Back Strengthening Exercises

strengthening spine

Back Strengthening | Lower Back Exercises Blog

Correctly performed, back strengthening exercises, is one of the best measures you can take t… Read more…

Back Strengthening Exercises

You can stretch and strengthen your lower back in as little as 5-10 minutes a day.

When I was younger, I didn’t have to worry about exercises to strengthen my back, because I was very active, into sports, hiking, etc. But… getting older, being less active, and working from home has caused me some real back pain problems.

My back got weaker because of less physical activity, sitting in a chair most of the day, and the wonderful process of getting older! I haven’t kept my stomach strong because of this, which supports my spine. I’ve had disc problems, pelvic disalignment, and a lot of lower back pain. For those of you that have suffered from bad backs, you know how debilitating this can be.

So, I found some quick and easy back toning exercises to not only help strengthen my back, but increase resilience and lower back flexibility.

So, once you know you just need to strengthen your back, you can start a routine of quick exercises that will get and keep your back in good condition. These excercises will help stretch and strengthen your back while making it more resilient, so you can be more active without worrying so much about twisting and turning, lifting, odd angles, etc. There are proper ways to do these things, as well, but that’s in my back pain cause post!

This routine is simple, and easy to do if you do what you can as you can. If you have a hard time laying on your back without additional support when you do these exercises, put your hands under your back for support, and push your back against them while doing it. This helps make it easier to raise your body, arms and legs up without problems or pain. Remember to hold your stomach in as best you can while doing these back toning exercises, as your stomach muscles help strengthen your back.

back stretching exercise

Stretches for Lower Back

#1 – Stretching/Loosening:
(Very important before doing other exercises):

Lay on the floor (or other firm, flat surface) on your back
Bring both legs to your chest gently with your hands, and exhale.
Hold this position for a count of 5-10, depending on your comfort level.

Do this once or twice, depending on how good it feels to you. This is very helpful in ‘stretching’ those muscles out, limbering them up, and preparing your back for the back strengthening exercises or any physical activity.

#2 – Stretching:

Laying on your back, gently pull one knee to your chest with your hands, and hold for 5-10 seconds, depending on your comfort level. Breathe normally while you’re doing this.
Do the same with your other leg, and repeat this process with both legs.

Exercises to Strengthen Lower Back

Back Muscle Exercise

#3 (also stretches the hamstrings):

Lay on your back, and lift one leg up in the air. Do your best to keep it straight, but only do what you can, and increase it next time.
Clasp your hands behind your knee, and pull your leg gently to you.
Do this with your other leg, and repeat the process again with both legs.

As with all of these exercises, Don’t Strain Yourself. Do the other leg and then repeat.

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Back Strength Exercises

#4 – Back Strength Exercise:

Lay on the floor on your back.
Bend your knees and cross your legs.
Keeping your legs crossed, let them slowly fall to one side so you’re laying on your side.
Gently put your higher arm to the opposite direction of the way you’re laying. Again, do not force it.
Bring your legs back to the center, cross the other way, and let your legs slowly fall down to the other side.
Bring your other arm across, away from your body. (Some people will hear a little ‘snap’ in their spine when doing this. Generally, this exercise is excellent for aligning your back, so you shouldn’t have to worry about this. However, that’s another reason to stress stretching and limbering up beforehand.

Low Back Exercise

#5 – Lower Back Strengthening Exercises:

Lift one arm and stretch it above and to your side.
At the same time, lift your opposite leg up and as straight as possible, keeping both raised off of the floor.
Hold this position for a count of 5-10, depending on your initial comfort level
Do the same with the opposite arm and leg, holding for a count of 5-10, and repeat for both sides.

You might not be able to lift your arms and legs far off the floor in the beginning. Don’t worry about that. The most important thing is that you don’t strain yourself. As you do this, you will get stronger and more agile. Increase your count and sets as this gets more comfortable.

#6 (Sit-ups w/Knees Bent): Strengthening your stomach helps a lot in supporting and strengthening your back and spine.

Lay on the floor with your knees bent
Do a couple sets of sit-ups in sets of 5 or 10, depending on the shape you’re in. Be your own best judge in determining the number of sit-ups, and times to repeat this process. Just make sure as you’re mastering one level, you increase them. Increasing your sets, and increasing sit-ups by 5 is a good general guide.
Rest a few seconds, and repeat the process 5-10 times if you can; again, depending on your comfort level.

Next time increase the sit-ups and/or sets, and go from there. BUT, again, don’t over-strain yourself!

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It won’t take you long to do these exercises, and using both the stretches and back strengthening exercises will do wonders for your back strength, resiliency, and flexibility. But, you’ll also ‘feel’ better! You’ll notice if you do this consistently, as that’s the key, you will have more energy and stamina, as well. But, most importantly, you’ll notice a huge difference in your back (and stomach) strength, etc.

Doing these quick and simple back strengthening excercises just 5-10 minutes a day (or longer if you wish – just don’t overdo it!) is all it will take to stretch and strengthen your lower back in a short amount of time at home.

For more on back stretch exercise or back strength exercise, please see the related videos.

*NOTE: I always encourage you to see your doctor about any physical issues, because there may be more going on than meets the eye with your back and/or spine. However, if you just have general back/spine weakness, etc., the back strengthening exercise will help greatly.

back strengthening exercise