A “neck hump” (often related to forward head posture and upper-back rounding) is usually a posture pattern, not a quick cosmetic problem. Correcting it requires consistent mobility work, deep neck flexor activation, upper-back strengthening, and day by day posture habits. Make certain the hips keep lifted, maintaining the spine as straight as possible. If you’re just beginning off, bring down the depth by bending the bottom leg on the knee. Just like the bird canine, the facet plank will help you construct a stable basis. The power of your oblique muscle tissue, or the muscle tissue along the perimeters of your core, contribute to the strength of your decrease back.
With back workouts for hypertrophy (muscle growth), try to carry out three units of every again exercise, using masses which may be 70 to 85% of your 1RM for eight to 12 reps. If you battle with any exercises but are decided to construct muscle, a personal coach or a bodily therapist can guide you thru compound actions. Back exercises usually focus totally on the lats, or latissimus dorsi muscle tissue, which are the large, triangular-shaped muscles that stretch out of your shoulders and taper down to your backbone.
Many kettlebell workout routines may help strengthen the again, but this foundational movement is a good place to begin when you’re new to this piece of train tools. Cori Ritchey, C.S.C.S., is the fitness editor at Women’s Health, in addition to an authorized energy and condition coach and group fitness instructor. She’s reported on subjects regarding health, vitamin, mental health, health, sex, and relationships for several years.
Even should you regularly embody deadlifts in your workout routine, it’s a good idea to do back extensions as properly. In exercises like the deadlift, you emphasize keeping your spine in a impartial place, however in actual life, you usually bend your backbone in opposition to resistance. With back extensions, you put together your back for these everyday efforts that contain spinal movements in a protected means.
The exercise activates the core, together with the deep abdominal muscle tissue (transverse abdominis) and the lower back muscles. The Lying Bent-Knee Twist, also called the Supine Spinal Twist or Supine Twist, is a gentle stretching train that involves rotating the backbone whereas mendacity on your back with bent knees. This approach gently stretches the muscles and ligaments surrounding your spine, thereby reducing tightness and assuaging pain brought on by muscle spasms or stiffness. This article on the way to repair your rounded back will not be complete without studying how to activate and strengthen your weak back muscles. Only by doing so will you have the flexibility to preserve this good posture. Our higher again ought to now be in a greater position because of the last 2 workout routines.
By controlling the movement of your pelvis and backbone, you might be able to place your low back in its optimum, pain-free, impartial place. Learning the method to activate these muscular tissues correctly through focused train is the key to attaining the best assist and stability in your low back. Therefore, achieving control and coordination of these muscular tissues is crucial to attaining fully enough stability of your again. Stronger core muscle tissue help enhance stability, decrease your possibilities of getting injured, and enhance operate. Weakness within the gluteal muscles might contribute to back pain as a end result of they’re important stabilizers of the hip joints and decrease again during actions like walking.
Also, when you really feel the need to fill out the final details, you’ll have the ability to add isolation workouts like shrugs and straight-arm lat pulldowns. Still, should you don’t deadlift or wish to focus even more in your upper traps, the standing barbell shrug is a classic. If you want extra stability than the free weight barbell row but don’t wish to do or have entry to machine rows, the t-bar row is a superb possibility. Moving on from vertical pulls to horizontal pulls, the barbell row (or bent-over row) is one other of essentially the most traditional barbell back workouts.
Generally, Wall push-ups are an excellent form of back-strengthening exercise advised for seniors. It effectively strengthens the chest, shoulders, and higher again. Ultimately, participating in back-strengthening workout routines isn’t nearly bodily well being; it’s about improving our overall high quality of life. Chronic again ache is all too frequent among seniors, however it doesn’t should be a continuing companion.
Barbell bent-over rows target most muscular tissues within the back, aiding with core improvement and reducing the risk of lower again damage. This exercise strengthens the erector spinae, making heavier lifting simpler to accomplish with less risk of harm. Core activation, improved metabolism, and improved leaping are extra benefits you’ll expertise from appropriately carried out deadlifts. You can carry out the fowl canine exercise anyplace you like, making it a versatile decrease again exercise that helps improve range of movement.
