Exercises for the Back

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Lower Back Exercises

Floor Cobra

This exercise targets the rhomboids and the trapezius and the lumbar spine. You can complete this back exercise at home.

1. Lying face down on floor (yoga mat or gym mat), feet are straight out with feet touching floor.

2. Feet and knees are planted on the mat and do not move during this exercise.

3. Maintain a neutral spine.

4. Front of body and arms are lifted off the mat.

5. Hips and legs stay firmly planted on mat as the lift is performed.

6. The lumbar spine should not be lifted too high off the mat. This is a controlled movement targeting the lumbar spine.

Cobra - Exercise Ball

The prime movers are the rhomboids, lumbar spine and large trapezius.

1. Extend feet out behind you with chest on the ball.

2. Maintain a neutral spine and good posture during the lift.

3. Lift off the ball with arms extended out.

4. Be sure to not lift too high off the ball, because this is overuse of the lumbar.

Upper Back Exercises

Squat to Cable Cobra

This is a strength exercise that targets the muscles of the upper back.

1. Machines pulleys are crossed over each other as you pull back when standing from the squat position.

2. As you lift, drive up through the glutes and pull both arms with equal tension up and back all the while maintaining correct posture.

Squat to Two Arm Cable Row

1. Begin in a standing position with feet hip width apart.

2. Squat in front of cable machine and take cable in each had.

3. In row position, pull cables up and back as you stand.

4. Make sure to utilize good shoulder abduction.

5. Maintain posture throughout and keep both feet flat on ground throughout this exercise.

6. If you lift from your toes, the weight is too heavy

Cable Row in Lunge Position

Strength exercise for a total body workout with emphasis on your back muscles.

1. In a squat position with left leg extended behind you (lunge), pull the cable back with left arm.

2. To increase the load, add a second cable, and alternate rows with each arm while in lunge position.

Dumbbell Bent Over Row (mouseover photo)

1. Set incline bench to a 45 degree angle. Place inside leg on the seat and stabilize upper body by placing inside hand on top of back pad.

2. Lift dumbbell with outside or free hand and pull straight up. Focus on pinching shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.

3. Once your elbow is inline with shoulder, reverse.

4. Do not lock elbow at the bottom of movement.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids, erector spinae and upper back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Barbell Bent Over Row (mouseover photo)

1. Bend your torso over, keeping chest up with a natural arch in spine. Be sure to keep knees slightly bent, staggered or with a shoulder width stance.

2. Pull barbell up to stomach (around belly button) while focusing on bringing shoulder blades together.

3. Stop just after elbow joints are inline with shoulders (90 degree angle at elbow joints).

4. Under control, lower the weight, stop just before elbow joints are straight and repeat.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids, erector spinae and upper back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Lat Pulldown (mouseover photo)

1. Start by reaching up and grasping bar with shoulder width grip (you can vary grip for different emphasis on back muscles).

2. Slightly lean back away from cable machine while keeping abdominal muscles tight, shoulders back and chest up.

3. Pull bar down as you squeeze shoulder blades together.

4. Stop just after elbow joints are inline with shoulders to avoid unnecessary internal rotation.

5. Controlled, allow the weight to travel back up. Don't lock elbows at the top before repeating pulldown.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids and Upper Back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Cybex Machine Seated Row (mouseover photo)

1. Sit on a rowing machine with feet flat on the ground and knee joints at a 90 degree angle.

2. Adjust seat so that axis of rotation lines up with shoulders. Set chest pad so handles are just within reach or scoot back on seat for additional emphasis on low back (lumbar) muscles. Keep a natural arch in your spine with tight abdominal's and shoulders relaxed. Don't allow spine to flex forward during movement.

3. Pull handles towards stomach while moving shoulder blades together.

4. Move handles back once elbows moves slightly past shoulders.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids, erector spinae and upper back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Seated Cable Row (mouseover photo)

1. Sit on rowing machine. Grasp handle after bending at legs, not low back to lift weight. Scoot back while keeping a natural arch at spine.

2. Move belly button in by tightening abs, lift chest and relax shoulders.

3. Drive cable back from elbows, pulling to belly button. Think about pinching a pencil between your shoulder blades.

4. Repeat motion without forward flexion of the spine or locking the elbows.

Trapezius Exercises

Barbell Shoulder Shrug (mouseover photo)

1. Hold barbell with a shoulder width grip, knuckles facing forward.

2. Shrug weight up from shoulders while arms remained relaxed next to sides.

3. Do not do circular motions while shrugging. Simply pull shoulders up and focus on squeezing them together slightly behind head. Reverse movement down.

