Lower back pain can be caused by various medical reasons that has to do with the spine. If you have a job where you sit all the time, or the opposite, if you have a job where you are standing all the time or lifting heavy weight. All these can cause various problems around the lower back area, since this is the part that holds the body’s weight.
Being overweight is another reason why you might be experiencing lower back pain. The more weight you carry, the more stress you put on your lower back.
Luckily, there is a simple solution that helps a lot in reducing lower back pain. From my own experience as a fitness professional, I came to the conclusion that by strengthening the area with some simple exercises, the lower back pain will reduce or even maybe disappear.
I already tried the following exercises with many people that had lower back pain, and all of them had significant improvement in their symptoms.
The following exercises will strengthen the area around your waist, and especially the lower back. Some abdominal exercises are included because when exercising one area of the body, it is important to strengthen the opposite site of that area as well to maintain balance. Otherwise, you will cause other problems to your body.
For example, if you are exercising the lower back, you should exercise your abdominals as well, or if you are exercising the chest, you should exercise the back as well etc.
Of course, you should always consult with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program because each case is different, and in some more severe cases, medical treatment might be necessary before beginning an exercise program. So always check with your doctor first.
But since in most cases lower back pain is caused by weak muscles, following the exercises I provide next, will help you a lot in reducing or eliminating the problem. Try to do the exercises at least 2-3 times a week.
So grab your exercise mat and let’s dive into the exercises.
1. The Bridge
In my opinion, this is the most important of all the exercises, or as I like to call it, the ‘magic exercise for the lower back’. If for some reason you only had time for one exercise, this is the one I would recommend.
Lay on your back, bend the knees and bring your heels a little closer to your butt. Relax your arms by your sides. Inhale first, and then squeeze the butt and start lifting up towards the ceiling as you exhale.
Try to lift the back as well and have a straight line from shoulders to knees. This means you need to lift the entire back as well. If it is too hard at the beginning to go all the way up, then go as far as it feels comfortable and slowly work your way up. Inhale as you lower back down slowly, softly tap the bottom to the ground and go back up again.
Keep your movements slow and smooth, not sharp. Perform 20 repetitions.
2. Leg Extensions
This exercise strengthens the abdominals, with more attention on the lower part of the abdominals. Lie on your back, but this time lift your legs up in 90 degrees.
Whenever you have both legs in the air, you need to engage your abdominals and put your lower back down, so there is no space between your lower back and the floor. This rule goes for all exercises that have both legs in the air.
Now inhale, and as you exhale extend one leg. Inhale as you bring back in, and exhale as you extend the other leg. Perform 20 repetitions, 10 on each side.
Always remember, when extending the leg, you only lower the leg down to the point where your lower back does not lift off the floor. If you feel your lower back lifting, then you should extend a bit higher.
3. Leg Raises
Lay on your belly. Put one hand on top of the other and relax your head on your hands.
Inhale, and as you exhale, lift one leg up (knee also), making sure the leg stays straight, by squeezing the bottom. Lower down and switch legs.
This exercise works the lower back, bottom and back of the legs.
Alternate 20 repetitions.
4. Opposite Arm-Leg Raise
Go onto your knees in table-top position. That is putting your hands and knees down, so your body looks like a table. You need to have a straight back so engage your abdominals in and lift your butt back and up slightly. Your eyes should be facing down so you won’t put any stress on the neck.
From here inhale first, and as you exhale slowly lift right hand and left leg (opposite arm and leg). Inhale as you go back down and switch. Your arm and leg should be at the same height as your torso. If you feel like you are out of balance, then maybe one of the two parts (arm or leg), or both, are at the wrong height.
Alternate 20 repetitions.
5. Standing Back Leg Raise
This exercise is very easy to perform, especially for people that have a difficulty in laying down to the floor and back up.
Stand straight holding the back of a chair in front of you. Always keep your abdominals engaged so they work with every exercise and give you a strong feeling.
Now stand on the right leg while lifting the left backwards. The standing leg (right) should be slightly bend because it releases the tension from the lower back. The working leg (left) should be straight with the toes facing forward, not side.
It is important to keep your leg straight as you take it back, do not bend the knee. Also, your upper body (from the waist up) should not move at all (it tends to go forward and back).
Perform 20 repetitions on each side. This exercise strengthens the lower back, as well as the buttocks, and the back of the legs.
Try to follow the exercise program 2-5 times/week for best results. If you want more exercises to follow check out my post on ‘exercise with fitball‘, where you will find more interesting exercises to do at home with a fitball.