miguel Aguilar. Miguel, who is the owner and CEO of Self Made Training Facilities and Self Made Real Estate, is by no means a stranger to lowriding. His latest project would include a collaboration with Junior’s Custom Upholstery, Pacific Stereo and Herman of Engrave It, just to name a few. It was Pete’s work of Hot Dog Kustoms that kept the SEMA attendees gazing for hours. The vibrant pearl white paint along with the dazzling patterns and flake, found on the dash and trunk, is the visible reason why this car was chosen to represent the PPG brand.
(MENAFN– GetNews)
What does the phrase ‘Self Made mean to you?
For some, they’re just pretty words… but for Miguel Aguilar, It’s a lifestyle.
Miguel grew up in the rough neighborhoods of Riverside California surrounded by gangs, drugs and violence around every corner you turned and life at home was anything but perfect. From the earliest age he could remember life was hard, and he didn’t have a parental structure in place. Dad wasn’t around much and mom was a pathological liar who eventually abandoned Miguel with his father by age 12. Fast forward to 16 years old in High School his father went to prison and he was kicked out of the house by his step mom.
Miguel was living in his car and bouncing from couch to couch just to survive and avoid being thrown back in the system. He hustled every single day to earn his keep and was just barley able to graduate High School. Moving forward he took on all kinds of jobs and thanks to his hustle mentality he was able to begin living a normal life while working real estate and things were starting to look up for him.
But after the crash in ’08 Miguel like many others, had to file for bankruptcy and find a new way to support himself. By 2012 he came to the wild idea of solving a problem that many trainers in the fitness industry are faced with – lack of facilities to use with their clients. He began training people out of his garage and once he started to really envision what it could become, he decided to use every penny he’s ever saved in order to open a training facility…Self Made. He ended up selling his cars and anything he could get his hands on just to scrape up the additional money he needed to purchase the workout machines and décor. After grinding in the facility for months, he was able to make back all the money he spent, but rather than wasting it he reinvested into opening other locations. The moment he realized he had something great on his hands he began franchising Self Made to others, and the rest was history.
By the end of 2019 there will be 3 more Self Made Facilities opening across the U.S bringing him to 20 locations and it doesn’t stop there. Miguel plans to open hundreds of facilities in every state and is constantly on the hunt for new opportunities. From being abandoned, homeless and left to rely on himself, Miguel is now the CEO of a wildly successful training facility racking in well over 7 figures and is the true definition of a Self Made Man.
IG: @selfmadefamilyinc
Media Contact
Company Name: Self Made Training Facility
Contact Person: Miguel Aguilar, CEO
Email: Send Email
Address: 42265 Winchester Rd
City: Temecula
State: CA 92590
Country: United States
Website: selfmadetrainingfacility.com
FIND GYMS NEAR ME
Miguel Aguilar, the Self Made CEO of Self Made Training Facility – the Unreal Zero to Zenith Story
Temecula, CA – August 20, 2019 – Self Made Training Facility is a gym with a difference and the company’s CEO, Miguel Aguilar had a very humble and unlikely beginning. Today, with over 17 locations across the width and breadth of the US, Self Made Training Facility is carving a niche for itself with the incredible entrepreneurial skills of its founder Miguel Aguilar. Miguel Aguilar’s astonishing rise to success is an inspiring story, and the gym is redefining personal fitness training and its franchises.
Making things happen despite the odds is a skill few possess – Miguel Aguilar has what it takes. He had all odds stacked against him. At just ten years old, he had a mother who is a drug addict. And then, his father was sentenced to prison for 22 years when he was 16. Consequently, he wound up homeless and living out of his car. He had to battle it out on the streets to survive – he raised himself on the mean streets. Miguel Aguilar was trying to figure out how to make somebody out of himself. There was no smooth sailing – he was roughed up by drug addiction, bankruptcy, and other bog downs before building his business from the ground up. Miguel Aguilar is SELFMADE, and today, he has a robust multi-million dollar fitness franchise, he runs with his beautiful wife Autumn Aguilar, the Self Made Training Facility.
With all their heuristic skills and self-motivation, falling and getting back up again, Miguel Aguilar and Autumn Aguilar worked to build one of the most exciting personal training franchises in the country. Their ingenuity created a phenomenon in the fitness industry with Miguel’s revolutionary concept. The deal was not to charge members a monthly membership fee as traditional gyms do. Instead, the couple managed to understand that perhaps there was an opportunity to cater exclusively to personal trainers. And, they realized that it’s something feasible and now they operate by merely charging those personal trainers a flat monthly fee. This way, they are facilitated to manage their training business out of, build their own business, earn over 6-figures doing so, and keep every dollar they earned in profit margin.
