3 bodybuilding exercises to strengthen your lower back and reduce your pain

2024-10-04 15:00:12

Did you know that out of 10 people, approximately 8 will experience lower back pain during their lifetime?

Although this pain can come from multiple factors, several studies show that people with lower back pain often have problems with strength and neuromuscular control at the lumbar level.

Strengthening this area is therefore an effective intervention to prevent and reduce pain.

This also applies to well-trained people, who often suffer from lower back imbalances, probably due to the absence of specific exercises in their routines.

Add exercises targeted to the lower back muscles can not only prevent pain, but also avoid the development of weaknesses or imbalances in the long term.

However, many people choose the wrong exercises or perform them incorrectly, making the situation worse.

A common example is the Superman exercise, which, although it works the lower back muscles, causes excessive compression of the spine, up to 6,000 newtons, almost double the threshold recommended by health authorities .

Instead, let’s see how to strengthen your lower back with targeted and well-executed exercises.

Squats and deadlifts, the pillars for strengthening your lower back

Certain bodybuilding exercises such as deadlifts cannot be replicated at bodyweight

Before discussing specific exercises for the lower back, it is important to talk about two essential polyarticular exercises: the squat and the deadlift.

These exercises, particularly deadlifts, strongly activate the lumbar muscles, in addition to allowing progressive overload.

So these two movements should be a staple of any weekly routine.

That being said, even if you are familiar with these exercises and practice them regularly, you may have lower back weaknesses, particularly because:

• You do not perform them with a sufficiently heavy load to effectively use the lower back, we are faced with intimidating movements,
• Even with significant loads, the lack of correct stabilization of the pelvis can cause the gluteal and hamstring muscles to compensate, thus reducing lumbar activation.

Thus, to fill this gap, it is essential to incorporate exercises directly targeting the lumbar area.

Note that if deadlifts and squats are too intimidating, you can start with good morning.

Lumbar extensions

The first exercise that comes to mind is lumbar extensions, one of the best movements for isolating and strengthening your lower back muscles.

However, many practitioners perform it incorrectly, sometimes worsening their back pain.

Here’s how to properly perform lumbar extensions to maximize benefits while minimizing risks:

1. Place your pelvis at the top of the cushion (or just above) on a lumbar extension machine or a Roman chair,
2. Lower slowly, keeping a neutral spine, then raise back up using your lower back muscles until your torso is in line with your legs.

Avoid spinal hyperextension at all costswhich could cause excessive compression.

Start with a set of 8 to 15 repetitions using only your body weight, then progress by adding weight as you gain strength.

The bird dog, an essential little stabilization exercise

In addition to exercises that heavily load the lumbar muscles, it is essential to include movements that improve the stability of this area.

The bird dog is an ideal exercise for this (see at 5:58′ of the video above), because it activates the stabilizing muscles of the spinesuch as the multifidus, with low spinal compression (around 2,000 newtons, compared to 6,000 for Superman).

To perform this exercise correctly:

1. Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, your back slightly arched.
2. Extend one arm in front of you and the opposite leg behind you, while maintaining a neutral spine.
3. Hold the position for 5 seconds, then return to the starting position before switching sides.

Do not lift your arm or leg too high, as this will cause excessive flexion of your lower back.

Start with 8 reps on each side, then reduce to 6 and finally 4 reps while gradually increasing the hold time with each rep.

A complete routine to strengthen your lower back

To obtain optimal results, no need to overload your workout routine.

In fact, studies show that even well-trained athletes can significantly improve their lower back strength by adding a single targeted exercise once or twice per week.

Here is an example of an effective weekly routine:

• If you’re already doing squats and deadlifts, just add back extensions and bird dogs once a week for a few sets.
• If you don’t do squats or deadlifts, increase the frequency of specific lower back exercises.

Whatever your level, by integrating these exercises into your routine, you will considerably strengthen your lower back, reduce back pain and minimize the risk of muscle imbalances.

By adding the right exercises to strengthen your lower back and performing them correctly, you can greatly improve your lower back health.

This preventive work helps prevent chronic pain and imbalances that could harm your long-term performance and well-being.

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sport-cat-date-updated">Updated by Quentin on:04/10/2024

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