Weak abdominal muscle tissue may find yourself in poor core energy, which can cause decrease back ache. Stretching the back muscle tissue after finishing a back-strengthening routine may help forestall muscle soreness and injury. It may also present additional benefits, corresponding to enhancing vary of motion and adaptability. There’s no harm in performing common inverted rows, particularly if increase your again muscular tissues safely and successfully is on your exercise agenda. You’ll find every thing from simple to carry out workouts utilizing dumbbells to back workouts you possibly can include in full-body classes primarily based on complete compound actions.
Additionally, you’ll have a personal care group to guide, help, and tailor our program to you. The data contained in these movies is intended for use for educational purposes only and doesn’t constitute medical advice or treatment for any particular situation. Hinge Health just isn’t your healthcare supplier and is not responsible for any damage sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these workout routines.
And trust me, you presumably can never have “too much” core strength—especially if you have a cranky decrease back. Keep studying to study all about back-strengthening workouts for seniors, and next, don’t miss The Best Leg-Strengthening Exercises for Seniors. It is named a great morning due to the movement in the erector spinae which resembles the bow that historically begins a schoolday in some East-Asian nations.
Slowly lower your legs again down to the starting position. By strengthening your decrease, middle, and higher back muscular tissues, Dr. Stewart says this exercise can help scale back again ache and stop injury with train. As a bonus, you’ll also activate your core muscular tissues, one other necessary supply of stability in movement. When you concentrate on strengthening workouts, you may first take into consideration areas like your arms and legs.
They additionally give your arms a workout as well, notably muscles within the forearms and arms. Lower again muscles, glutes, and hamstrings are all engaged with the good morning exercise workout, making them important in case your again tends to be put out. Including it as a half of a core train session will assist you to carry out other back-related workouts even higher. A risk-free decrease back train that doesn’t require any equipment, supermans should be featured in your common workouts, especially if you have points with again pain.
The chest-supported dumbbell row sacrifices working the core but nonetheless gives you a prime quality back workout. The single-arm dumbbell row engages a choice of back muscle tissue, including the posterior deltoids, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and rhomboids. Through our program, you’ll have entry to therapeutic exercises and stretches in your situation.
Open the legs as broad as the hips and the arms as broad because the shoulders. Pull the belly button in away from the ground to have interaction the abs. Relax the shoulders as you attain the arms up off of the bottom and squeeze the quads as you lift the legs off the bottom. Avoid placing an extreme amount of pressure on the low back by making certain that the abdominals keep contracted. All the muscles in the again of the body, from the calves to the upper back, will be engaged.
Exercise movies or classes will help you perceive how to use an exercise ball appropriately, and they’re easy to search out online. These workout routines are deceptively simple, he adds, and with apply you’ll be able to improve depth progressively. 25 Gut Health Hacks is yours completely FREE when you signal as a lot as receive health data from Harvard Medical School. Start with 5–10 minutes of reasonable cardio to get your blood pumping and awaken your muscular tissues.
Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade within the area. His objective is to equip others with the knowledge to begin out their very own health journey. Your back wants an entire system – like a 3-in-1 method masking power, mobility, and function. Think of it like sustaining a automotive – you want all parts working together, not just the engine. This train also opens up the chest, encouraging the breath to turn out to be sluggish and deep.
Push your hips forward to slowly swing the dumbbell up to shoulder top. Reverse the motion, slowly swinging the weight back between your legs. If you have the flexibleness, think about doing your Romanian deadlifts standing on an elevated platform, like a thick barbell plate.
While performing these glute extensions, be acutely aware of stabilizing the backbone, only moving at the hips to minimize spinal extension and/or flexion. Lie in your again on with knees bent 90 degrees and ft flat on the floor. Engage the muscular tissues of the deep core and transfer right into a bridge position by lifting your backside off the ground. Instead of forcing your stomach up by arching your again, try to preserve the pure curve in your decrease backbone.
The movement also works the biceps, that are used in many different again workout routines and might help to improve posture and enhance spine stability whereas minimizing injury risk and again pain. It’s straightforward to take for granted how a lot we use our again muscular tissues every day. Whether it’s lifting baggage of groceries up a flight up stairs or squatting down to pick up something off the ground, we use our backsides to hold out the most complex and easiest duties. When we spend time on the computer or watching TV we are inclined to hunch our higher torso.
