According to Dr. Susan Hall in her textbook, "Basic Biomechanics," you are likely to experience low back pain at some time in your life. She cites mechanical stress of the lower back muscles, such as lifting heavy objects, as a probable cause for low back pain. Strengthening your lower back muscles can help prevent and treat injuries that cause low back pain. You can perform several resistance exercises regularly to strengthen your lower back muscles.
Bird-Dog Exercise
The bird-dog exercise is featured by the American Council on Exercise. Among other muscles, it helps strengthen your erector spinae muscle group. To perform the bird-dog exercise, start on your hands and knees with your hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips. Then extend your left leg backward and right arm forward simultaneously. When both are parallel to the ground, return to your hands and knees and repeat by extending your right leg and left arm. Continue to alternate in this fashion for your desired number of repetitions. While you perform the exercise, do not allow your torso to rotate.
Bridge
The bridge exercise requires your lower back muscles to contract continually to hold your torso off the ground for a period of time. To do the exercise, first sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground about 6 inches apart. Next, lean backward and place your palms on the ground about shoulder width apart with your fingers directed backward. Then press into the ground with your feet and hands to lift your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders are aligned horizontally and parallel to the ground. Hold this position for at least 10 seconds before relaxing.
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Straight leg deadlifts exercise your lower back muscles through flexion and extension ranges of motion. According to strength and conditioning specialists Thomas Baechle and Roger Earle, to perform straight leg deadlifts, first stand with your feet no wider than shoulder width apart and hold a barbell with both hands in front of your thighs. Then slowly bend forward to lower the barbell toward the ground. When the bar is aligned with your ankles, extend your spine and hips to stand back up. You can overstress your lower back muscles if you use too much weight for this exercise, so pick your weight conservatively.
Superman Exercise
For the Superman exercise, you use your body weight to resist spine extension to strengthen your lower back muscles. To perform the exercise, lie on your belly with your arms extended in front of your head. Then repeatedly lift your hands and legs at the same time to squeeze your lower back and relax back to the ground. You can add resistance by wearing ankle weights and holding hand weights if desired.
References
- "Basic Biomechanics (Fifth Edition)"; Susan J. Hall; 2007
- American Council on Exercise: Bird-dog
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Second Edition)"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
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