One of the best ways to alleviate and prevent lower back pain is through core strength training. The core muscles of your abdomen and lower back work in harmony to support your spine. Carrying excess body weight puts strain on your lower back. Adding lean muscle tissue to your body through regular strength training boosts your metabolism to help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Weighted Supermans
Fitness Magazine recommends the superman as a beginner exercise for those seeking to strengthen their lower backs. Add weight to the movement by wearing ankle and wrist weights during the exercise. Lie face-down on a mat, and extend your arms and legs to form a straight line with your body. Engage your abs as you lift your arms, legs and head 3 to 4 inches off the floor. Hold for a count of three, and slowly return to the floor. Perform the exercise with both sides of your body at once, or alternate between lifting your right and left limbs.
Barbell Deadlift
Barbell deadlifts work your lower back as well as your calves, glutes, hamstrings, quads and forearms. Proper form is imperative to prevent back injury, so always start with a light weight and have a spotter with you to help. Stand in front of a barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, lowering your body to reach the bar while keeping your back straight. Grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Push down through your feet, returning to the upright position. Bend forward at the waist as you bend your knees to lower the bar back to the floor. Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
Good Mornings
Work your lower back by performing good mornings with either a body bar or a barbell. To exercise with a barbell, stand under the bar set to shoulder-height on a rack. Rest the barbell across your shoulders at the base of your neck, holding the bar with your hands above your shoulders and your palms facing forward. Lift the bar from the rack, and take a few steps back. Start with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Keeping your back straight, bend forward from your hips until your torso is parallel with the floor. Hold for a count of three, and return to an upright position.
Weighted Hyperextensions
Hyperextensions target your lower back while also working your glutes, hamstrings and middle back. Lie face-down on a stability ball with your feet on the floor behind you, holding a plate weight at your chest with both hands. Slowly raise your torso, keeping your back straight, until only your pelvis rests on the ball. Hold briefly before slowly returning to the starting position. You may also perform hyperextensions at a hyperextension bench, or at a flat bench with a workout partner holding your legs.
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