Rotate your torso to 1 aspect as far as comfy, then return to the center and repeat on the opposite aspect. You need to lie face down on the ground with your arms extended out to the edges. At this time, make certain to maintain your arms straight, and lift them off the ground.
Lift your left foot off the ground and prolong your left leg to maintain a straight line through your left heel. Return your foot to the floor and repeat together with your right leg. LOWER BACK PAIN may be one of the frustrating bodily maladies you may face, and it’s likely that you will, in some unspecified time in the future or another, experience the difficulty.
This compound back exercise combines a push exercise (for the chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids) with a pull train (for the relaxation of your again muscles). In truth, studies have discovered that the kettlebell swing is an effective train for enhancing useful strength and reducing the risk of low back ache. Make certain to maintain your core tight and your shoulders and hips square. To perform, choose a load that allows you to control the load eccentrically, stretching the hamstring. I are inclined to keep the masses lighter (lighter than the Romanian Deadlift loads) to allow for better hinging and movement.
There are additionally longer muscles that attach to multiple vertebras, supporting the length of your backbone. They run vertically on both sides of your spine, extending and stabilizing the whole vertebral column. Natasha is a licensed occupational therapist and wellness coach and has been working with shoppers of all ages and health levels for the past 10 years. Through coaching and education, her clients are capable of reside a healthier life-style and decrease their danger for disease, injury, and incapacity later in life. She’s an avid blogger and freelance writer and enjoys spending time on the seashore, working out, taking her dog on hikes, and playing together with her household.
Deadlifts primarily goal your decrease again, however they don’t stop there. Your quads, hamstrings, traps, and forearms all work overtime whenever you deadlift. By hitting all these muscles in a single motion, you create a symphony of muscle-building that’s onerous to beat.
“Side planks strengthen the deep core muscular tissues which strengthen the lower again by stabilizing the spine,” says Dan Giordano, P.T., D.P.T., of Bespoke Physical Therapy and MH advisor. This is an easy movement that might not look like a lot, however it creates nice baseline energy throughout the lower back. This will construct stability throughout the spine and low again, ultimately allowing you to carry out more athletically in other movements. This actions “units the inspiration” that allows us to add weight to different workouts down the road, Otey says. The core is extra than simply your abs, after all—it permits motion and helps the backbone. But if you stroll around the health club, you are more prone to see other guys repping out situps, crunches, and leg lifts to train the core.
In addition, a powerful decrease back allows you to enjoy sports activities and different actions with out worrying a couple of back pressure when you do something physically difficult. Since restoration is essential, every day again exercises aren’t generally advised. Pull-ups are tougher to grasp than chin-ups, however they influence your again muscular tissues to a larger diploma. A related train to the chin-up is the pull-up, which takes many of the similar rules however with a special grip. Your core additionally will get in on the action, making this great for working the lower and higher abs.
“You can do it as much as you want, as much as each hour,” she says. Again, however, if stretching leads to worse ache or numbness and/or tingling within the extremities, cease performing the exercise and seek medical consideration. The dumbbell deadlift is especially effective for hypertrophy, or muscle development, due to the high-stress and mechanical pressure it places on the muscle tissue involved. The erector spinae muscular tissues of the decrease again work isometrically to keep the spine in an extended place, whereas the hamstrings and gluteus maximus work isotonically to perform hip extension. This workout is a good start line for novices seeking to strengthen their back, glutes, and core.
If this exercise makes your again ache worse, stop doing it. A healthcare skilled may need to rule out extra serious causes of your again ache. They help you keep an upright position, help your spine and pelvic bones, and allow you to arch your back. It’s necessary for stabilizing the spinal joints and preventing injury during motion. Keep reading to be taught more about 5 equipment-free exercises for your decrease again and what causes lower again pain.
The lowest portion of the movement, when the hips are flexed backwards, is when probably the most stress will hit the low back. Hang out in this place for a few seconds, Samuel says, to know the tension being held earlier than standing back up. In addition to stability, mobility in all the muscular tissues and joints across the back is important to maintaining again power. “If your hips, hamstrings, hip flexors, or even your calf muscles are tight, you’ll by no means be succesful of create the help you need in your again to keep every thing healthy,” says Goonan.