Muscles Benefited: Trapezius.

Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug (mouseover photo)

1. Move dumbbells next to sides. Thumbs forward. Do not lock out elbows or let the weight rest on body.

2. Drive weight up from shoulders only. Arms stay in the same fixed position during entire movement.

3. Aim at the back of the head. Avoid doing circles. Stop once at top of range and repeat.

Muscles Benefited: Trapezius.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids, erector spinae and upper back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Back Exercises at Home

Resistance Band Row (mouseover photo)

1. Rap band around any fixed surface that is in alignment with ribcage. Slightly bend knees, flex abs and relax shoulders down for ideal posture.

2. Turn elbows in (perpendicular to ground) with palms facing the ground and drive handles to sides of torso.

3. Let elbows only move slightly past shoulder joints and reverse.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids, erector spinae and upper back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Resistance Band Reverse Pulldown (mouseover photo)

1. Attach exercise tubing onto a solid structure that is above chin level. Hold handles with palms facing in.

2. Take a step back, tighten abs and relax shoulders down.

3. Pull band to chest while focusing on bringing your shoulder blades together.

4. Reverse back up.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids and Upper Back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Resistance Band Lat Pulldown (mouseover photo)

1. Directions are the same as the exercise above. Please refer to it. The only difference is that palms will be facing down with this movement.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids and Upper Back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Resistance Band Stiff Arm Pulldown (mouseover photo)

1. Place exercise tubing around a stable object that is above eye level.

2. Draw abdominal muscles in.

3. Keep arms straight (stiff) and pull band handles down to hips.

4. Reverse the weight back up, stopping just before elbow joints are inline with eyes.

Muscles Benefited: Deltoids and Upper Back (latisimus dorsi, rhomboids).

Resistance Band Shoulder Shrug (mouseover photo)

1. Step on tubing and stand with legs and grip spaced shoulder width apart. Place both feet on band and widen stance to increase resistance.

2. Grab handles and shrug shoulders up to the back of your head.

3. Reverse the motion.

4. Don't go all the way down at the bottom of the movement and relax.

Muscles Benefited: Trapezius.

Back To Basics - How Specific Exercises Can Alleviate Low Back Pain

"If you have lower back pain, you are not alone..."

That is the opening line on the front page of the Low Back Pain Fact Sheet as supplied by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. And when you consider that it affects some 80% of Americans at some point in their lives it is easy to see why it is the second most common neurological ailment next to headaches! The fact that it costs the U.S. government some $50 billion economically because it is the number one job-related disability and leading contributor to days missed at work is also another huge cause for concern.

It has been said that there are 300,000 operations performed each year to rectify low back pain problems, and that it is the third most common form of surgery in the U.S. It occurs most often between the ages 30-50, but is also prevalent amongst schoolchildren with over 13,000 injuries being reported in 2000 as a result of overloaded backpacks!

Luckily for most low back pain disappears after a few days, although for others the muscle ache and the stabbing pain can last much longer.

But what can you do about it?

Fighting Back Pain

Well, of all the remedies available physical therapy - i.e. low back exercises - has been proven to be one of the most promising in terms of alleviating the pain and curing the symptoms, as a report on the website of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons indicates and concludes that, "Exercising to restore motion and strength to your lower back can be very helpful in alleviating pain." They also recommend Pilates and Yoga as possible helpful strategies.

Lower back exercises come in many forms and in one study published on the website Spine, "a specific exercise" treatment was viewed to be more effective than other "commonly prescribed conservative" programs. Forty four patients with lower back pain were randomly separated into two groups; one underwent a 10-week specific exercise treatment program, whereas the other was supervised by their treating practitioner. The study concluded that the specific exercise group showed a "statistically significant reduction in pain intensity and functional disability levels" which was maintained at a 30-month follow-up.

Another report published on ScienceDirect also shows that back strengthening exercises proved effective for combating low back pain and these included "specificity, individual tailoring, supervision, motivation enhancement, volume, and intensity."

A further study shows that bad back exercises are effective treatment for low back pain. Published on the Clinical Rheumatology website the report concludes that, after 37 randomized controlled trials, and compared to usual care, "exercise therapy improved post-treatment pain intensity and disability, and long-term function."

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_back_pain#cite_note-3
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00311
http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/1997/12150/Evaluation_of_Specific_Stabilizing_Exercise_in_the.20.aspx
http://www.sciencedirect.com/

Matthew Johnson (Google+) is a certified personal trainer, nutrition expert and an on-line fitness consultant that started ChangingShape.com back in 2001.

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