What are the best at-home exercises for strengthening your lower back?
I used to have a lot of lower-back pain, and here's what my trainer (and some help from some Biggest Loser DVDs) had me do:
Bridges: Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your torso off the ground till it's in a flat diagonal line. Hold. Lower slowly till you're about an inch away from the floor. Hold. Repeat.
Planks w/ a twist. Go into a push-up position, then move your right knee toward your left armpit. Return it, then do the left. Repeat.
Is, Ts, and Ys. Like Stefan's, but you move your arms out straight in front (I), then at a 90-degree angle from your torso (T), then at a 45-degree angle (Y).
These exercises also work your abs (the first two), and your various shoulder muscles (I,T,Y). I barely ever feel any back pain anymore. Granted, I do a lot of other variations (rowing machine, windshield wipers), and those help, too, but these really help.
4 Answers
I used to have a lot of lower-back pain, and here's what my trainer (and some help from some Biggest Loser DVDs) had me do:
Bridges: Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your torso off the ground till it's in a flat diagonal line. Hold. Lower slowly till you're about an inch away from the floor. Hold. Repeat.
Planks w/ a twist. Go into a push-up position, then move your right knee toward your left armpit. Return it, then do the left. Repeat.
Is, Ts, and Ys. Like Stefan's, but you move your arms out straight in front (I), then at a 90-degree angle from your torso (T), then at a 45-degree angle (Y).
These exercises also work your abs (the first two), and your various shoulder muscles (I,T,Y). I barely ever feel any back pain anymore. Granted, I do a lot of other variations (rowing machine, windshield wipers), and those help, too, but these really help.
Don't forget to stretch your lower-back well after these exercises or it will all be for naught. Some of the easiest ones that you've never heard of are:
Place one heel in front of you, with your leg straight and your toes up (this works well if you place your forefoot on a wall or incline, like you would to stretch your calf muscle). Keeping your back straight, lower your chin to your chest and bend forward at the waist until you feel the stretch and hold for 15-20 seconds, repeat on other side. This works great in the warm water in the shower if you have the inclined back of a tub to put your foot on.
Another one is to sit on the side of your bed with one leg straight out in front of you (like a hamstring stretch) and one leg to the ground. Again, straighten your back, put your chin to your chest and lean forward. You will feel the stretch most in your upper leg and lower back.
Lastly, get a pole (bed post, lax stick, brass pole, etc), grab it with both hands, arms parallel with the floor. Now gently, with feet at shoulder-width, turn your upper torso and head away from the poll until you feel a gentle stretch and hold. Repeat other side.
Don't over do it and be patient with the stretches. I've added these a couple days a week and a lot of my lower-back pain has subsided without much added to strengthen it.
The post by "Stefan" is spot-on. This is quite simply one of the best exercises you can do to target your lower back. It's simple and insanely effective
Answer This Question
Please provide links to products you recommend or your answer will not be accepted.
Use this code to make a link. "Product Name":http://www.example.com → Product Name
What is the best at-home teeth whitening product?
How do you spit like a baseball player?
What kind of tattoos won't make me look like a tool?
How do I stop upper-lip sweating?
What is the best way to stop biting my nails?
What is the cheapest and most effective way to stop snoring?
Lie on your stomach and extend your arms above your head as far as possible, and keep your legs straight. Stretch as far as possible in both directions and lift arms and legs in the air like superman, and hold for 30 seconds and release. Repeat.
A good variation on this is to lif one leg and one arm in a diagonal fashion eg. left arm, right leg.