Working the lower back...

[leftwinger]

I fairly new to weight training...I have got myself a bench in the house and have been using it fairly regularly, have read all I can on the subject and am enjoying it and getting some good results from it, even my girlfriend is loving it...

BUT

I sometimes get stiffness in my lower back on my right side, its one of the reasons I got the bench, to work up my lower back and strengthen it, it isn't caused by anything I'm doing on the bench, its maybe work or something...

SO

Is there anyone who can give me good exercises to strengthen my spinal erectors or any other good general back exercises....Cheers.

 

[MyK]

www.exrx.net

 

[Witmaster]

"Good Mornings"... Start light (just the bar weight) Gradually work up in weight. Don't get anxious to start throwing heavy plates on. You can hurt yourself.

 

[leftwinger]

Tried to do 'Good Mornings' with just the bar, 'this morning'!! And just got twinges all the way up my back, it was not fun. I'll keep stretching my back and see how I get on....Cheers

Thankx for the website address MyK, lots of stuff on there eh..

 

[Dante]

have you done hyper extensions? also, not wearing a belt unless you really need it helps strengthen abs & lower back.

 

[Witmaster]

If just the bar weight is causing you pain then don't use it. Start with just your hands interlocked behind your head and do the movement with no weight (other than your upper body).

Good luck

 

[MyK]

Thankx for the website address MyK, lots of stuff on there eh..

yea, its a good site.

 

[ponyboy]

"Good Mornings"... Start light (just the bar weight) Gradually work up in weight. Don't get anxious to start throwing heavy plates on. You can hurt yourself.

No offense, but in my experience this is one of the worst exercises you can possibly do to strengthen the lower back. It puts an incredible amount of pressure on your cervical spine and throws the lower back out of its natural alignment, actually promoting further injury. There are a better ones that don't risk that kind of injury.

I'd wager a guess that you need to improve the strength of your deep abdominal wall - transverse abdominals (which insert into the last five segments of your lumbar spine) are usually the culprit, but it could be your multifidus or your spinal erectors, or even something wonky in your pelvis. Make sure when you are doing any heavy lifting your spine is in its proper neutral position - meaning pelvis tilted back to promote proper spinal alignment - and your core is engaged.

 

[P-funk]

No offense, but in my experience this is one of the worst exercises you can possibly do to strengthen the lower back. It puts an incredible amount of pressure on your cervical spine and throws the lower back out of its natural alignment, actually promoting further injury. There are a better ones that don't risk that kind of injury.

I'd wager a guess that you need to improve the strength of your deep abdominal wall - transverse abdominals (which insert into the last five segments of your lumbar spine) are usually the culprit, but it could be your multifidus or your spinal erectors, or even something wonky in your pelvis. Make sure when you are doing any heavy lifting your spine is in its proper neutral position - meaning pelvis tilted back to promote proper spinal alignment - and your core is engaged.

I agree that you should be working your stabalizers. I like planks a lot for that. Body weight reverse hypers off the side of a bench or over a stability ball are also good.

As far as good mornings go. I have done them in the past and throw them in my routine on and off. I generally don't do them heavy as I feel like the risk is greater than the reward with this exercises. I have never taught it to a client and usually don't advise anyone to do them (what I do for myself is different).

 

[PTYP]

I have never taught it to a client and usually don't advise anyone to do them (what I do for myself is different).

Do as I say, and not as I do type thing?

 

[leftwinger]

Thankx for the replies, I have always been aware of lifting heavy stuff with my back and always do it from the legs with back straight. The Good Mornings I was doing was with nothing more than the empty bar, but that was still sore so I stopped. I always thought Good Mornings were a bit risky but couldn't think of anything else to do to strengthen my back.

To P-Funk: what are body weight hypers, I'm assuming that its just raising your body, whilst lying on your side, while hanging off a bench, would that not just work your obliques? I'll give these a try tho, it sounds like just what I'm gonna discuss below....ta

To ponyboy: I like your thinking on my problem, had physio about a two years ago on the same problem, she thought that my lower vertabrae were stiff, maybe I just need to strengthen up the surrounding muscles to help them out, give them an easy life, could you give me any other exercises for working up these muscles; multifidus, transverse abdominals and spinal erectors.

You've all been ace and its much appreciated...

 

[P-funk]

rev. hypers can be done off the side of a bench with just BW by lying with your hips off the bench and your chest on the bench (hands under neath the bench holding you down). your knees are bent to keep your feet from touching the floor. From that sort of fetal position make sure you are tight and extend your feet out and up so taht they are now parallel with the floor and supended in air. The go back to start position and go again for reps.

 

[Tough Old Man]

Excellent directions Pat. Works for me

rev. hypers can be done off the side of a bench with just BW by lying with your hips off the bench and your chest on the bench (hands under neath the bench holding you down). your knees are bent to keep your feet from touching the floor. From that sort of fetal position make sure you are tight and extend your feet out and up so taht they are now parallel with the floor and supended in air. The go back to start position and go again for reps.

 

[Seanp156]

No one's mentioned deadlifts for lower back yet?