The lower back is the most vulnerable area of the body. It represents a connection between the upper and the lower part of our bodies and it is very movable part. We constantly put pressure on our lower back without even realizing.
Every single day, we bend, we carry heavy things, we twist, we sit with a wrong posture, we sleep in a wrong way, we exercise, we do all sorts of things that might result with a painful lower back later in life.
This is something that all of us do and can’t change anything. It has been estimated that lower back pain is the second most common reason for people visiting doctors and that almost all of us experience back pain at least once in a lifetime.
Lower back pains can appear after some injury or trauma or can appear all of a sudden, without any specific reason and leave you wonder why. There are many factors that might be responsible for your lower back pains appearing now.
Another thing that shows how much this place is a target for pain is the fact that our lower back is the part that has to carry and bear all our weight. Can you imagine how hard that is?
All of these above things are the reason why your lower back should be strong and all the muscles there should be strengthened in order to provide enough support for your spine and back bones.
Apart from all the other activities you do every day, you must also incorporate some strengthening exercises in order to remove the pressure off your spine and provide a greater support for your back. There are many simple and effective ways to do this.
Here are some of the exercises that have shown the best results when it comes to strengthening your lower back:
Transversal Abdominal Retrain
To start this exercise, lie flat on your back with your knees slightly bend, but your feet still flat on the ground. Put your arms flat and free next to your body.
Relax and start pulling your belly button in so that it is lower than the beltline and the hip bones (if you are thin). Hold like that for a few seconds and then let it go. You can practice this exercise anytime for as long as you can if you don’t feel any pain.
Opposite Arm/Leg Raise
For performing this exercise you need to lie flat on your stomach. Put your arms flat above your head. Knees on legs and elbows on arms straight.
Keeping everything straight, slowly raise the left arm and right leg (opposites) while tightening your low back muscles. Hold like that for a few seconds and then slowly put them down.
Do the same thing with the other opposite arm and leg. You shouldn’t feel pain while performing this exercise. If you feel like you can manage, try to do the exercise at least 10 times with each pair of opposites.
Superman like
Regardless of the name, this is a slightly more difficult exercise than the above two. To start, lie flat and straight on your stomach and put your arms flat above your head.
Do not bend your knees or elbows. Start lifting both your arms and legs and tighten your butt and back muscles. Hold them up and tight for a few seconds and then put them down. Then repeat again as long as it’s not painful.
Hold on One Side
Lie on one side of the body. Lift your upper body (torso) by putting your elbow underneath it. Lift your whole body with the support from the elbow and the feet.
Your feet should be both stick together and touching the ground. Hold up there for a few seconds and then go down. Do the same on the other side by supporting with your other arm’s elbow. Repeat again if you don’t feel pain.
Light crunch
Doing a full crunch can be too hard for your lower spine. That’s why this exercise is better. Lie flat on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your hands on your chest like an “X”.
Slowly start raising your upper body and shoulders off the ground. Don’t push yourself too much, lift just a little. Go back slowly.
If this is too much pressure, put your arms beside your body instead of crossing them. This way you will use them to help your body lift. And if you need harder, put your hands behind your head or neck.
