Lower Back Exercises – Reduce Injury and Back Aches

Article by David Johnston

There really isn’t much worse than constant back aches dogging your life, and making you feel less than great. Such problems are largely due to the muscles in the lower back being weak, and causing the spine to take more weight, and other muscles to make up for the weakness. Many people, men in particular often get ‘love handles’ at the sides of the lower abdomen, and around to the lower back. This can be a reasonably good indication that the muscle in that area is weak – if there was a lot of muscle there, there would be a much higher demand for calories, and therefore fat would not be stored in the same way (this supposes that the rest of the body has a similar muscularity)

If you were to build up only muscle in the lower abdomen, or core, and not build up the rest of the muscles in your body, it is not very likely that this stored fat would disappear completely. The body would store fat in whatever locations do not have a high demand, so because the abdomen are not the largest muscles in the body, they are unlikely to require enough calories to burn that fat alone. Take as an example, someone with really strong muscles in one particular area of their body – that area of high muscular strength is not often fat – fat will store all over the body, however where the local demand is lower that fat storage is likely to be reduced.

Our lives these days, are sedentary, and this does not require us to have strong core muscles, or have any naturally occurring way to build them (unless you are employed doing something physical such as a labourer) With a reduced strength in the lower back, fat is much more likely to be stored there. Muscles are likely to ache, as the slow twitch, long endurance muscles are weak, and are supported by faster twitch muscles that do not have the endurance. This lowering strength and capability in the back can lead to pinched nerves, spinal subluxation, and slipped discs.

By making use of compound exercises for the whole of the body, with a good diet, you can build lean muscle. Core exercises and lower back exercises will really burn away fat in that area, as well as giving your spine the stability it needs, so that lower back pain is reduced. Day-to-day tasks will be made much easier with the increased strength, and if the strength is taken to a high degree, will result in six-pack abdominal muscles.

You can target the core using core and lower back exercises to relieve immediate issues, but to reduce the fat around this area and increase beyond this initial stage, you must target this area as part of body workouts instead of isolating this area. Through compound full body exercises, all muscle get strengthened and are able to support one another, easing functional movements, burning fat.

We must point out that before you start a fully committed set of lower back exercises, that if you have any problems with your back, you should talk to a chiropractor. The chiropractor will realign your back, so that you do not cause further damage, and when you do build lower back muscle, this will help the back to heal correctly. If any of these lower back exercises cause you pain, you should seek advice from your medical professional.

Here are some core and lower back exercises for you to strengthen the muscles:

Lower Back Exercises 1: Bridge – Lie on your back feed flat on the floor, knees bent, push the hips upwards so that the thighs and upper body form a straight line. Hold this position.Lower Back Exercises 2: Plank – In a push up position with toes and hands on the floor, hold for as long as you can do with your abdominal muscles tight and tucked in and your back straight. Do not allow your back to sag. If you find this exercise too hard, rest on your elbows instead of your hands.Lower Back Exercises 3: Side Plank – With Forearm and foot on floor, lying on your side, push your forearm so that your body is straight and forms a triangle with the floor between your shoulder, elbow and your feet. The line from your shoulder to your foot should be straight and held that way by keeping your abdominal muscles tight and pulled in. Hold for as long as you can, and then do the same on the opposite side.Lower Back Exercises 4: Knee to elbow plank – This exercise is an addition to the Plank (exercise 2). Follow the instructions for Plank, then move your left knee to your right elbow, and back, and your right knee to your left eblow and back. Keep your back straight, and do not allow it to sag. Do this exercise as fast as you can whilst maintaining a straight back, and your hands below your elbows.Lower Back Exercises 5: Prone Cobras – Lie on your stomach with your hand above your head. Lift your head, and bend your back slowly, as you push your arms upwards (behind your back), and slowly cycle them toward your sides (the finishing position, you will have your torso up off the floor, back bent, shoulders back, and hand out to your sides. Make the overall movement to a count of four seconds, and slowly return to the start position.Lower Back Exercises 6: Bicycle crunches – Lying on your back, crunch your torso up toward your knees, as you do so, bring one knee up, and touch your opposite elbow to it. Repeat with the other knee and elbow. This should resemble a cycling motion.Lower Back Exercises 7: Resistance band rotation – Anchor the resistance band to a pipe, of column. Start with the resistance band taught and your arms straight; rotate your torso away from the anchor point whilst keeping your arms straight. Perform a set, and then swap to the other side and repeat. Resistance band exercises can be performed at home, and are portable.Straight legged deadlift – Keeping your legs straight, and your back straight, hold a barbell or dumbbells. From shin height, keep the weight in contact with your shins, and your back straight, slide the weight upwards until you in the upright position. Ensure that you keep your abdominal muscles tucked in and tight, and stick your butt out to ensure you do not experience any discomfort from doing this exercise.Deadlifts – DO NOT attempt this exercise if you feel discomfort in your back before or during this exercise. It is likely that you are arching your back, so you should concentrate on keeping your back straight – if you cannot, then you should concentrate on non-weight bearing exercises first. From the floor, lift a barbell, and slide it up your shins, and rise to the upright position. Hold, then lower carefully to the start position, at all times keeping your back straight.Having a strong lower back through lower back exercises is going to benefit in a large number of ways, including reducing injury, preventing back aches, reducing the risk of spinal injury, as well as giving you more energy and potentially a lower body fat percentage. The additional stability gained in the core is really going to benefit you if you wish to continue training, and build lean muscle, and get six pack abdominals.A strong lower back, through lower back exercises; using body weight, resistance band exercises, or free weights will have many benefits. Some of the benefits will be lower risk of injury including spinal problems, reduction in back aches, fat burning and giving you more energy. The additional strength will result in an increase in stability, and therefore an ability to lift heavier weights safely. Building a stronger core will have the added benefit, once you reduce your body fat percentage, of giving you six-pack abs.