In addition to strengthening the lower back muscles, glutes, abs, pecs, and quads are all concerned, making it a fantastic all-round erector spinae exercise. It’s also great for improving your approach with other workouts corresponding to deadlifts because it strengthens the posterior chain. Muscles within the butt, hips, and shoulders are also engaged with this exercise for added muscle development.
Even at an advancing age, there are heaps of things you are able to do to strengthen and stabilize your again to forestall future flare-ups or recurrence of your low again pain. Many individuals suppose that once they attain a certain age, it is no longer possible to achieve muscle energy. Because of this obscure assumption, many Baby Boomers consider that again ache is something they’re simply going to need to reside with.
In 2017, a staff of researchers conducted a scientific evaluation and meta-analysis of randomized trials to investigate the effectiveness of walking in continual low back ache sufferers. In the United States, low again ache is amongst the most common causes individuals go to the doctor. Low again pain is so frequent that many people consider it a part of everyday life.
Speaking of back strains, improving your decrease again strength may even assist stop pain and injuries. Regularly performing decrease back workouts will even treat again ache when you, like many others, already endure from it. The decrease back is part of your core, and your core acts like a power hub for a variety of sports, from running to swimming to staff sports and weightlifting. Even if you don’t do sports activities, most daily actions, like choosing up groceries, playing with children, or gardening, turn into simpler and safer with a stronger decrease back.
Hips and core additionally engage with chook dogs, resulting in overall improvements in core energy and stability. Back extensions are good for people who struggle with decrease again pain for the explanation that muscles listed right here are directly strengthened when performing this train. Our train lists are created by determining the best exercises for muscle progress, core power, and overall well being and well-being.
The facet plank is a modified model of the plank that works the quadratus lumborum as nicely as the gluteus medius and tensor fascia lata (TFL). You can simply modify child’s pose in different ways to find what’s most snug for you. But regardless of the way you do it, child’s pose stretches all the muscular tissues down the size of your backbone. You can even incorporate deep respiratory into the motion, which promotes leisure via your complete physique.
To isolate the multifidus, check out the multifidus workout routines in this article The greatest train to isolate the multifidus is the fowl dog on an train ball. Of all the multifidus exercises in this article, this may be essentially the most enjoyable to perform. To ease tightness and pressure, enhance mobility and assist a greater posture, we asked Henry to share her six favorite strength-building and spine-friendly Pilates-inspired moves. As another, exercise both arms at the similar time, bringing the arms inward till the arms or dumbbells contact. “Stretches could also be uncomfortable initially, on account of tightness,” Baptiste-Mbadiwe says. As you restore mobility to the painful space, quality of motion will start to improve.
Your spinal system consists of muscles along with the bones, discs, joints and ligaments in your trunk and abdominal area, collectively often recognized as your core. This complicated system helps your body twist, flip, bend, prolong and helps your backbone with day by day actions. From improved posture to protection from damage, enhanced athletic efficiency, and ache aid, a robust back is crucial to good health. Remember, as you progress in these workout routines, proceed to challenge yourself by including weight or resistance, however accomplish that cautiously and stop if you ever expertise any ache during a movement. If you have a historical past of again problems, consult your doctor or a physical therapist earlier than continuing. Strengthening your again has many advantages, crucial being that it could assist defend you from many forms of again ache.
This train works your higher again along together with your arms, together with your lats and biceps. For this train, you ought to use a pulley cable machine or seize a set of resistance bands. The good morning is a hip-hinging movement that will place significant stress on the lower back when loaded up with a barbell or kettlebell. As you descend down, the low again has to work extra onerous to take care of control of the pressure urgent in opposition to your mid-back by the burden.
This motion gently stretches deep muscle tissue in your mid- and upper again. In the process, you’ll additionally get an excellent stretch in your belly muscular tissues, that are necessary for rotational movements. If you need a bigger back, attempt performing some back compound exercises listed in this guide, as an example, the barbell deadlift or the pull-up again compound train. Provided you perform the move with the right form, you’ll develop nice back muscle tissue along with core power. When focusing your training on back muscle tissue, bent-over rows are a must. It’s an enormous compound move, though, so don’t overdo it and permit for restoration days.
