Lower Back Exercises
When it comes to lower back exercises, there are two different schools of thought. Some people believe that the best way to exercise your lower back is by doing strengthening exercises that target specific muscles in your lower back. Other people believe that the best way to exercise your lower back is by doing flexibility exercises that stretch and lengthen tight muscles in your lower back.
The truth is that both approaches can be beneficial and even complementary if you do them properly. The key is finding the right balance between strengthening and flexibility training for your own unique situation.
Below are six of my favorite lower back exercises that can help you achieve a stronger, more flexible lower body:
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are one of the best exercises for strengthening your entire body, including your lower back. They also involve a lot of muscle groups at once, which helps keep you from overusing any one muscle group and getting injured as a result. Deadlifts also improve posture by stretching out tight hip flexors and strengthening weak abs and glutes — two areas that often need extra work when it comes to posture correction.
Bird Dog
- The Bird Dog is a classic lower back exercise that works the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings and lower back.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold onto a chair for balance.
- Bend at the waist and reach for the floor on one side with one arm. Keep your head up and back flat against your spine.
- Extend the opposite arm straight out in front of you, pointing toward the ceiling. Lift it up as high as you can without arching or sagging your back, while keeping your torso as still as possible.
- Repeat 10 times on each side of your body.
Prone Press-Up
- In a prone press up position, lower yourself down until your chest is about two inches from the floor. Then push back up.
- While this exercise may not seem like much to some, it’s a great way to improve your overall strength while also working on your core and lower back muscles.
Superman
The Superman is an easy way to strengthen your lower back muscles and help improve overall posture.
To do this exercise, lie on your stomach with arms extended above your head and legs straight out behind you in the air. Then raise one arm and one leg at the same time so that they’re perpendicular to the floor. Hold for 10 seconds before switching arms and legs. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Side Plank
The side plank is one of the best exercises for strengthening your core and improving balance. It also strengthens the lower back muscles that help keep your spine aligned properly when you’re standing or sitting upright. In fact, it’s one of our favorite exercises for preventing low back pain in general!
To do it: Lie on one side with legs stacked one on top of the other (top leg should be bent). Place forearm directly underneath shoulder so that elbow points directly behind head. Lift hips up so body forms straight line from head to toes, with no sagging or arching in lower back. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.
Split Squat
The split squat targets your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs), glutes (the muscles on the rear of your thighs), hamstrings (the muscles on the backs of your thighs), as well as your core stabilizers — those smaller muscles that help keep you steady while standing still or moving around. This exercise is great for building overall strength in these areas and helping prevent injury during sports activities such as running or basketball.[1]
To perform this exercise:
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed forward (or slightly outward). Bend knees until thighs are parallel to floor. Push through heels to return to standing position.[
Hip Bridge
A simple hip bridge is one of the best lower back exercises you can do. It’s also known as a glute bridge.
Benefits of the Hip Bridge
The hip bridge strengthens your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. It builds muscle in your upper body and abs as well.
The hip bridge also improves balance and coordination. And it improves posture by strengthening your core muscles, which will help you to stand up straight.
How to Perform the Hip Bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart. Press through your heels to lift hips off the floor so that only your shoulders and feet remain touching it. Bring chest towards knees until you feel a gentle stretch in your hamstrings and glutes. Hold for two seconds at the top of each rep before lowering yourself slowly back down to starting position without letting your hips sag or letting your butt touch down first before bringing hips back down to ground level
Conclusion
Here we present six lower back exercises that can be done at home or at the gym that will strengthen your back muscles and improve your posture. These are simple, effective movements, but there is one key to getting results from them: you have to work hard. Do these exercises as often as possible and you’ll be halfway to a better looking body, straighter posture, and more energy in no time at all.