How to Strengthen Your Lower Back Easily at Home – 5 Must Try Exercises
We tend to train our cores while ignoring the complex muscles in the back, hence leaving us prone to injury. Lower back pain is one of the most common issues we can experience. Use these exercises to strengthen your lower back from the comfort of your home today!
Learn about the lower back muscles, why it’s vital to train them, and easy exercises you can do with little to no equipment!
The Importance of the Lower Back
The lower back is important in our stability, which is often confused with mobility. Mobility refers to our ability to move pain-free. It is the range of motion we possess and is mostly related to the hips in the lower region of the body. The lower back is more involved in stability, our ability to hold a position.
Pain in the lower back can happen if the hips are weak though. With less strength, the hips will require your lower back muscles to help, which can damage them since the lower back is not meant to be used in mobility movement. These exercises focus on hip strength and lower back strength to help prevent injury.
5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Lower Back
Here are the best exercises to help strengthen the lower back (and the hips). This will help you prevent injury, reduce lower back pain, and increase stability.
1. Superman
The Superman pose is a great way to strengthen the muscles of the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. It is also good for core stability and can be done with no equipment.
Simply lie on your stomach, with your legs extended and your arms straight out in front of you. Keep your head neutral, not looking up at the ceiling, and lift your arms and legs off the ground. Hold this position for a couple of seconds, engaging the glutes, back, and core. Lower back down and repeat this for about 10 repetitions, doing 2 to 3 sets in all.
2. Bird Dog
The bird dog is a simple core exercise that is good at relieving lower back pain. It uses the hips, back, and core muscles and can help increase your range of motion while improving posture.
All you need is a yoga mat or something to cushion the knees. Go down on all fours, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Maintain a neutral spine and head position. Engage your back, core, and glute. Raise your right arm and left leg, extending them until they are parallel to the ground. Hold this position for a few seconds. Lower back down to the ground and repeat this on the other side. Do this for 10 repetitions, 2 to 3 sets in all.
3. Bridge Pose
The bridge pose can help stretch and strengthen the spine, relieving tension and pain. This exercise works the legs, glutes, core, and back muscles. It even helps to improve circulation and flexibility of the back.
Lie on your back with your knees bent, facing the ceiling, and place your palms out by your hips. Slowly raise the spine, hips, and glutes off of the floor, maintaining a neutral back as you raise. Hold for a couple of seconds, then slowly lower down. You will want to do 2 to 3 sets, with about 10 reps in each set.
To make them even more intense, in the upper position of a bridge pose, extend one leg out, keeping the hips centered and squared. Hold this for a couple of seconds, then repeat on the other side.
4. Squats
A standard squat works out the glutes, hamstrings, core, calves, and hips. Squats are a good movement to perform to improve strength and range of motion.
Start in a standing position with your legs about shoulder-width apart. You can opt for your feet slightly wider and toes pointed outward for more stability. Engage the core and glutes, and start to squat down. Make sure your hips go backward, promoting more motion at the hips and a stable spine. On your way up, try to use your glutes to push you back up to a standing position.
You’ll want to do about 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps. You also have the option of adding a barbell. Hold it in your hands between your knees, to work out the back more.
5. Reverse Glute Extensions
Glute extensions engage the core, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. All you’ll need for this workout is a bench, chair, bed, or even table.
Lay down on your bench with your torso supported completely. Make sure your hips are also on the structure and supported. Hold onto your support and lift your knees behind you. If this motion is too intense, do one leg at a time. Do about 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps.
When to Seek a Professional
Lower back pain is a symptom of an injury, it is not a diagnosis. There are many reasons why the pain may be there. It can be due to movement, lifting something heavy, or overworking the muscles. If the pain is related to overworking, then instead of exercising the lower back more, ensure you rest and recover properly.
Seek professional advice if the pain lasts longer than a few weeks or if it does not improve with rest. You also want to make sure the pain isn’t spreading down the legs and knees and watch out for any tingling or numbness in the legs.
The Takeaway
Lower back pain is a common issue for many. Getting to the root of the problem is important. Pain in this area may be related to weak hips. When your hips are weak, you need to force your lower back muscles to help out with mobility, but the lower back muscles are not designed for that. Learning how to strengthen your lower back and hips is vital to reducing lower back pain and improving your overall quality of life.
Remember that health comes from within, so eat nutritious meals, move your body daily, and take care of your mental health. Try to practice good habits to form building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Try to take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.