The finest approach to keep away from lower back ache is to strengthen the correct muscles that assist and stabilize your spine and torso to maintain everything protected and in healthy alignment. We’ll break down one of the best exercises that take the stress off your lower back and may make an incredible distinction over time. The renegade row is done in a plank place and is almost a full-body workout, plus steadiness elements. The single-arm dumbbell row can be carried out in different positions, but most of them involve much less leg, core, and steadiness work. To do a renegade row, start in a excessive plank place with two dumbbells on the bottom. Do a push-up, then row one dumbbell up to your facet while keeping your core engaged.
A good standard to goal for is 2-3 occasions per week, either as a half of a broader full-body regime or warming up and down, particularly after back exercises. As properly as aiding lower back energy and lowering the danger of harm, bridges can help construct energy in your knees and enhance flexibility. Many of those exercises may also help with muscle growth and power throughout a variety of different muscle teams, making them wonderful for full-body periods. This is a good train to actually ramp up the power of your lengthy muscle group to stabilize the size of your spine while you’re shifting your legs and arms. In the muscular system supporting your spine, there are brief muscles that assist and control motion from one vertebra to the adjoining vertebra.
In addition to hitting a variety of back muscular tissues, bent-over rows also work your biceps for extra arm improvement. The duration of relaxation days between sessions will differ relying in your health degree, and extra skilled trainers would possibly even throw in a few pull-ups as a part of their warm-up. If you’re on the lookout for a again muscle exercise that uses your physique weight and is a bit more superior, then this is one to add to your routine. It focuses on the upper back muscular tissues while additionally aiding with grip energy too.
This one notably strengthens the core, again, and glutes. It helps enhance stability, stability, and total core strength, which are essential for maintaining correct posture and stopping back ache. It can very successfully strengthen the muscular tissues along your spine. At the same time, it could improve back stability and cut back the chance of injury. Sit-backs and repeat can significantly strengthen the again and abdomen.
No, you don’t have to go outdoors to do that one, but who knew that one thing as fun as making a snow angel — albeit a reverse one — might be an effective body weight again exercise? Then, slowly move your arms, first out to the perimeters after which straight back, down the facet of the body until they touch your torso. Then slowly move in reverse again into the starting place. Start this move just like your normal Superman, mendacity in your stomach and reaching your arms forward, with legs prolonged behind you. Squeeze your glutes and low back as you increase your legs and arms off the floor.
The following back stretches really helpful by Hinge Health bodily therapists can be included into any every day routine. When exercising your back, Dr. Stewart suggests working all kinds of muscular tissues. “The entire back works together, so addressing a quantity of muscles can improve total power and stability,” she says.
But the key is not to freeze, says Kimberly Baptiste-Mbadiwe, PT, DPT, OCS, SFMA, a physical therapist at HSS. The Abdominal Breathing Maneuver may look hard, however up to now, it’s the best exercise that builds core power without taking a lot of effort. This exercise can act as a stretch, however the primary function is to stabilize your core and strengthen your obliques. In everyday life, your posture will profit from this antidote to sitting and hunching overwork. It is a variation of the traditional plank train that adds resistance by incorporating a rowing movement with dumbbells. This exercise could be accomplished with a single dumbbell that helps to work on both sides independently, thereby providing better muscle isolation and a longer vary of movement.
The resistance band lats pulldown can be carried out anywhere, so it’s a good possibility for home exercises or whereas travelling. The most common plank is the forearm plank, which is held in a push-up-like place, with the body’s weight borne on forearms, elbows, and toes. These exercises ought to be carried out slowly and with control to keep away from damage. Step forward with the proper leg into a kneeling lunge place.
This prepares your muscular tissues, improves circulation, and reduces risk of strain. The lower again supports more than just sluggish, steady lifts. Samuel notes that the decrease back performs an enormous position in acceleration (the rushing up) and the deceleration (the slowing down) of the flexion and extension of our hips and spine. That makes the kettlebell swing a great train for training the dynamic aspect of low back energy. We’re going from loading just a bit bit to having the flexibility to move massive weight to construct power.
You can even perform the bent-over row as a unilateral train with a dumbbell. Mike holds a Master’s in Exercise Physiology and a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at New York University. Mike can be the Founder of J2FIT, a energy and conditioning brand in New York City that provides personal training, on-line applications, and has an established USAW Olympic Weightlifting club. Typically, lower again exercise can be included in help section of the training session, which is often after the principle power and strength blocks. Moderate loading and volume could be performed while keeping a excessive emphasis on sound movement patterning and a impartial again.
