7 Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Back

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For a healthy body to function properly, you need every muscle and every bone to function in sync.

From basic movement to lifting heavy weights, you require the full support of your spine and back, so you can move effortlessly. However, as we live a very passive lifestyle, most of us with desk jobs have a bad posture.

Moreover, as we keep bending our shoulders for a better look at our devices, our upper body tries to adjust to the sitting style. Eventually, this causes us to lose flexibility in our upper back region, which worsens with time.

Eventually, you will notice that with every movement, the body will be very stiff making you struggle with the movement and eventually, this will cause back pain.

Just a few years ago, back pain was something that was just associated with old age; however, in the new era, even people as young as 25 years are reporting back pain.

Experts believe that this is not just linked with lifestyle and diet, but we also need to start working out more.

Since flexibility is one of the biggest issues so far. You have to intentionally align your workout with simple exercises that can help you not only work on your posture and flexibility, but also help you strengthen your back muscles.

So that you can easily lift weights whenever you need without putting your body at risk of injury.

Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Back

With the help of this article, we will look at some of the main benefits you need to exercise for your back.

We will then look at the types of exercise that you can try and their impact on the body.

Finally, we will look at some of the easier and simplest back workouts that you can try to strengthen and have flexibility on your back.

7 Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Back
Table of Contents

Benefits of the Back Workout

Most people think that exercising for their back means they either have a backache or they are prone to backache.

However, limiting the scope of workouts just to cure pain is not enough.

Here are some of the other reasons you need to work on your back:

  • Helps you get into shape
  • Improve the strength of your back
  • Improves the stability of the backbone
  • Build lean muscle
  • Prevents injury and pain
  • Boosts quality of life
  • Make movement effortless and painless
  • Improves posture
  • Makes you look better

What Kind Of Workout Do You Need For Your Back?

As a fitness enthusiast, you need to know that every workout you choose has a very specific purpose, and it has a different impact on your body.

Some workouts just help you support your body, while others will help you challenge the limits of your body.

When it comes to your back, you will see people suggesting different workouts, but you have to choose what suits you and best according to your goal.

Here are some different workout types you need to choose:

Strength-Based Workout

This workout will help you perform your daily functions effortlessly. They will improve mobility as well as the capability to handle the load and weight.

Flexibility-Based Workout

These workouts will include dynamic stretches, and they will help you prevent any chance of injury and pain that might happen while performing daily tasks.

Technical Lifting

Most of us have a bad posture or our weight lifting techniques are not aligned, so we end up straining our backs easily. This is where you need to work on your movement and lifting workouts.

7 Best Exercises to Strengthen Your Back

All of these exercises should be performed slowly and with control to avoid injury.

When performing strengthening and flexibility exercises, make sure to breathe naturally and without holding your breath; exhale during exertion and inhale during relaxation.

1. Bridge Pose

Perfect for targeting the gluteus maximus and the abdominal muscles, this workout will help you strengthen your back much more easily.

It is a good starter move for butt, hamstring, and low back muscles and the best back exercises at home for managing chronic low back pain. It is one of the valuable glute and core strengthening exercises.

Hip-Bridge

How To Do Bridge Pose Properly

  1. Lie faceup on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down.
  2. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders form a straight line.
  3. Squeeze those glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in, so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise.
  4. Hold your bridged position for a couple of seconds before keeping back down.

2. Plank

The plank is a brilliant bodyweight exercise that helps you to develop the strength and stability of your core. Your muscles are exercised isometrically.

Perfect for the upper back, lower back, abs, and hip area.

Plank

How To Do Plank Properly

  • You need to start by laying on your time and then get into the push-up position.
  • Once you reach that phase, you have to hold this pose while making sure your back is straight, and you are keeping your abs tight.
  • Hold this position for a set amount of time.
  • Then do 3-4 more sets.

3. Dead Bug

The dead bug exercise is a popular way to build core strength and stabilization. It helps build a solid, stable foundation that protects the spine and allows for greater ease in every day and athletic movements, such as moving heavy objects, walking up hills, and throwing.

This move also helps prevent and relieve back pain by protecting your lower back.

Dead Bug

How To Do Dead Bug Properly

  1. Lie face up with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position.
  2. Slowly extend your right leg out straight, and simultaneously your left arm overhead.
  3. Squeeze your butt and keep your core engaged the entire time, lower back pressed into the floor.
  4. Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm.

4. Lying Bent-Knee Twist

The Lying Bent-Knee twist is a bodyweight exercise that strength in the obliques and back muscle.

This exercise can act as a stretch, but the main purpose is to stabilize your core and strengthen your obliques. In everyday life, your posture will benefit from this antidote to sitting and hunching overwork.

Lying Bent-Knee Oblique Twist

How To Do Lying Bent-Knee Twist Properly

  1. Lie on back on the floor or mat with arms extended out to the sides to keep your body stable during the exercise.
  2. Raise and bent legs at a 90-degree angle, so thighs are vertical and lower legs are horizontal.
  3. Keeping your shoulders in contact with the floor, slowly lower your legs to one side until you feel a mild stretch in your lower back.
  4. Now, rotate your legs all the way to the right. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

5. Bird Dog

The bird-dog exercise that strengthens the core—more specifically, the abdominal, oblique muscles, lower back, butt, and thighs.

The bird dog is one of the best core exercises that looks elegant and is also very effective for training the abdominal muscles, oblique and back. 

Several other muscles are also addressed, including the glutes.

Bird dog

How To Do Bird Dog Properly

  1. Get on your knees and place your hands on the floor in front of your body at shoulder width.
  2.  Keep your spine in neutral position and contract your abs and lift one hand and the opposite knee slightly off the floor.
  3. Now extend your arm and leg all the way out. Try to form a straight plane from your hand to your foot.
  4. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise with the other side. Repeat the exercise alternately.

6. Knee to Chest

This is another simple yet effective workout. Knee-to-chest stretches can help elongate the lower back muscles, relieving tension and pain.

This should be performed with one knee at a time rather than two knees

Knee to Chest

How To Do Knee to Chest Properly

  • You will simply start by laying down straight on your back.
  • Now fold the knee and then gently support the knee to bring it closer to the chest.
  • Return to the starting position.
  • Repeat with the left leg and then return to the starting position.

7. Abdominal Breathing Maneuver

Strong abdominal muscles help support the spine and keep the hips properly aligned. Weak abdominal muscles can lead to poor core strength, which can ultimately cause back pain.

The Abdominal Breathing Maneuver might look hard, but so far, it’s the simplest workout that builds core strength without taking a lot of effort.

Learning controlled, diaphragmatic breathing is beneficial for everyone and is also a good stress relief technique.

Abdominal Breathing Maneuver

How To Do Abdominal Breathing Maneuver

  • You will simply start by laying down on your back while your back is straight.
  • Now, inhale the air till you feel your belly are filled with air, and you feel the tension.
  • Now, hold it and when you exhale make sure to draw the belly button towards the spine.

Bottom Line

To sum it all up, it all comes down to the way you plan your workout. Most people focus on just one basic workout that either helps them in strengthening their back or just helps them with flexibility.

However, you need a workout plan that addresses all your concerns and still helps you perform your daily tasks effortlessly.

To start exercising you don’t have to wait for backache or getting old, instead if you start at a young age, there is a high chance that you will be able to help your body adjust. This will also help in improving mobility, helping you lift painlessly, and also it will boost your overall quality of life.

How To Do a Bodyweight Back Workout at Home Without Equipment

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