Miguel Aguilar was an overweight kid who had life hammering him hard. But, he stuck it out passionately and turned out phenomenal as a self-made, multi-million dollar fitness entrepreneur. Self Made Training Facility is the fruit of Miguel Aguilar’s resilience, hard work, passion, learning, dedication, and mostly his high-degree of self-respect.
About Self Made Training Facility
They are a facility with no membership fees, where over 100s certified personal trainers work with their clients to get results. With them, customers experience one-on-one coaching, top-notch machines, and the motivation needed to exceed their client’s goals. All tools required to be a champion is available with them. Whether training for powerlifting event in Certified USPA Training Center or looking to lose a few extra pounds, Self Made Training Facility is the best sets up for success.
Media Contact
Company Name: Self Made Training Facility
Contact Person: Miguel Aguilar
Email: Send Email
Phone: (888) 640-0005
Address:42265 Winchester Rd
City: Temecula
State: CA 92592
Country: United States
Website: https://selfmadetrainingfacility.com/
LISTEN TO FULL PODCAST
Timestamped Show Notes:
[2:20] Childhood Struggles
[5:22] Constantly Trying To Overcome The Fear Of Rejection
[9:27] Using Health And Fitness As A Form Of Self Love
[11:49] Homeless, Abandoned And Alone At The Age Of 16
[18:15] Faking Death At Age 10
[21:15] Reconnecting With Father
[25:41] The Power Of Facing Your Own Demons
[29:35] Process Of Evolution With Positive Influence
[34:02] Coming Into The World Of Real Estate
[39:05] Becoming His Own Man Without The Negative Influence Of Family
[44:02] Structure Of Self-Made Training Facility
[48:33] Getting Involved With Self-Made
Takeaways:
- You can use health and fitness as a way to love yourself.
- Life is a lot more fruitful knowing who you are.
- It’s so easy for people to become a product of their environment.
- You can’t blame anyone but yourself.
- With every blessing also comes different level problems that you need to level up from.
America, land of the free, home of the brave. Our great country is known around the world as the land of opportunity, where a person with grit, determination, and gusto can make a comfortable life for themselves through hard work and determination. Nothing quite says “I’ve arrived” as a classy custom car, and that is part of the reason why many Americans still pour their hard-earned dollars into tricking out vehicles near and dear to their heart.
Miguel Aguilar, a native son of SoCal, has worked hard his whole life. His many achievements include taking 1st place in the NPC Excalibur bodybuilding contest, starting his own real estate firm, and being a husband and father to two young daughters. The man is the epitome of self made, and to celebrate his success he commissioned a 1959 Chevy Impala convertible that definitely lets people know that Miguel has indeed arrived in style.
Introduced in 1957 as a 1958 model, the Chevy Impala immediately found sales success as Chevy’s top-end automobile. It came with all the fins, chrome, bells, and whistles you’d expect from a late 50s Chevrolet. Yet just one year after its introduction, the Impala was dramatically restyled as part of GM’s economizing its lineup.
Miguel saw fit not to mess too much with perfect, leaving the body and styling of this 1959 Impala intact, except he opted for a set of custom Intro wheels to round out the stance. The Impala was restored by Ultimate Hydraulics, who also added airbags to all four corners to allow the Impala to skate along the streets just inches off the ground.
That isn’t the only suspension upgrade the self-made Impala got; a 9-inch Ford rear end replaces the stock setup, as well as four-wheel disc brakes. But the real heart of this beast is under the hood, where a LS2 V8 engine replaces one of seven different V8 engine setups the ‘59 Impala came with. With 385 horsepower on tap, the LS2 V8 is worlds away a superior engine, offering this big old Chevy plenty of power to motivate it down the road.
There is no supercharger, nitrous, or hidden turbo system here; while powerful, this LS2 engine seems perfectly content with cruising duties. Perhaps that is why Miguel opted to keep the interior looking stock, though it has been updated with newer seats and of course a classy audio system. Our favorite feature though is the custom Dakota Digital dashboard that keeps the outline of the original gauges, but replaces them with something thoroughly 21st century.
All too often, we come across cars that are either half-baked, as though the builders gave up at some point or overdone to the point where less becomes more. Miguel’s 1959 Impala however, is a refreshing look at the right details that make for a great cruiser and adding a few modern amenities that do nothing to detract from the classic look and feel of a chromed-out masterpiece of automotive design. Job well done Miguel, we can’t wait to see what’s next!