It’s also efficient in improving overall spinal flexibility, Hashish said. Remember, learning tips on how to activate these muscular tissues properly by way of targeted train is the key to reaching the most effective assist and stability for your low again. This exercise will train your corset muscle group to control and coordinate the motion of your pelvis and spine.
By engaging in targeted back-strengthening exercises, we offer the required help and stability to this crucial area, lowering the danger of harm and discomfort. Back extensions could be performed every day to build up core power and stability or include them earlier than shifting onto heavier weights used in deadlifts and squats. Place a dumbbell on the left facet of your body, selecting the most effective weight for you. Return your proper palm to ground, grab the burden with your left hand, and slowly drag it again to the left side of your physique. Lengthening via your glutes helps to activate and have interaction these sturdy muscles, which support your lower back.
Place your arms on the ground on either facet of your proper foot. Then lengthen your left arm straight up toward the sky, twisting your torso and chest open towards your bent knee. Repeat for 10 repetitions before altering position to complete on the other aspect. Many individuals manage our exercises into higher body, decrease body and cardio.
As they concentrate on key muscle teams in our backs and core, these workout routines not only shield towards harm but also alleviate persistent ache and enhance performance in day by day activities. As you see, incorporating simple back strengthening workout routines into our routines as seniors are paramount for sustaining mobility, independence, and overall well-being. Now, let’s come to the core point about the most effective back-strengthening workouts. Well, first let me remind you that not all back-strengthening workout routines are good for seniors.
Strengthening the muscle tissue around your spine enhances stability and steadiness and may alleviate discomfort attributable to situations similar to sciatica or herniated discs. Crunches are some of the widespread workouts to strengthen and engage your core muscular tissues, especially those coveted six-pack muscular tissues. To make the transfer easier, prop your calves on a chair or espresso table. Then, cross your arms over your chest and raise your shoulders off the ground while maintaining your decrease again flat. Hold your arms out in front of you rather than crossing them over your chest. That makes the exercise simpler on your stomach and, most importantly, your back.
When these muscle tissue are weak, they’ll affect balance and mobility and enhance your risk of lower back pain. Click here to return to our full list of strength training workout routines. The major benefit of the dumbbell deadlift compared to its barbell cousin is that you are in a position to do it at home, even if you don’t have room for an entire barbell setup.
This is among the greatest non-weight-bearing back workouts. It’s also one of the best upper back strengthening workout routines out there. “When you lift up during this move, you activate all the muscles throughout your again — your upper again, center back, and lower back,” explains Dr. Stewart. It is necessary to keep in thoughts that the back is a sensitive space as a result of it is stuffed with nerves that encompass the spinal wire. Make positive to help your upper body by participating your core during the exercise and keep away from jerky, fast motions that may cause damage.
This simple to study yet highly effective exercise requires no gear and will strengthen your lower back over time. We’ve narrowed down a spread of exercises to compile one of the best lower again workouts you’ll be able to try for yourself. Even then, Teater stated that you just shouldn’t assume that stretching alone will remedy your lower again pain. “If you pull the rubber band, you stretch on both aspect of the knot. Lower back ache is one of the most ubiquitous well being complaints in the world. That’s why we requested fitness experts for one of the best stretches to ease decrease again pain, as they could be a powerful tool in your toolbox for combating this pesky drawback.
One of these small, but highly effective, muscle groups is recognized as the multifidus. The hip abductor muscles help to lift your leg to the facet, away from your physique. They also help help your pelvis when you’re standing on one leg. Weak muscle tissue, especially those in your core and pelvis, can generally result in again ache or injury. Even if Romanian deadlifts are extra of a hamstring and glute movement, you presumably can rest simple that your decrease again will get its fair share of the motion when you include it in your decrease physique exercises.
Some of these are accomplished standing up, and for others you utilize a chair. Assistive gadgets, similar to foam rollers, are helpful when you can tolerate them, Baptiste-Mbadiwe says. “Hit the hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, iliotibial bands—it’s honest sport to foam roll all of those muscle tissue,” she says. They concentrate on both power OR flexibility, lacking the larger picture.